Say It Like You Mean It. Our talented customer Janice creates handmade cards with plenty of pop (culture) and snark!

MR: So Janice, what are your hands doing? Tell us a little about Brixton Studios…

JD: After graduating from college a few years ago, I needed a creative outlet so I founded Brixton Studios, named after a nearby street. Though the shop used to be very “all of the above,” a year ago I switched to greeting cards after working with InDesign a lot as a journalist. I’ve always had a love for design and fonts. And sarcasm, of course!

MR: Where’d you come up with your ‘so-not-hallmark’ trademark style? What inspires your witticisms?

JD: A year ago, I started looking through Etsy cards for a good wedding card for a friend. I found a hilariously snarky, completely inappropriate card which sparked my curiosity. I didn’t know people made them, so I started exploring. I’m a writer and most of my protagonists are sarcastic and inappropriate so I like to put that into my cards. That and plenty of popular culture. I just design what I think people would like to see but definitely don’t when they go into a store.

MR: What are a few personal and customer favorites? Ever had any strange requests?

JD: One of my overall favorites seems to be the “Thanks, bitch” card. A lot of brides order them for their bridal party. And let’s face it, swear words are such a good way to say thanks. One of my newer cards, “You’re the ring to my Gollum, precious” is flying really fast. I had a funny request for a card that reads, “Here’s to hoping your mother-in-law doesn’t slash your tires for stealing her baby boy” as a bridal shower card. It came from a true story and was used as a way to point it out without “pointing it out” at the shower. Very White Collar of her.

MR: Why should people still send cards and letters?

JD: First of all, who doesn’t like mail? Come on. You know you get giddy every time something comes in the mail with a handwritten address instead of the usual Times New Roman bill request. Secondly, it shows people you care about them — about their wedding or birthday or Tuesday; at least more than if you sent one of those flash-powered e-cards with the horrible elevator music. And it also keeps the post office in business. And people like me (hint, hint).

MR: Any good anti-valentine’s day cards in stock for all of our alternative and ironic sweethearts out there?

JD: I have a “Screw this holiday & the cupid it rode in on” card for the very anti-Valentines person, but I also have quite a stock that are perfect for friends. Who says the big V-Day has to be for couples smoozing in the corner of a dimly lit restaurant? I don’t. Plenty of popular culture quotes and cards are perfect for friends, co-workers, or that slightly awkward guy you can’t figure out if you’re attracted to or not.

 Happily Ever After… Janice’s Sweetheart slipped “Pink Lady in Satin” titanium wedding band on her finger when they said “I do!” last year.

Thanks, Janice!

You will receive the Sea-Salted Chocolate Collection from Boston’s Oldest Chocolatier!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 iPhone Groom & Bride

2013 is going to be an exciting year – we’ve outlived the rapture and Mayan apocalypse and more states are legalizing same-sex marriage! Here at Minter & Richter we’ve got an inside look at what may prove to be some of the year’s hottest wedding trends. Check it out!

1. COLOR: What’s cool and refreshing in summer and spring (think mojitos), yet can also provide comfort and warmth in winter or fall (hot cocoa) …?

MINT is the new green.

Mint is what you make it: retro, girly, clean, classy…

Mint Rapunzel doesn’t let her hair down for just anybody.

Minter & Richter – “When the Light is Gone, Love Remains” Titanium Wedding Band

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the one who doesn’t want to blend in with the walls?

Minter & Richter – “Midori” Sandblasted Titanium Wedding Ring

2. BEAUTY: What happens when simple knots and twists are taken to the next level…?

 Back to the basics with BRAIDS.

Elegant, Romantic, and won’t sneak into your cake or kiss!

Go with the flow on your wedding day…

 DIY wow.

3. DECOR: Did you ever cut out a paper heart in elementary school for somebody special…?

CUT-IT-OUT. Laser Cuts wow by adding a modern or vintage look to dress, decor, invites, you name it.

Vintage Lace gets a modern twist.

Bold design.

Honeycomb-cell bracelet.

Elevated. Overstated.

4. FOOD: What’s often fruit-filled, and always fantastic….?

 PIE takes the cake!

Cuts like cake, smashes like pie.

Eat your heart out!

Hap-pie-ly Ever After.

5. JEWELRY: What could be more traditional than a ring that will maintain its shining strength and beauty generations beyond gold and silver?

 TITANIUM is getting hot, hot, hot! Extremely durable, 100% hypoallergenic, and with a lower price point than many other metals, titanium wedding bands continues to surge in popularity. MOKUME meets titanium:Featuring uniquely patterned metal-stock styled in the Mokume Gane tradition of Japan, our new M3 line of titanium rings are a modern interpretation of an ancient metal art. Originally created in 17th century Japan as adornment for samurai sword handles and sheaths, Mokume Gane reflects the finest hour of craftsmanship – reproducing the intrinsic beauty of mother nature herself. Bold!

Minter & Richter “Lava”

Mokume

Minter & Richter “Into the Universe”

Mokume earrings

Minter & Richter “Katana”

What do you predict will be big in weddings for 2013? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Enter our Pinterest ‘Ring-spiration’ Contest Today!

WINNER WILL RECEIVE A $200 MINTER & RICHTER GIFT CERTIFICATE!

RULES FOR ENTRY:

1) Follow Minter & Richter Designs on Pinterest.

2) Create a board inspired by a Minter & Richter Titanium Ring (maximum of 6 pins including ring).

3)Title the board Minter & Richter ‘Ring-spiration’ Contest/ Your Name.

4) Submit your board URL to lynn@minterandrichterdesigns.com by DECEMBER 13.

4)We will select and re-post our five favorite boards on the Minter & Richter Pinterest page on DECEMBER 14th and open voting to the public for one week to determine a winner.

5) The winner will be announced on DECEMBER 21st at NOON.

**Limit One Entry Per Person**

Thanks for Playing!

Bringing light, color, passion and…. pumps!

We’re an online business, so it’s not often that we actually get to meet our customers face to face. They come from Poland and Pennsylvania, Bhutan and Boston – with love stories as varied as the landscapes and languages they live in.

Kiwi Couple

Sometimes pictures are the simplest of translations.

Here are a few of our favorite “Ring-scapes”…

Ring’s Best Friend

Wild Thing

DJ Love

The Sword and the Ring

Thank you kind and beautiful customers for sharing your happiness

“What Are Your Hands Doing?” is a monthly feature here on the Full Circle blog, highlighting some of our most creative customers…. We met Adam and his fiancee (now wife) Bailey in 2011 when they came to us for wedding bands. We found out that he is a talented singer-songwriter and we’ve been rocking out to his music here in the office ever since!  

                                                                                                                                                                                          These Rings are made for strummin’.

MR: So Adam, what are your hands doing? Tell us a little bit about your music.

 AP: My hands have been busy making music for a while now!  My music takes many different shapes, styles and forms, but overall, it is a representation of thoughts and feelings I have had throughout the course of my life.  Love always gets top-billing!

MR: Your musical genius took root at age 8 when you began to mimic music from cartoons and video games on the piano. Where do you draw inspiration these days?

 AP: I am inspired by so much, and have learned that inspiration is everywhere and anywhere if you allow yourself to see it.  Human behavior has always been a major influence for me, so having the opportunity to see people interact with one another does a great job of putting the inspiration into action in the form of a song.

MR: I just watched your music video for “Chiclets in My Pocket” – love it! 

You have a great mix of the serious and the silly going on in your songs.  Do you get more of a response from one or the other?

 AP: Thank you!  I would say that the responses vary depending on the crowd and nature of the performance, but people always seem to enjoy a silly song!  The serious subject matter seems to get more of a response out of individuals, where songs like “Chiclets” allow for people to lighten up when in groups!

MR: You’ve garnered comparisons to everyone from Ben Harper and Ryan Shaw to the Neville Brothers.  As a rising artist do you think the comparisons help or hinder?

 AP: Depends on what a person does with their comparisons.  I think there is a danger in trying to fit exactly into the mold of someone else, whether you are an artist or just in general, as you sacrifice that which defines you.  Comparisons allow other people to get an idea of what to expect, so I think it’s something that, as an artist, one needs to accept.

 

MR: What is the music scene like in Boston these days? Has social media created more opportunity and community for artists?

 AP: There are so many talented musicians on the Boston music scene, which is great.  Some venues have closed down, and new ones have opened over the years, so naturally things shift, but ultimately the talent plays through these changes.  I really dig what people are doing here, from all angles, and feel very fortunate to know and have played with some amazing musicians.  Social Media has made the first step in ‘getting out there’ a whole lot easier, which is great.  However, I think we all have to work that much harder for people’s attention due to the fact that it is so easy to create an event and invite people, so really almost anyone who wants to can have a go with it.  As a result, those who are truly in it for the right reasons have to work a little harder to establish themselves, but I see this as a good thing that helps keep stagnation at bay.  So the opportunities are there, but I would say that the community is an on-going work in progress.  Plus, we have to compete with whatever game is on,  so this is a great humbling element!

MR: You founded Benefit for Jane , a cause which raises funds and awareness for kidney cancer after your mother passed away. What has it been like to connect your music and personal life in this way?

 AP: Starting the Benefit for my Ma Jane has been one of the best and therapeutic things I have done.  It is easy to stew in sadness, and to get angry at what can never be changed, but it takes a lot more to turn a negative into something that is fruitful and positive to others.  I am very proud of this Benefit, and the support from the Greater Boston Community has been incredible.  Connecting the personal and musical aspects has certainly been positive, and it makes everything that much more authentic.

MR: Okay, final question – Where can we hear more??

AP: I am on iTunes and many of the other download sites, and my website is www.adampayne.biz.  Thank you!

Cleaning Titanium:

It is likely that you already have on hand the common household cleaning materials to care for your titanium wedding band. Liquid dish soap can remove any dirt and grease build up, and an ammonia glass cleaner can be used for shine. Wash and dry your ring with a soft towel or lint-free cloth.

Polishing Titanium:

Apply a cream metal polish with a jewelry care cloth to remove minor scratches in your titanium wedding band. Use liquid dish soap to wash away any polish residue. For titanium wedding bands with a satin or brushed finish, use a fine nylon pad (available at most auto care stores) to restore the soft look of the finish. Avoid rubbing any surface with anodized color, as it will take the color right off.

Cleaning Rings with Wood Inlays:

Titanium Wedding bands with wood inlays can easily be cleaned and polished with a little water and vegetable or mineral oil. Applying a good microcrystalline wax polish such as Renaissance Wax will offer added protection to your wood inlay.

Cleaning Anodized Rings:

Skin oil, soap residue and other contaminants can leave a film that can cause anodized color to look dull. Revive your anodized titanium wedding band by soaking it in glass cleaner for 3 minutes, then rinsing it in warm water before allowing it to air dry. Repeat the cleaning process if necessary. Remember never to wash anodized rings with cleaners containing abrasives.

Having you and your spouse’s bands professionally cleaned and polished can be a wonderful anniversary surprise.* Some couples opt to have personalized engraving added to the interiors of their bands on their first anniversary. With a little TLC, your titanium wedding bands will continue to shine, mirroring your commitment to care for each other throughout life.

* Minter & Richter offers FREE “Spa” Treatments for your wedding band for life! Contact us for more details!

“For love keeps the stars in the firmament and imposes rhythm on the ocean tide. Each of us was created of it, and I suspect each of us was created for it.”   Maya Angelou

Rev. Kathleen Geagan of Soulful Weddings

MR: You’re a wedding officiant on Cape Cod. No pressure there! What do you do when the sun refuses to appear and the winds are whipping across the sand flats?!

KG: You hope that the couple has a back- up shelter plan but if not, you keep a sense of humor and carry on. I’ve been in a downpour only once and we did just that. The couple really wanted to marry out in the elements. I’m pretty cool about it, but I don’t do lightning.

MR: What led you to take on this special role?

KG: I was hooked after my first wedding for Pete and Kathy in October of 2000. After being ordained as an interfaith minister I was also working as a chaplain. Two years ago I went full time into the wedding presider role. It is a wonderful gift to meet people in love and share this momentous time in their lives. I love to write poetry and enjoy a good love story, so weaving these elements into a ceremony makes it an enjoyable creative process.

“I believe it’s my job to listen for the theme; to sense the thematic thread, to perceive in the story what is being laid down, like a good guitar riff and I hope I get it right.”

MR: I love the above sentiment – pulled from your Soulful Weddings blog. Does meeting a couple for the first time feel a little bit like a first date? How does the process work?

KG: Definitely, it does feel like a bit of a first date. Most first meetings are like that, we get to know each other, it can be a bit awkward at first. Most couples are relieved to realize that I’m not a ‘officious’ officiant. If we can’t meet in person we can talk on the phone, communicate by e-mail.  I use a wedding questionnaire that helps with getting information about the couple and what they want in their ceremony. It is a creative process that evolves as we get to know each other. Some couples just want to turn it all over, others like to have more input. I let them lead but take over when I see stress levels rising. (Years as a psych nurse help in reading people.)

MR: Can you share a few of your favorite wedding/love/marriage quotes?

KG: “True love is unconquerable and irresistible. It goes on gathering power and spreading itself until it transforms everyone it touches.” ~ Meher Baba

 

“For love keeps the stars in the firmament and imposes rhythm on the ocean tide. Each of us was created of it, and I suspect each of us was created for it.” ~ Maya Angelou

MR: You perform many ceremonies on the public beaches of Cape Cod. Any interesting stories about odd spectators (sea specimen, tourists?)

KG: I’ve had some great ones- a tourist who stood behind me snapping pictures over the hedge. I wasn’t even aware of her but the bride kept looking over my head with a look of concern on her face.I’ve also had couples who elope then become friendly with the people at the B and B where they are staying or folks they met on the beach that day. They end up with an impromptu wedding party and guests.  Once I did a wedding in Hyannisport and I had some young Kennedy children on a trampoline jumping up and down to get a look at the wedding. The bride loved that at her wedding the Kennedy clan’s youngest were her wedding’s paparazzi.

MR: What is your advice for couples hoping to have the ceremony go as comfortably and smoothly as possible?

KG: Nourish each others’ sense of humor, keep communicating, have a rehearsal and or a point person who likes to be in charge and knows all the players.  Don’t burden yourself with the onus of creating your own ceremony from scratch. Find an officiant you trust and turn things over so you can focus on the essential vow and promise you are about to make to the one you chose above all the rest. Have fun, don’t expect everything to go perfectly. Perfect weddings are boring.

Thank you, Kathleen!

Soulful Weddings

Scott sands a ring on the lathe (Fall 2011).

Scott’s knives as featured on Knife Legends (1999).

Scott became fascinated by custom knives as a teen and quickly made them his personal study.  Beginning with only the most rudimentary of tools — a file and hacksaw — he took on the challenge of creating a fully functioning folding knife.

Scott’s 1st knife – made at Age 13 (black resin, stainless steel) and 3rd knife (California Buckeye, titanium). (He sold the second one at a knife show for $20.)

Working in a Boston knife shop, Scott continued to hone his craft and acquire the sophisticated machinery which would allow his obsession to truly flourish.

“Making knives is a natural response to an ancient impulse.” – Scott Richter

“Knives divide THIS from THAT…Knives allow man to make the world he wants out of the world he has.” – Scott Richter

Above is an example of the intricately carved and colored folding knife that became his trademark style with partner Romas Benaitis. Using titanium, aluminum, Damascus steel and colored anodizing for special effects, the pair acquired a small, but loyal following for their work.

Several of their knives were featured in the limited edition volumes of”Knives: Point of Interest” and on the custom knives site Knife Legends. Carrying such names as “The Ancus”, “Spawn” and “Atlantis”, their knives present folding and dual acting blades, titanium scales, and intricate carving.

From knives to pen sets, earrings, boxes, and rings, Scott has engineered and shaped titanium into the utilitarian, fantastic, and beautiful.

My name is Marie Chalifoux-Fournier and I am
the owner and designer of One Kind Couture.

M & R: So Marie, what are your hands doing? Tell us a little about One Kind Couture?

 MCF: I have been designing and making
clothing for over 12 years. All of the clothing on Etsy and on my web site have
been created by me. I love to mix art with fashion to create one of a kind designs.
My line is feminine and figure flattering. The Universe see’s women as being
beautiful and unique and that’s how I want my customers to feel when they wear my creations.  I am always learning and growing. I am based in beautiful Portland, Oregon.

M & R: Where do you find inspiration for your dresses?

MCF: My inspiration comes in many forms whether
it’s watching an old Tuner Classic Movie, taking a stroll through one of the
many beautiful parks here in Portland or sometimes I sit back and allow the
fabric to guide my hands.

M & R: What are some popular dress styles right now?

MCF: All of my designs are one of a kind, so I
really don’t follow “trends,” I like to listen to my client, allow her to tell
me how she wants to feel on her special day, and I go to work creating a gown
that reflect her personality and body type.

M & R: How long does it take you to make a dress – from start to finish? What’s your
favorite part of the process?

MCF: The length of the process depends on the project. Typically, I allow 3 to 4 weeks from
start to finish.

M & R: Like Minter & Richter you perform a lot of custom work. What are some of
the benefits of working so closely with your customers?

MCF: I love doing custom designs. It allows me to really get to know my client, hear
the excitement in her voice when she describes her dream wedding gown or
special event dress. I ask questions as to the location of the wedding. How
does she in vision herself on wedding day? Will the wedding be traditional or
nontraditional? By gathering as much information as possible, it allows me to
channel her essence as I design and create her gown. Like my clients, I get
excited with each new project, through the excitement comes love and that love
is sewn into each stitch I sew, so that love may surround her on the most precious
day of her life.

onekindcouture.com