Oh So Beautiful Paper

Jan23Calligraphy Inspiration: Fat Orange Cat Studio

Ed Note: Happy Monday everyone!  This calligraphy post would normally have run last Thursday, but I couldn’t fit it in with my travel to Alt.  So instead we get to start the week off with some absolutely gorgeous calligraphy courtesy of Li from Fat Orange Cat Studio!

As Nole has recently shared some great posts about various printing processes, I thought it would be fun to see some of what goes into calligraphy.  And I couldn’t think of anyone better than Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio to show us.  Li regularly shares her many calligraphy drafts with the readers of her blog.  I enjoy seeing the final product so much more when I know how many ways it could have turned out.  Li has many wonderful styles of writing and it’s lovely to see the nuances of each letter and how they can so easily change.  I was definitely not surprised to find that even her drafts are written beautifully! - Julie

From Li: “I wrote this with Chalk Pen on a foam board that was spray-painted with chalkboard paint.  I did a rough draft of it with pen on a piece of paper that was roughly the same dimension as the board to determine text placement.”

From Li: “For each of my wedding photography clients, I calligraph their names, scan them, and use the high-resolution scans to make rubber stamps.  I also use their scanned names on their customizable CD covers.”

“This wine list was done in the same fashion as the chalk menu, using Chalk Pen on some vinyl-covered board which was then framed.”

From Li: “As you can see I letter quite a bit.  It’s a form of warm-up.”  A glimpse at the various approaches to a business card for A Creative Mint‘s Leslie Shewring. (Letterpress printing by Parrott Design Studio.)

Make sure you look through more of Fat Orange Cat Studio’s gorgeous calligraphy work, as well as her beautiful wedding and pet photography.

Thank you so much Li for sharing your work and process with us!

Photo Credits: Fat Orange Cat Studio

Jan04Beth + Michael’s Chevron Stripe + Calligraphy Save the Dates

My oh my, I’m seriously in love with these save the dates.   Created by Sarah of August Blume, Beth and Michael’s modern and whimsical save the dates combine beautiful lettering from Feast Calligraphy, chevron stripes, a fun interactive layout, and cut-out details. So cute!

From Sarah: I had the pleasure of designing a save the date card (and getting extra creative) for photographer Beth Morgan and her beau, Michael, for their spring 2012 wedding.  With a palette of teal, plum, fuchsia & slate (and the occasional red heart), we mixed their “Mississippi is for Lovers” theme with custom silhouettes and a muted chevron pattern.

We wanted a unique, interactive save the date to set the tone for their April wedding and to get guests excited about traveling to the South.  The couple met and fell in love in Mississippi so we included little-known-facts about the couple and their state on the back of the trifold card with a teal watercolor background.

 

 

The last panel features a mini glassine envelope holding a hang tag so guests can mark their calendar!  The calligraphy was penned by the very talented Alissa of Feast Calligraphy.  The cards were digitally printed on solar white cover stock and each Mississippi was individually cut using my Silhouette Cameo.

I love it!  Thanks Sarah!

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the save the date gallery for more beau­ti­ful cus­tom save the dates!

Photo Credits: August Blume

Jan03Megan + Mike’s Modern Organic Chicago Wedding Invitations

Happy New Year everyone!  We’re getting back to business and starting the new year off with a gorgeous wedding invitation suite from Megan of Ruby the Fox.  You may remember Megan’s awesome stitched save the dates from last April, and I’m just as much in love with her wedding invitations.  Megan wanted to keep the design simple and understated, with modern details in the blind impression letterpress elements, gorgeous calligraphy from Angelique Ink, and a custom garland illustration by the talented Shanna Murray.  So beautiful!

From Megan: Being a stationery designer, I knew our invitations had to be special, represent us as a couple, and reflect our vision for our wedding.  We chose to go very understated, organic, and simple with a clean color palette.

We utilized some amazingly talented vendors to make our vision come together.  We commissioned Shanna Murray to create the beautiful one-of-a-kind garland we used throughout the wedding suite.  Angi Phillips of Angelique Ink graced us with her gorgeous calligraphy and we found vintage stamps through The Paper Nickel Stamp Company.  We lined the envelopes in a white tissue paper which was possibly the only traditional part of the entire suite!

Thanks Megan!

Photo Credits: Ruby the Fox

Dec19Alix + Brandon’s Photostrip and Letterpress Save the Dates

Happy Monday everyone!  We’re starting the last week before the Christmas holiday with a fun and totally cute save the date from Tara at Ephemera Press!  Alix and Brandon chose to incorporate faux-photo booth strips into their save the date, paired with a gray letterpress card with Tara’s illustrations and calligraphy.  So pretty!

From Tara: Alix and Brandon had engagement photos taken by Wisconsin-based photographer Anna Page.  They had this fun idea to fake some old-fashioned photo booth strips, and crop things to that Alix was walking into the frame with Brandon.  I thought it was so clever!  We adhered the photos with washi tape, which was a perfect choice since Alix is half Japanese, and adores the Japanese aesthetic.

Alix asked me to design a letterpress card for these photos that was clean and organic, yet incorporated the chrysanthemums and succulents that will be at her reception next August.  A tall order!  We made it work by sticking with a monochromatic look, and lightening the ink so it was nice and subtle.  The type floats in the lower right corner and balances out the design overall.  The couple’s names are highlighted in my calligraphy.  I think it looks particularly good in all lower-case like this.

 

Finishing touches were coordinating gray envelopes, a matching letterpress wrap-around return address label, and hand-lettered guest addresses in white ink.  Alix and Brandon also got super-simple thank you cards.  I can’t wait to start on the invitations!

Thanks Tara!

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the real invi­ta­tions gallery for beau­ti­ful cus­tom wed­ding invitations!

Photo Credits: Ephemera

p.s. Tara tells me that she’s currently offering a $100 discount on wedding invitation orders from now until December 30!  Check out the details right here!

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