Oh So Beautiful Paper

Archive for December, 2009

How adorable is this quirky and beautiful letterpress invitation suite — complete with a hand-drawn illustration of the bride and groom?  Courtney from Flush Designs worked with the groom (who created the main illustration) to design the invitation around the illustration, and the invitation suite was then printed by the talented folks over at Spark Letterpress:

So sweet!  I love that invitation design incorporated pretty floral details and soft colors — like the pink in the reception card — even though the wedding is taking place in late January.  You can check out a few more photos over at the Flush Designs blog.

{image credits: Flush Designs}

I did a fun little interview with my good friend Julianne Smith on her Garter Girl blog, which went up today — you can check it out right here!

It seems like every time I do one more little calendar round-up, a new calendar pops up that I just have to find a way to include!  But since we’re get closer and closer to 2010, this time I really think this might be the last big batch of 2010 calendars.  Enjoy!

First up, an amazing seasonal calendar from Papered Together featuring totally cool academic- and science-inspired design details — from astronomy to anatomy — and quotes from notable personalities like Buckminster Fuller, Norman Borlaug, Aldous Huxley, and Edwin
Hubble:

{papered together}

I’ve been patiently waiting for the 2010 collaborative calendar from Lena Corwin and Caitlin Mociun — and it’s finally here!  The calendar features paper-cut designs inspired by the four elements and screen printed in four colors:

{corwin + mociun}

Krissy found this fantastic post-it inspired calendar from Fedrigoni UK, which features laser-cut pop-up numbers for each day of the year (love that idea!):

{fedrigoni uk}

This lovely mason jar calendar from Brown Parcel Press is printed from a single hand-carved wood block onto a large (12.5 x 19″) sheet of recycled paper:

{brown parcel press}

As if the totally adorable critters and pattern desk calendars weren’t enough, Night Owl Paper Goods went and released a double-sided hanging calendar, printed as always on beautiful wood veneer:

{night owl paper goods}

This beautiful twelve-month calendar from Pawling Print Studio features simple patterns and minimalist shapes from their geometric series of stationery, textiles and prints:

{pawling print studio}

Also in the over-achiever category for this holiday season, Lynn from Satsuma Press recently released two gorgeous perpetual calendars — one featuring beautiful Japanese washi paper, and the other with her signature letterpress illustrations:

{satsuma press}

I’m pretty sure I’m in love with this four-color screen printed calendar from Jen Skelley, featuring a too-cute-for-words hand-illustrated owl:

{jen skelley}

Wow.  If you’re a fan of letterpress, you’re going to love this brand-new calendar from Sesame Letterpress!  Printed on a single 9.5 x 12″ sheet of super-thick (220#) with silver painted (aka gilded) edges, and available in either green or persimmon orange:

{sesame letterpress}

This limited-edition poster-style feather calendar from The Wild Unknown is printed using two different methods — screen printing for the calendar text, followed by watercolor painting for the feathers — resulting in a completely unique print for each calendar.  The smaller hanging calendars are also quite lovely:

{the wild unknown}

Also for the letterpress enthusiast, this twelve-month calendar from Meadowlark Creative features two-color prints for each month, which can be trimmed down and kept as artwork at the end of each month:

{meadowlark creative}

And, last up for today at least, this hanging calendar from the Genesee Center for the Arts and Education in Rochester, New York features a collaborative effort from 12 different artists who work out of the Genesee Book Arts Center, including Rachael of Pistachio Press and Amy of Green Girl Press.  Each month features a slightly different technique of letterpress printing — from using linoleum plates to photopolymer, and from creating deep impressions in the paper to a slight kiss using vintage wood type:

{genesee center for the arts}

{images from their respective sources}

We talk a lot about wedding invitations here, but I'm a huge fan of celebrating any major occasion — from milestone birthdays to anniversaries — with its own shindig and corresponding custom invitation.  So when Minna from Minna Designs sent over these invitations for a surprise 70th birthday party, I just couldn't stop smiling.  Not only is this Texas-inspired invitation design a ton of fun, but it appears to be perfectly suited for its guest of honor.  Scroll on down to the bottom for a bit of background on the design inspiration…

From Minna: The inspiration was using elements from the Wild Wild West. The guest of honor is very passionate about Texas history, an avid Texan art collector, a gifted speaker and adores his dog who accompanies him while pheasant hunting. One of his favorite quotes was added on the back flap of the envelope which states “You will never lead until you first learn to serve.” The family also came up with a clever poem paying homage to their father which we placed on the belly band. Vintage Texas stamps were added as a final touch!  

So cool!  I love the way everything works together, from the map enclosure to the western typography details, and of course all the personalized design elements.  Thanks Minna!

{image credits: Minna Designs}

I'm a huge fan of Angela Liguori's beautiful Italian ribbons (I even used her ribbons to wrap my wedding bouquets!) and I pretty much fell in love with the patterned paper from Pikku at the National Stationery Show this past May.  So I was beyond thrilled to hear about this fantastic collaboration combining Angela's ribbons with the Pikku wrapping paper — and just in time for the holidays!

Each package from this collaboration includes four sheets of Pikku wrapping paper — each in a different color and design — and 10 yards of Angela's ribbon in your choice of red, pool, neutral or chartreuse.  Available for purchase in Angela's shops here and here. 

{image credits: Angela Liguori}