Arbee Cards Vintage, Wedding & Craft Blog

A big hello & a little sorry...

2012-02-20T15:16:00.000Z

Yesterday, Sunday 19th February, was the Quirky Weddings Alternative Wedding Fair in Belfast. It was fantastic day full of creative independent designers & suppliers all offering brilliant ideas for any style of wedding, from venue choices to the tiniest details like chocolate shoe favours!

The venue was Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre, an unusual but perfect choice for an alternative wedding fair, and the Quirky Weddings team did an amazing job getting the word out about the fair. From opening time of 1pm, the arbee cards stall was absolutely packed! It didn't quieten down until about 4.45pm - only 15 minutes before closing!

Arbee Cards stall @ Alternative Wedding Fair 19/02/12

After getting our stand set up, I like to have a good look around the fair, meet other wedding businesses and take some photos for the blog. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time at all this time - I usually have my lovely sidekick & chief elf, Mel with me at wedding events, but as she was off sick (get well soon Mel!) so I was on my own all day and couldn't get a chance to leave the stand.

This Burton & Taylor invitation was everyone's favourite on the day!
"'Unless you love someone, nothing makes sense' - Richard Burton"

So this blog post is a great big *hello* to everyone who came to the fair, stopped by to have a chat about their stationery and afterwards made friends with us on Twitter & Facebook!

I also have to say *sorry* to everyone who I didn't get a chance to speak to, it was just impossible to give proper time & attention to all the lovely couples which visited our stand to ask about their wedding stationery. Please get in touch, call or email if I wasn't able to talk to you properly at the fair!

Lastly, a big wave to all my fellow wedding businesses who I missed on the day - you know who you are & I've been teased a little bit on Twitter for being a zooming blur at the fair lol! ;)

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Picture Perfect

2012-02-08T23:34:00.001Z

I've recently discovered the world of Instagram - the free app for iPhone for photo-blogging & sharing.

There's hundreds of online reviews about the joys of Instagram so I won't go into details about how it works, but I love being able to post & tweet pictures of crafting & creating in progress. If you're on Instagram already or decide to give it a go, look us up on there - we're listed as arbeecards.

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Sweet Valentine

2012-01-29T00:05:00.001Z

Our Folksy picks for Valentine's Day this year have been chosen by one of the Arbee Cards' elves, Mel.

Groovy Kind of Love card by Arbee Cards

You Caught My Heart Valentine's Moleskine by Champignons

Marmite Plate by Purple Glaze Pottery

Kiss Me Kwik print by Cassia Beck

Hedgehogs & Hearts egg cosy by So Choosy

Mini Jammy Dodger magnet by Sweets & Treats Jewellery

Tea light Shade with Heart Decoration by Peppered Moth

You Are My Sunshine card by Lydia Crook

And if you're an unclaimed treasure (ie. single) then maybe you and Lovelorn Lenny the Monster could keep each other company while you're still waiting for Mr./Ms. Right to come along.

Lovelorn Lenny the Monster by Creative Knits

Whether you're feeling smoochy, sweet, romantic, loved up or flirty this Valentine's Day - make sure you keep it handmade :)

Rachel & Mel @ Arbee Cards x

Full service has been resumed!

2012-01-28T23:34:00.003Z

A naughty little gremlin in the works recently caused the loss of most of my photographs from previous posts. I regularly post lots of pics so this wasn't good! All is finally sorted out so all previous posts are returned to former visual glory!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Happy New Giveway

2012-01-09T16:56:00.001Z

To get 2012 on the blog off to a great start, let's have a giveaway - yay!

After all the fun and festivities of Christmas and New Year, it's always lovely to send a little thank you in the post to the sender, something that's always so appreciated. For our New Year giveaway, here's some of our popular 'Thank You' stationery and cards to send your thank you notes in style!

Up for grabs: 'Thank You' & 'You've Got Mail' greeting cards, two 'Thank You' notecards & envelopes, a pack of six 'First Class Post' notecards and a pack of three 'Thank You' mini-notecards.
All cards are available from our Folksy and Etsy stores

The giveaway is open to all our blog readers.

How to enter:

Leave a comment below
OR
Send a blank email with 'Thank You' in the subject line to: giveaway@arbeecards.co.uk

Closing date: Midnight (GMT) Thursday 12th January

Winner will be chosen at random on Friday 13th January - lucky for someone!

Good luck everyone!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T23:20:00.000Z

Hey, it's still the first week of January - it's still perfectly fine to wish you a very Happy 2012! Hope it's a fantastically creative, happy, healthy, inspiring, crafty, vintage year for us all!

* * * Cheers ! * * *

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Merry Cocktailmas!

2011-12-23T17:37:00.000Z

Oooh 2 more sleeps until the big day! I've officially shut up shop and starting to relax now all our Christmas orders, bridal stationery, markets and fairs are done and dusted for 2011. Phew!

One thing I love about Christmas is a tradition that's evolved in my circle of family and friends - Christmas Cocktail time! Yay!

One of our Christmas card inspired by our cocktail tradition!

It's as much fun to make your own cocktails as it is to drink them - and I've found some fantastic recipes online whilst browsing for inspiration. Here's the link to a fantastic list of something for everyone! Enjoy!

Click here for Christmas cocktails!

Wishing all my blog readers, customers, friends & accidentally-arrived-here inter-webbers a very Merry Christmas and a FAB 2012!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Ps. Hope Santa's good ;)

Handmade Christmas!

2011-12-19T15:04:00.001Z

This is a quick blog post on the go from St George's Christmas Market in Belfast. As someone said to me today, there's a lot of very talented stall-holders here! The Christmas market is open until Wednesday 21st December. Keep your Christmas local & handmade!

Photos courtesy of: Tee & Toast, Hats2Love, Yak Shak, Lindsay Press Ceramics, Ruth Walker Glass, Loulou Dreaming, Top Floor Art, Katie Blue, Tulip Wood Crafts & us! ;)

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Snap Happy

2011-12-15T16:24:00.001Z

A fab present idea for someone special!
One of Arbee Cards' loveliest & most talented friends, Brideen from 'Photography By Brideen' - the photographer behind our new, beautiful stationery pics in our website gallery now has gift cards for portrait sessions. If you have a look through Brideen's blog and see some of her gorgeous baby portraits, wedding photography and engagement shoots, you'll see why anyone would be over the moon to receive such a lovely gift.

Brideen also wanted to make sure the gift cards were something lovely to receive, and put a lot of thought into their design, asking if I would create something for her. We got together to discuss some ideas, bringing in her love of photography, vintage, handmade cards and favourite colours. I love that one of the quotes was from an old vintage photo album Brideen had owned for years!

You can purchase Photography By Brideen gift cards here

Check out Photography By Brideen blog

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Homemade Gifts Vintage Style - Book review

2011-11-29T23:34:00.000Z

Cover photograph used with kind permission from Kyle Books Ltd.

I like to keep my Christmas as handmade & original as possible when it comes to gifts. I love reading through blogs, magazines and books for ideas and was very excited when I heard about a new book 'Homemade Gifts Vintage Style' by Sarah Moore (published by Kyle Books Ltd.)

Combining everything I *love* - vintage, handmade, unique & personalised, this is a very inspiring book for anyone who prefers to ditch the high street and put a little more thought and time into creating something wonderful for friends and family.

'Homemade Gifts Vintage Style' has 50 projects for making your own new-to-old crafts. The author, Sarah Moore starts off with a brilliant intro to collecting vintage items to upcycle, what to look out for & what to avoid (including precious antiques best left alone!) and other useful info that I hadn't considered before, such as being aware of vintage items that may contain harmful lead paint.

There's great advice on how where to find the best items at the best prices, keeping things thrifty with the focus on the hand-making, not the cost of each project. There's also great advice for sewing newbies on using & buying a sewing machine, hand-sewing and the basic craft kit required. There's plenty of easy & quick projects for non-sewing gift makers too, as well as 'labour of love' type projects to work over a few weeks.

My favourites include vintage paper mobiles, patchwork noticeboard, teapot planters, and the collection of corsages for use on clothes, hats, hairbands and shoes (I will be making lots of these!)

The book itself is just beautiful - not only is it full of fantastic present ideas, it would make a perfect gift itself for someone creative. It is jam-packed full of gorgeous colour photographs of each project, each one presented imaginatively, with lots of inspiration not only for the projects but lovely ideas for displaying vintage treasures around the home too. If you're like me and tend to hold onto or buy vintage & old bits and pieces without a specific idea in mind, this book provides lots of ideas for things to do & make with your hoard, all packaged up with lots of gorgeous vintage eye candy!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Winter Wonderland Weddings

2011-11-24T12:58:00.000Z

Excited!! I love working on winter weddings, so when Decadence Vintage, the people behind the Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast decided to add a winter fair to their annual summer event, I jumped at the chance to have a stand there.

Image copyright: Decadence Vintage / Campbell Photography

The Vintage Bridal fairs are one of my favourite events to do. The atmosphere is always fantastic, the fellow exhibitors are creative, talented and friendly people, and the visitors are just plain lovely!

It's become an event , not just engaged couples, but for vintage fans too. We've had people visiting from as far away as Cork and Dublin coming all the way to Belfast to attend - check out the map to see just how far that is if you're not familiar with our little island!

The photo shoot based on Grimm's Fairytales to promote the event is amazing. You can see the full shoot here.

The Decadence Winter Wonderland Vintage Bridal Fair

Sunday 4th December 2011,

11am-5pm at The Holiday Inn, Belfast

Click here for full details

Can't wait - ten more sleeps!!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Tweethearts

2011-11-16T12:59:00.000Z

Last week I created my first Etsy treasury on the theme of birds - I'm very influenced by birds, especially swallows in my designs at the moment.

First Class Post notecards from Folksy or Etsy

The Etsy treasury was so much fun to do, and I got such great feedback that I wanted to do a treasury with some cool birdy things from Folksy. Here's my selection - hope you enjoy!

Bird in Nest by SophieSew

Bird Bowl by Prince Design UK

Flying Swallow Silver Stud earrings by Sally Ayling

Swallow Cushion by Stevie B

Swallow & Roses Tattoo Clock by Hey Cutie

Swooping Swallow Wooden Box by Kettle of Fish

Bird Pin Cushion (Lavender Scented) by Alex McQuade

Vintage Swallow Ring by Ruby Spirit Designs

Click here to see my Etsy bird treasury 'Tweetly-dee'.

Tweet dreams everyone!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Book Review & Giveaway!

2011-11-08T23:31:00.001Z

When I heard about a new book, 'How To Sell Your Crafts Online - A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond' by Derrick Sutton, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!

How To Sell Your Crafts Online by Derrick Sutton (Pub. St Martin's Griffin )

From chapter one of 'How To Sell Your Crafts Online - A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond' every step you will make as an online craft seller is carefully considered. Mainly aimed at the first time seller, it starts with finding the perfect name for your Etsy store, with step-by-step creating a shop banner, profile, photographing & writing descriptions for items and getting your shop open.

The author recommends working through the book slowly, each chapters ending with 'action steps' - a to-do list before moving on to the next one. With great advice throughout - how to get a free website & business email, free business tools, search engines, etc. - this book will be worth the price simply from the money saved using these tips alone! Etsy communitites, forums, circles & treasuries are all explained thoroughly and how they can both boost your Etsy profile and find support from other sellers.

If you're not a newbie, there's still solid advice for Etsy & non-Etsy online sellers. The latter chapters deal with how sites like Flickr, Google Places, blogs, Facebook. Twitter & online forums can help to get your name & crafts out there and new customers flooding to your online store. From experience, I know there's always something new to learn or improve!

'How To Sell Your Crafts Online' is like having a good friend 'in the know' who's willing to share all their secrets of success and help get your Etsy shop up and running and on the way to a (hopefully!) meteoric rise!

*** FAB GIVEAWAY TIME! ***

Thanks to the kind publishers, St Martin's Griffin, I have one copy of the book to give away!

To enter, do one of the following:

Leave a comment below
OR
Send a blank email with 'Craft book' in the subject line to: giveaway@arbeecards.co.uk

Closing date: 15th November 2011

The winner's name will be drawn out of the hat on Wednesday 16th November.

Good Luck!

Give away only open to UK readers only - sorry...

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Go to the Arbee Cards Etsy store!

New stall treasure

2011-10-25T19:47:00.000+01:00

I love finding something new and wonderful to sell on my market stall alongside the handmade cards & stationery, especially when I'm able to support other handmade businesses and encourage people to choose and buy handmade over the high street.

I'm so pleased to now be selling a small selection of vintage domino brooches, keyrings and fridge magnets from Belfast-based design & crafty business 'It's The Little Things'. I first came across It's The Little Things on Twitter and Folksy, and then met the designer Kellie at one of Belfast's Vintage fairs not long after. I'm the proud owner of quite a few of the domino brooches, so just couldn't wait to have them on sale at St. George's Market.

Domino & fridge magnets on display on the stall

Back of the vintage domino brooches & keyrings

I had the dominoes on the stall for the first time at the weekend, and it was no big surprise to see that many people loved them as much as I do!

All the above designs are available from our stall at St George's Market, Belfast every Saturday & Sunday or click here to shop online at It's The Little Things on Folksy or check out Kellie's website at www.itsthe-littlethings.co.uk

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Those little details...

2011-10-21T15:11:00.000+01:00

I always love the small details that make a wedding - or any event. One of my favourite parts of working in wedding stationery is being asked to help out with the pretty little extra things & ideas that make a wedding something special, from the bride & groom to their guests.

Back in Spring this year, I made these lilac-printed damask tags with purple satin ribbon for the bride to tie round glass jars full of bon-bons, macaroons & madeleines - yum! The damask tags matched the invitations and other stationery, in the beautiful purple colours of the wedding. The photographs of their stationery will be in our website gallery very soon. The bride & groom had such good taste, it was a pleasure to work with them.

Pictures used with kind permission by Janine Walker Photography (Copyright all images)

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

The Truth About Cats & Dogs

2011-10-20T14:43:00.000+01:00

There are so many things to remember for the 'to-do' list when planning a wedding - and today's blog post is about a fantastic Belfast-based biz that may be of interest to engaged couples with pets.

I'm often asked to recommend other wedding businesses from the brides & grooms I work with, and when one couple asked if I knew of anyone who could look after their cats when they were away on honeymoon - Naomi from Dogsbody NI was just the person!

How did you start?

Naomi: I have been running Dogsbody NI for two years. After training & working primarily with horses & dogs over 13 years, I decided to turn my attention to the nutrition side of things which led me to an all-round natural-based service and products for people who love their pets.

The pet sitting service is particularly great for brides/grooms and guests who might be anxious to leave their pets when they go off to enjoy their big day or honeymoon.

Any funny pet stories?

Naomi: One of my 'doggie' clients likes to bring me presents like leaves or stones. I was collecting him as usual, getting his lead, etc. and turned round to his usual little pose when he has a gift for me. So I held out my hand and he lovingly dropped a pair of his owners pants from the laundry basket into my hand.

Another time, I got a text message from the owner of a dog I had just taken out. It read 'oh forgot to mention she loves sticks...be careful'! So out on the walk, the dog takes off and comes back with not quite a stick, but a tree - taking everything/everyone out in sight! It was some job trying to get her mind off the 'tree' and onto a ball.

For further queries or a quote, you can contact Naomi at www.dogsbodyni.co.uk

Dogsbody NI are at St George's Market every Saturday, with free 'Healthy Paws' samples.

A little hello...

2011-10-13T00:03:00.002+01:00

I can't believe it's almost been a month since my last blog post...so thought it was best to say a little hello & a quick catch up.

The past few weeks have been so busy with lots of lovely new brides & grooms and working on their custom designs - it looks like summer 2012 is going to be a booked-up one in Arbee HQ! Yay ;D

I've been working with a fantastically talented Belfast-based photographer, Brideen from 'Photography By Brideen' on a few projects. One is getting my recent wedding stationery and card designs photographed for the website gallery which is long over-due an update. So excited to see the finished pics!
I've also just finished creating new gift vouchers for Brideen - click here for a sneak peek of them on her blog (if you like photography, it's a brilliant & beautiful blog to follow too)

There's been a wedding fair, lots of markets, ever-expanding stationery & card designs and also a couple of brand new stockists over the past few weeks too. I'll blog about them all soon, but I think my quick hello is getting a little long now...time to hit the hot chocolate before bedtime!

Night!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Ps. The little hello cards are available in the Arbee Cards Folksy shop ;)

Cool Kitsch

2011-09-22T11:53:00.000+01:00

It's true...

So here's some fab kitsch finds from Folksy

and something of our own...

Kitsch-inspired polka dot hen invites by Arbee Cards

1. Kitsch White Deer hairclips by Heroine Industries

2. Kitsch Doll Toilet Roll Cover by KitschStitch

3. Love letter from Postie Puppy bracelet by FluffsStuffs

4. 7" Vinyl Records bookends by When The Music's Over

5. English Breakfast ring by Sourcherry.co.uk

6. Coronation Street Pop Art print by Voodooville

7. Bambi skirt by 4getmenot

8. Day of the Dead ipod cover by The Doll City Rocker Accessories

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Remember You're a Womble

2011-09-16T21:37:00.000+01:00

I've always been a 'waste not want not' person, trying to keep things as green as possible ever since I heard about CFCs vs. the Ozone layer in the 80s. As a child I absolutely loved The Wombles, the cute little furry things that lived in Wimbledon Common who collected people's litter and leftovers to take back to their burrow to make new things from. They really were the original upcyclers - "making good use of the things that we find, things that the everyday folks leave behind"

With the (wonderful) rise of recycling, upcycling and 'make do and mend', I came up with the perfect idea of what to do with all my leftover, unwanted and outgrown craft items. I always recycle as much as possible but now I've decided to make like a womble and turn them into something new for someone else to find. With some great feedback and suggestions from friends & customers on Facebook, it seemed like a very good idea to make a bargain craft bin of leftover treasure, not trash!

Making a lot of wedding stationery always leaves lots of small off-cuts of gorgeous expensive papers and ribbons - so I've made packs of scalloped circles, vintage tags, shapes for cardmaking & crafts and packs of ribbons. Every crafter has plenty of things they buy but never get round to using; rubber stamps, materials for samples, impulse buys etc. It's all bagged up now for sale on the market stall - every crafter loves a good browse in a bargain basket ;)

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

The Arbee Cards stall is at St George's Market, Belfast, every weekend. The bargain basket will be there until it's empty...

Off to school

2011-09-02T21:48:00.001+01:00

A lot of my card designs come from ideas I have for sending cards to my family & friends. One of my newest designs was a card I made recently to send to a special little 4 year old who's starting school next week.

I made some extra for my market stall and Folksy store and they've been a big hit! So cute seeing little ones getting all excited about 'big school' and leaving nursery behind. Awwww...

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Show & Tell

2011-08-18T23:51:00.001+01:00

Today's blog post is a little show & tell with a request we had a few months ago for personalised cards.

A lovely customer contacted us to see if we could take one of our thank you designs...

...and turn it into something personalised. We changed the wording, the colours and made it a cuter, smaller size to make a set of sweet little thank you cards for baby gifts.

I have such a soft spot for working on baby cards and the customer's fab choice of a fresh apple green colour & ribbon really makes the design stand out from the usual blue for boys!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

iCraft

2011-08-12T01:48:00.000+01:00

When the rocket scientists & geniuses got together to invent the internet, I reckon it was pretty far from their minds that such technology would lead to a huge handmade, crafty, vintage-loving online world! It doesn't seem likely that gadgetry & geekery and knit-one-purl-one would go hand-in-hand, but weirdly, they just do. I even made sure the Arbee Cards' website would look more like it was made of paper than pixels.

If you're like me and love nothing better than 'finishing off' your new ipod or mobile phone with a hand-stitched or woolly cover, then you'll just love today's Folksy Friday.

'Tumbling Rose' 13" Macbook case by Tillymoss

Mobile Phone/Ipod sock by QUERKS

'London' Blackberry pouch by Phoebe Bee Bee

Iphone Sleeve by Merry Berry and the Little Panda

Nintendo DS / Camera Case by Minifelts

'Bambi Deer' Ipad Sleeve/Gadget Case by Leonieke

Kindle Case by Blankety Beds

iHoot mobile phone cover by Handmade Hoopla

And lastly, I really couldn't leave out the perfect (gadget-free!) case for the make-do-&-menders amongst us...

Needle Case by Redneedle

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Getting a little personal...

2011-08-09T16:37:00.002+01:00

Hello blog - missed you! Been a while since my last post as wedding season has been in full swing and keeping myself and the elves busy.

Besides our wedding stationery, we're getting more and more requests for personalised stationery - which I LOVE!
Before Arbee Cards was born, I was making personalised stationery for birthdays & Christmas pressies, so the whole 'personalised' thing is really what we're all about!

Many people think that to get something personalised and created specially for them costs an arm and a leg. But we don't charge any extra to print one of our designs with a name on it or play around with the wording or colours. And if it's a simple request, we can even create a new design without charging any extra. Other more detailed custom designs cost just a little more but much less than you'd expect.

I've just finished making some notecards for a regular customer at St George's Market. Her sister wanted her own notecards with butterflies, hearts & flowers in bright pinks & lilacs. Done!

So don't be shy to get a little personal with your post and spread a little sunshine in the good old snail mail!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

2011-07-18T17:55:00.000+01:00

Today's blog is more photos from recent events - this time, the Seaside Frock vintage fair we attended on Sunday 26th June in Bangor, Co. Down.

The venue, Cairn Bay Lodge is a beautiful 1930s Guest House on the Ballyholme Bay in Bangor, the view over the bay is lovely. On a clear day you can see Scotland on the horizon! The house is full of original period features and just a perfect place for a vintage fair.

Stalls and sellers were all scattered throughout the downstairs rooms. We were set up on an antique sideboard in the dining room - how different from our usual market stall! Outside, the outhouses and beautiful garden hosted more sellers and an old-fashioned lemonade stand, with afternoon tea complete with vintage china and cupcakes. I managed to get a sneak peek around the fair before the visitors arrived.

Keepin It Kitsch

Ruby Bijou

Decadence Vintage

Our range of retro notebooks & stationery

Vintage Homebird

Cairn Bay Lodge's Lemonade Stand

The Optimists (this beautiful little 1940s case still has the original key!)

Palace Posters - original vintage film posters

Rachel @ Arbee Cards x

Sheer Decadence

2011-07-12T17:13:00.000+01:00

It's a public holiday here in Northern Ireland today with many businesses closed and people enjoying a few days off work with a short break away. I'm planning a few lazy days of relaxation during the busy wedding season too - but couldn't resist using the spare time to finally get some belated posts pics of recent events up on the blog.

Here's a few snaps of the Decadence 2nd Annual Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast on 12/06/11 at Belfast's Malone House. Beautiful event!

Arbee Cards

Tartiflette

Altemeyer Chocolates

Crumbs cakes

Norma Jean Vintage

Tea Party

Innocent Chaos

Orio Magpie

Vintage Bride

Grainne Maher Millinery

Campbell Photography

Thanks to all the lovely exhibitors who let me photograph their displays - if I've left out the name of your business, please get in touch and I'll label your pic asap!

Rachel @ arbee cards x

Summer sun....?

2011-06-21T12:42:00.000+01:00

Happy Summer Solstice everyone!

It's the longest day of the year - the very 'height of summer'! Lovely sunrise over Stonehenge etc....

But it's raining here in Belfast...

Indoor/carpet picnic for us then ;)

Rachel @ arbee cards x

Closing time!

2011-06-21T12:35:00.000+01:00

Just a quick blog update on our new opening hours - or closing hours that should be!

From now on, we'll be closed Mondays. The wedding season has been building up for us (yay) and with more and more Vintage events, markets and fairs taking place on Sundays, we need to have Mondays to recharge our creative batteries and put our scissors & glue guns down for the day!

Our Folksy store will, as always, be open 24/7

But for now, it's Tuesday...best get the coffee going & get back to the drawing board... ;)

Rachel @ arbee cards x

Bridal Decadence

2011-06-10T19:41:00.002+01:00

It's been a lovely week in 'Arbee Towers' this week with our first birthday celebrations followed by the build up to the Decadence Vintage Bridal Fair this Sunday, in Malone House Belfast.

The Vintage Bridal Fair is one of our favourite events of the year to take part in, especially as it was our official launch of Arbee Cards at last year's fair! Decadence Vintage are also behind the fantastic and hugely popular Frock Around The Clock vintage fairs which have a big following with NI vintage-lovers due to the quality and variety of the genuine vintage & upcycled treasures to found at every event.

The venue, Malone House is an elegant mansion just outside Belfast's city centre surrounded by beautiful gardens. It's always lovely to take part in such a beautiful location - makes a change from the market!

The focus on the day is on good old-fashioned glamour - never goes out of style! - and all those wonderful little details which make vintage style stand out and bring something really special to the Vintage-styled bride. It was so special to have our invitations used in the fantastic 'Let Them Eat Cake' photoshoot for the event!

This year's fair promises to be even bigger and better and we can't wait to meet & chat to brides, grooms, bridesmaids, mother-of-the-brides and everyone else soaking up the atmosphere and glamour of the day! Photographs of the day will follow soon :)

Rachel @ Arbee Cards

The 2nd Annual Decadence Vintage Bridal Fair

Malone House,

Barnett Demesne,

Belfast BT9 5PB

Sunday 12th June 2011, 12-5pm

Please note: Photographs copyright & courtesy of Decadence Vintage Bridal Fairs & Robin Cordiner Photography. More details, please visit website www.decadencevintagebridalfairs.com

For details of the vintage dresses/accessories & suppliers in photographs click here

Arbee Birthday!

2011-06-07T11:14:00.000+01:00

Today is a very special day for me and the Arbee Cards elves - it's our first birthday!

It's been such a fantastic, enjoyable, challenging and rewarding year building our little stationery empire, getting our cards out there at markets & fairs, online and ultimately into postboxes everywhere!

We're busy getting ready for Belfast's Vintage Bridal Fair this Sunday (12th June) but we'll be having lots of tea and cake throughout the day (and hopefully a little birthday toast later on!)

I've been making cards & stationery for such a long time, and as the business grows, the one thing that I am constantly surprised & delighted at is how independent crafters and designers are being sought out and supported by our wonderful customers - there is definitely a turn in the tide back to 'Handmade is best!' - something I've always known! So today is not just a celebration of Arbee Cards being one year old with much more to come - it's a celebration of the growth of handmade & craft businesses everywhere! We rock! ;D

And to all our FAB customers - at St George's Market, craft fairs, Vintage fairs, Christmas markets, online and our lovely brides & grooms, we'd like to say a very special..

Rachel & the Arbee Cards' elves x

Plantable progress

2011-06-01T17:59:00.000+01:00

In an earlier blog post 'Sowing the Seeds' I did a little 'show & tell' on how to plant one of our plantable cards, and promised to keep a photo-diary of the windowbox & planted plantable card's progress (try saying that quickly a few times!)

At the start of this week, about 4 weeks after planting the card, I noticed some fab little shoots coming up and quickly grabbed my camera to take some pics. There's about 6 little green shoots have found their way up, and I'm so excited as they seem to be doing really well so far....BUT I've been badly bitten before when I tried before to grow some herbs & flowers (***$!@!!! slugs is all I can say!) so I'm treading cautiously and not letting myself to get too confident yet.

Nevertheless, I am very proud to show the first pics of my first ever seedlings grown from one of our plantable cards.

Most of the seedlings are at the front right of the windowbox

Close-up of five of the seedlings - there's a few different types of leaves /flowers but I'm not sure which is which from the wildflower seed mix in the paper!

My fingers and toes are crossed for the flowers to follow ;)

Rachel @ Arbee Cards

You can buy our plantable greeting cards from our stall at St George's Market, Belfast or from our online store at www.arbeecards.folksy.com

Here comes the sun

2011-05-20T00:04:00.001+01:00

It's been a while (too long!) since there's been some Folksy picks on the blog, and this selection has been chosen by Mel, one of the Arbee Cards elves who helps out on the stall at markets and vintage & bridal fairs.

Every Spring, Mel always plants sunflower seeds, but this year unfortunately she didn't get round to it. As she loves sunflowers so much, they've inspired her first blog post of Folksy choices - maybe she'll take her pick from these gorgeous items and have something sunflowery around after all

Thanks Mel!

Sunflowers Cushion by Daisy Beth

Sunflower 107 Linoprint by Zebedee

The Big Betty Bag by The Urban Muse

Sunflower Clasp Purse by funky diva designs

Sunflower Bag Charm by sunnyteddys

Sunflower Impression silver necklace by Esme Dodsworth Design

Pop goes the Wedding!

2011-05-12T01:26:00.000+01:00

We always like to do things a bit different and so the lure of

an alternative Wedding Fair is not something we can ever resist. This Sunday 15th May, we're taking part in a very different kind of bridal event from the ever-fabulous & inventive gals at Quirky Weddings - the first ever 'Pop Crawl'!

Starting off from the La Boca restaurant in Belfast's Fountain Street, couples will be given a map of all the wonderfully original & alternative venues the city has to offer to couples who want their wedding to be their own original custom-made celebration. Each venue will be hosting creative & talented suppliers and designers who can create whatever couples need for their perfect wedding day their way.

We'll be at St George's Market - no new venue for us but we don't mind as the market is always full of great music, atmosphere & something new. 'Pop' along any time between 10am - 4pm to have a chat about your wedding ideas and see what we can create for you.

**We have a special voucher for the first 50 Pop Crawlers to visit us. Please let us know you're on the Pop Crawl so you don't miss out!**

For more Pop Crawl info:

click here for the Quirky Weddings Pop Crawl page

Sowing the seeds

2011-05-05T17:55:00.001+01:00

Since I started making and selling plantable greeting cards this year, everyone keeps asking me all about them - I suppose they're so different it brings out everyone's curiosity!

The main question is always how to plant and grow the cards. I tried planting some offcuts of the paper a few months ago, but I only had a tiny pot that once had a small plant in it. The plant was unfortunately long gone - but I'd kept the pot & soil. I tried planting the paper and did get some seedlings after a few weeks, but the pot was too tiny to grow anything properly so nothing else happened.

This time - I decided it was time to get planting for real. So, this week on the lovely sunny Bank Holiday May Day, I armed myself with a gardening fork, a plantable Easter card and an empty windowbox. I planted the card about half an inch down, with one piece of the card at end each. I thought it best not to layer the paper to make it easier for all the seeds to grow upwards.

The card is made from cotton (tree-free so very eco-friendly!) and can be planted directly into the ground, flower beds, patio pots or anything deeper than the tiny houseplant pot I tried intitally!

All planted, all watered and back on the wall to catch some sun and start germinating! I will keep you posted with pics and progress on the wildflowers. Can't wait!!

Rachel @ Arbee Cards

Plantable cards available from St George's Market stall Saturdays & Sundays, and online at www.arbeecards.folksy.com

Gone A-Stray...

2011-04-18T23:39:00.000+01:00

Well, stockists must be like buses...waiting & hoping...and then a few come along at once! If you've been for a shopping trip recently in Belfast, you may have noticed 'Stray Jewellery', a stylish & quirky new shop in Church Lane, and also one of my newest stockists!

Stray Jewellery, Church Lane, Belfast (opposite Muriel's Cafe Bar)

Inside Stray, looking out over a lovely sunny Church Lane

Stray Jewellery opened in early February 2011 so it's still brand sparkly new and a gorgeous place to discover and rummage around in if you haven't been before.

I met Stray Jewellery's owner & designer Julie at St. George's Market, where we both have stalls on Sundays. It's great to see a fellow market stall holder opening up their own 'proper shop' - very inspiring! Julie has put lots of creative touches around the shop, with lots of quirky and cool little things (not just jewellery) both for sale and for decoration, with vintage furniture & pieces around the place.

I love this cute vintage poodle!

Is this the coolest teapot ever?

Stray Jewellery has now started stocking a selected range of my cards, and it's so lovely to see them dotted amongst all the other gorgeous things - which is why I had to ask Julie if I could take some pics for the blog.

So if you're a fan of vintage-inspired jewellery & bits n pieces, quirky things & a good browse in somewhere a little different, head down to Stray Jewellery and have a good nosey!

Big thanks to Julie for letting me snap away with my camera. If you're wondering did I resist all the lovely things while I was there? Nope...I took home something pretty ;)

Website: www.strayjewellery.com

How Bazaar!

2011-04-14T18:08:00.000+01:00

As promised, here's some pics of the Totally Bazaar Handmade & Vintage Fair in Belfast on 4th April 2011. It was a great day with a fantastic atmosphere, superb live music all day from 'Buskers' Den' - I have to mention the fantastic Della Storm's 'Vintage Fashionista' song, loved it!

So much creativity & talent on show was very inspiring and more than a few of the goodies in the photos ended up being taken home with me too!

Arbee Cards

Norma Jean Vintage

Jennifer Robinson Jewellery - made from watch parts

Jennifer Robinson Jewellery

Flax Fox - St George's Market screenprint

Flax Fox

It's The Little Things bottle top & domino brooches

It's The Little Things

Unbutton - vintage button brooches

Upcycled Vintage fabric cushions

Vintage paper bunting made from old Penguin books

Decadence Vintage - original collage art pieces

If you missed the fair this time round but get a chance to get to the next Totally Bazaar - don't miss it... and take your piggy bank! www.northernirelandvintage.com

Totally Bazaar!

2011-04-01T20:36:00.000+01:00

This Sunday 3rd April, we're taking part in a new fair organised by the fantastic Frock Around The Clock - 'Totally Bazaar'.

Here's the write-up about the fair:

The Totally Bazaar - Vintage & Handmade Fair is a new event for 2011, which celebrates the recycling ethos of vintage. Totally Bazaar will showcase a mix of 50 sellers - vintage dealers and Irish creative designers - offering both genuine vintage pieces and clothing, accessories, jewellery and homewares which recycle vintage textiles and found objects. Totally Bazaar will demonstrate just how gorgeous and glamorous recycling can be, transforming the old & discarded into the new & coveted.

An eco-shoppers paradise...we believe that ethical is beautiful and are inspired by the make-do-and-mend sensibility and craftsmanship of yesteryear. It is this belief that ensures that at our vintage fairs, you will find only high quality vintage and creations that echo the beauty of the part and the resourcefulness of vintage glamour.

We've got some new stationery goodies (not just cards!) that'll be on sale for the first time at the Totally Bazaar, and with it being Mother's Day this Sunday, it's the perfect place to bring your mum along for a good old browse. I'll have my camera in tow so will post pics here soon.

Totally Bazaar is on at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast on Sunday 3rd April from 11am - 4.30pm. Admission is £3.00 For more info & list of exhibitors, click here

Fab New Stockist!

2011-03-29T00:34:00.000+01:00

It's always so lovely when someone contacts us about becoming a stockist for Arbee Cards. I know I should be in business mode, but my initial reaction is always 'awwww brilliant!' I'm really excited about my newest stockist - a brand new gift shop opening in the small town of Comber in County Down called 'The Georgian Gift House', situated on the first floor above the Georgian House restaurant (which was in The Guardian's 'Insider Guide to the Best Of British Food').

The Georgian Gift House's owner Emma has been working hard to fill the shop with handmade gifts, jewellery, vintage & upcycled crafts, homewares and other wonderful things from local & independent designers and makers, including some of her own work, with the aim of offering something more original and unusual for her customers. I can't wait to have a browse myself! Our full range of the 'Norn Iron' cards will be on sale, plus some of our vintage cards too.

The shop opens this weekend so drop in if you're passing by!

The Georgian Gift House

14 The Square

Comber

Co. Down

BT23 5EA

Wednesdays - Saturdays 10am - 4pm

Sundays 11am - 3pm

On Your Bike, Mrs!

2011-03-09T22:49:00.001Z

...or Mr & Mrs that should be! Our first Bee*Mine designs have just been listed in our Folksy store and one of my favourite designs is 'Bicycle For Two'. It's as eco-friendly as the bikes on the design too - made from beautiful textured recycled natural white card.

Bicycle For Two - Bee*Mine wedding invitation

When I list our cards on Folksy, I always get a little distracted afterwards with all the other beautiful items on the site. So to 'celebrate' the first online appearance of our Bee*Mine stationery and our bicycle design, here's a little bicycle-inspired Folksy treasury!

'I want to ride my bicycle' T-shirt by LoveLittle

Bicycle Brooch by Julia Smith Ceramics

'Life's Better By Bike' cufflinks by Muchinalittle

Day-Tripper by Lola's Room

Penny Farthing Vintage Necklace by Eclectic Creations

Bicycle - Ink & collage illustration by Lynsey Hunter Illustration

Lastly, if you're the bride or guest of a wedding with a bicycle theme, here is the perfect accessory to match the day, made from spokes, gear cogs and bicycle bits. Just be careful on the dancefloor at the reception!

Steam Punk millinery by Anima

Now all we need is some Spring sunshine to get out for a lovely long bike ride!

Red Carpet Wedding Style

2011-02-25T15:23:00.001Z

Our 'Bee*Mine' range of ready-designed limited edition wedding invitations were recently launched (see blog post Bee Mine) and the design below was inspired by classic Old Hollywood style. It will be available online from next week - but if you're in love with it already, please email us!

'Old Hollywood' wedding invitation by Arbee Cards Bee*Mine

If you're thinking of a Hollywood-themed wedding or just a few fun touches, with just a few days to go until the Oscars - what better place to start for my first go at a wedding inspiration mood board than the Glamour of Hollywood!

And the Oscar goes to....

1. Marilyn Monroe

2. Drew Barrymore

3. Waterford Crystal Champagne glasses

4. Movie Quote cupcakes (from Eleni's in New York)

5. Mini Popcorn favours (favorsandflowers.com)

6. Clapperboard Place Card holders

7. Sarah Jessica Parker

8. Audrey Hepburn (Sabrina)

New Stall for Saturdays!

2011-02-14T15:00:00.000Z

From 19th February, Arbee Cards will be taking up permanent residence at the award-winning St George's Saturday City, Food & Garden Market.

The Saturday Market is a real gem full of wonderful food, arts, crafts, people, live music and atmosphere, so it's just flipping brilliant to be given a permanent stall there. Yay!

We'll still be going to the Sunday Market occasionally, I love its' relaxed atmosphere and the vintage/antique collectibles stalls & people, but for now we're looking forward to establishing ourselves on Saturdays and getting to know all the regular visitors and other market traders.

Our stall will have all our range of greeting cards, vintage cards, stationery and wedding stationery samples, plus whatever paper creations we've been up that week!

St George's City, Food & Garden Market is open every Saturday from 9am - 3pm.

More details click here

Bee Mine ♥

2011-02-11T12:50:00.001Z

We can't wait for this Sunday's Quirky Weddings' Alternative Wedding Fair in Belfast - not just because it's the first alternative wedding fair we've had in Northern Ireland, we'll also be launching our brand new range of wedding stationery.

Every wedding design at Arbee Cards is different - we create custom designs inspired by each couple, that remain unique to them. The process involves consultation in person, via email or telephone, working through various samples to create something completely personal.

For those who don't want or need a custom design and just want something they see and like, but would love something 100% original and unique, we've created our new range 'Bee*Mine', and we believe it's something different that hasn't been done yet in wedding stationery.

Bee*Mine is a range of ready-made wedding stationery that is complete, ready for printing and only ever available in a limited edition of ONE wedding! Once a couple have chosen the design, it won't be repeated for any other wedding. It's literally see the design and say 'be mine!'

The first of the Bee*Mine range will launch on Sunday at the Alternative Wedding Fair, and will then be available (if they don't sell out!) online in our Folksy & Etsy shops, or by contacting us to request samples of the designs. Plenty of pics coming after the fair - promise!

Quirky Weddings' Alternative Wedding Fair is on at The Black Box, Belfast on Sunday 13th February 2011. For more details go to www.quirkyweddings.co.uk

Do your own thing!

2011-02-04T19:14:00.000Z

I've been doing wedding stationery for over 10 years for family & friends, mainly as a response to the couples looking for something a bit different. Weddings are now so full of individual style, with couples caring less about the 'done thing' and solely on how they see their perfect day - and that's what Arbee Cards is all about!

So I was delighted when Cate Conway, Co-Founder of Quirky Weddings contacted me last September to see if I would be interested in Quirky Wedding's first Alternative Wedding Fair. With just over a week until the Fair on the 13th February, I asked Cate to explain more about all things Quirky!

How did Quirky Weddings come about?

Cate: Through an obsession for weddings! I met Saima [Quirky Weddings Co-Founder] last April when she hired me to do some PR for her gym near Belfast. We used to talk about weddings a lot - we've been called wedding obsessed but we're not like 'Muriel's Wedding' obsessed. We're both married.

Her family are Pakistani and so she had a huge, beautiful Asian wedding. I love how different her wedding was from mine. We share the belief that there's too much pressure on people who are getting married and wanted to offer a way for couples to explore idea for interesting or unusual ways to celebrate getting married.

What services do you offer?

C: Our first Alternative Wedding Fair is on February 13th in the Black Box, Belfast. We are also planning 3 future events, hopefully in March or May. We aim to have lots of intimate wedding-related events, not just fairs...such as days to eat and talk about cake. Fun stuff.

Our full website will launch in March, it's a listing site with a difference. We are using the full force of social media to bring together couples & suppliers. It'll have a web TV channel too...I'm really excited about that. Our blog is live now!

What makes a wedding 'quirky'?

C: As far as we're concerned 'quirkiness' is a spectrum. Some people want a totally off-the-wall wedding, and some just want a really unusual cake. It's about choosing things you really want for your day, not things you feel you should have because of 'tradition' or because a wedding magazine told you you should have it.

What is the Alternative Wedding Fair?

C: The Alternative Wedding Fair is a space for couples to meet suppliers who can make their day special by providing them with something a little different from the norm, suppliers there who can create bespoke items such as stationery, jewellery, table centrepieces, and the like. They can create things that reflect the couple's personalities or for a specific theme in mind. We invited every supplier to attend so we had the right balance. We didn't want it to be filled with chocolate fountains and chair covers, things you see at every other wedding fair.

There will be 16 exhibitors in the main hall and 17 suppliers taking part in a Pecha Kucha Lite - an hour long series of 3 minute presentations where couples can listen to the short introductions from each supplier and then choose who they want to hear more from by ticking the supplier's name on a form they get at the start of the event. It's a no-pressure way to get ideas and meet suppliers.

Entrance is £5 or free if you 'like' us on facebook.com/quirkywed

Any tips/advice for someone not sure how to start planning a 'quirky wedding'?

C: Our advice is look at your budget and allocated it towards things that mean something to you as a couple. Does it have meaning to you or are you getting it because you feel you have to? Can you imagine looking back and thinking was that really worth it?

Also, there are so many suppliers in NI who can offer high quality, unusual and special products and services - let your imagination run wild! Don't assume 'you can't have that for a wedding'. Ask! Our blog aims to uncover all the hidden treasures!

Any Quirky future plans or events to look out for?

C: We're working hard on the first event and launching the website. We have meetings lined up looking at the future events, we'll keep you posted. We're planning 'Wedding Planning Workshops' in the very near future, these are perfect for anyone planning a wedding but has no idea where to start, whether you think you want a large wedding in a hotel or marquee, or a weird and wonderful extravaganza, or even if you are a second time around bride. Anyone interested can drop me a line on tietheknot@quirkyweddings.co.uk and I'll keep you up to date.

Quirky Weddings' First Alternative Wedding Fair is on February 13th 2011 at The Black Box, Belfast. For more details: www.quirkyweddings.co.uk

Twitter.com/quirkywed

Facebook.com/quirkywed

All You Need Is Love!

2011-01-27T19:29:00.001Z

"Love, love...love is all you need." Everyone knows the song, but here's some lesser known quirky little Valentine's Day facts to go along with our new quirky little Valentine's cards we launched in our Folksy shop today!

'LOVE' Valentine's Day card - from our online shop

St Valentine was a Christian priest in 3rd Century Rome, and was executed on the day of the Roman Festival of Lupercalia - a day that honoured Juno, the goddess of women, marriage & fertility. In 496 AD, the Pope declared it a day in his honour, and he became the (rather unexpected) Patron Saint of lovers!

A French Duke, Charles of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415, wrote over 60 poems about his wife during his 25 year sentence. In one poem, he called her 'Ma tres doulce Valentinée' which was the first use of the word 'Valentine' as the loved one!

'How You Doing?' Valentine's Day card from our online shop

Ever since the 14th Century, the 14th February is generally thought to be the day that birds start mating, bringing the association of 'love birds' to St Valentine's Day.

In the 1840s, a young American woman Esther Howland received an English Valentine's card and decided to make it popular in the USA too. One of her card designs read "Weddings now are all the go. Will you marry me or no?" We don't recommend you write that on your card if you've only just met!

'Hubba Hubba' Valentine's Day card from our online shop

A billion Valentine's cards are sent every year throughout the world, and over 85% are sent by women. Come on guys - a little romance goes a long way!

St Valentine is also considered the Patron Saint of fainting, greeting cards manufacturers and rather horribly...the plague! Erm...let's ignore that last bit...and just focus on roses, champagne, candles and the person that makes you go 'hubba hubba hubba'! ;)

Do me a favour!

2011-01-17T15:33:00.000Z

If you're a Northern Irish bride or groom-to-be, how do you feel about wedding favours? They can be really lovely if they complement the wedding theme or add a quirky touch to a well-thought out day. But they can also be an obligation you'd rather not have to spend money on.

But does anyone really need another bag of sugared almonds at their place setting?! So when I was recently approached by the Northern Irish charity, Aware Defeat Depression to help them create charity favours I was very happy to help out. Aware Defeat Depression work with the one in four people in Northern Ireland who experience depression and bipolar disorder, with a support group network, helpline, support and advice across the country.

There is a suggested minimum donation of £1 per guest for the favours, and each guest will have a small card sitting at their place setting to tell them of your donation. A friend who was married last year was quoted £400 for mini-cupcakes for her guests - imagine how delighted any charity would be to receive a quarter of that, and how much nicer a way to celebrate your marriage with a donation.

The favour cards mark the couple's names, wedding date and inform their guests that a donation has been made on their behalf. Aware's contact details and brief information are printed inside for reference.

I know how important the reception's table presentation is to many brides, so there's 3 different styles of favours to match most wedding tables: (top to bottom) 'Simple' style, 'Elegant' style and 'Vintage' style.

There is also a choice of three card colours: (top to bottom) Natural White (also recycled for eco-minded couples!), Pearlised Cream and White Shimmer. They will look gorgeous on your tables, and more importantly be supporting for a charity that offers support, advice and information for anyone in Northern Ireland affected by depression or bipolar disorder, whether it's for themselves, a family member or friend.

To order favours or find out more, please click here to go to our website page on the favours or email us. Aware Defeat Depression's website is www.aware-ni.org

Crafty Business

2011-01-14T14:53:00.000Z

Last weekend, Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th January, was Belfast's St George's Market's first weekend back after a 2 week break for Christmas. Many of the stall holders are professional crafters and artists who make all the goods on their stall, and so to get the new market year off to a good start, several of the stallholders took part in textile and craft demonstrations all weekend. I was delighted to be included and took along my camera to get some pictures of what everyone was up to.

On display and part of the demonstration was a 100 year old handloom, brought to the market by Flax Mill Textiles, a weaving company keeping the Irish Linen tradition alive and well. Visitors were able to both see a weaver working away at the loom, and have a go themselves - something that younger visitors particularly enjoyed.

And the result of the weaving...

Julie, who works with Flax Mill Textiles, was there with her baskets of yarns full of all sorts of interesting shells, threads, beads and bits. She was demonstrating making yarn daisies from a vintage daisy wheel, brooches and creating textile decorations from the offcuts of linen from the Mill.

I had a tiny selection of my collection of vintage buttons, papers, textiles, lace and haberdashery on the Arbee Cards stall and loved spending the day on the stall sewing and chatting with customers, making vintage collages that I frame and sell at the market and vintage fairs.

One of the collages made during the weekend, featuring a dressmaking advert from a 1962 'Needles & Pins' sewing magazine.

The absolute star of the show was a hand-embroidered tipi (tee-pee?) made by Emma, a textile artist who can regularly be spotted sewing away on one of the artist's stalls at the Sunday Market. It's a work in progress over many years, and is embroidered with all sorts of wools, threads, glitter threads, beads, mirrors and whatever Emma has collected over the years. It's simply stunning!

Close up of the embroidery with gold threads through the beautiful jewel-like colours

Emma was very generous with letting lots of enthusiastic and curious children crawl around inside the tipi - one little girl said it was the best tent in the world and took up residence in it for quite some time!

The creativity to be found at St George's Market is wonderful - not just textiles, but photographers, artists, printmakers, glass designers, jewellers, knitters and other crafts. If you're near enough to visit but haven't been yet - I hope this blog has inspired you to visit soon! For details on the market, please click here

Thanks to Flax Mill Textiles, Julie & Emma for letting me photograph their work for this post.

Colour Therapy

2011-01-06T14:24:00.000Z

It's been so cold, dull and rainy this week and I'm already missing the colourful fairy lights that have been packed away for another year. What I need is some sunshine and colour! Lots of colour seeping into our latest stationery designs and I didn't have to look too far to find some other gorgeous handmade stuff to brighten the blog. A little bit of sunshine on a rainy day - and since I started writing & looking for items for this post, a little bit of sun has started peeking through the clouds... ;)

Hello Sunshine! Notecards by Arbee Cards

Colourful Little Thank You's by Arbee Cards

Love Letter Colourful Badges by Kikichoo

'Winter Tree' Fine Art Print by Indira Albert

'Red Sofa' Purse & Mirror by Nickynackynoo

Mini Liquorice Allsorts bracelet by delight yourself

'Write your lovely letters here' red notebook by She Draws

Retro Style Colman's tin candle by Mr Wick

Handmade 'n Happy!

2011-01-05T22:09:00.001Z

Today Arbee Cards became a member of UK Handmade - an online organisation that supports, promotes and celebrates UK designer-makers, with a quarterly online magazine, blogs, forums, gift guides & collections, directories and advice. As I'm so new to UK Handmade, I can't wait to have a really good look around the blogs & forums and see what everyone's up to - always very inspiring! Can't think of a nicer start to 2011!

If you haven't come across UK Handmade before now, you can click on the circle above to go to their home page.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-02T18:18:00.000Z

Wishing all our blog followers, readers,

customers & friends a very Happy New Year

Here's to a happy, healthy, wealthy,

crafty & creative 2011!

Five FAB things about Christmas

2010-12-23T17:30:00.004Z

It's Chhhhrrrrriiiiiiistmaaaas!!

Today was a day for winding down business before we stop for Christmas (our first break since we launched in June so it's well-earned!) All the work is done so time to get organised for a few days of fun, relaxation and good times.

Where best to start than with a list of my

Top 5 favourite things about Christmas -

Mulled wine & mince pies - best served with friends & an open fire

The Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York' & Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'The Power Of Love'

Fairy lights - anywhere, everywhere, no such thing as enough!

Christmas Fairs & Markets - shopping for beautiful handmade things all wrapped up in big coats & scarves

Chilling out watching cheesy tv & movies - pure festive guilty pleasure!

Please feel free to list your own below ;)

Wishing all our blog readers, customers,

brides & friends all

a very very HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

(Be good - Santa's still watching!)

Crafty Little Decorations

2010-12-11T19:47:00.000Z

The shops may start filling their windows with tinsel and playing Christmas songs as soon as Hallowe'en is over, but for me, it doesn't really feel like Christmas until my fairy lights, decorations and tree goes up.

A lovely Christmas tradition that many family members and friends of mine have started over the last few years is to collect one special ornament each year. It's been a very busy first Christmas for Arbee Cards so I'm only getting round to shopping for this year's decoration now. Still haven't taken my pick yet - there's too many gorgeous ones to choose from! First stop - Folksy.com!

Christmas hanging heart by Spare Minute Productions

Crocheted Christmas Tree decoration by Josie-Mary

Christmas Star Decoration Set by Little Pieces

Pip the Fairy by Mollys Mum

Set of 3 Vintage Style ceramic decorations by Dottery Pottery

Half Eaten Slightly Burnt Gingerbread Man by Nayworth Cottage Crafts

And don't forget the most important decoration of all - don't forget to hang up your stocking!

Tree Stocking by Holly Jolly Stockings

Happy decorating - and HAPPY CHRISTMOOSE everyone!! Xx

Happy Christmoose cards from our Folksy store

Little Christmas Stars!

2010-12-01T13:39:00.000Z

Everyone always says that Christmas is a time for kids (not forgetting the big ones amongst us!) and what nicer way to celebrate a sweet little baby's first Christmas than with a personalised card?

Baby's First Christmas card Available in our online Folksy stores & at St. George's Market, Belfast

We had so many requests for this card that we're very happy to now have it on sale online in our Folksy & Etsy shops, and you can also order from our stall at St George's Market, Belfast (free p&p in the UK & Ireland).

Because we love trees as much as Christmas, the cards are all printed on recycled natural white card. The cards are available to order online until the 16th December 2010.

Blog Stars!

2010-11-30T17:59:00.000Z

There are so many blogs around, but easily one of my favourites is the Frock Around The Clock blog by Decadence Vintage, who are the organisers behind the Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fairs that we equally love taking part in and shopping at!

So it was a lovely surprise to see a *gorgeous* article on their blog about us - thank you Decadence! Click here for a read - the blog is worth following if you love vintage, craft & all things unique.

We're really looking forward to being at the first 'Seaside Frock' Vintage Craft & Collectables Christmas Fair this Sunday 5th December at Cairn Bay Lodge in Bangor. Admission is free with a charity raffle on the day for the Kiwoko Hospital, Uganda. Full details of the fair can be found here

Dates for your diary

2010-11-24T23:37:00.000Z

It's been madly busy but great fun over the last few weeks getting ready for all the fantastic fairs and markets we're going to be at this Christmas. I've just updated our diary page, and already filling in a few lovely events for Spring 2011!

Have a nosey at our diary page and if you spot us at any of the fairs, make sure to say hello as it's just lovely meeting & chatting to our blog readers :)

Vintage Christmas Shopping Heaven!

2010-11-18T13:04:00.000Z

Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fairs are always a big event here in Northern Ireland, and this Sunday, we're taking part in the last fair of the year, and it's going to be a good one!

Our stall will have lots of our Vintage-inspired Christmas cards, greetings cards for all occasions made from genuine vintage lace, paper, buttons & bits, plus some genuine vintage box-framed collages - gorgeously perfect for pressies, but maybe too cute to give away!

There's also a charity raffle for Cancer Research (tickets £1) for lots of beautiful vintage & craft prizes, including £25 worth of our cards and personalised stationery!

Hope to see you there - details from the event's organisers below:

There are 39 shopping days left 'til Christmas!

But you only need ONE day!

Sunday 21st November, at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue Belfast.

The ever-fabulous Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fair is coming to town and it's all you need to fulfil your Christmas shopping needs!

This Sunday will be your last chance this side of Christmas to catch Northern Ireland's Premier Vintage Fair, featuring:

45 sellers of:

Vintage fashion & accessories
Antique, vintage & contemporary jewellery
Vintage & retro homewares
Vanity items
Collectable toys, dolls & bears
Vintage china
Handcrafted cards & Christmas decorations
Scrumptious cakes & confectioneries
Contemporary art
Curios & collectables

Plus

Retro hairstyling & make-up
Vintage Fashion Show by Living Vintage
Live music from the Jenny Kallen Jazz Band
Tickets for Santa's Steam Train from the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
Charity raffle with fabulous vintage prizes

When? Sunday 21st November 2010, 11am - 4.30pm

Where? Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast (opposite the BBC)

Admission? Adults £5, Seniors & Students £3

Full details & exhibitor's list, go to www.decadencevintageclothing.co.uk

Very Victorian!

2010-10-28T22:52:00.000+01:00

Over the last week, I've been listing lots of new cards in our Folksy & Etsy stores, including some of my own favourites - our Victorian-inspired cards. They're always very popular at markets and vintage fairs and it's good to finally get them online.

Victorian Corset card by Arbee Cards

Victorian Pocket Watch card by Arbee Cards

Currently we have four in the range: corsets, pocket watch, teapots and sewing designs. You can see the full range at www.arbeecards.folksy.com Victorian style is just so classic, I doubt that we will ever lose interest in it! After such a a great response to my last blog post, it seemed like the perfect chance to have another rummage around Folksy to bring you some more handcrafted treasures. Here's a selection of my favourite Victorian-inspired treasures - grab a coffee & enjoy...

Vintage Roses Key Hook by Claryce Design

Victorian Rose leather iPhone case by Beautiful Skin

Victorian Fantasy Mini Handbag by Uniquely Different

Vintage Bird domino brooch by It's The Little Things

Victorian Style Crochet Mittens by Isamo Crochet

Lastly, no Victorian treasury would be complete without the iconic Victorian cameo, there are so many in every colour, but I loved this one as it is so unusual.

All Prim & Proper Vintage Green cameo pendant by Emily Loves Vintage

If you're going Folksy shopping soon, don't forget to drop into our little corner of the site!

Bitchin' Stitchin'!

2010-10-20T12:08:00.001+01:00

Since Arbee Cards launched in June this year and I've become involved with the online craft world of Folksy and Etsy, I've loved seeing what other crafters are making and selling - and it's lovely to be able to use our blog to share some of the beautiful things I've found out there! My first post of this kind is inspired by both the sudden drop of temperature this week (brrr....) and Arbee Cards launching our first ever range of Christmas cards online.

'Let It Snow' Pack of Christmas cards by Arbee Cards

I absolutely love love love winter and can't wait to be pulling on my woolly jumpers, scarf, hat and gloves. There's nothing so lovely and cosy and warm as handmade woolly stuff and I've been lucky enough to always be surrounded by lots of fantastically talented knitters who were either making things for me to wear or there to help me out when my own 'knit one, purl one' went a bit pear-shaped! I can churn out a decent but simple scarf or a cute little baby knit (they're small so knit up quickly!) but the really good stuff - I just have to leave to the professionals and the seriously talented hobby knitters & crochet queens.

Here's some gorgeous woolly wonderfulness from fellow Folksy sellers - hope you enjoy!

Lilac Pink Pixie Hat by Joollywoolly

Space Invaders Scarf by WildCat Designs

Crochet Motif & Garden Scarf by Victoria Jackman Knitted Textiles

Coffee Cosy Loved Up Emoticon by Mouthy Mitts

Red & White Spotty Tea Cosy by Buzybee

If you're inspired to create something but aren't a natural knitter, there's plenty of fun to be had by upcycling some old woolly materials lying around. Check out this fab sock masterpiece!

Odd Socks 'Jimi Hendrix' by Artkore Originals

I'm off to finish my own knitting project - some fingerless gloves which will come in very handy at the winter & Christmas markets we'll be going to. Until next time, keep warm!

This little piggy stayed at home...

2010-10-13T16:26:00.000+01:00

No market for us this week after all! St George's Market is closed this Sunday (10th October) to hold another event so apologies for those of you following our Facebook & Twitter pages where we were happily announcing we were there this week! Sorry...

There's always our online stores, and we've been uploading more cards, including our fab 'Norn Iron' range - inspired by Northern Ireland's humorous slang. The Norn Iron cards are always very popular on the market stall, but are now online too - check them out in Folksy (UK store) and Etsy (International store). The 'Wee Dote' card is one of our favourites - and has been ordered as a customised new baby card too!

Norn Iron range of cards, online on Folksy and Etsy

We WILL be back on the 17th October at St George's - see you there!

Autumn news & a special offer!

2010-09-27T15:41:00.003+01:00

Happy Autumn everyone & Happy Fall to our American and Canadian friends! It's already feeling pretty chilly for this time of year, so it's definitely time to dig out the knitting needles and get stuck into making a nice long toasty-warm scarf! If any of our readers are either learner or genius knitters - we'd be delighted to feature some of your creations here - just email your pics over and watch out for a future woolly gallery!

We love autumn, it's such a gorgeous and stunning time of the year, so to celebrate Arbee Cards' first autumn, we've got a special offer on our wedding stationery. Click here to find out more!

In the meantime, we're just putting the final touches to the stationery for our Autumn weddings - hopefully getting some pics of the new designs up on the website gallery very soon (with kind permission from the newly-weds!)

Our stall will be back at St George's Market as soon as we get a chance - it's been such a busy time for us that we can't get to do all we want! Lastly, we're booked in for the last Frock Around The Clock vintage fair of 2010 - it's on Sunday 21st November, and we can't wait! More news about that soon...

Til next time, keep warm & get emailing your knitty pics!

Buzzzzzz.....

2010-09-02T11:33:00.001+01:00

We've been such busy bees recently so this is just a quick hello today! Things have been going well at Arbee Cards HQ - so well in fact that we're positively rushed off our feet with lovely new bride & grooms-to-be, bespoke stationery orders and also helping out with some last minute wedding touches - phew! Not to mention the brand new Arbee Cards website going live earlier at the weekend - some of our vintage buttons and 1950's stamps that were photographed and used in the design! We still grinning ear to ear with how much we love it - big shout out and thanks to talented web designer Adam McCausland.

We had a fantastic day at our first appearance at St George's market (Belfast) on Sunday 22nd August. The atmosphere and people were lovely, the music was great and we had lots of new designs & vintage pieces on sale.

St George's Market stall

We are planning on doing a regular stall there every 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month, but the wedding stationery is a priority at the moment so our next stall there will be in a couple more weeks. Watch this space - or follow us on Twitter & Facebook for our next date there!

This little piggy went to market...

2010-08-20T17:31:00.001+01:00

The pig metaphor ends there! But yes, we're off to market with our first ever stall at Belfast's fantastic St George's Market this Sunday 22nd August...excited!!

The market is open from 10am - 4pm, with a wide range of stalls offering food, crafts, jewellery, antiques, plants & flowers - and now Arbee Cards yay!

Our stall will be brimming with a wide range of our handmade cards for all occasions, stationery, vintage cards & little one-off art pieces made from 1940s-1970s buttons, papers, magazine cuttings and haberdashery. Come, browse and say hello!

A Grand Day Out

2010-08-10T23:26:00.008+01:00

We've been busy bees recently getting ready for the 2nd Annual Titanic Vintage Day Fair this Saturday, 14th August 2010 in Belfast's historic Titanic Pumphouse & Dock in the city's Titanic Quarter.

The fair will have lots of vintage stalls with all sorts of vintage goodies & beautiful things on sale, including Arbee vintage cards made from genuine vintage buttons, lace, papers, cuttings & haberdashery from 1940's - 1970's. We'll also have some exclusive one-off vintage art pieces and brand new card designs on sale that we've created especially for the day - so bring your pocket money!

In addition to the vintage stalls, there's tons of other things going on - classic & vintage car show, photography competition, kiddies' activities, tours of the Pumphouse & Dock and more.

It's on from 10am - 4pm and entry is free! For more info, go to www.titanicvintageday.co.uk

Grooovy baby!

2010-08-03T15:25:00.001+01:00

Regular followers of our blog & tweets will know how much I love trawling charity shops, vintage fairs, markets, eBay & beyond for vintage treasures to use for making new cards & stationery. My latest find put a great big grin on my face as soon as I saw it!

If you were a teenage girl in 1970's UK - or had a big sister - feast your eyes on this blast from the past!

It's full of all the heart throbs of the day - David Essex, David Cassidy & Marc Bolan, lots of seventies-chic fashion & make up tips, and unbelievably hilarious/too cute features on how to tell what a boy's really like from the way he sits!

The next vintage collage-card making session is bound to keep us well-entertained! The cards, which are more like mini-works of art, will be available online in our Folksy & Etsy stores very soon.

In the meantime, here's some words of advice from Jackie for all shy girls everywhere in 1977:

'Go everywhere on roller skates, or better still, find a pogo stick or a pair of stilts. You'll get noticed - even if it does cost you a few bumps and bruises.'

Ch-ch-ch-changes....

2010-07-28T23:34:00.001+01:00

...as David Bowie sang, it's ch-ch-changes all round at Arbee Cards lately! When we launched the business at the start of June, our website that went live was just a holding site for information, contact details & the important bit - letting you all see our designs, while we were waiting to get something really beautiful all ready for you.

It's very exciting - things are coming together brilliantly thanks to the expertise & talent of a fab Belfast-based web designer we've been working with. The new site will truly reflect what Arbee Cards is all about and really highlight the Vintage-inspired design aspect of our stationery and cards.

The new site is still being stitched together as we type...but we were far too excited to keep it to ourselves (are we dedicated to our work, or just sad??!! Don't answer!!) In the meantime, thought the blog could do with a touch of the Vintage too - courtesy of the wonderful world of shabbyblogs.com

If you haven't heard of Shabby Blogs and have your own blog, get yourself over there for a free & wonderful makeover! Even better - follow our blog and we'll follow you back. We're relatively new to blogging & are having a fab time discovering a whole new & exciting world of arts, crafts, weddings & general creativity on the interweb.

Hope to follow you back soon!

Suits you, sir!

2010-07-23T21:04:00.001+01:00

We've just uploaded more cards on our online store at arbeecards.folksy.com There's a few more vintage designs - including some very cool designs for the vintage-loving gents amongst us.

Grab a coffee and settle down in front of your computer screen - we dispatch all orders within 24 hours and shipping is *free* for UK & Ireland orders.

We personalise any card free of charge too - so get spreading some sunshine in the morning post with an arbee card!

Time's a-ticking!

2010-07-14T00:57:00.004+01:00

Were you one of the lucky goodie bag holders at the Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast on Sunday 13th June?

There was a special Arbee Cards discount voucher inside each bag - and you've only got until this Friday (16th July) to book your consultation to get the discount off your stationery.

You can book the consultation a few months ahead - just get your appointment in our diary by Friday. Call or email us, using the links on the right or go to www.arbeecards.co.uk for full contact details.

Bridal SOS!

2010-07-05T12:47:00.003+01:00

Recently we were asked to help out on a bridal SOS for help finishing handmade invitations - and thought it would be a useful service to offer everyone.

We know just how much work goes into designing & making wedding invitations, place cards, order of service, and all the other little finishes. We're always hearing stories about poor brides & grooms staying up until all night glueing invitations & place cards together, at a time when they could be doing with much less stress! But what can they do - they have the materials, they can't afford time or money to throw it all in and buy some ready made invitations...

This is where our new 'Bridal SOS' service comes in. If you, or someone you know, is wishing they could just wave a wand and have all their stationery finished and ready to post - then consider us your fairy card-finishing godmothers!

Price depends on invitation style, but an average 2-3 days service to finish 100 invitations will be around £30. We can also print insides for invitations or whatever you need - just give us a shout!

New NI stockist for Arbee Cards

2010-07-05T12:27:00.002+01:00

We're delighted to tell you we have our first stockist of our greeting cards & notecards - it's Cleo Crafts in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim.

It's a new craft shop in Merville Garden Village, and is full of beautiful crafty bits and pieces - now including a small selection of our designs from both our occasions range & vintage cards. Yay!

[31] Days of Summer - with free shipping!

2010-07-01T12:09:00.003+01:00

We loved the film '[500] Days of Summer' - our version is a little bit smaller but still great! For all of July, we're offering *FREE* postage & packaging on all UK orders at our online store at www.arbeecards.folksy.com Spreading some sunshine in the morning post!

Any of the cards in the online store can be *personalised* for FREE too - just purchase the card you want, then email us with the name you'd like on the card. Simples!

Bookmark our store as we're always adding new cards - and yes! - we do requests! Email us with any requests or suggestions for card occasions that you're after.

Save the Date for our brand new card packs!

2010-06-25T20:18:00.003+01:00

We've been busy uploading more cards on our Folksy store - www.arbeecards.folksy.com and have just listed a brand new card for sale that hasn't been available until now. You can buy our beautiful Save The Date notecards just by clicking a few buttons to buy and then emailing us your names & wedding date. Could wedding stationery be any easier?

Save The Date cards have been getting more popular over the last few years, mainly due to many couples either choosing to get married abroad (lucky things!) or wanting to give friends and family who live far away plenty of notice to make sure they can make it over for the wedding.

The cards are selling in packs of 20 notecards with matching envelopes for a fab £15.95 - full details in our store.
If you want something a little more personal or bespoke - drop us an email by clicking here or pressing our email button in the menu.

Phew...

2010-06-25T20:09:00.003+01:00

All the techy teething problems are all ironed out and our website is working fine again. Don't forget you can always contact us any time here on our blog, or email, tweet or facebook-befriend us.

Gremlins!

2010-06-22T20:26:00.002+01:00

We're having a little bit of teething trouble with the website. Please bear with us until we get everything up and running again. You can still shop online at our Folksy store or contact us via this blog or Twitter.

Normal transmission will resume very shortly!

Arbee Cards goes International!

2010-06-22T15:12:00.001+01:00

We've been constantly adding new cards, designs and stationery onto our online store at Folksy over the last week or so - and yesterday we started international shipping too!

To celebrate our cards going all over the world, we're keeping international shipping charge to a ridiculously low flat rate - and if you're in the UK or Ireland, you only pay postage for one item, no matter how many you buy.

Happy shopping!

Photos from the Fair

2010-06-17T14:02:00.002+01:00

As promised, here's some photos of our stall at the Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast's Malone House on 13.6.10.

It was such a great day, but we were so busy that we didn't get much of a chance to browse all the other stalls - just little glimpses of all the beautiful jewellery, clothes, handbags and gorgeous vintage bits & pieces as we were rushing about!

If you missed the fair, you haven't missed out! You can find our latest range of cards & stationery if you hop on over to our online store Arbee Cards on Folksy or just click the Folksy button in the blog menu.

Picture this..

2010-06-15T23:26:00.004+01:00

The Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday (13th) was absolutely fantastic - thanks to everyone who came along to say hello to us & took home some Arbee Cards goodies. It was lovely meeting so many happy bride & grooms-to-be and hearing about all your fab wedding plans. Good luck with all your organising!

We're just sorting through our photos of the day to put some up here - if you have any ones you'd like us to post on here, please email us your pics using our email link on the right-hand menu.

Goodies!

2010-06-10T15:28:00.002+01:00

It's only 3 more sleeps until the Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast. There's goodie bags for the first 100 visitors to the fair, which will be full of fab surprises, vouchers & treats.
We've put a special Arbee Cards voucher inside each one, for discounts on bridal stationery packages plus a complimentary surprise pressie when you bring the voucher to our stall.
Lovely!

Arbee Cards website finally up!

2010-06-09T11:17:00.002+01:00

The Arbee Cards website has just gone live! (It took a little longer to finish as we had to wait for the glitter glue to dry). Go have a nosey and feel free to email or twitter us with comments or suggestions for the site. www.arbeecards.co.uk

A little bird told me...

2010-06-05T14:11:00.003+01:00

We've just started tweeting away on Twitter - you can follow us at www.twitter.com/arbeecards

Button it!

2010-05-31T15:10:00.003+01:00

One of my favourite things about creating and designing stationery is sourcing unusual, interesting and beautiful things to use for our cards. I was very lucky to recently find these gorgeous vintage buttons - they are from Argentina and are dated from the early 1940s and in amazing condition - much more beautiful than a mere pic on the blog can show! We're going to put them on a new range of ready-made greetings cards, and they will soon be on sale online, with a limited number on sale at the Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast on 13th June.

House of Cards

2010-05-25T20:09:00.007+01:00

We're busy spreading the word about Ireland's first Vintage Bridal Fair in Belfast this June (details in the previous post) and how excited we are to be taking part in it.

Check out this great write-up about us from the Fair's organisers -

http://thebrideworevintage.blogspot.com/2010/05/house-of-cards.html

New blog for a new business!

2010-05-23T21:19:00.011+01:00

After years of daydreaming followed by months of planning and hard work, Arbee Cards is ready to launch itself on the world - so we'd like to say a very big smiley hello!

We're a stationery company with a difference - we work with all styles, all budgets and all events, specialising in custom-made/bespoke stationery at affordable prices. Each design is inspired by and created especially for a client, always remaining their individual special design. Many 'bespoke' invitations don't really do what they say on the tin - it's often just changing the colour or names on a card - we're much more personal (and fab) than that!

The Arbee Cards website is not quite ready yet (we're perfectionists!) but it'll hopefully be up and running in a week or two. Watch this space...

But we have a date for your diary already - we'll be at Northern Ireland's first ever Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday 13th June, 2010 at the beautiful Malone House in Belfast, from 12 - 5pm. You can find out more about it at www.decadencevintageclothing.co.uk/bridal.html

See you there!