Wrapping your gifts for Christmas

Some visual inspiration for wrapping your Christmas gifts from the Decor8 blog. Enjoy the creative challenge and the result of having a gift showing care and attention. If you give yourself a little extra time, it is amazing what you can use up from around your home - scrap papers, brown paper bags, extra buttons, garden twine or whatever else you can find to add a little extra love to your gifts.

Christmas Blessings

For to us a child is born

to us a son is given

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isa 9:6

How to make this Advent Calender

Famous food and prop stylist from New York created this advent calendar for Country Living. Its made of matchboxes and some left over scraps of paper.

Directions:

•Glue the tops of empty boxes to one another to get rows.

•The bottom should be 9 and decrease by two until you have single box.

•Cut wrapping paper or old magazine paper to cover each row.

•Secure with glue.

•Then glue the rows in a tree shape as shown.

•Use either number cutouts or small stamps to number each box.

•On top you can glue a star or an angel.

•Fill the boxes with candy and trikets and give to someone special!

For more inspiration, go to www.sweetpaul.typepad.com

Blessings are like flowers. When they are fresh people prize them, when they wither, people forget them. How often do we remember the blessings and the miracles that are showered on us from heaven above and how often do we complain about the misfortunes in our lives. Remember this Festive Season that God's blessings are always with us. We just require the eyes and the senses to feel his presence.

Reflect on your present blessings

of which every man has many,

not on your past misfortunes,

of which all men have some.

Charles Dickens

Elsje Designs in the latest Top Billing magazine

Pencil Crayon Jewelry

Maria Cristina Bellucci is the mastermind behind these beautiful and original jewelry. She worked for many years as a theatre costume designer and now creates her own jewelry made from coloured pencils. The pieces are made using fragments of pencils that have been attached together and form into a varity of shapes. The forming process reveal the interiors of the pencils, showcasing the wood and the coloured lead.

Berig Sake24: Die Volksblad, Burger & Beeld

Kaartjiekoningin is voorloper wat bruilofsgaste wil verras

2009/12/04

Juanita Cillié

Daar kom 'n stadium in baie jongmense se lewe waar troupraatjies van tyd tot tyd die geselskap oorheers.
Dit is nou al vir 'n rukkie so dat heelwat van my vriende en kennisse die knoop deurhak.
Kort voor lank raak jy deel van die gesprekke oor blomme, oor rokke, oor koek.
Dit is onvermydelik om agter te kom waar bruide die beste winskopies kry, watter diensverskaffer duur is en wie die mooiste versierings verhuur.
Só het ek ook opgelet dat daar 'n spesifieke kaartjiemaker deur talle bruide van my ouderdom as die beste beskou word.
Ontvang jy dan ook 'n kaartjie van Elsje Designs, is dit maklik om te sien waarom.
Dit is altyd vars. Altyd uniek.
Maar ook vol persoonlikheid - en nie dié van die maker nie, maar van die bruid self.
Twee vriendinne het selfs slegs per telefoon en e-pos met die Elsje Designs-span gekommunikeer en steeds was die eindproduk nommerpas.
Watter bruid soek nie na diens van dié aard nie.
Elsje van Elsje Designs is meer as bewus van die belangrikheid van die formele uitnodiging.
"Dit is die eerste konkrete ding wat die klant se gaste in hul hand vashou," sê sy.
Dié idee wat geskep word, bly ook vir tot ses weke by die ontvanger, wat dit teen 'n aansteekbord, 'n yskas of in 'n dagboek sit.
"Die uitnodiging moet kommunikeer waaroor die geleentheid gaan. Dit is 'n boodskap wat jy moet oordra," sê sy.
En 'n werklik goeie uitnodiging het volgens haar nie eens woorde nodig nie. Mense moet onmiddellik weet waaroor dit gaan.
"Hulle moet dit vashou en sê: ?Sjoe. Dis h?lle?," sê sy.
Dit kan dalk eenvoudig klink, maar om 'n vreemdeling vas te pen, verg inspanning.
Daarom word alle korrespondensie met elke klant in 'n lêer gebêre - of dit nou 'n e-pos of 'n foto van 'n idee is. Bruide word aangemoedig om 'n foto van haar en die toekomstige bruidegom te stuur, terwyl 'n stukkie materiaal ook die kreatiwiteit laat vloei.
"Ek het geleer hoe om werklik na iemand te luister," sê Elsje.
Voor elke projek gaan sit die kreatiewe span, wat uit drie bestaan, om 'n tafel en bespreek al dié stukkies inspirasie wat ingesamel is.
"Die bruid het miskien vertel sy trou op haar pa se plaas en haar ma maak die rok. Sy het dalk genoem sy wil haar herkoms vier. Ons wil dan weerspieël wie dié klant is."
En dankie tog vir e-pos, waarsonder Elsje meen dit nie moontlik sal wees om haar onderneming só te bedryf nie. Die proses word altyd dieselfde aangepak, maar hulle laat hulle wel deur die begroting lei.
Sy hou daarvan om verskeie keuses aan klante te gee, asook raad oor hoe om kaartjies aan te pak.
Bruide word aanbeveel om sowat 6% van hul begroting aan die "papiergoedjies" te bestee.
En omdat die kaartjies self ook 'n beeld van die onderneming skep, is Elsje baie spesifiek oor wat presies gemaak word.
?Ek wil die toon aangee en nie net ander namaak nie."
Sy laat haar dus nie deur die opposisie lei nie, maar volg haar eie kop.
Dié begeerte om haar eie ding te doen, was juis een van die sleutels tot haar sukses, meen Elsje.
Mense was skepties toe sy agt jaar gelede besluit het om die onderneming te begin. Sy het 'n grafiesekuns- agtergrond gehad, maar dit het vir hulle al te veel na "speel" geklink.
Vandag is haar onderneming só 'n sukses dat daar sprake is van twee takke oopmaak terwyl 'n aanlyn winkel binne die volgende jaar geloods sal word.
Elsje Designs het ook agt permanente werkers en kontrakteer werk aan sowat nege ander ondernemings uit. In seisoentyd, wat van Oktober tot Maart strek, groei die aantal werkers tot sowat twaalf.
Elsje sê die eerste aanstelling was 'n moeilike stap.
Sy het op dié stadium nagte om gewerk om by te bly met bestellings.
Goeie raad dat die punt om personeel aan te stel, aangebreek het, het haar egter die groot stap om uit te brei, laat neem.
"As 'n eienaar het jy baie verantwoordelikhede. Jy moet nuwe werk inbring, maar jy moet ook jou personeel gelukkig hou, of soms op die vingers raps as dit nodig is."
Wanneer mense op hul perseel in Durbanville aankom, merk hulle ook dadelik op hoe mooi alles lyk, maar Elsje sê onder dié oppervlak is daar ook streng spertye en druk wat hanteer moet word.
Sy wil hê dat dit vir die meisies, wat almal meer soos vriendinne is, lekker moet wees om werk toe te gaan.
Hulle is net 'n klomp vroue wat saamwerk - die enigste man op die werf is 'n optel-gemmerkat King Louis. Sy weet nie hoe dit juis gekom het dat dit net die skoner geslag is nie, maar dink dit kan wees omdat daar met "fyn goedjies" soos lint en kant en knopies gewerk word.
Dit is ook glad nie belangrik vir haar om personeel met een ingesteldheid te hê nie. Elk is soos met 'n koek - elk van die bestanddele is nodig om die eindproduk te maak. "Saam bak ons hierdie beautiful produk."

Having fun for Media24's Business Page

Elsje and her team will be published this weekend in the Sake24 (Media24) Business Section - we are very excited!

SUMMER SPECIAL: your menu printed onto cotton printed napkins!

Order these festive printed cotton napkins for your celebration, they add to your table decor and each guest would have a memento to take home.

R20 for design and printing (excluding serviette)

Supply us with your napkins (any colour of your choice) and we will design something special and have it printed @ R20 ea

or

R30 for design, printing and white serviette

We supply white cotton napkins and design something special and have them printed @ R30 ea

• Minimum order of 50 napkins

• An hour design time included

• One colour printing

Contact the studio for more information on 021 976 7111 or info@elsje.co.za.

Christmas Crackers caring for our environment

Christmas is less than a month away... Via the stylist, Kim Gray, we discovered the awesome Cupcake Couture company. They make these crafty crackers to do a little bit for our environment this Christmas. You can pick the gifts inside... mini tape measure corsages, small sewing kits, pencil crayons, wax crayons, matchbox notebooks... take your pick. The ingredients: fairly useless insides of toilet rolls which usually land up in the bin and old magazine pages. Once Christmas is over, make sure that the crackers are recycled with your other old newspapers. For more information please mail them on lovecupcakecouture@gmail.com.

Creative Charity event with a twist!

We were recently very proud to be requested by Aleit to take part in the Live at Your Table event in Stellenbosch. Aleit had to present a workshop on party trends and decided to go for a paper theme.

As guests received on arrival a vintage handmade paper flower - which the guests loved. One of the tables was wrapped in textile pattern paper topped with doily place settings and mini milk cartons with the menu, guest name and vintage artwork printed onto it.

We always enjoy working for such a creative event and look forward to the next one!

Baie Geluk aan die wenpaartjie van die Rooi Rose/Elsje Designs Kompetisie

Danré is a medical student and Marco an engineer getting married at Beloftebos - we will keep you posted on what we create for this special couple!

Celebrate summer

Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. Author Unknown

Summer celebrations are always a very special... a day when everybody can be creative, where imaginary take a big part... Herewith some inspiration from 100 layer cakes.

Subscribe to the Elsje Designs blog

Subscribe to our blog and receive a little email surprise. Something special to inspire your creative juices.

Rooi Rose's Alice in Wonderland

It was fun to create this whimsical feeling for Rooi Rose. The lollipops are for sale from our www.gifts4guests.co.za website.

Top Billing Shoot

We were recently featured in the Top Billing magazine. We did this shoot in conjunction with Aleit.

Who made these awesome (bridesmaid) dresses?

After numerous enquiries, we have decided to publish the details of the fashionista that conceptualised, designed and made these fabulous dresses! It is Annemie's mom (here pictured next to Annemie on her wedding day). Bonnie's contact information is: mobile +27 (0) 82 938 8882 or bonnietjie@gmail.com. She resides in Cape Town but can easily and often work long distance.

Paper flower pins

I'm loving these amazing flower pins from Linda & Harriett, first spotted over on Amy Atlas’s blog. Each pin is made to order and is constructed by hand from letterpress misprints. What a great way to recycle, and what a pretty result! The pins could be used in so many ways — as pins on clothing, pinned onto front of the tablecloth at the wedding party table at a wedding, as gift wrap embellishments or closures for gift bags, shower favors, garlands, and the list goes on and on.

Elsje's off to Europe!!!

My wildest dreams are coming true... Please note that I will be overseas from 6 - 18 September 2009. Hopefully I'll be coming back with loads of new ideas and inspiration. Watch this space!

Beautiful Badges !!!

We recently saw these delightful magnets on http://www.delight.com/. They are also great as gifts for your guests - let us customise your badges with your guest names or signature artwork. Available from R10+

Fashion Forward Tips for Summer 2009/10

with credit to Polyvore...

We love fashion and compiled this must have list...

floral dresses

skinny jeans

boyfriend blazers

big bangles

oversized cardigans

ballet flats

multi-chain necklaces

studded belts

horizontal stripes

bohemian

skinny belts

gladiator sandals

pearl necklaces

jumpsuits

fringe

studded boots

Go Green with Eco Friendly Favours

With green design being the hottest global trend, Elsje Designs has just discovered the perfect table gifts for any stylish eco-friendly celebration! These biodegradable stationery sets (at R25 and R30) will certainly inspire your guests to get creative.

Wording Wedding Invitations with Divorced Parents

These days, with divorced parents, invitations have gotten complicated! Below are some suitable wedding invitation wording. Keep in mind that this is the formal traditional language. Modern couples may choose to add opening statements such as "With Joy in Their Hearts," or may choose to change the traditional "request the honor of your presence at the marriage" to something like "invite you to be a special part of the wedding of" or even "Come laugh, dance, dine, and celebrate our wedding".

Brides parents are divorced:
eitherIssued by the parent who raised her
Ms. Anne Myers
requests the honor of your presence
at the wedding of her daughterSue Catherine
or
Divorced parents are hosting the wedding together
Mr. John NicollandMs. Janet Peters request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughterAnne Catherine

Divorced parent and new stepparent are hosting the wedding
Mr. and Mrs. Marc Stevens
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of Mrs. Stevens' daughterAnne Catherine Myers

Child of divorced and remarried parents both hosting the wedding
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher MyersandMr. and Mrs. Marc Velezrequest the honor of your presenceat the marriage of their daughterAnne Catherineetc.
or
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Myers
and
Mr. and Mrs. Marc Velez
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of the daughter of
Mr. Myers and Mrs. VelezAnne Catherineto

Notes to consider:
• A good rule of thumb is to list whomever is paying for the majority of the wedding, first.
• Whether it's a religious ceremony or nondenominational ceremony, the request line can say anything you wish, as long as you are welcoming guests to the wedding.
• The name of the mother is the first written then followed by the father. The word "AND" cannot be used between the names.
• The names of the mother and stepfather can be written in the invitation if the father has not been involved in the life of the bride or groom since she/he was a baby.
• BUT, the individuals whose names are appearing on the invites do not have to be always the ones paying for the wedding despite popular belief!

Birdies on a fence

We recently got to be the proud owners (or parents) of a flock of birds, sitting on the wire in our front garden! Designed by Green Grass, she wrote: "In a country where security is a major concern, we are kept save in harsh, jail-like homes. Every day I struggled aesthetically with this encroaching ugliness. In contrast, something I've always loved is the sight of a jaunty flock of birds lined up on a telephone wire. One day as I looked at the stark bare fence, my heart lifte as my mind's eye put just such a flock of birds on our fence. The 'birdies on a fence' make me smile and somehow having them around has aken the aesthetic 'shock' out of that fence".

Crystal Jewel Bradlets

Add a touch of glamour to any stationery, with these jewel embellisments. We are very excited to offer them in a variety of colours, including diamond, rose quarts, ruby, saphire and amethyst. Please phone the studio for more information.

Snakeskin & Metallic Boxes

Lace & Duck egg: the hottest trends!

If you love lace and are a romantic at heart, you will love this inspiration from Martha Stewart.

We have several new lace images in stock.

What an awesome idea for table decor - the intricate lace pattern printed onto vellum paper (available in pale grey, white and ivory). One could combine this with your menus for a dual purpose idea.

This idea is easy to customise for an invitation. We love the intricate lace patterns combined with the luxurious satin ribbons.

Beautiful backdrop for photographs and decor. Elsje Designs can print lace onto banner paper - a sure way to bring add a romantic and vintage touch to your big day.

Winter Warmer at Klein Genot Franschhoek

We did this shoot recently with the Aleit group in conjuction with Klein Genot, Franschhoek. Chef Mark Radnay prepared delicious dishes. Elsje Designs did intricate lasercutting on cream paper with a gold shimmer. The actual menu was printed in cream onto a chocolate paper ribbon - see picture below.

New staff member !!!

Fudge is a stray cat that arrived at our studio a while ago. It is clear though that he has allready made himself right at home, both in the studio and in our hearts.

Cherish this...

Cherish Series is fine art project by Photographer Ian Mitchinson and Digital Artist Rudi Silberman. The idea of The Cherish Series is to focus on unreal ideas for real people. The reason we call the project Cherish, is because every image we create has a theme, of something you Cherish. Is it eachother, is it someone you love, is it something. Whatever it is we set out to create a unique art piece. And the art itself is meant to be Cherished forever. With every Cherish concept/commission we do, we supply as archival fine art prints. Who do you Cherish?”

“Recently we commissioned Elsje Designs to create the logo for our new and exciting Cherish Series Project. We wanted something classical that would give Cherish the feeling that it deserves. Elsje sent us a few design ideas, and allowed us to see what changes possible were available. To understand the logo is quite amazing as different elements represent the artists background, and aspirations.

Brrrrright Booties: The Elsje Designs Team in Winter Gear!

The Team at Elsje Designs are setting the trend this winter with their candy pink Wellies! Thanks Albi for taking this fab foto. He's the best thing that could've happened to ED recently.

Anyone who thinks only sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

Wedding Concepts in Style

In conjunction with Anne Mann from Wedding Concepts, we did this stylish wedding in the Franschhoek winelands. Contact Wedding Concepts today for professional advice and creative expertise to ensure your wedding is tailored to your exact expectations.Our boutique style business focuses on a select number of handcrafted weddings each year and prides itself on exclusive service and an excellent working knowledge of the industry. Contact them on: Tel +27 (0)21 426 5783 Fax:+27 (0)21 426 5721 info@weddingconcepts.co.za



Personalised cigars for the guys.

We printed their artwork onto canvass, which were stitched onto the scatter cushions for the predrinks lounge area.

The Order of Service with cute confetti box.