Last month I returned from the Peace Corps in Cameroon and promptly ordered delivery pizza. My experience in Cameroon was certainly life-changing for me and hopefully for the friends, colleagues and students who welcomed me into their community.

After “How was Africa?” and “What was the weirdest thing you ate?” the next most popular question I’m asked these days is “What’s next?” For the answer to that I invite you to check out zzilch.com. But in brief, Africa was muddy and dusty, the weirdest thing I ate was viper, and I’m now working at an ice cream parlor (just kidding, I’m a full time freelance designer and yes indeed, I’m designing and printing invitations again).

Shades of Poverty, originally posted on Hinge of Africa

Today is Blog Action Day, a day when blogs around the world write about one topic in an effort to create awareness and inspire action about a pressing world issue. This year the topic is poverty. When thinking about how we should approach the topic of poverty in my post on Blog Action Day, I had difficulty because poverty is complex. How do I squeeze such a big issue into a concise blog post? It isn’t black and white—you aren’t just poor or not poor. In my experiences, I have seen different shades of poverty. Since one of the main goals of Blog Action Day is to spread awareness about an important issue by simply getting people thinking and talking about it, all I can really do is write about my own personal experiences around poverty.

I have seen many ways in which a person can be poor. Poverty is not just having little money. Some people struggle to feed their families, while others are not able to send their children to school because they are needed to work. I have students at my school here in Cameroon who want desperately to be able to study in Europe or the U.S. and have asked me for help because everyone else has told them it isn’t possible unless you are rich. I taught art to young people back in Baltimore who didn’t have a home or a family and wanted the same thing but it seemed like an equally impossible dream for them. Poverty can deprive someone of food to eat, a place to sleep, a family, or education and opportunities to work.

There are so many people all over the world in need of so many things, where does one begin to do something about it? The purpose of this post isn’t to make anyone feel guilty for having food, or a car and a home, or an education, or an iPhone, but rather first, to inspire us to feel fortunate about the opportunities and resources we have. I think that feeling positive and grateful for your own fortune while being aware of the world around you is the first step to doing something about any problem.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed about something as big as poverty and in the face of such a worldwide problem, it’s tempting to turn away from it and focus on the next thing like buying groceries, going to class, making dinner, changing the baby, or paying the bills. But just because you can’t do everything, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something—something is better than nothing. I certainly don’t think everyone can realistically go and join the Peace Corps and work in a developing country for two years (though I certainly think it’s an awesome thing to do if anyone has thought about it), but here are a few other ideas:

Play the FreeRice vocabulary game and donate rice to the hungry; educate yourself about the causes of poverty; help Millenium Promise end extreme poverty; use your business to fight poverty; help fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria with the Global Fund; join Stand Against Poverty; and find even more resources and ideas for action at Make Poverty History.

Here’s a sneak peak at some wedding invitations I designed and printed on seed paper, for one of my last freelance projects. Their fall green wedding will feature pumpkins in the decor, so I drew a vine and pumpkin border and printed them with my Gocco in deep red (custom mixed!) and orange. Now the Gocco printer will be packed away and put into storage until we get back from Cameroon. When we return, I’d love to do more invitations, wedding (and other) websites, handmade guest books, and all of that fun stuff! So if anyone thinks they might be getting married after 2010, email me in about 2 years!

Contest update: the panel of judges has been carefully reviewing the entries to select a winner…we’re aiming to choose someone by Thursday so I can announce the winner here on the blog on Friday, and make them their handmade album!

For an outdoor reception, these Shoji Solar Lanterns could be a good eco-friendly investment. They collect light from the sun during the day, and automatically turn on at dusk. Since they are solar powered, there are no power cords to deal with, and can be hung pretty much anywhere. They work similarly to the Solar Sun Jars (I have one of these), Laua Portable Lamp, and floating Solar Light Spheres which could all be used to add beautiful lighting and decoration to an eco-friendly wedding reception. From my personal experience with the Sun Jar, they work best and stay lit the longest if they are in direct sunlight all day. On my windowsill, which only gets partial sunlight, our jar only glows for about an hour or so on most nights.

Rhonda at Our Wedding Plus is also having a give-away! You could win USB flash drives to give to your bridal party, and a free one-year subscription to Our Wedding Plus premium wedding websites. These days, nearly everyone could use a USB flash drive, and they make pretty cool and unique gifts. To enter, just visit the contest post and leave a comment answering one of the questions listed.

I’d like to share some information about a friend of mine who has a great letterpress shop for anyone interested in custom letterpress invitations, thank you cards, or anything else!

Bowerbox Press, run by Val Lucas, offers design and letterpress printing sevices. All pieces are printed individually by hand on a turn-of-the-century Colts Armory letterpress. Specializing in making the perfect impression, Val works from both digitally-designed polymer plates and hand-set lead type with woodcut images.

Digital design allows for a wide range of styles for unique business and personal stationery, elaborate wedding invitations and printed ephemera. Contact Bowerbox Press for pricing and turnaround.

She produces beautiful work, and I can personally attest to the fact that she is an extremely cool person who cares about the environment. She also has an etsy shop, where she sells great art prints, handmade books, letterpress cards, and other stuff. And I might as well mention that she’s a talented fine artist as well, and currently has a map painting in a show at the World Trade Center Baltimore, which is part of the Baltimore Map Festival. Val, you are so cool in so many ways!

If anyone is looking for some green honeymoon ideas, this article is worth reading. Ten Green Getaways by Amanda Coggin explores the best vacation sites for the eco-minded, including places like Lapa Rios in Costa Rica, Chumbe Island in Tanzania, Africa, and even places closer to home (for those of us in the U.S.) like Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It’s a great write-up and worth bookmarking for anyone planning a vacation who wants to leave a small eco-footprint along the way.

It’s been a while since I checked out Vintageous, so I looked at the site again this morning. They have such cute dresses, most of which are sold out immediately upon being posted. But I looked at a few anyway and found that even some wedding gown-type dresses are still for sale. It would also be fun to pick a color range or style and have bridesmaids choose vintage dresses that they like. And of course, I’m a personal fan of the practice of changing into a short dress after dinner at the reception, because dancing is more fun when you aren’t worried about stepping on your gown! A couple of other sites for vintage dresses are Posh Girl Vintage, Vintage Vixen and vintagewedding.com.

My best pal Virginia’s wedding is less than a week away! Making things for her wedding has been so fun, and it makes me feel good to help such a good friend. Last weekend I made her guestbooks. I covered them in one of my favorite handmade papers, which of course is green to match her wedding colors, and wrapped some pretty green and brown ribbon I had saved, underneath the inside covers. Then I wrote their names as pretty as I could and tipped on the nameplate. I made her a mini-guestbook for the ceremony (based on an idea she saw somewhere), and a regular guest book. (more photos on flickr)

I also made some other things while I was making books (I had some leftover book board to use up, and it’s generally easier to make a bunch of books at once while all of the supplies are covering my living room floor), including our “official” wedding photo album, and another album (that could also be a guest book or scrap book) that I will put in my etsy store to sell. Photos coming soon!

I don’t want to take away from the Etsy Handmade Weddings post below, but I also want to mention that today is Pi Day (that is, 3.14)! This got me thinking that next year, Pi Day is on a Saturday, and wouldn’t it be fun for someone, perhaps a math professional, or just anyone with an appreciation for the magical language of math, to have an organic pie-themed wedding reception? Maybe some people would think it’s a big geeky, but most likely no one will get it anyhow, and those that do will surely appreciate the subtle celebration. You could have an organic pie dessert buffet, or try these mini-pie favors from Martha Stewart. I am seriously craving some pie now…

[Images from Martha Stewart Weddings]

It doesn’t get much better than this! Etsy, the best place to shop for all things handmade and vintage, has recently launched the Handmade Wedding series. This series will feature stories from the recently wed, guest bloggers from our favorite design and crafty blogs, lots of tips, info, and of course handmade wedding stuff all over the place.

The best news in my opinion, is the re-launching of Alchemy, the service which allows buyers to request custom orders. This is absolutely perfect for someone who wants something specific for their (eco-friendly, handmade) wedding, but doesn’t have the time or feels they won’t be able to make it themselves. This could be hair pins, custom invitations, jewelry, bags, gifts for your bridesmaids, guest books, flowers, anything!

Head over to Etsy for more information and details about this exciting new series!

[featured above: Eyelett lace letterpress cards on 100% cotton Crane's Lettra paper by pistachiopress; Handmade 0.50 ct Diamond Pebble Ring by chrisparry; 100% cotton Snow White bouquet of roses by therussian.]

Last week I received an email pointing me to Huppahs.com, a site that has you covered if you need a green huppah for your wedding ceremony. They sell handcrafted 100% organic cotton huppas which look so natural and beautiful, and the canopy is designed to serve as a table cloth for the happy couple after the wedding. They also have other organic cotton accessories like a glass breaking pouch, ring pillow, and organic table napkins which will coordinate with your huppah turned tablecloth.

Next, portovert has declared March DIY Wedding Month, AND eco-chic weddings reminds us that March is Indie Wedding Month! So much excitement in one month! In honor of these designations, both sites are having great contests that are worth entering.

First, portovert’s DIY Wedding Challenge invites you to send them five images and 500 words about your DIY wedding taking place in the last 12 months, telling them what makes your day a winner. The DIY projects must have an eco-friendly element. The prizes include organic pampering products, eco-friendly table settings, and a DIY library. Deadline is March 31st, 2008.

Second, eco-chic wedding’s Indie Wedding Month Contest invites you to enter a wedding favor work of art made from recycled materials. Entries will be voted on at the end of this month, and prizes include gift certificates to some great eco-chic shops. Deadline for submission is March 19th.

Well Monday’s nasal revolution turned into a sinus war that is ongoing at this time, and I almost missed the chance to write about Love Is In The Air, an eco-luxe bridal salon taking place tomorrow! If you are in the Los Angeles area, this looks like a great event to check out. Here are some excerpts from the press release:

LOVE IS IN THE AIR is the first bridal event dedicated to bringing together green wedding experts in a fun and intimate environment that allows the earth-friendly bride and groom to learn about the latest trends in glamorous green weddings.

Regardless of whether you have envisioned a classic, vintage, or modern wedding celebration, LOVE IS IN THE AIR will show you that an eco-friendly wedding can be glamorous. Future newlyweds will find sustainable solutions for everything from the ring, the invitations, photography, catering, and hair and make up to the honeymoon. Guests will be treated to a salon style fashion show featuring beautiful wedding dresses, gorgeous jewelry and perfect make-up. The best part? It’s all sustainable. To make sure all brides-to-be feel even more pampered, all guests will enjoy complimentary mani/pedi’s from Veda Organic Spa and make-up tips from supermodel Josie Maran.

Proceeds from LOVE IS IN THE AIR will go to the Coalition for Clean Air, an organization dedicated to restoring clean, healthy air and promoting community involvement and responsible public policy.

If anyone has a chance to go, let me know how it is.

I’ll have more images (and details about the production process) to come, but here is are a few photos of the invitations I recently designed and printed for my maid of honor and best pal’s upcoming wedding. I printed them on my gocco printer. The invitation is folded into 3 panels, and the bottom of the invitation is a perforated rsvp postcard (I perforated all of them by hand!). She tied brown ribbon around the folded invitation before inserting it into the envelope which had the green pattern printed on the back of the envelope. They are of course printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled, process chlorine free, fsc certified paper!

The clutch: a bridal accessory that may be essential for some, completely unnecessary for others. Either way, a great place to find one that isn’t made by underpaid children in (insert 3rd world country here) is Etsy, the best source for all things handmade, and sometimes vintage. I found these pretty clutches during my morning Esty exploration.

Clockwise from the top left: a handmade clutch with pretty ivory tassels and lace, $35 by MoxieSaxx; handmade silver satin clutch with magnetic closure–I love the vintage blue fabric on this one, so pretty! $58 by leighannkline; vintage ivory sequin clutch, $11 in MarcellasExcess shop; handmade clutches in fun fabrics–they can also do multiples for bridal parties, $27 by muchachak; vintage white and silver beaded clutch, $12 in MarcellasExcess shop.

Reading through some articles on the excellent online green weddings magazine, portovert, I came across a link they shared to this wikiHow article about how to make a ring from a silver coin. This is a DIY wedding project that I would have never thought of doing until I saw this. Why not though? It’s a great way to upcycle old coins into something far more valuable. It’s sure to save a lot of money for a couple with a limited budget, and they rings would be so meaningful and precious. You could choose coins from the year you met, or each other’s birth year, or any year of sentimental value. I’d love to see someone give this idea a try.

Encore Bridal is another good source for wedding gowns and accesories that I saw recently on Great Green Wedding. What’s good about it? You can buy discounted designer gowns and bridal accessories that are samples or gently used, you can also sell your gown to them for consignment, they donate a portion of each sale to charities supporting cervical cancer education and research, and they have a good and informative web site where you can shop online, as well as trunk shows.

While most of these gowns cost a lot more than I would be able to spend, it’s worth considering that you may be able to sell your gown back to them after your wedding to recoup some of the cost.

I saw this on Strange New Products, but I actually think these Climate Change Chocolate bars by Bloomsberry & Co. would make good wedding favors. Chocolate is great, and it’s even greater when it spreads awareness for a good cause in addition to tasting good. I also think the package design is nice, and the color combinations make good wedding colors. Actually, the green and brown one almost exactly matches my maid of honor’s color palette for her upcoming wedding. The wrapper of each chocolate bar has 15 tips for "lightening your environmental impact", and a verified TerraPass offset of 133 pounds of carbon dioxide reductions. I have mixed feelings about carbon offsets, but overall I think it’s a good idea. I’m going to look for some next time I go to Whole Foods so I can sample the chocolate and examine the wrapper more closely…for the sake of green wedding research of course.

A little while ago I read about a new ethical jeweler on a few blogs, and I thought it would be a good idea to spread the information. Ingle & Rhode have some truly beautiful and elegant wedding and engagement rings in their e-boutique, and also offer custom designs. I love their "wide concrete ring." Here is some information about the company’s commitment to ethical jewelry in their own words:

Ingle & Rhode offers the finest jewellery, produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

This means we only buy diamonds we can guarantee are conflict-free, and our diamond cutters and polishers work in good conditions. Our gold is fairly traded, and mined without the use of cyanide or mercury.

10 per cent of our profits fund health, education and development projects within communities with whom we trade.

I’m back from holiday vacations! I was actually back last week, but the reason I couldn’t return to blogging until now was a fairly good one I think. Over the break, I took the opportunity to switch web hosts while the blog activity was low. This weekend, the transfer was complete, and I got the blogs up and running on the new host. I switched from my old host to dreamhost for a handful of reasons, but the best one is that now my blogs and websites are all on a green host! Click on the dreamhost link for information about specifically how in fact they are a green web hosting company.

So happy 2008!

Today I’m sharing a link that I have already seen on one or two other wedding blogs, but I think it’s a great and important thing to share. The White Aisle has developed a line of silk bridal accessories made by artisans in Cambodia:

We have been involved with a day center in Phnom Penh which is offering vocational training to young girls and women currently trapped working in brothels. Most were sold by their families when they were very young. Without an alternate source of income, they have no choice but to stay in the sex industry. Together, we have set up a small sewing facility, and developed a line of bridal accessories like dress sashes and ring pillows made from local, hand loomed Khmer silks. The fabrics of Cambodia are among the best in the world! 100% of profits will go straight back to them so that they may have a salary and move themselves into a better life. We hope you’ll take a moment to look at their work.

How great is that? I’ve added the link to The White Aisle silk accessories to my sidebar.

I hope everyone (who celebrates it) had a lovely Thanksgiving! As I mentioned, reader asked me about gocco printing vs. screen printing for DIY wedding projects. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a basic breakdown of what I think they are from my experience:

Screen printing (using PhotoEZ) Advantages: larger/more flexible print size, relatively low cost, a bit better for the environment–only requires sunlight to expose screen and water to clean, screens are easy to clean with regular soap and water
Disadvantages: can’t make as many prints before needing to wash screen (I’ve made between 1 and 8 prints before washing, depending on the artwork), takes longer to complete all prints because of cleaning/drying of screen, more difficult to do multi-color printsVisit the DIY section for more info on screen printing with PhotoEZ.

Gocco printing (using model with a 4″ x 6″ print area–I have the PG-10) Advantages: can make 70-120 prints without needing to re-ink or clean screen so production is very fast for large print runs, easy to do multi-color prints using one screen, comes with a highly entertaining instructional video circa 1990 or so
Disadvantages: smaller print area (4″ x 6″) limits what projects are best suited for the Gocco (larger Goccos are available but they are very expensive), larger initial investment to buy the printer and necessary supplies, screen is more difficult to clean since it can’t be cleaned with soap and water, not as good for the environment because of cleaning methods and one-time-use flash bulbs for exposing the screen

Overall I would recommend the Gocco for anything suited to the 4″ x 6″ area or smaller, so it’s perfect for save-the-dates or thank you cards. For our invitations, screen printing was necessary because they were 5″ x 7″ but it took a long time to complete all of the prints. The Gocco is a great investment if you plan on using it again for other things since printing with it is very quick and easy. The PhotoEZ is a much smaller initial investment though if you are only planning to do one or two projects. I suppose one could buy a Gocco and then try to sell it on Ebay when you’re done with your project. I hope this is helpful for anyone trying to decide which method to use for their cards or invitations. If you have any other questions or need advice, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. How cool would it be to have an entire pink-themed wedding in October to promote the cause? Well, I realize that might make the event seem more like a fundraiser than a wedding, so that idea might be too extreme (though anyone who actually pulled it off would be my hero). But there are more subtle ways to help fight Breast Cancer in the wedding spirit. Say you’re registering for one of those super-fancy KitchenAid mixers? Or some wine glasses? Or a new blender? Or even an iPod Shuffle? What all of these products have in common is that their manufacturers have made pink versions of them and a percentage of their sale goes to an organization dedicated to fighting and curing Breast Cancer. Gabe and I went on an excursion into the suburbs yesterday to make use of some gift certificates we received, and in almost every store we entered there was a display of pink goods and information about Breast Cancer Awareness. Worth noting is that I have seen most of these products available year-round so don’t be afraid to register for them if your wedding is still many months away. You can see some of the pink stuff online at Bed Bath and Beyond, or Target (search “Breast Cancer” for example. I saw the pink iPod Shuffle at Target by the way, and it is only available in-store.

The registry can be tricky business. On the one hand, if you are getting married soon after college and have a need for certain things like pots and pans that aren’t flaking teflon, or perhaps some new bedding, it can be fun to pick out new things together. But if you are getting married later and for the most part, already have what you need in life as far as things go, or you simply don’t need or want a whole lot of new stuff, it can be tricky to communicate that to the necessary people. I think it’s gotten a bit easier though with the websites that are dedicated to incorporating charitable giving in with a registry. With the I Do Foundation, for example, you link your registry to any of the stores that are affiliated with them (which include most places people normally register such as Target and Macy’s) through their website, and a percentage of every purchase goes to a charity of your choice. You can also give people the option of donating in lieu of gifts, or do a combination of the two. Changing the Present is a site that lets you set up a donation registry for your favorite donation items. For us, setting up charitable giving as part of our registry was a no-brainer. As soon as I found out we could do that, I was all over it. I was even more excited when I found out that one of the stores we could register with through the I Do Foundation was GAIAM, the greatest store for all things organic, fair trade, and eco-friendly for he home, kitchen, bedroom, etc!