Wedding Dress

I have admired Liz Cater’s jewelry for quite awhile now. I posted about her fabulous idea for wedding dress necklaces back in 2013. What a wonderful way to remind you of your special day. Liz will encase a piece of your wedding dress lace in a clear waterproof resin and sterling silver backed pendant to wear as a necklace. But this idea expands beyond just wedding dress lace. Any special material will work… a hospital baby cap, a piece of your past loved ones favorite shirt or tie, military uniform or any piece of cloth that means something special. I love it Liz! A necklace that reminds me of a moment in time, my very own time capsule. It’s something that I can look down at and feel all warm and fuzzy when I remember that day. Thank you!

I caught up with Liz a few weeks ago for a meet-the-artist interview! She is so nice and offered to send a GIVEAWAY kit to one lucky Bit of Bees Knees reader! And a shoutout to all you guys out there…Valentine’s day is just around the corner and I think this would be the perfect gift for your lovely lady.

-GIVEAWAY RULES-

The contest will be held on my INSTAGRAM at the time of this post and runs until January 23rd.
1. Like this picture and tag 1 friend in a comment below.
2. Check out @the_lace_studio on Instagram and like one of Liz’s pictures.

That’s it! Contest runs until January 23rd! I will notify the winner via private Instagram message the night of the 23rd for your shipping info.

The kit is for the 20mm sterling silver necklace, so a little bigger than the one I’m wearing (mine is 15mm, or dime sized, and the 20mm is nickel sized) and retails for $85. I will mail the lucky winner a necklace kit from The Lace Studio. It comes with complete instructions on how to send in your material, pick a background color and mail it back to Liz (stamps included). Any material can be sent in!

Meet the Artist

L I Z Z C A R T E R

What inspired you to make jewelry?

I was inspired to make lace jewelry from my own wedding. I asked my seamstress to save any lace she cut off during alterations with no real plan on how to use it, I just knew I didn’t want it to go to waste! After searching for gifts to give to my family for helping me plan the wedding I fell short, the typical robes and monogrammed cups were great, but didn’t seem personal enough. I started with the idea of putting the lace in a locket, but really wanted it to last a lifetime, and that’s when I started experimenting with resin. It took many different processes and resins before finding what worked best, but now that I have the basic process down, the ideas are limitless, and I really enjoy encasing all types of materials in resin now, it no longer has to only be lace.

What do you enjoy doing in your off time?

In my time off I enjoy hiking and yoga, and spending time with family. My son is 11 now and it’s a really fun age.

Where can you be found online (websites, social media etc)?

I can be found at thelacestudio.com, on Facebook (facebook.com/thelacestudio), and Instagram (@the_lace_studio), I’m also still on Etsy where I started in 2011 at lacestudio.etsy.com.

What is the most rewarding aspects of starting a handmade business? Do you have any tips?

I love that I am able to be creative and work with my hands. My favorite thing is hearing the stories behind the material that I work with. I am honored that my clients let me be a small part of that story, and that I can help keep that story alive by creating something they can wear everyday. I am so grateful that I am able to work from home with flexible hours, it allows me to put my son on the bus every morning and be here when he gets home from school. My tip to anyone who enjoys creating is to go for it! Even if it starts as a hobby and not your full time job, you never know where it will take you unless you try.

I can’t believe it’s been one year since we said “I do”. Thank you for being the greatest husband I could ever imagine. Being married to you has been the best year yet. You make my heart melt every day. We have so many exciting years to come. I am thankful for every moment we have together and I look forward to experiencing all that life will bring our way. I’ll love you forever Danny. Cheers to our 1st year! Here’s our story and some pictures from when we first fell in L-O-V-E!

To all of you who read A Bit Of Bees Knees, this past year has been a busy one… we got married, honeymooned in Europe {awww so amazing}, settled into our little rental house, tore down our own house and started building 2, I traveled to Israel, switched jobs from nannying to manufacturing medical devices {how does that happen?} and tried to find time to write in-between the craziness. We were so busy that I never found time to share pictures from our wedding or honeymoon! Here are some of our favorite moments from our wedding day. We hope to share some pictures from our honeymoon in the months to come…10 countries and 17 cities in 30 days! We’ve got pictures galore! What a wonderful year. We have so much to be thankful for.

{My lovely Bridesmaids}

My bridesmaids arrived at my parents home for makeup and hair at 6:00AM! Wow that was early, but we used every bit of time. My Dad made us breakfast and a few of our groomsmen surprised us with coffee…how sweet was that!? These girls are my support system. They make my day. I’ve known some of them since I was 3 years old! I can count on them for anything. I love these ladies.

{A pile of bridal essentials!}

Makeup, camera, cellphone and chargers, garter, perfume, letter for the Pastor and Wedding Planner, sunglasses, Family Bible with fake rings for the Ring Bearer, signs for pictures, fancy wedding shoes and my ballet flats for some seriously groovy dancing. Check and Check!

{My Dress}

My Mom, Grandma and bridesmaids helped me get ready.

{The Studly Groomsmen}

Meanwhile, the guys got suited-up at our little house. Apparently they only needed 30 minutes to get ready. I heard there was a lot of relaxing, video games and food involved. Nice.

{It’s almost time!}

{Here we go!}

{Bring on the tears!}

I was so excited that my heart felt like it was going to explode. I had waited for this exact moment for so long and it was finally happening! Many brides had told me that they didn’t remember walking down the aisle — they were so excited and nervous that it all seemed foggy when they tried to remember details. I used the last 3 minutes before I walked down the aisle to pray. I wanted to collect my thoughts and be thankful for all those years that had led up to this special moment. I wanted to remember every detail; the way Danny looked at me, all our friends and family in the church and holding on to my Dads arm. I wanted to be present. And I was. It was a really beautiful moment. Sure, I was crying…and it wasn’t the pretty kind either {it involved a red face}, but I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.

{Our First Look}

{We do!}

{The whole crew}

All the littles in our wedding were kids that I have nannied over the years. I love these babies!

{While we were taking pictures, our guests were at the cocktail hour}

So many neighbors, friends and family helped decorate our wedding. It was a team effort!

{My Mom used baby pictures of Daniel and me on our table numbers. Too Cute Mom.}

{Getting ready to make our entrance with our wedding party}

{Our First Dance and Mother Son and Father Daughter Dance}

{Our beautiful cake made by a beautiful friend}

{White Sangria and Tea}

{Cutting the cake! Proceeded by smashing the cake into each others face. Real classy. But that’s how we roll…we try not to take life too seriously}

{I made wooden silhouettes of us on the band saw. They came in handy as décor for our wedding table}

{We made an horsd’oeuvres display with the picnic basket that Dan used when he proposed to me.}

{And we used my late Grandparents military suitcases as a card box and placed a picture of them next to the table}

{Some of our funny friends and family}

{Time to dance!}

{Someone looks really happy}

{Some of my sassy nanny babies on the dance floor}

{Bouquet toss!}

{Too much fun}

{The Garter Toss!}

Photography: Dennis Tom | Invitations: Christina Pecora | Church: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church | Venue: The Oasis Center | Catering: Stonefire Grill | Cake: Katie Wahrenbrock | Floral Design: “Flowers by Becky” and my neighbor Ernesto | Linens & China: Baker Party Rentals | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero {Beatrice} | Veil: Handmade by my Aunt Cheryl Ohlhaver | Tux Rentals: Friar Tux | Hair & Makeup: Kenya Haynes |Videography: Riley Hayes, Connor Luckey and Jake Carroll.

The Lace Studio Wedding Dress Necklace : Giveaway

Our Wedding