Ikat patterns–what’s not to love?!

If you don’t already know … Ikat is a technique–a way of tie-dying yarn to make a pattern before the fabric is woven and one of the oldest techniques for beautifying fabrics. No wonder this “trend” is so long-lasting! This gorgeous patterning style is here to stay! And lucky for us–modern processes make it possible to enjoy these gorgeous patterns–on everything from textiles to dinnerware to–wedding stationery!

That said, curating Behind the Design today is Lisa–our graphic designer behind “Bohemian Ikat” our featured Save the Date design. Here she is to share her wedding inspiration from this timeless and unique patterning style.

“Ikat is such a versatile pattern. It has the same zig and zag as classic Chevron, but adds oomph with its jagged edges and syncopated shapes woven throughout. Use it on your reception tables, a clutch carried by your bridesmaids, borders for your signage, and of course on your stationery to add character to your wedding day.

You can choose the level of attention drawn by this pattern. Want to make an emphatic statement? Use bright, bold hues in contrasting colors. Want to keep is subtle? Use the trick employed on this Save the Date design: using complementary colors such as orange and blue, make the primary color a pastel and let the other add punch in its true form.”

What are your thoughts on Ikat? How would you use it in your wedding?

Images: plate, pillow, tile, bouquet, poppy in glass

Welcome to Color Monday!

Today we’re going to lighten up our color palettes! We’re celebrating the ability to completely transform wedding invitations with color by flipping them all around. We’re going to take dark and serious designs and only switch the color to make them light and airy…

Here is Wall of Love, a beautiful wedding invitation with a cute little monogram and awesome swirls. (You should check out the folded invites! so pretty!) But instead of black we’re going to use Dusty Rose. Instantaneously the whole feeling of the design changes. The swirls become lacy and delicate. Instead of a serious and formal black and white wedding I have visions of pretty pink flowers perhaps even at a garden wedding.

Next we’ll play with Stemming Flowers, a great wedding invitation with a strong fall color combination. Just tweaking the colors to be more muted with lavender and gray this design would work wonderfully for a relaxed, springtime wedding. I can almost smell the lilacs and lavender.

And of course we’ve saved the best for last. We’ve taken the design, Abstract Flowers, and transformed the wedding invitation with brand-new colors. Flipping the black to white and swapping “coral” for the deep purple we have completely changed the look of this invitation. Using one of your favorite colors really makes a difference.

You can use ANY color you love and you can use it on ANY of our wedding invitations. Feel free to try your colors inside Design Studio, our online personalization tool. It is easy to see exactly what your invitation would look like in the color of your dreams! No need to order up front, just go play with color.

What favorite color would you love to use?

For those of you who really pay attention, we’ve done this before and just might do it again. Any suggestions on color or designs to try out?

We’re starting a new series today on Truly Engaging entitled–Truly Unique. This new feature is all about giving a shout out to small wedding vendors providing big services and unique offerings for their brides and grooms-to-be! YAY for small, creative businesses! 

Our first shout out is for The Hippie Limo–one man’s far-out idea to help support his family and provide brides and grooms with an unusual and eye-catching mode of transport for their special day!

Richard Blake, of Lafayette, CO and owner of The Hippie Limo is a former teacher and corporate training developer turned full-time dad and part-time driver of a 1965 Volkswagen Samba Microbus called the Hippie Limo. 

First–a little history about Richard’s love for VWs:

I had always had a passion for V-Dubs from the 60′s and 70′s, largely because my first car was a 1972 VW Beetle purchased from a junk yard for the stately sum of $35. The Beetle didn’t run and didn’t steer, but Richard studied a manual he found in the trunk and figured out how to fix the car and keep it running for the seven years it took him to complete both college and graduate school while traveling among three different jobs.

How was the idea for The Hippie Limo born?

The Hippie Limo is Richard’s one-man business brainchild, born of both necessity and creativity. In 2009, with the birth of our first child and a confluence of other events, I became a full-time at-home dad. Though the rewards were great, the pay left more than a little to be desired. As a way to earn money to help support my family I decided to dust off an idea that I had had nine years earlier about using our vintage Microbus as a “Hippie Limo.” Encouraged by my wife, I began Hippie Limo as a business in 2011, which was fortunate since by then we were expecting our second child. I am not a business person, and Hippie Limo is far from a full-time job for me, but it is an ideal opportunity for me to share the experience and joy of vintage VWs with others while earning some income in a flexible environment that allows me to care for my children and household. As an added bonus, I get to drive my dream car more often, which puts a very large smile on my face. Read more of Richard’s story here.

What makes the Hippie Limo Ride so unique and unlike any other wedding ride?

The Hippie Limo provides brides and grooms with an unusual and eye-catching mode of transport for their special day that is guaranteed to make guests smile, couples beam, photographs pop, and bystanders cheer! Our 1965 VW Samba Microbus has been restored to dealer showroom condition, right down to correct factory colors, fabrics, and trim, and is a great choice for the couple who wants to make a memorable arrival, take a romantic cruise, or stage a dramatic departure (or all of the above!). Our Samba can also serve as a vintage taxi service for ferrying the bridal party and guests among hotels and wedding and reception locations. The five-foot open-air canvas sunroof and skylight windows let both mountain vistas and city skylines stream into the interior, and if you get tired of looking at the views outside we even have period magazines, knick-knacks, and toys to peruse during the ride. To make the best even better, the Hippie Limo boasts a 1000-watt high-end sound system, a comprehensive catalogue of 60s music, and the ability to play your own MP3 or Audio CDs, which means we can create the perfect custom soundtrack for your day.

Do you have to be a hippie bride & groom to love The Hippie Limo?

Our Samba is a Hippie Limo, not a hippie van, so those wanting or expecting shag carpeting, love beads, and lava lamps will have to look elsewhere for their joy. However, brides or grooms looking for something that will turn heads, make people smile, and provide a one-of-a-kind retro experience will find all of their wishes met in our Magic Bus.

How does the community react when they see the Hippie Limo out and about?

In the late spring, summer, and early fall the Hippie Limo becomes our family’s daily driver. I run errands, shop for groceries, and take kids to play dates in it. Even the most mundane trip becomes a parade in our Samba and there has never been a parking lot yet I have pulled into where I haven’t been approached at least once for the story behind the Hippie Limo. I get more peace signs and smiles than you can count when just tooling around, and even more so when there is a couple or group on-board. The high-end sound system can easily fill up a city block with music if the passengers decide to crank it up, and when they do everyone on the streets looks our way and more than a few start to either dance or sing along.

Tell us about the Microbus. Who are the drivers? 

I am the owner, operator, mechanic, manager, marketer, and polisher of the Hippie Limo. I joke that I wouldn’t let Mother Theresa with a CDL and 20 years on-the-road experience drive our Samba . . . but it really isn’t a joke because I can count on half a hand how many people I would trust to drive it. This is true not just because it is a rare and beautiful vehicle, but because it doesn’t handle anything like a modern car and it really takes someone who knows what they are doing to drive it competently.

How did you restore it?

My infatuation with air-cooled VWs began when I purchased my first car, the 1972 Volkswagen Beetle from a junkyard. The bug didn’t run and it didn’t steer and my mechanical knowledge at that time ended at the awareness that the engine was in the rear. That little blue car’s saving grace was that it was the only vehicle I could afford. Guided by the amateur mechanic’s bible for old VWs, John Muir and Peter Aschwaden’s 1969 classic “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Complete Idiot”,

I managed to get the bug running and steering again and eventually racked up about 300,000 miles on it. Since then I have owned several bugs and buses (though never more than one at a time) and have nursed each back to health and road worthiness. I am a shade-tree mechanic, not a professional one, but I can do some pretty complex repairs on old V-Dubs, largely due to the fact that they are so darn simple in the first place. I have done just about all of the mechanical work on the Hippie Limo, but I can’t take credit for the bodywork or paint. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, so you don’t want to let me near anything that is supposed to look nice. An amateur body man and VW enthusiast named Craig Colley was the artist who made the Hippie Limo into the beauty she is. I am just the one her got her going on the right foot and keeps her going.

Does the Hippie Limo pick up hitchhikers?

Only if they can pay the three hour minimum rate.

What kinds of ride packages do you offer?

The Hippie Limo has a basic 3-hour wedding package that is currently priced at $287 (some additional surcharges and travel fees may apply) and you can add on additional hours at $89/hour. If you book 5 or more hours you can get 12 “Tickets to Ride” to give to guests to take one of two joyrides during the reception.

Thanks Richard!

Is the Hippie Limo fun or what??

Your story is fantastic and we love that you not only have the privilege of taking care of your children but also fueling your passions. We wish you and your family every success!

We’re fans!! And you dear readers {especially our Denver readers} can support Richard by liking The Hippie Limo on Facebook. Want more? Of course you do–check out The Hippie Limo’s website and please encourage Richard to get on Twitter too … 

Have a small, creative business in mind that you think deserves a blog shout out? Please email me!