An Interview with Esther K. Smith, plus a free project

The Paper Bride: Wedding DIY from Pop-the-Question to Tie-the-Knot and Happily Ever After by Esther K. Smith (of Purgatory Pie Press) is a one-stop guide to everything you’ll need to plan the perfect wedding, from DIY invitations and albums to guest books, escort cards, and more. CrafterNews chatted with Esther about her work and inspirations, crafting for brides-to-be, and what it’s like to work with her once-groom.

CrafterNews: What made you decide to write a book specifically on paper crafts for brides and brides-to-be?

Esther K. Smith: I have been designing invitations ever since my husband Dikko and I made our own wedding invitations—our first printed collaboration.  At a certain point, we realized that some of our most interesting artwork and best collaborations were with our wedding clients.  Even before I began How To Make Books, I had thought about a book of our invitations. So when Potter Craft asked me to propose a book about making books, I mentioned a wedding book as part of the proposal.  And as I wrote How To Make Books and Magic Books & Paper Toys, a DIY approach to weddings simmered on some back burner of my mind.

CN: Given the stress involved in planning a wedding, what do you think is a reasonable amount for a bride to DIY? What advice would you give to brides-to-be who are thinking about DIY’ing their weddings?

EKS: I recommend starting with something that seems easy and seeing if you find the craft pleasant and relaxing or if it adds to your stress.  Do more if you love it (as I obviously did—making my crazy shaped hand-lined envelopes was my first edition book arts project—in some ways I found myself in that process!)  If a simple project is too much for you, don’t feel pressured to do it all—but see if some crafty friends of yours can take on some of the things.  Jennifer King, who made some projects for The Paper Bride, had worked on her sister’s and other friends weddings.  Someone who helped her make an accordion invitation that I feature in the book hated it, but for Jen, it was wonderful.  Think about having sewing bee type parties—paper “crafternoons”—they say that many hands make light work—and one of my favorite things to do is sit with friends folding, stitching, and watching the finished pieces pile up.

CN: What inspires you most when designing wedding invitations? Color scheme, location, the couple, something else?

EKS: We always start with a consultation meeting in our studio so that the people can take a look and see if they are in the right place and begin making the choices that will eventually become their invitations.  Inspiration can come from anywhere—in a sense it might be what people call “chemistry”. Once someone picked something up from the floor of the studio—an interesting pop-up form that one of my students had showed me—and that became the basis of their invitation.  Another time, I’d worn my navy blue vintage dress with stars—and the groom loved it—so we made a photoengraving of the pattern.  But often the location will have something visual, even an architectural detail that becomes the main visual element.  So much of the design world is based on PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors—but since we custom mix [our colors], I encourage people to bring in cloth swatches, or an old skirt, or their favorite sweater for color matching.  Sometimes we have made images based on antique jewelry—one bride’s museum replica pin became a coaster. Inspiration is a sort of magic.

CN: You design wedding invitations for a living. What’s the craziest, most outrageous, or most innovative wedding invitation you’ve made for a couple?

EKS: Pop-up sponges die cut in the shape of Cuba!  And vintage romance novels altered into invitations—even the wrapping paper for those with a die cut label was part of the design.

One of our favorite weddings took place in Grand Central Terminal—subway tokens became the main image—plus antique postcards of the station. We worked with a paper maker and made a watermark with an element of an antique token and also made die cut token coasters. These pieces were featured in an exhibit (and the permanent collection) at the Museum of the City of New York.

CN: What trends are you noticing in weddings and wedding crafts lately? How has the economy affected your business or the way brides are approaching their wedding planning?

EKS: I think this recent craft movement has gotten people more involved in their weddings.  Even if they don’t do it all themselves, they know it doesn’t have to be something chosen from a book of samples. Of course in this economy, money is scarce—but people’s weddings are still very important. They are finding ways to do more with less, to make every element count.  And if you do make things yourself or have friends and relatives make them, or work with an artisan, each piece, like the square of a patchwork quilt, has a story that gives it a whole different value.   Happily-ever-after is a theme in The Paper Bride. Think of the stories you will tell your grandchildren when you do it yourself.

This is also a time when it’s hard for people to pay for gifts, so asking for someone with good handwriting to address your envelopes instead of buying you something can be a beautiful way to deal with this.  Instead of a typical bridal registry, you could make a list of crafts that people could do for you.

CN: Speaking of weddings and brides, what’s it like working with your husband every day?

EKS: Ha! It’s fun (as long as you know how to fight.)  He’s sitting next to me right now. We’re on our way to a book arts fair in Philadelphia where I will show people an advance copy of The Paper Bride.

Oddly, since I’ve been writing my books, I haven’t spent as much time with him at the studio. Plus, I teach at Cooper Union and he teaches at the School of Visual Arts, so that’s a separate part of our work lives.   But our life together is a collaboration.  Years ago now we were interviewed by a couple that was working together writing about couples who worked together.  It was an interesting experience and they felt that couples who work together have more of a marriage—certainly in hours alone, you spend more time together.  Work things that are important or frustrating are not left at the office.  You can’t get away from them—but also you aren’t getting stressed with secrets or your partner not understanding what you are going through.  When I wake up worried in the middle of the night, we can have a meeting!

~ fin ~

Download one of Esther Smith’s paper projects for free: a self-mailer that can be used as a save-the-date card, a shower invitation, or even a thank-you note after the big day:

• Download Self Mailer Project from The Paper Bride (Scribd.com)

For more about Esther and The Purgatory Pie Press:
• The Purgatory Pie Press
• The Purgatory Pie Press store on Etsy
• PPP’s photos on on Flickr

Categories: Free Projects | Paper |

Tags: crafting, DIY, Esther K. Smith, interviews, potter craft, Purgatory Pie Press, The Paper Bride, weddings

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