Read below for the full recipe!

Oaxacan Sunrise

2 oz Mezcal
3/4 oz Pomegranate Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Combine the ingredients and shake over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and enjoy.

Mezcal, like Tequila, is made in Mexico by fermenting and distilling the agave plant.  Mezcal, unlike Tequila, is made by first roasting the piña, or heart, of the agave plant in earth-covered pit ovens for a few days before fermenting.  This imparts a powerful, delicious smokiness that evokes Scotch whiskey, though Mezcal has a much deeper vegetal flavor.  It’s probably not for everyone, but it’s worth giving it a try.

Here’s what our Oaxacan Sunrise tastes like: smokey, vegetal and fruity, sweet and tart, delicious and refreshing.  It’s like a sweet tart campfire.  Mezcal is a strong flavor that can easily overpower a drink but we think we’ve found a pretty good balance here.  If you prefer a sweeter drink, you could replace the pomegranate liqueur with pomegranate molasses or grenadine, but the tartness of this recipe helps to keep the smokiness of the Mezcal under control.

We haven’t tried it with this recipe, but we’ve had great success with Mezcal Flips at some of our favorite local watering holes.  If you’re feeling adventurous and want to turn this into a Flip, add about half a raw egg or egg white to the mix and shake nice and hard to blend smoothly.  It won’t affect the flavor much, but the resulting texture will be rich and silky.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

© 2008 - 2011, Oh So Beautiful Paper

Photo by me via instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

• I love Erin’s adorable family holiday card
• Want something custom screen printed?  Check out Industry Standard Printing!
• If you’re looking for something special for your Valentine, two of my favorite calligraphers are offering their services.  Order a vintage Parisian postcard from Betsy Dunlap, or commission Bryn from Paperfinger to write out a custom love letter for your sweetheart!
• Speaking of Valentine’s Day, a few more fun cards: here, here, here, and here (and you can check out my previous picks here)
• Beautiful calligraphy wedding invitations by Neither Snow

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

• Enter to win save the dates from Delphine!
• Whimsical illustrated kraft paper wedding invitations
• Wedding invitations inspired by sea creatures!
• Recaps from the New York International Gift Fair: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
• DIY rubber stamp wedding invitations inspired by Tiffany & Co.
• Papel picado-inspired printable wedding invitations

A big welcome to the newest member of the Designer Rolodex – Campbell Raw Press!

As usual, we have a fun cocktail coming up for you this afternoon, so check back a bit later for the recipe!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

© 2008 - 2011, Oh So Beautiful Paper

Laurel made this awesome felt garland that she hung up above her main display area.  It was so cool – I want one in my house!

Laurel Denise

I always love the beautiful ceramic wares from Gleena.  The soft colors and organic shapes of the plates, bowls, and even vases and votives are all so beautiful!

Gleena

Last up for today, Smock – a booth that was packed full of lovely paper goodies, from greeting cards to scratch pads to wrapping paper to patterned boxes.  So much to see in just one booth!  They even had some of the new foil stamp 2012 wedding invitations from Bella Figura on display!

Smock

That’s it for now!  Check out the rest of the posts from the January Gift Fair right here.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

*Smock is one of my fab­u­lous spon­sors; for more on my edi­to­r­ial poli­cies please click here.

© 2008 - 2011, Oh So Beautiful Paper

Have you ever felt the rush of excitement when a special friend, spouse, or loved one presents you with a gift packaged in the little blue box?  This wedding invitation suite was designed to elicit that feeling when your guest receives it in the mail.  Imagine their excitement when this feminine and traditional invitation finds its way into their mailbox.  This DIY is fairly simple yet the colors and packaging tie the whole thing together and give it a feeling of luxury.

Step One: Cut your paper to size A7 (5″x7″).  Since this is a luxurious suite, we would suggest a thick high quality cotton watercolor paper.  Ink your stamp (we used our Vintage Calligraphy Invitation Stamp) thoroughly and center it over your card.  Press down moderately to make the print.  Too hard, the image may be blurry and too light and it may be splotchy.  Let dry.

Step Two: In a similar fashion to printing the Invitation piece, you will now print the reply card.  For this piece, you will want to cut a 4bar (3.5″x5″) card out of the same paper used for the invitation.  Again, ink your stamp (we used our Vintage Calligraphy Reply Card stamp) thoroughly and make the print.  Let dry.

Step Three: Using your return address stamp (we used our Calligraphy Accent Return Address stamp), stamp both the back flap of your A7 envelope and the front of your 4bar envelope.  This is such a great place to pinch pennies in your stationery budget as you are able to use one stamp for both envelopes and you will have it to use after the event is over!

Step Four: To add a little extra flourish to the suite, we’ve used regular round doilies as an envelope liner.  We love the way that the aqua peeks through the lace and think it would be so fun to be the recipient and have this surprise await us once the seal was broken.  To install the doily liners, you will use spray adhesive.  Make sure to do this outside (or in an extremely well ventilated room).  Spray the back of the doily with a light mist of adhesive.  Slide the doily into the envelope, making sure not to press until the doily is placed in its intended spot (as shown above).  Let them dry & cure overnight.

Step Five:  Use a thin ribbon to tie the suite together.  This will keep the components together and give your guest the thrill of “unwrapping” your invitation.

Materials

Stamps:

Vintage Calligraphy Invitation stamp

Vintage Calligraphy Reply Card stamp

Calligraphy Accent Return Address stamp

Stamp Pad (we used black)

Heavy Watercolor Paper (for invitations & reply cards)

A7 Envelopes

4bar Envelopes

Ribbon, 1/8″ thickness

6″ Medallion Lace Paper Doilies

Spray Adhesive

Photo Credits: Antiquaria

© 2008 - 2011, Oh So Beautiful Paper

Shanna Murray

Next up, the creative ladies of One Canoe Two, making their NYIGF debut at this show!  I loved their rustic wood booth design, which was the perfect complement for their whimsical illustrated letterpress art prints, greeting cards, and recipe card sets.

One Canoe Two

The Smudge Ink booth was full of awesome stationery and wrapping paper, from colorful birthday cards to sweet Valentine’s Day cards.  They also set up a letter writing station right in their booth, where visitors could write a quick note to a friend or loved one – and all the cards were mailed out from the show!  Such an awesome idea.

Smudge Ink

Last up for today, Chewing the Cud!  Viola is always coming up with creative new products – from her line of fabric gift wrap and gift bags to limited edition stationery packaged in vintage cigar boxes.  I was completely smitten with the recycled canvas buckets (including the little mini versions!) and tote bags.

Chewing the Cud

More soon!

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

© 2008 - 2011, Oh So Beautiful Paper