Winter weddings are fabulous in their own right, and seeing as we are now in the thick of these winter months, you brides are some of the luckiest there are. Sure you don't get sunshine and hot days, but you get the chance of snow and creating a darn right cozy spot.

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Sparkles, snow, candles and blankets adorn these weddings to create a romantic space during these cold months. Oh and the color palettes, I can't get enough of these color palettes.

Source: Bridge, Pears

For ceremony spaces, a cozy fireplace is the perfect backdrop to tie the knot. Details such as cotton and candles are perfect details to add to this space. Sparkly accessories are a fun way to add a little festive decor to any spot. And you can't go wrong with a little bit of sparkle every now and again.

Source: Ceremony Spot, Cotton

We bring you a great interview with Jason Allen, of Haft2.com, an intriguing firm that focuses on, yeah, you guessed it, color! The focal point today is to showcase their 2012 Haft2COLOUR Calendar Project, and absolutely amazing piece of quality!

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I was highly impressed with the presentation of the calendar. It was delivered in a nice silver tin with a branded paper wrap and a wonderful opening letter about the project and the Haft2 mission - I felt like I had just received a very nice gift!

Haft2 is giving away three calendars to some lucky winners on a fun challenge (see bottom of post). I would like to add that I just so happened to come across this project originally from the comments on our previous post about 2012 Calendar Print Trends. I just had to know more about it, see the real deal and get to know what Haft2 and Jason were all about. I'm sure glad I did.

Finding great calendars can sometimes be a challenge! So many people resort to the cute little cuddly cat or puppy calendars you find at the local store. While those calendars may be cute, they lack sophistication, and lets face it... style!

This article is presented by the calendar printing company offering next day turnaround options, Next Day Flyers

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When I was younger, and when I say that I mean, before I had kids, I carried a beautiful Franklin Covey planner. It was pink leather, and I had a messenger bag to match. In my previous life I was the marketing director for a travel company. I had meetings and weekly conference calls, I was, important. When I had kids I found it difficult to justify my beautiful Frankly Covey planner to schedule play dates and carpools! That's when I found Brenda. She created these beautiful pages, that are so fresh and clean.

Printed Calendar|Downloadable Calendar

While this calendar is from 2010, Brenda offers other downloadable and printable pages like:  things to do, shopping, scrap/card sketch, notes etc. and they all coordinate with the calendar pages. Each month is embellished with a gorgeous tree on the bottom corner of each page. Notice how the leaves on the tree change to coordinate with the season? I love the clean and simple design. It's too bad Brenda decided against making a calendar for 2012.

2012 Mustache Calendar by Two Pooch Paperie at Papernstich

Who doesn't like the latest mustache trend? People are using them in so many differnt applications, why not in a calendar!?

The time has come to ring in the new year, so why not do it in style. This occasion definitely calls for some fancy, yet stylish outfits with which to celebrate the night in.

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Holiday parties with the boss are over and done with, so pull out some of your favorite accessories of the season and go big this year.

Source: Dress, Clutch, Bracelet, Shoes

For the men, getting fancy means putting on that favorite suit you own and adding some pieces to spruce up the look. A watch is sure to make a statement no matter which style you choose. Adding a vest to your suit livens up the look a little bit more and is worthy of any sort of plans you have to ring in the new year.

Source: Watch, Shoes, Suit

When picking a wedding date we hope for sunshine, gorgeous days, and perfect temperatures, which is why a high majority of weddings you see are during the summer. But what about chilly, cozy and romantic nights filled with candlelight and bundling in the best fall fashion has to offer?

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Winter weddings have a charm all their own and the color palettes can be just as gorgeous as those of summer weddings. If you are looking to tie the knot over the holiday season or the winter months that follow, don't forget that you have many great options on your hands as well.

Source: Kiss

Red details make for a festive pop during winter months. This gal below decided to tie her look together with a bold nail color and matching shoes. That just screams winter romance.

Source: Christmas Wedding

Gift wrapping has taken on a whole new life in recent years. It almost seems like it has become a competition to see who can be more genius at the art of gift giving.

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If this display of craftiness won't get you in the mood to dig around your house for things you can turn in to beautifully embellished gifts, I don't know what could. Here we give you a fabulous collective to top, tie and cover your gifts in an eye-devouring display!

Covering: Wrap It Or Bag It

Receiving a gift wrapped in anything other than ordinary wrapping paper can be intriguing and a lot of fun. There are many ways to creatively get the proper packaging for a gift. Crafters seem to be conquering the feat of the "gift card" gift. Anywhere from creating fancy hand-made envelopes to putting one in a handmade snow globe - there are some fun ways to tackle making it look cute.

Mini Envelopes | Word Search Wrapping Paper | Stamped Kraft Paper | Lace Covered Kraft Paper | Stenciling | Fabric Covered Gifts | Newspaper Gift Bags | Embroidered Fabric Gift Bags | Egg Carton Gift Box | Patterned Pillow Boxes (or up-cycled toilet paper rolls)

The possibilities and ideas are endless! Fabric covered gifts could potentially go to the seamstress or crafter to reuse (the whole gift with gift idea here). Lace and dollies are being used plenty as embellishments in many variations. Embroidered fabric gift bags would be perfect for children to reuse or store the gift that came in it. Did you run out of gift bags and wrapping paper? No big deal, dig out some Kraft paper or newspaper and create your own gift bag! Lastly, pillow boxes and up-cycling toilet paper and paper towel rolls are trending massively right now.

However you wrap it up, make sure you embellish it fantastically too!

Holiday parties are an exciting part of the holiday season as is finding the perfect outfit for the occasion. Whether you are heading to a work or a family function, it's time to look your best and celebrate the holiday cheer with those around you. No matter what price range you are looking to stay in, we have some holiday picks that are perfect for any parties you are attending this season.

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The ladies are in luck, as bright pants in bold colors are a current trend of the fall. This is an easy way to stay casual but still make a statement with the outfit. Pairing something like this with simple pieces including a black jacket and white shirt are a great way to complete the look. Pair fun accessories with bold prints or some sparkle and you have yourself a casual yet incredibly fun look for any party.

Outfit, Reversible Clutch, Ring, Bracelets, Black Flats

Men have far less choices when it comes to fashion. That definitely isn't a bad thing, but all the more reason why the men have to look sharp using the few accessories they have. This red flannel shirt (created from a COLOURlovers palette) goes well with a few leather details and offer a casual look for a friendly gathering with friends. Bracelets or a watch are a great way to offer a little statement piece to the outfit.

More than just a decorative touch, wreaths have existed since the times of the ancient Romans. Before Christianity, pagan rituals of mid-winter often featured a wreath of evergreen with four candles.

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The candles were placed in each of the four directions, representing the elements of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. Rituals were performed to ensure the continuance of the circle of life.

Some Christians use this idea also. The four candles represent the advent of Christmas and the hope of returning light in the Spring.

In ancient Greece, olive wreath crowns were awarded to victors in the original Olympic Games. Today, modern Olympic medals often bear the same olive wreath image. These wreaths stood for Victory over challenges.

The Christmas wreath has much symbolism attached to it. The shape of the circle has no beginning and no end. This circle could mean the eternal nature of God’s love or the Circle of Life. The use of Evergreen branches suggests victory of life through darkness and challenge. Think of the Greek Victors Crown. Think of the hope that light will come back to the world with the advent of Spring.

Color and texture are vividly portrayed in these gorgeous ornament wreaths. They domonstrate how wreaths can be meaningful or just plain fun.

How did we come to hang wreaths on our doors? Decorative wreaths using different floral arrangements were used anciently to identify different families and houses. Whereas today we use house numbers.

Building your own wreath is a lot of fun! There are a myriad of bases to choose from. If you need inspiration then Etsy and Pinterest are amazing resources.

Paper Cone Wreath (cornerhouseblog DIY) | Paper Star Wreath (littlebirdiesecrets DIY) | Yarn & Felt Wreath (Etsy) | Tie Wreath (bedifferentactnormal) 

Wreaths are wrought with lore and tradition as well as whimsy and fun. Whether you hang a wreath on the door to welcome visitors, or on the wall to complete your home’s decor, the splash of color on a cold winters day is sure to add a feeling of warmth, building excitement for the coming season.

Some people are tough to shop for, but not to worry because the COLOURlovers gift guide has a little something for everyone. This guide is full of colorful ideas from our favorite stores as well as some wonderful DIY projects that are so darn easy to do for that person that deserves something special. Check out the gifts below, and if you want even more ideas, make sure to check out our curated Gift Guide on Pinterest. We have lots of goodies over there too. So here we go!

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For The Cooks: For that aspring chef in your life here are a few things that will brighten up their kitchen and spirits as they spend their days making magic in the kitchen. The bowls are perfect for serving and a hand-held blender is great for the friend that makes mashed potatoes or protein shakes and doesn't want the hassle of all the clean up. If you want to go the extra mile, consider getting a recipe book and filling it with your favorite family recipes and collect favorite recipes from family and friends. These gifts are sure to be a hit for that lovely cook.

1. Bowls, 2. Recipe Book, 3. Blender, 4. Cutting Board, 5. Knives

The time of year has arrived when even the most digitized among us turns to paper, envelopes, and stamps to send out cheerful holiday greetings to friends and family across the globe. Nothing can surpass the excitement that is felt when the mailbox is opened and, tucked among the bills and credit card applications, is a personal holiday card with your name (spelled correctly!) adorning the label.

Today's article is presented by the online printing services company offering greeting cards perfect for the holiday season.

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What is it about receiving a card in the mail that makes it so special? Is it the touch and feel of paper in your hands? Is it the bright colors, texture, or patterns? Here is chance to explore some amazing holiday greeting cards, some of which are masterpieces in their own right, and maybe get some ideas on how to incorporate color into your holiday hellos.

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Words within a shape or using words as a pattern can make a simple and adorable greeting. Do you have any word patterns you've done that you'd like to share? I definitely want to try this with Seamless Studio. This would work for any occasion.

source | source

Letterpress (left) in combinations with words as a shape turned out gorgeous. The little houses pattern (right) remind me of some style of Danish design.  It's fairly unique and would be fun to create. Anyone up for a Seamless Studio (or Seamless Lite) challenge to make something similar to this?

source (top) | pattern 1, pattern 2, pattern 3 (see templates at end)

In the top version, the artist traced some shapes out lightly with a pencil, drew some simple pattern work of lines and circles in stripe-fashion (with a permanent pen) within the bounds of the shape and then erased the shape lines. I decided to replicate the method digitally in Photoshop using some COLOURlovers patterns. You could use any graphics editing software that would allow you to create a mask.

I created simple shapes (basically copying the ones from the original piece) and then applied the layer Clipping Masking option. Remember to always respect the license of other member creations on COLOURlovers.

source (card) | pattern stars, pattern snowflakes 

This wonderful design from TWO PEAS IN A BUCKET member, pescaragirl, would be fun to use as an idea for a card from your own patterns. Using a simple, subtle pattern like snowflakes or stars (shown to right) and torn, layered paper in the foreground you could easily whip up some of these.

source | source | source | source 

Patterns in general are excellent to use within greeting card design in so many fathomable ways. What patterns would you use?

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Here are some fantastic examples of layering many different types of patterns and simple shapes.

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And if all else fails, go with just color!

Holiday greeting cards are a fantastic way to connect with old friends, and show your loved ones how much you care. When you go to choose your holiday greeting this year, know that you will not only make someone smile, but you have the chance to give them a decoration to adorn their mantle piece, shelf or even their Christmas tree for years to come. Choose a card that is uniquely you or pick out a small masterpiece that is sure to brighten a cold winter’s day.

header credits: greeting card