S + T = Love

I’m flying to CO this morning for my sister Sarah’s wedding. I’m super excited and honored to stand beside her on her big day!

It’s hard for me to imagine that the little girl that I grew up pushing and shoving, laughing with, and loving, is all grown up and about to say “I do”. I have MANY fond memories with her, but one of my all time favorites is a home video where she turns to the camera, and in the sweetest voice at 3 years old says “Mom, can I have my birthday now.” 20 years later she is on her way down the aisle…amazing.

Being a big sister is the best. I’ve gotten the opportunity to witness all of my sister’s triumphs and tribulations, and have watched her mature into such a beautiful woman. Sarah is one of the most caring, kind-hearted, determined, self-driven, uber-talented, generous, thoughtful, and inspiring people I have ever met. I’m proud to call her my sister, and I’m excited to see her grow alongside Tristan in their new lives together as husband and wife. I know Tristan and Sarah will take good care of one another, and I look forward to having a new brother : ) Never had one of those before!

I created a box for Sarah and Tristan to hold all of their most cherished wedding memories. I used turquoise and red (their wedding colors), and included a “5 of hearts” for their wedding day (August 5th) and each of their names as a way to personalize the box.

I hope this box is a reminder of the love, laughter, tears, excitement, exhaustion, joy, and thrill that they are sure to experience and share on their wedding day. Congratulations you two!

Keepsakes in a Keepsake

My good buddy Emma asked me a bit ago to create a “keepsake box” for her friend Jen. Jen is getting married this week (July 17th to be exact), and Emma is a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding back in Philadelphia. Jen and Emma have been friends for many years and Emma wanted to give her something extra special on her wedding day.

I had told Emma awhile back that one of the most amazing and emotional gifts I had ever received was a box with the name “Blake” on it given to me by my sister Sarah just moments before I walked down the aisle. Sarah had advised me that the box represented who I was about to become, but that it should also hold keepsakes and treasures in it that represented who I was in my past: an “Elliott.” That box, to this day, means the world to me, and I was so honored when Emma asked me to create a keepsake box for her friend Jen, since I knew how much I loved the one that was given to me.

I asked Emma to share a few things with me about Jen (her hobbies, occupation, wedding colors, likes/dislikes), and got going on creating a box that could be passed from one friend to another on her wedding day. Even while making this box I got emotional thinking about how excited Emma has been to present it to her friend. I cannot wait to deliver it to Emma today and I hope that this box has as much meaning for Jen, as my box did for me. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials Jen!

A Birthday Box

I was REALLY excited last week when my good friend Apple asked me if I could make a little box for her stepdaughter Kameko for her 9th birthday. She was planning to give Kameko some little Japanese trinkets, and wanted something in which to place them. I asked her to give me an idea of who Kameko is and what she likes, and after Apple listed off a few things I immediately had something in mind.

When I was younger, my grandmother taught me how to decoupage and I have adored it ever since. That same year, I made a special wooden box for my mom that included 3 little wooden eggs inside it, representing one for myself, and one for each of my sisters. I decoupaged the outside of the box with all the things that my mom loves and also decoupaged each egg with things that represented each of her daughters. I remember my mom really loving the gift, and to this day she still has the box sitting on my grandmother’s hutch in her bedroom.

I wanted to make a box for Kameko that would hopefully be something she treasured and would keep for many years to come, just like my mom. I started with a plain wooden box that I found at a craft store and used some bright and colorful Japanese, Italian, and Indian papers to decorate the outside of the box. I also included various beautifully ornate paper pieces that I was gifted for my own birthday this year.

To top the box off, I included Kameko’s name on the side of the box using these fantastic cardboard vintage school letter cards I found while browsing an antique fair in Chicago last month. I also added a gorgeous gift tag to the box so that Apple could write her own personal greeting to Kameko.

I had a total blast making this little birthday box, and look forward to hopefully creating more in the future. I want to wish Kameko a VERY “Happy 9th Birthday” and thank Apple for giving me the opportunity to create a personalized gift for someone so dear to her.