See(d) you at our wedding...

We all know that favours are often one of the most debated items when it comes to putting together the wedding plans... what on earth do you give people that reflects you two, is something to keep, is suitable for men, women and the little ones.. AND doesn't mean you have to scrimp on your dress budget to pay for it?

Well, the answer may in fact just lie in the earth in question. How about delivering something that symbolises new beginnings, is eternally beautiful with timeless elegance, and will ensure a yearly reminder of your big day for years to come? Sounds virtually impossible and expensive you might be thinking... but have you thought of the concept of giving seeds.... of course!  

Vintage Twee has designed the wonderful new range, "Seeds of Love". Stunning neutral coloured favour bags made from environmentally friendly recycled cardstock with a handful of your favourite flower or herb seeds nestled inside are the ideal gift for wedding guests. Eco-friendly and supporting the growth of natures finest, the idea of giving seeds stems from era's gone by when in fact the guests would give the happy couple seeds from their very own crops. Now we're not suggesting you present your nearest and dearest with a fist full of sprout seeds but something maybe more... how can we say it, wedding appropriate like roses, lavender or even sunflowers. Meaning they can go away and take a little piece of your day that they can grow as a permanent reminder is both romantic and unique. With their twine and sage green detailing they look earthy and homely, like something you'd find on a vintage kitchen windowsill!

To complement the bags are the fantastic Seeds of Love Place Settings with their brown inked edges for that rustic feel. The brilliant double tag allows the guests name to be written on one, with a beautiful quote on love and marriage on the second. Embellished with an vintage ink print of a little bird, these tags can be tied on to your table cutlery or glasses and will be guaranteed to be an instant talking point. For those money-savvy brides amongst you, you'll spot that the second tag could also be used for printing the menu choices, thus saving you the cost (and space!) of menu's on the table! Meaning more room for lots of lovely vintage decor, of course..  

The bags start at just £2.50 per bag whilst the place settings are a fantastically priced £1.25 each. All items are showing on the Vintage Twee website, www.vintagetwee.com and can be customised to suit your needs.. Just drop Joanne a line with your ideas and she'd be happy to help you, giving expertise and guidance on how best to make your wedding day decor exactly as you want it.

Vintage Power at your Baby Shower

Happy New Year to our faithful blog readers! We took a little break for a few weeks as 2011 drew to a close but rest assured regular blogs on the fabulous Vintage Twee products are back with a boom for 2012. 

And speaking of boom…. Are you one of those ladies expecting the patter of tiny feet this year? Maybe you’ve just had your wedding and are starting to think about moving on to making your party of two a trio… ? Or perhaps the wedding is still to come and as your little miracle grows in your tummy you’ve decided you just can’t wait to start checking out cute baby-inspired things?! Well, no-one can blame you either way and Vintage Twee not only looks after our lovely brides but mums-to-be as well! With a great new range of fantastic baby shower décor, gift tags and much more, they’ll ensure you claim the prize as being the most stylish new mum about town.

Baby showers are the latest craze from the US to sweep the UK. The idea of throwing a party to celebrate the imminent arrival of your mini-me is surely a fab excuse to splash out on some luxurious food whilst your friends hand deliver you beautiful baby gifts. So why not decorate your tables and canapés with some gorgeous Baby Shower Quote Flags, cute New Baby Cupcake Sticks and dainty Drink Me Doily Tags? 

 Each item  is available in a range of baby-themed colours from simple buttercream to the classic light pink or vintage blue. Decorated with delicate coloured ribbon they can be customised to your chosen colour scheme and add a touch of vintage chic whatever you choose to do with them.

Heart warming Quote Flags

And of course when the little one arrives, why not tell everyone about it by sending them a Baby Announcement Postcard? With a stunning vintage picture on the front, the reverse has space for all the details everyone will want to know!

Not to leave out those who want to surprise the new parents with a little something, the Hello Baby Gift Tags are a perfect way to decorate your present- check out the gorgeous hand or footprint designed tags which are guaranteed to increase the “aaaah” factor of any gift!

All items are now available on the Vintage Twee website and of course, Joanne welcomes any customised orders. Have a browse through the range and get ready to celebrate your baby in true vintage style.

Gorgeous vintage font used for your important info!

Something Old, Something New...

Most brides, especially those planning a vintage themed wedding, are on the lookout for that significant and precious item that will hold the prestigious title of being their 'something old' on the big day. Many brides choose a family heirloom to represent this age old tradition, such as a veil or accessory that once belonged to their great grandmother, or special piece of jewellery to tuck away in their purse. The 'something old' tradition is one that continues to be the most thought out of the 'somethings' as it represents the sentimental connection the bride has, and will continue to maintain, to her family.

Dealing with all things vintage, it is not unusual for Vintage Twee to be asked by brides to contribute to their 'something old' in the form of some kind of keepsake or décor for their big day. However, when asked to make a bridal bouquet, consisting entirely of the infamous vintage music sheet paper roses, the challenge was embraced with open arms and I set to work!

The bouquet contains over 30 vintage roses, a selection of which have been adorned with pearl centres and draped with a string of ivory pearls, which have been carefully intertwined between the delicate leaves. The stem of the bouquet is covered with a champagne coloured satin ribbon and has been adorned with a hand tied ribbon and lace bow which is embellished with a vintage jewel.

So a bride's 'something old' was actually 'something new' for Vintage Twee and will be available to purchase in the Boutique very soon! It is a perfect alternative to traditional flowers for those brides having a vintage or music themed wedding and, unlike real flowers, it wont perish and can be kept for many years to come as a momentous keepsake of your wedding day.

If you would like to enquire about our new Vintage Paper Rose Bouquet in the meantime, please do just email joanne@vintagetwee.com!

Nobody puts Twee in the Corner...

Ok, so after recent discussions about my forthcoming blog post with a certain someone (no names mentioned Nia Fiori..), I've been set the challenge of trying to relate today's random entry to Vintage Twee in some way, shape or form. And, true to form as most of my brides can vouch for, I rise to any challenge set me and embrace it with open arms! And in the absence of my Chief Blogger Emma who is currently sunning herself in Rome, I am alone in this task at hand...

So how (and why?!) do we get from celebrating the life of Patrick Swayze, which sadly ended two years ago on 14th September, to teapots, doilies and party picks? Read on and I shall reveal all...

I wanted to write a post dedicated to Mr Swayze, who has and always will be, my hero. I was mortified the day I woke up and found out he had gone, it was like a flashbulb memory moment when you know exactly when and where you were when you hear about something significant that happens in the world. Ok, so people die all the time – it's a fact of life and I didnt even know the man - but for some reason he remains in my heart, connected to happy memories of the first time I watched Dirty Dancing at the age of 9 years old (I know, bad parents!) as a pneumonic child who was missing the annual family Boxing Day party. I got a new desk for 'making things on' at Christmas that year (Vintage Twee Reference Number 1) and I specifically remember watching the infamous 'lift' scene at the end through the gaps in the shelving that my dad had only half assembled.

From that moment on, along with a trillion other young girls, my childhood games revolved around recreating a holiday camp, where I would be the girl that Johnny Castle picked out of the crowd to dance with in front of my disapproving parents and jealous older sister (sorry Em). And admittedly, it wasn't that long ago I dreamt of the same dance at the age of 27, wearing that gorgeous pink dress and silver heels, kicking gold fairy dust into the air as he spinned me around...

To be fair, I've only really ever seen two of his films, and the second is of course Ghost. Cue the tears from 20 minutes in and the weird recollection and recital of Sam Wheat's account number by heart. I even took my sister to see Ghost the Musical in the West End last month to celebrate her forthcoming 30^th birthday (again, sorry Em).

Despite our reservations about Richard Fleechman's ability to portray the mighty Patrick, along with his 'blonde' version of Molly, we were pleasantly surprised and had an amazing night watching the show. Of course tears were flowing from the first line of Unchained Melody and I awoke the next day full of new romantic ideas for my range! (Vintage Twee Reference Number 2).

Patrick seemed like a loyal, honourable and loving husband who I think would be a role model to any modern man today. If I was asked the ultimate ideal dinner date question then he would, without doubt, be in the top three. I am lucky enough to have a signed print of him which is going to be framed and put up very soon on the walls of my new studio (Vintage Twee Reference Number 3) to remind me of the smiles he brought to me that Christmas I cried because I had to stay home and miss the family party and the chance to gorge myself on seconds of chocolate gateux and trifle.

So as strange as it may be for me dedicate my blog to a man I never knew, I thought it would be inspiring and insightful on this day to share with you the connection Patrick had with me - and my very first 'making desk' - that ultimately started off the romanticist world of Vintage Twee. Kind of. :)

(that's at least THREE references to Vintage Twee Fiori so mwah ha ha! I did it!)  

Wave the words of love....

Being lost for words is something one should never be at a wedding, especially if you’re the groom looking for some last minute inspiration for your heart rendering speech! And sometimes the simplest of words are the most effective - the ones that make us think, make us smile and most importantly, give us food for thought. Each night at my local tube station a member of staff posts a “quote of the day” at the entrance to the escalator and as I’m on my way home after a stressful, busy day at work, reading one line of inspiration will, without fail, make me laugh, muse or at the very least wonder where on earth they got that one from!

If you’re looking for a way to bring some love inspired citations to your wedding day or love themed event, look no further than the latest Vintage Twee product, Love Quote Flags. Designed to be used as centre piece decorations, buffet/candy table trimmings or alongside name place settings, these old fashioned styled flags have been printed with a different classic quote about love by some of the most inspirational people of days gone by. A neutral buttercream colour means the flags can be customised with your choice of bow to match your theme- currently available in red, dusky pink, light pink or ivory but let Joanne know your preferred colour and she’ll do her best to match!
With 8 flags costing just £5.50, they come carefully packaged in cellophane gift bags to keep them in pristine condition until your big day. Each flag measures approx 16cm long x 8cm (widest point of the flag) and look stunning individually or clustered together to make a nest of quotes and a real talking point for your guests. Perfect for any event where you want your guests to be entertained by literary genius’s and let their own imaginations run wild!

Make sure you don’t miss out on adding a special vintage touch to your main event by pitching your flags on every table! www.vintagetwee.com


Featured quotes shown above include:

'A woman knows the face of the man she loves like a sailor knows the open sea' Honore de Balzac

• 'Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold' - Zelda Fitzgerald• 'True love stories never have endings' - Richard Bach

• 'Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile' - Franklin P Jones

• 'Brief is life but love is long' - Alfred Lord Tennyson

Love My Dress (and hair... and make up...)

There aren’t many opportunities on a Wednesday night in Newcastle to don your best frock, sip on champagne and style your hair like Rita Hayworth but the extremely glamorous “Love My Dress Soiree” was THE vintage affair of the summer and demanded nothing but pure style and vintage tributes.

Joanne wearing a
dress from Vivien of Holloway

The UK Wedding Industry Networking Event was hosted by the lovely Annabel of the fantastic Love My Dress blog, a blog which has supported Vintage Twee since the early days by regularly featuring our products. It only seemed right that such an evening demanded the highest level of preening so Joanne and Nia, from Nia Fiori Designs booked themselves in for a morning of pampering by the extremely talented vintage hair and make up artist, Bethany Jane Davis. I was priviledged to receive regular updates of the transformations in to 1940’s beauties as they were taking place and resisted the urge to post pictures of the girls in heated rollers… but if anyone wants to see them I will be accepting bribes…!

Held on the banks of the River Tyne (yes, there was singing and several mentions of the words “Fog on the….”) , the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts was filled with glamorous flapper girls, vintage decor and props, chaise lounges, antique furniture and a fab display of cake pops, cupcakes and other sweet treats provided by the Boutique Baking Company http://www.boutiquebaking.co.uk/.  Joining Joanne and Nia was Katie from Perfect Days Vintage who rocked a 70’s inspired red dress, gold heels and a statement leopard print hat, all three of them posing in the retro digital photo booth for some memorable snaps and a reminder of how fabulous they looked!!  http://www.snaparazziphotobooths.co.uk/

Amongst all the champagne and canapés Joanne got to personally thank Annabel for her support of Vintage Twee – lots of brides mention they found us through her website so it was lovely to be able to show our gratitude. Also attending the event was the editor of Wedding Magazine, Catherine Westwood, another industry professional who recognised Vintage Twee’s potential in the early days and offered numerous features in the magazine – thank you Catherine!

The first 120 lucky people through the door managed to nab themselves a luxury goody bag filled with treats from contributors… including a pack of the infamous Vintage Twee party picks! It really was an evening to remember and showcased the best the wedding industry has to offer in a wide range of themes. According to the girls it was hard to snap out of the bubble they were in when the night drew to an end… so they “forced” themselves to go for a pizza on the way home just to bring them back down to earth!! I can only imagine the faces in the pizza parlour when their late night customers appeared to have just stepped off the set of Breakfast at Tiffanys!

Ok... I didn't need a bribe after all!!!

Pick a place, any place...

Planning every last detail of your special occasion is no doubt the part most party organizers love - what's on the menu, how will the theme transpire, who's sitting where? Now Vintage Twee may not be able to have any influence over how much red wine your mother consumes on the big day but these brand new place name settings will at least ensure she does it in the correct seat! Guaranteed to be the talk of the table, there are 2 new themes to choose from, each one being a simple way to add an authentic vintage feel to your seating arrangements.

The Victorian Style range depicts portrait images of young men and women from the 1800's with a design for every person in your party!  Each image has been aged, embellished with vintage lace and mounted on to gift tag style cards and is completed with natural coloured twine to allow them to be tied to wine glasses, napkin rings, cutlery or tea cup handles. Unique and interesting, they're sure to get everyone wanting to collect the whole set!

In contrast to the Victorian Style, the Vintage Rose collection show 4 different designs taken from vintage postcards and greetings cards. Using pastel coloured satin ribbons for the ties and delicate sparkling accents of gold glitter to highlight the images. Additions of the ivory pearls finish off the look whilst the font used for the name of each guest will be that of a typically authentic vintage typewriter.

Priced incredibly reasonably as follows, these name place settings are the perfect way to make sure the theme for your big day doesn't slip up when it comes to the detailing.

-Vintage Rose - £1.25 each  http://www.vintagetwee.com/shop-stationary-place-rose.html

-Victorian Style - £1.50 each http://www.vintagetwee.com/shop-stationary-place-victorian.html

And don't forget, if you require a specific colour of ribbon or have an idea in mind of something you'd like, Vintage Twee would be happy to discuss any amendments and 

provide an estimated costing as soon as possible.