PHOTOS: Our New Favorite Guestbook Alternative

We're loving the designs of this local artist.

16x20 Wedding Tree guestbook on matte paper with signature flowers; comes ready to frame. $48. All pictures in this post courtesy of Ankita Kerjariwal.

Here at PW, we wholeheartedly understand—and often condone—the sometimes drastic (yet totally worthwhile) lengths you brides-to-be go to in order to make your “I Dos” completely unique to you and your guy. And it is for this reason we just had to introduce you to a local artist who can add a truly one-of-a-kind touch to your Big Day:

Meet Ankita Kerjariwal, the Philly-based artistic talent behind Etsy custom print shop TexturedINK.

After moving to Philadelphia from India in 2000, Ankita fell in love with the Moore College of Art and decided to purse a degree in design (she already had one in Literature). The former copywriter worked in the industry for five years before stumbling upon Etsy, which she says opened up a whole new world for her. Now, what began as simply a desire to start her own business has blossomed into an expansive shop of modern art filled with items perfect for home decorating, gift giving—and, the area she found was so popular she decided to concentrate on: wedding keepsakes.

Using recycled wood, paper, canvas and other out-of-the-ordinary mediums as a platform for her colorful prints, Anika creates everything from calendar prints memorializing a couple’s wedding day to customized maps signifying where a couple met, lives, fell in love or got married. (She hand-sketches the designs, then digitally draws them on the computer before printing.) Engaged couples in particular should take note of her wide array of guestbook alternatives: Instead of the usual scrapbook, which Ankita notes so often gets tucked away after the wedding, her “Wedding Trees” serve as a constant reminder of the friends and family who shared in the excitement of your day (check out the pics, below). She can print the design on any medium you’d like, and let guests pen their well wishes (Ankita recommends an archival pen or even a fine-tipped Sharpie) on each of the tree’s leaves.

Ankita loves collaborating with brides and grooms to design a beautiful piece that is personalized for them. “I love the idea of being involved in the most special day for a couple, and I feel so connected to my customers more because of Etsy,” she says. “I think that people come to Etsy for that connection with the artist, and I want to make sure they feel it with me.”

For custom orders, she can be reached online through email at textured_ink@yahoo.com or on her Etsy site where all of the product varieties are on display. Depending on the size and materials requested, a custom order generally takes two to three weeks to complet,e and ranges in price from $28-$150. Here, a few of our fave designs:

12x16 Wedding Date calendar on recycled wood panel; comes ready to hang. $60.

18x24 Wedding Tree guestbook on recycled wood panel with signature leaves; comes ready to hang. $106.

 

11x14 “Birds of A Feather” customizable family tree paper print; comes ready to frame. $24.

 

Custom 11x14 Worldy Love print; comes ready to frame. $24.

 

Custom 8.5x11 Stately Love prints for couple, $28 for a set of two.

16x20 Wedding Tree guestbook on recycled wood panel with signature flowers; comes ready to hang. $84.

 

16x20 Wedding Tree guestbook on matte paper with signature leaves; comes ready to frame. $48.

Custom 8.5x11 travel prints for couple, $42 for a set of four.

 

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