A new transition

Hi everyone! I can't believe it is almost Christmas! Where has the time gone?!

Over Thanksgiving I started working on the RBK Creations website. It is definitely in it's infancy but it is transforming into something bigger and better every day. (backgrounds will change, how things are arranged will change, pretty much everything will be different..)

The website features the blog as well as information about my store, a photo gallery, contact information and much more. For now, I plan on keeping this blog here as well, updating both. There will be a point however where I will only be using the website.

I do invite you all to head on over to the website and RSS feed it into your reader of choice. I think it will be exciting to see all of the changes RBK Creations will be going through in the next month, and I want to share that with all of you! I've got plans :)

So, as things change and build on the website, let me know your thoughts! I want to create something that everyone finds interesting yet easy to navigate. (And fun, of course).

For now, I will leave you with some pictures of orders in the works. We have been busy, the past month especially.

Just two flowers out of 157 hand embroidered flowers.

A great order of blues and greens!

What fun colors! A wrist corsage, which is one of a few.


Some of the centerpiece stems for another order. I think there were 120 of these. So girly and fun!

I promise to update more pictures soon. 3 of the 4 orders above have been shipped and done for awhile now. There are a bunch of other pieces that are in the works that I have not had time to take pictures of.

My first Bridal Expo!

I have been posting a few different things on twitter the past two days but I thought I would make an actual post with more information about my first ever bridal expo.

Yesterday, I was officially on the list to be an exhibitor at the 2009 Latino Bridal & Quince Expo in Arlington, TX. I paid my booth fee yesterday and the show is THIS Sunday! It is a large show but one that will be a good entry into the bridal industry. I have been told not knowing Spanish wouldn't be a barrier, so let's hope that is truly the case! Or I will be in major trouble!! 


I didn't realize all that was needed to prepare for a bridal show and I know I will be missing things. I have been getting some great advice from a fellow North Dallas Etsy member (Thanks Sonja!). 


To top off the stress of doing my first bridal show this weekend, my second every craft show the weekend after, I will be starting a full-time job this Thursday. 


I like to be busy, so this is good! There is still so much to do for this weekend, I thought I would just share some the newest happenings for RBK Creations. AND, if you are in the DFW area this weekend come out and see us at the Expo!

Craft Show Prep

In a little less than a month I will be participating in a local craft show. This will be the second show I have ever done. I am very excited but at the same time extremely nervous. I don't know how my product will relate to the average craft show attendee.

I have been working with a few people on table design since my last craft show was a disaster. The table was a cluster of everything and really messy. It was very last minute and the event got rained out anyway. So in the end it didn't matter too much on the looks.

The event I will be a vendor at is the Altrusa Glitterati Boutique (you can join the Facebook group for more information, and if you are in the area come check it out!)

I had a few challenges to tackle for this show. The first was that I had to find a table. Since I am not an avid craft show vendor I don't have tables available. Thanks to Sonja I have a table so I can mark that off my list! The second challenge was the whole table design. That is being worked out right now. It is coming together very well I think. Here is a teaser...astroturf! I will post pictures after the show and that will make more sense.

The next challenge deals with my cake and cupcake toppers. I really want to show potential customers that the stems can be used for this purpose. I have had a few custom orders but I think this idea can really take off. The event is at a synagogue and it is a kosher environment. We were told we couldn't bring in any food. I am a very visual person so I wanted some way to showcase the cupcake toppers, which you need a cupcake for that purpose. Since I can't bring any food in I decided to make a pretend cupcake. Check out the results!!

I think the cupcakes are super cute! (They are actual cupcake size) I will possibly be making 10 more, to fill a whole cupcake tree holder.

I have so much more to finish for the craft show. I will be posting more items soon that can be found at the event. I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

More Satin Bouquets

I love making these! They are a lot of fun to make and the color combinations are practically endless! This design and concept has been in the works for months but I am glad I put a lot of thought and strategy into it before I posted the first one.

The Black and Red Bouquet in the last post can be found here.

Here is a Pink, Turquoise and Silver Bouquet I have up in the shop as well. It has some glitter tulle in it. Very sparkly! Would look super cute in a little girl's room.

Lastly, I was asked to create a custom piece for a wedding on December 31 in Vegas. I think this bouquet will fit the theme and location very well! The bride and groom have white and blue satin, with feathers while the maid of honor and best man have black and blue satin.

Inspiration - Butterflies

I am sure a lot of you have seen the butterfly bouquet that has been posted on Martha Stewart's wedding website. It was made by a bride and has received a lot of press. It is very beautiful (see picture below).

Picture from Martha Stewart Weddings (Laura Normandin wedding)

I love butterflies, and so does my mother, who helps out with RBK Creations. I found some butterflies on clearance a few weeks ago and bought them all. I have been wanting to make the butterfly bouquet since then but didn't have any time to do it. We finally got a break in the orders enough to make our very own version of a butterfly bouquet.

This one was made by my mother, but I also have plans of my own to make one. It involves gold and silver butterflies so make sure to check the shop soon!

Here is the bouquet that is currently available in the shop!

A few detail shots

The Week so Far - In Pictures

I have been able to finish a lot of orders this week and get them shipped out! Here is a look at some of the recent custom work.

Aspen Leaf Yellow, Red, Black and White. A 40 Stem, 25 Stem Flower Girl Bouquet and a Ring Bearer Boutonnière. 

An additional Bridesmaid Bouquet and Groomsmen Boutonnière to add on to an order from a few months ago

The Full order of Pink, Yellow and Brown Bouquets for a wedding in Austin

A very pretty Pink and Ivory Bouquet

It has been a busy week! But definitely a good one. I am taking a break from the shop on Friday for an interview! But, before then make sure you enter my giveaway. It ends tonight!

Giveaway from RBK Creations

Thank you to both Nicki and Sonja for the great giveaways! I thought I would show my appreciation to everyone by doing a giveaway of my very own! Take a minute and read the interview. Many chances to win so make sure to check it out!

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Introduce yourself
My name is Ariela and I run RBK Creations with my mother, Brenda. I have three dogs, Rascal, Roxanne and Remy. I am originally from South Dakota but moved down to Texas a little over a year ago after I graduated college. I have always been the crafty type and I have finally found a way to express my creativity on a consistent basis.

Tell us a little bit about your shop
I opened up shop on Etsy in the early part of August 2008. The store has gone through a lot of change but I am very happy with how it is today. I sell button bouquets and a few felt items here and there. A few different button creations (button trees) and supplies slip into the shop on occassion as well!

How did you get started on Etsy?
My mother actually introduced me to Etsy. She found a link on a blog she read. We decided to open up a shop just for fun. Who knew that it would ever turn into something more!

Where on the internet can you be found?
Main Shop: http://reallybadkitty.etsy.com
Supply Shop: http://aabdesigns.etsy.com
Blog (where you are now!): http://abonen.blogspot.com
Flickr (Online Photo Portfolio): http://www.flickr.com/photos/abonen/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rbkcreations
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/RBK-Creations/206196785286?ref=sgm

What is your favorite product in your shop? Or what is the best seller?
I love the bridal bouquets and the button trees. My favorite bouquet to create was a Periwinkle and Daisy bouquet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abonen/3763519281/in/set-72157621743796573/

When you are not being crafty, what can you be found doing?
I spend a lot of time being crafty! It always seems I am working on something new or finishing up an order. I can be found spending time with the pups, catching up with friends and working on North Dallas Etsy! What a great group of ladies!

What are your short-term and long-term goals for your shop?
Short-Term: Launching a new website (the blog will be transferred over there as well), getting a few new items up in the shop and getting more organized! As far as Long-Term goals I would love to have an online store on the website and get my items in a few boutiques.

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Up for Grabs: $15.00 Store Credit to be used in my shop, RBK Creations

How to Enter: Go to RBK Creations, take a look around, come back and let me know what your favorite item is! Also, leave your email address in the message so I can contact you, if you win.

Earn Extra Entries: (Leave a comment for each extra entry)

1. Follow my blog. Or let me know if you already do

2. Blog about this giveaway

3. Post a message on Twitter about the giveaway

4. Become a Fan on Facebook

5. Buy something from my shop and get 3 additional entries!!!

The winner will be picked on August 26th, 10pm CST. The winner will be notified by email. It will also be posted on this blog. Please make sure your email address is accurate. If no email address is provided, I will draw another name. The winner will have 48 hours to provide me with their choice of item and shipping information or another name will be picked.

Entries on Martha Stewart Weddings

Hello all!

Martha Stewart and Etsy are currently sponsoring a DIY Wedding craft contest! The winning craft will be featured on "The Martha Stewart Show".

I have entered a few different bouquets and boutonnieres as I have created numerous designs over the past year. I would really appreciate your votes, views and comments!

Here are my entries:

1. Periwinkle and Daisy Button Bouquet (this is my favorite piece I have created)

2. Ivory Bride Button Bouquet (A piece that coordinated with Ivory and Lilac Bridesmaid Bouquets)

3. Boutonnieres and Corsages (Pieces from a mixed silk and button order)

4. Tracy and Paul's Wedding (Photos by Otto Schultze)

This would be an amazing opportunity and I really appreciate your support!

**To vote, you need to complete a short registration. Then under my photos there are stars to give a rating! Comments would also be great. Thank you so much!

Flower Girl Basket

I was asked to do a flower girl basket about two weeks ago. I wasn't sure how to go about it or what to all put on it. I didn't want to do too much and make it look tacky and at the same time I wanted to do enough to make it worth it.

I sat with the ivory basket in front of me for 2 hours before I even started on it.

This is what I came up with, and the best part, the client loved it!

All of the buttons are hand sewn on. The stem and the leaf of the flower is a hand embroidered chain stitch.

There is a line of buttons sewn along the bottom of the basket. I thought it needed something else.

The best part...it matches the bouquet she also ordered! There is also a matching boutonniere to go with this order, but silly me forgot to take a picture of it before it got shipped off.

So, now I guess I can add Flower Girl Baskets to the list of items available. Once I got started it was a lot of fun to make. It was just the process of getting there that wasn't as enjoyable :)

A mix of Buttons and Flowers

I received an email last week for a custom order. The bride liked the Secret Garden bouquet but wanted the purple to be periwinkle and to add daisies. I am never sure how mixing different mediums will end up in the end. I didn't know how this one would work.

My first challenge, before mixing the daisies, was to figure out what color periwinkle actually is. I had a small 12 stem bouquet order awhile back that consisted of orange flowers and periwinkle buttons. I ended up finding a few buttons that kind of worked. It wasn't the best match but I was able to mix in some other colors to cancel out my lack of periwinkle buttons.

This time around I thought I would dye my own, using a paint sample I found to match the color. I threw in one button and it turned out the right color. I was shocked! So I put in a bag full of assorted size buttons. I stir, stir, mix, mix and pull them out. They turned out PURPLE! Not sure how that happened when the first one was a periwinkle blue.

So, I tried again. This time I got pretty close. I ended up just going with it to avoid wasting buttons. I sent some pictures to the client and she really liked how they turned out.

I put the bouquet together, daisies and all and it went a lot smoother than expected. Check out the pictures.

I sent pictures for approval before I started working on the other pieces for the order...and...She LOVED it! It was a big relief to hear that she loves it and it is exactly what she wanted! It really made my day!

Beautiful Buttons = Flowers

One of my favorite types of buttons to use are ones shaped like flowers. I think they look really cool and give it a flower feel amongst a whole bunch of round buttons. Here are a few of my favorites that I have used in bouquets before.

The bow is great as well in this bouquet but I love the two flowers used on the stem below it.

These boutonnieres and corsages have a ton of flower buttons on them!

Inspiration

I love when I see something and it translates into a bouquet. I saw a group of paint samples the other day and just had to make a bouquet. The colors were called Paradise Valley, Seashore, Lilac Rose and Cottage Orchid. It turned out to be beautiful. Reminds me of a garden, so I named it The Secret Garden Bouquet.

The original paint chips I found.

Close up of the bouquet. I think I was able to match the buttons pretty well. Took awhile but it was worth it in the end.

Where do you get inspiration from?

Buttons - The Good, The Bad and The Down right Ugly

So, as most of you know...I love buttons. I have so many and in all shapes, sizes and colors. In my studio, I have quite a few pounds (I don't even have a guess at how many pounds it is, lets just say too many!)

Over the past year I have come across some really pretty buttons as well as some that are very ugly. There have also been some "misfits" that must have struggled during creation.

I thought I would create a new blog series about my finds in the button world. Feel free to comment and tell me if you think these are good, bad or ugly. Beautiful or what were they thinking!

Have some buttons of your own that you think would fit into these categories? Send me an email and I can put up some pictures on my blog. rbkcreations@gmail.com

In a variety box of buttons I received I founds some HUGE buttons. They made me laugh so I created one stem of them. I like to call them buttons on steroids!

They ended up being some good colors to put together. It is a nice addition to the studio decor.

The stem on the left is the big buttons while the one on the right is the average size button stem to show the difference. It makes the other stems look so tiny.

And this is the big button stem next to a 30 stemmed bouquet. It is about 1/3 of the whole bouquet!

Adventures with Felt

I don't usually make felt bouquets. In fact before July 1st, I didn't even know how to do the fancy embroidery stitches. I had a customer email me and ask if I could create these for her.

She contacted me on July 1st and her wedding is on July 24th...in the United Kingdom. So that meant I had to teach myself (fast) how to do the stitches and get going on this order. With caffeine in hand, I was able to do all the stitching and get them done! We tried to do a cascade on the bride's bouquet, after four attempts it just wasn't working.

We decided that it would be best to keep the bride's bouquet in the original round shape, like the bridesmaids. The professional pictures will turn out better and it will just look better in general.

The order consisted of one bride bouquet, four bridesmaid bouquets, one groom boutonniere (Button Hole), six additional boutonnieres and three pin on corsages. The color scheme is cream and a dark navy blue.

Enjoy the pictures! :)

One of the Button Holes

Close up of the Bridesmaid Bouquet

1 of 4 Bridesmaid Bouquets


Closeup of the Bride's Bouquet


The bride's bouquet, without the cascade.