VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

Woven by Claire

I’m Claire Jackson and I’ve worked on the social media team at Bustle for three years! I am so thrilled to be teaming up with Bustle this week to share about my new business Woven by Claire which features fiber art hoops and wall hangings.

What is a fiber art hoop? A fiber art hoop is basically a wooden or metal hoop embroidered with a variety of fabric, yarn, ribbon, etc. The hoop acts as the frame for a design that emphasizes color, texture, and mood.

How did it start? I’ve always had a passion for creativity whether it’s painting, drawing, sewing, or photography. My mom taught me the basics of sewing when I was young, and I’ve loved developing those skills over the years. I bought my first wall hanging last year to put in my baby’s nursery and decided I wanted to make some of my own wall hangings and fiber hoops. Fiber art is such an interesting medium and it’s so much fun experimenting with different styles, colors, and textures to create unique pieces. I’m always finding bits of inspiration everywhere and I’m learning new techniques as I go. I’m hoping to gradually discover my signature style. I especially love using velvet, fluffy wool yarn, and frayed fabric in my pieces.

How are the pieces displayed? Fiber art hoops and wall hangings are such a neat way to add texture and interest to a room. They can give life to a lonely wall or be added to a collection of framed art and photos. You can also display the hoops on a bookshelf or fireplace mantel. The smaller hoops can even be ornaments on your Christmas tree — there are so many options!

*Custom fiber hoops. I will be taking a limited number of custom fiber art hoop orders locally (Birmingham, AL for now) — giving customers the option to provide me with personal fabric. This means if you’re a bride and you want to save fabric from your dress alterations (or other special fabric from your wedding season), I can incorporate that fabric into your custom fiber hoop. This would also make such a special and memorable gift! I bought some beautiful velvet ribbon from a cute little shop on our honeymoon, and it sat in our wedding keepsake box until I decided to use some of it for a fiber hoop. I’m so glad I did because now I get to see it every day, and it reminds me of our honeymoon.

Follow along. You will find more photos, progress videos and finished products on my Instagram account @woven.byclaire. I am adding new things to the shop all the time so be sure to follow along!

*Since custom orders are local to Birmingham, AL, please message me on my Etsy shop account or Instagram if you are interested.

PA083389.JPG

Ruth Oneya Illustrations

Ruth Oneya is a talented artist in the Birmingham area. We immediately fell in love with her beautiful work and wanted to share it with our brides. Ruth does live paintings for weddings, watercolor portraits (of people, pets and homes!) and hand-painted champagne bottles. She uses her talents to create lovely keepsakes that people can enjoy for years and years!

We conducted a Q&A with Ruth to find out all about her small business and her journey as an artist.

What made you decide to start your business?

I started Ruth Oneya Illustrations the summer before my junior year of college (2016) after I had an awesome summer internship with a Birmingham wedding photographer, Alisha Crossley. She introduced me to the wedding world and I completely fell in love with it. I couldn't help but want to be a part of it somehow. Since then I have been working toward building my brand and putting my work out there as a wedding artist.

What is your favorite medium to work with?

My favorite medium to work with is a tie between watercolor and acrylic. I don't like working with the same medium for too long because I get a little bored. So, bouncing back and forth between these is a great way to keep me motivated and excited. 

What is your favorite product/service you offer?

My favorite service is definitely my live paintings. I get to put my best dress on and attend a party... to paint! But honestly, I just love the celebration of love and truly enjoy weddings. Also, because I have a sweet tooth I enjoy getting to try (and judge) wedding cakes.

What is your most popular product/service?

My most popular product definitely depends on the season, this summer it has been my Champagne bottle and live paintings. This is actually really exciting for me because these are mostly local and I love being able to cater to my Birmingham clients and vendors. 

What do you love most about being an artist?

I love being able to use my art to make people happy and also contributing to special moments in their life such as weddings. Knowing I am creating work that will be enjoyed in a home for years to come is a very fulfilling feeling for me. I also enjoy being a small business owner and doing what I love daily. Personally, I don't know if I would still be an artist today if I didn't follow this direction.

Do you have recommendations or tips for someone wanting to book a live painting session?

When deciding the moment, you would like painted, be open to what you ultimately want the final piece to be. This allows an artist to choose a moment more candid by choose where they see the best connection between you two. Also, it's always best to book as soon as you know your wedding date (especially if its a popular date) calendars fill out quickly.

Ruth has so many helpful resources on her website to help her clients. If you are interested in booking a live painting or ordering one of Ruth’s many other beautiful creations please visit Ruth Oneya Illustrations for more details.

Hooray, Bustle is 7!

For this year’s celebration, we gathered the Bustle girls together for a girls night in. We got cozy in our favorite loungewear and fuzzy slippers and had our hair braided by Ashley Brannon from Morgan Ashley Salon. We snacked on a delicious (and beautiful) charcuterie board by Savor Style and dove into the most delicious peach bourbon cake from Daughter’s Baking. When we were full of treats, we snuggled up in our blankets and masks and watched Emma projected on a big screen! It was really nice to be relaxing together and spending a little QT. Special thanks to Maddie Harper and Kindred Events for planning and executing this intimate little afternoon.

It’s been such a pleasure to serve so many brides these past 7 years. We’ve enjoyed getting to be a part of each beautiful love story, and are grateful to be able to do what we love. Here’s to many more years of Bustle!

img_014.jpg
img_001.jpg
img_009.jpg
img_038.jpg

Custom Gifts For Your Groomsmen!

Finding the right gifts for your groomsmen can be difficult, but we recently discovered a site that offers personalized, manly things and we really like what they do! The money clip/cuff link combination is practical, hip and comes packaged in the coolest personalized wooden box. The price is right and your groomsmen will love them! Visit groovyguygifts.com

cuff links money clip personalized groomsmen gift
personalized groomsmen gift cuff links
personalized groomsmen gift money clip engraved

Empress Stationery Launch Party

Empress Stationery has been offering fine, custom invitation suites to brides since 2007. Just last month we had the privilege of being a part of the launch of their brand new, semi-custom collection! What does this mean? It means beautiful, locally designed invitation suites are now within your budget! Shop now.

There were lots of talented wedding pros at the launch including Pursuit Creative, Invision Events, Edna K. Designs, Sassy Biscuit Monogramming, The Charming Scribe, Leslie Hollingsworth Photography, The Refined Pen Calligraphy, and Beau Tied Affair.

Images courtesy of Sarah Moore.

Valentine's Pop-Up Shop

Last month we had the pleasure of hosting our second annual Valentine's Day Pop Up Shop. We love creating a "one stop shop" for all of the Valentine's Day essentials. We had gorgeous floral arrangements by Kathleen Varner of Edna. K Design, jewelry crafted by Holland's Trinkets, mouth watering chocolate cakes baked to perfection by Telia Johnson Cakes, precious "lovey dovey" cards by Empress Stationary, and calligrapher, Sarah Moore, of Pursuit Creative to personalize each card.

Go ahead and mark your calendar for February 14th 2018 - it's only going to get better!

Images courtesy of Jett Walker Photography.

Lovely Lettering Co.

We're so excited to feature our sweet friend, Sarah Brown. She is the creative force behind Lovely Lettering Co. which is based right here in Birmingham. Sarah has such a God-given talent for calligraphy and a passion to match. She began her exciting business venture during the summer of 2015 with a purpose to create beautifully hand-lettered products that would bring encouragement and joy. Not only does she want to create products that are attractive, but thought it most important that they be practical and purposeful. Sarah says that she wants to add a little "lovely" amidst the day to day.

Sarah loves creating wedding stationary, and she's been featured on many media platforms such as, The Birmingham Bride, The Bridal Theory, and Reverie Gallery. She also designs a line of holiday cards for the Birmingham based company Dixie Design Collective. She most recently has been featured on Southern Living's website showing her calligraphy skills and teaching viewers an easy trick to calligraphy!

Right now, you can check out all of Sarah's fab products every Saturday at Pepper Place Farmer's Market! We've collaborated with Sarah, and she has the most genuine personality and a heart for her business. Lovely Lettering Co. has only been open for a year, and already it's been so successful. We can't wait to see how her business expands in the coming months/years! 

Kara Anne Paper

Kara Anne is the creative mind behind Birmingham's own, Kara Anne Paper. She has such a incredible talent for calligraphy and design! Her mission is to leave a long lasting impression, and to create such beautiful invitations and stationary that you couldn't bear to throw them in the garbage! She creates such personalized pieces, and each invitation is completely different from the next. Kara Anne knows how to cater to her customers, and that reflects in her various designs! We're swooning over this sweet gal's work and wanted to share it with you!

"I specialize in creating custom wedding suites that will leave a lasting impression. The sky is the limit for paper details. If you have an idea, just ask. We'll make it work!"

Gold Leaf Floral

Based right here in Birmingham, Alabama, Gold Leaf Floral is your one stop floral shop for weddings and event design. Sarah, the lead designer for Gold Leaf Floral, has spent the majority of her artistic career focusing on fine art, such as painting. However, now her passion has shifted to everything floral! Sarah's favorite thing about a flower arrangement is the elegance they bring to a space. She has an eye for colors and shapes and how to arrange them in a truly beautiful and unique way.

At Gold Leaf Floral, they believe that beautiful, fresh flowers bring happiness and elegance to any event. They design for a variety of events such as, weddings, bridal teas, baby showers, birthday parties, retirement parties, and everything in between! The team at Gold Leaf Floral has such a talent with florals, they create some of the most beautiful pieces, and their work definitely speaks for itself!

"No matter what type of event you're having, we're here to make your day a little brighter with flowers!"

Leslie Hollingsworth Photography

Leslie Hollingsworth has an eye for capturing photos at the perfect moment. She's a genius behind the lens, however, the photography road was one she wasn't expecting to drive down. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Fashion and Marketing. As she began putting her degree to use, she felt like she wasn't allowed to use her full creative potential. She felt bottled up, and with that, she stumbled upon photography.

As a child Leslie always enjoyed taking pictures and capturing those precious memories of her family and friends. Starting out, she didn't know how to properly "use" her camera. She just enjoyed capturing special moments of those close to her, and the more photos she took, the more she fell in love. From then on she learned techniques and different ways to use her camera, and she began to study the artistic side of photography. With that, she fell in love with photography all over again. She knows how to work a camera and has the best eye for how to get the best shot, and her pictures definitely reflect it!

"I’ve always believed that if you surround yourself with amazing people, amazing things can happen. And your wedding day should be just that – amazing. My desire is to make sure your whole experience – not just the finished product – is unforgettable. And I hope that when it’s all over, you can hold those prints in your hands and fall in love all over again." -Leslie Hollingsworth