The first project was to make the save the dates.  Considering a shorthand name for the project, I found that the acronym wasn’t quite what I was going for, as that would mean I’d be sending out STDs.  And really, that’s just not so cute. I’ll just stick with “save the dates” for now.

I thoughtfully considered ways to make parts of the wedding and the process of getting married an exciting, loving, creative, and connecting/connected experience for me and Andrew, our families, our friends, and our community. I realized just how much of my past I’ve been holding onto and would love to let go of in order to have more space–symbolically and physically. I still want to honor some of this past though; after all, it has made me who I am.

We hosted a paper making party at my father’s studio. My friends brought paper evidence of their pasts–everything from graduate school readings that changed their world view to phone bills reporting hours and hours of conversations with lovers of the past.  Love letters, old tickets, Xmas cards, Halloween party invites… we lovingly said goodbye, put them in the blender to create the pulp, and transformed it all into the paper!  At some point my father came in and cast a little magic (a handful of glitter) into the pulp. The paper came out great!

Then to honor the past, just like my grandfather Calvin (who ran a printshop), I printed the invitations. I took a letterpress printmaking course at UArts in October. I made a polymer plate and debossed the paper with the image of our tandem bike. I hand set the type with our names and the date and printed that on vellum.

On the back of the vellum, I printed a map of Philly and then sewed the two pieces of paper together.  The last design challenge was to figure out the envelope.  We ended up wrapping them in kraft paper and seaming the edges on the sewing machine.  The Garden of Love forever stamps finished them off perfectly and off they went.

It’s hard to say exactly what happened since I last posted.  Life, maybe, or something like that.  Projects these days are all about THE WEDDING.  It’s true; Miss Koco Does I Do. And when I mean that I do, that additionally means that I’ll be DOing a lot myself.  After all, this self proclaimed queen of DIY wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’ve been collecting inspiration and project ideas from pinterest.

The  Miss Koco Does I Do Project List

• plant clipping center pieces / favors
• terrariums
• table cloths
• ampersand table markers
• save the dates
• invitations
• string lanterns
• website
• wedding hotline
• lighting
• big paper flowers

Heat up the glue gun, and let the countdown begin!

turning junk inside out to make it useful.  One more go before it hits the recycling bin.

To prepare for an upcoming workshop, I’m focusing on upcycling paper. I’ve wanted to try to make paper beads out of security envelopes for a while. I love the different patterns on the inside of them.

The thing about this thing-a-day thing is not so much the thing, but posting the thing.

eight: ribbon organizer

nine: paper made from manila envelopes

ten: handmade paper inspired by guacamole and chips

made from:
recycled yarn from an unraveled sweater
handyed cashmere by Noro
some wool with a bit of glitz
hand-dyed wool from colinette