For a while now I’ve been feeling overworked and stressed and unfortunately it’s finally taken it’s toll.  I’ve decided to close The Wise Bride for the foreseeable future.

It hasn’t been an easy decision as I have lived and breathed my business for the past 3 1/2 years.  I’ve loved helping my customers to create perfect bomboniere for their weddings and enjoyed seeing the results.

But I’ve given my all and feel like I don’t have anything left to give, at least for a little while.

Will I resurrect it?  I don’t know, possibly at some stage, but for now I just need to take time out for myself and my family, and to take it easy.

So I’m here to say a huge thank you to all my supporters, past customers (all of whom have been wonderful) and of course my family who have been with me all the way.

So here’s to my last post for a while, and here’s to maybe more in the future…

I started out making this gorgeous satin rose which has a pearl + diamante centre.  It has a lovely vintage feel and I’ll use it on some of the products I’ll be making.

I’m going to be offering these on the new website and will tailor them to individual brides.  So if brides have any material left-over from their dress, or from their bridesmaids’ dresses, I can make the flowers out of that material (I only need a few scraps).  The flowers can then be attached to hair clips, bags or birdcage veils and will perfectly match the dresses.

So the first product I’ve made is a garter which again, has a vintage feel with the satin rose and a feather.  These can be made in white or black and red and have a small blue bow inside for your ‘something blue’.

Next is some decorated thongs or flip flops.  I know some brides like to wear these for their beach weddings, and I’ll be experimenting with more designs for these.   These thongs have the same satin flower and pearl + diamante clusters glued along the straps.

Next items I’ll be making include new rose petal cones with cut-out edging (very pretty) and boutonnieres to complement the vintage silk bouquet I’ve made previously.  I’ll post these once they’re made.

It’s like a ‘body’ buffet instead of a candy buffet, and it would be a great idea for a kitchen tea or a hen’s night.

Designed by Kristen Magee of Paper Crave you can create free DIY bath and body labels.

Simply gather some well-priced cosmetics and re-package them with the labels to create a gorgeous, pampering buffet.

The downloads include signs, flags and labels all for free on Nonpareil Magazine blog.

None of the projects look too difficult and the results are stylish and individual.  They include everything from jewellery to stationery, bomboniere and bouquets and lots more.

I’ve found some of the projects on Modern Wedding’s website so you can check them out for yourselves.  Here are some of my faves:

Black and white guestbook

Silk flower ring pillow

Shoe bag

Pinwheels

Happy New Year!  I hope all of my readers had a lovely Christmas and New Year.  I had a great Christmas and a lovely break and I’ve returned refreshed and ready to face 2011.

I’ve talked about the redesign of my website a bit in the past, and I now have the gorgeous new template (sneak peek above) and am working on it now.

I’m really keen to get feedback from users of the site, so have a competition running (click here for details) – everyone who sends in their feedback goes into the draw to win a gorgeous satin evening bag (pic below).

My idea for the redesign is for the website to become an exclusive boutique stocking handmade and unique products you won’t find anywhere else.

What I’d like to find out from brides-to-be is what they’d like to see on the site that would entice them to make a purchase from The Wise Bride rather than other online shops.

So if you have the chance, head on over to The Wise Bride and give me your feedback, I’d love to hear from you.

While my site and product range is going to be undergoing a total overhaul in the next few months, I will still be stocking a select range of Weddingstar items, and I’m really pleased that some of their new products will fit my new site perfectly.

So without further ado, here’s a taste of what’s to come in the New Year…

French Whimsy hand fan

Bird cage wishing well

Mini linen drawstring pouch with English tea rose decorative trim

Damask display tower for cupcakes

French Whimsy invitation

So I thought I’d have a look at some of The Wise Bride’s beach themed bomboniere and accessories that I feel really capture the essence of beach weddings.

When I think of beach weddings I think of the colours of aqua and white, and the texture of seashells, bamboo, frangipani and romantic candles.

Kate Aspen’s seashell placecard holders are perfect for a casual beach wedding.  Made of real shells they cost $14.85 for a set of 6 and will perfectly complement the tables of any beach celebration.

These sweet little chair tealight holders have a gorgeous beach feel with their net and seashell decoration – a lovely way to light up your tables.  They cost $20.75 for a packet of 4.

Another gorgeous way to light up your wedding reception is with these pretty wedding luminaries, complete with dove cutout.  They cost $15.55 for a packet of 12.

Made of natural bamboo, Kate Aspen’s coasters are eco-friendly as well as fitting with a beach theme.  $3.95 for a set of 4 they make a lovely and practical gift for guests.

And finally, starfish stickers are the perfect way to finish off plain boxes.  Costing 0.70c each these stickers can be personalised with your name and wedding date.