Custom kids birthday party invitations by Paper & Palm. Citrus Collection
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Friendsgiving 2018
Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Are you hosting this year? What about Friendsgiving? We always go up to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, but I have dreams of hosting my entire family someday. And now that my kids are a bit older, we might even be able to pull off hosting a small Friendsgiving gathering! Today I’m teaming up with Wheatley Vodka and a few seriously talented DC-area creatives to dream up my ideal cozy Friendsgiving celebration. And in addition to table inspiration, we’re sharing printable stationery and a couple of holiday cocktail recipes that you can make this holiday season!
I imagine an informal potluck style dinner with cozy candles, delicious cocktails, and of course some of our closest friends for company. And whether I’m planning a birthday party or a small dinner gathering, I always start by choosing the color palette. Neutrals are perfect any time of year, but I also brought in a few seasonal pops of color like burgundy, rust, and mustard yellow in the flowers and a few of the details. So cozy and welcoming!
The table settings are pretty simple, which is perfect for an informal gathering. Light gray ceramic plates, woven placemats for texture, some of our favorite glassware, and a couple of vintage brass candlesticks. Lori and Colleen from Wld Wst, a local floral design studio here in the DC area, made the most beautiful fall floral arrangement for our table. I also made a few DIY pom-poms in our fall color palette and wrapped them around knotted dinner napkins in mismatched colors (we used white, light blue, and pink). One of these days I’ll learn how to properly fold a napkin, but for now I’m really liking the napkins this way!
You know we’re all about the signature cocktail, and the holidays are no exception. Wheatley Vodka is made by the same folks behind Buffalo Trace Distillery, which has been making bourbon whiskey along the banks of the Kentucky River for more than 200 years. That’s more than two centuries of spirit-making knowledge! Wheatley Vodka is crafted in small batches using a one of a kind micro-still, using the same red winter wheat grain used for Weller and Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. The red winter wheat grain gives Wheatley Vodka a smooth, delicate finish that is pure and crisp on the nose, with hints of soft vanilla. It’s pretty much perfect for crafting holiday cocktails!
We made two holiday cocktail recipes with Wheatley Vodka for this Friendsgiving celebration: a bright and fizzy take on the classic French 75 (served in the coupe glass above and garnished with fresh herbs) and a winter punch that you can make in a huge batch for larger gatherings!
Cocktail illustration by Bright Room Studio
Wheatley 75
2 oz Wheatley Vodka
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur
1/4 oz Aquavit
Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a sprig of rosemary or thyme. Enjoy!
The Wheatley 75 is bright, effervescent, and a little bit tart – absolutely perfect for this season! If you’re making this cocktail for a group of people, you can even mix up 2-3 at a time in your cocktail shaker, then just top with sparkling wine in the glass. We used prosecco, but any sparkling wine should work!
Cocktail illustration by Bright Room Studio
Spiced Winter Punch
1 bottle Wheatley Vodka
1 bottle Apple Cider (about 64 oz)
3 cups Lemon Juice
1 1/2 cups Cinnamon Syrup
1 1/2 cups Orange Liqueur
6 oz Allspice Dram
48 dashes Cardamom Bitters
Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl and fill with ice and citrus slices. Serve in punch glasses and garnish with seasonal herbs or a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
We’ve gotten so many requests over the years for an easy winter punch, and I’m beyond thrilled with how this recipe turned out! It’s basically all of my favorite fall flavors in one cocktail. Feel free to adjust the quantities depending on how many people you’re expecting – this recipe will definitely fill up a punch bowl, so cut the ingredients in half if you’re expecting a smaller gathering.
Another favorite party tip: I always a drink station where friends and family can gather and chat before sitting down for dinner. All you need is a big punch bowl filled with spiced winter punch, a cheese board for snacking, and a floral arrangement – or a vase filled with eucalyptus or foraged greenery. A little bit of greenery can go a long way and helps to balance bottles or punch bowls on the other side of the credenza.
Lindsey from Bare Ink Co. created these absolutely stunning invitations for our Friendsgiving. I love the way Lindsey’s lettering feels both a bit fancy but also relaxed and informal – perfect for a Friendsgiving potluck!
Lindsey also made food and drink menus and the sweetest little conversation cards that you can place on each plate in lieu of place cards! I’m so excited to offer the menus and conversation cards as a printable download for all of you. Just download the files at the bottom of this post, print on regular letter-sized card stock, then cut out around the black outline! You can add your own text in Adobe programs if you have them, or just drop the entire file into Word. Easy peasy. We printed our menus on both vellum and card stock, and it’s absolutely impossible for me to pick a favorite!
We also personalized the invitations and menus with a single brushstroke of dark green paint on the left hand side. It makes every invitation and menu feel personalized, and it’s such an easy way to bring more of your color palette into your stationery!
I know the food is the heart of the holiday season, but it’s definitely more our style to make a signature drink or two instead of a traditional Thanksgiving dish. I love the idea of giving your guests drink menus instead of food menus at a holiday gathering – especially if you’re doing a potluck style dinner! We placed our drink menus right on the plate so guests could keep them as a reference while trying the different cocktails.
And seriously, how cute are these little conversation cards? You can download them through the links at the bottom of the post! We placed them on custom engraved wood coasters by Michele from Meant to Be Calligraphy. Michele also engraved one of the Wheatley Vodka bottles with the word “gather” and I can’t think of a better sentiment for this upcoming holiday season.
I hope you all have a wonderful Friendsgiving weekend and Thanksgiving holiday! If you make any of our holiday cocktail recipes, please be sure to tag @beautifulpaper and @wheatleyvodka on Instagram so we can see how they turn out!
Creative Direction and Styling: Nole Garey of Oh So Beautiful Paper
Prop Styling: Joanna Carden
Stationery and Calligraphy: Lindsey Swink of Bare Ink Co.
Cocktail Recipes and Vintage Glassware: Liquorary
Florals: Lori Tran and Colleen Rogin-West of Wld West
Wood and Glass Engraving: Meant to Be Calligraphy
Cocktail Recipe Illustrations: Bright Room Studio
Venue: Common Room Studio
Photography: Lauren Louise Collective
This post was created in partnership with Wheatley Vodka. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!
Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Hand Painted Acrylic
Acrylic signs have become quite the wedding and party staple over the past few years! You’ve seen a few of them here on OSBP, from these DIY acrylic cocktail menus four years ago to signs at the paper party during the National Stationery Show. Normally we see clear or solid color acrylic, but lately I’ve noticed a lot of hand painted acrylic for a more modern abstract art-inspired look. I’m absolutely loving this new trend, so I thought I’d round up a few examples to share with all of you!
How stunning is this hand painted acrylic invitation by Swell Press?? It’s seriously a work of art!
Beautiful hand painted signs – a cocktail menu and a no cell phones ceremony sign – by Anne Robin Calligraphy. Photos by Erin McGinn.
The sweetest hand painted acrylic welcome sign by Bare Ink Co.
Beautiful neutral hand painted acrylic bar menus by Hawaii Calligraphy
How cute is this rainbow acrylic sign by Deets&Things and With Love Calligraphy for a rainbow-themed birthday party?? Photo by L&B Photography via 100 Layer Cake.
I’m not sure if these faux sea glass table numbers by Bash Calligraphy are made from acrylic, but they were too beautiful not to include!
This deep green and gold acrylic drink menu by Bare Ink Co. is so perfect for fall events!
Colorful acrylic dinner menu signs by Bright Room Studio
Love this burgundy and gold sign from Bare Ink Co. letting guests know about a sparkler sendoff at the end of the evening!
Pretty hand painted table numbers by Mulberry Market Designs
I love absolutely everything about this hand painted acrylic sign by Hawaii Calligraphy, from the white paint and gold lettering to the copper frame and orchids!
So there you go! I think the hand painted look is so fun for modern weddings, but I want to hear what YOU think! Are you digging the hand painted/abstract art-inspired look on acrylic?? Or do you prefer clear or solid acrylic signs?
Seaside Brunch Invitations
A seaside brunch with a few of your closest friends – doesn’t that sound like a dream? I love this brunch idea for birthday parties, bridal showers, or really any occasion. The romantic seaside brunch invitations by Jen of Chatty Press were printed on handmade paper from Farmette Press to mimic the rugged Maine coastline and feature Jen’s whimsical hand lettering on a fun keepsake print (the best kind of keepsake, IMHO). Take a look!
From Jen: The coast of Maine is often thought of as rocky and rugged, so we wanted to showcase the romantic vibes of the sandy seacoast for this seaside brunch invitation. While it’s easy to thrown down a blanket and a cooler and have a great time together, this group of gals wanted a day together that was a little more fanciful. So with windswept skirts four good friends spent the morning noshing on baked goods and fruit on a whitewashed farm table.
I wanted the ladies invited to this brunch to feel special and have something aside from the memories to remember the day, so I decided to make a keepsake print inspired by the seacoast. After reading a ton of quotes about the seaside, the ocean, friendship and love, I decided that this short and sweet saying “High tides and good vibes” was the perfect sentiment that perfectly fit the feeling of the day.
I hand lettered the quote, first as a pencil sketch, and then digitally, to be letterpress printed onto some very pillowy and soft handmade paper from Farmette Press. I didn’t quite want the ink color to match the handmade envelopes, but I wanted something that complimented it, so I chose a blue that was a tad bit darker and really popped on the off-white paper.
Of course, the invitation still had to convey the important details, so I decided to create a small card printed on a sandstone grey handmade paper, that was concise and to the point. Each card was printed by hand on my antique golding pearl. I absolutely love adding something special and memorable to an invitation that guests won’t just throw away, and this keepsake print is my current favorite.
Thanks Jen!
Design and Printing: Chatty Press
Paper: Farmette Press
Event Design: Aulette Events
Photo Credit: Ellysia Francovitch Photography
Bright and Colorful Superhero Birthday Party Invitations
Happy Monday everyone! As a mom, I love seeing how other moms translate popular birthday party themes into modern birthday party invitation designs. Case and point: these bright and colorful superhero birthday party invitations from Cari Marie Designs! Sporting vibrant lightening bolts and funky comic book-style graphics, Cari made her son’s dream of being a superhero a reality with this bright and colorful superhero themed birthday party!
From Cari: WHAM BAM ZWEE! To celebrate my son, Cohen, turning three, I put together a fun, modern, and laid back party for the savvy superhero, decked out in his “super fast†tracksuit complete with lightning bolts, and of course, a superhero mask & cape! Sealed in a bright yellow envelope, the invitations set the tone for the party with superhero sayings and lightning bolts replicated from the party plates! I had fun playing off superhero words like “kapow” and using “hero headquarters” for the party destination spot!
When our tiny guests arrived, they had the chance to stop by the wall of capes and masks and pick out their favorite color! (Numerous wardrobe changes occurred during the party, might I add!) There were even some adults who took part in the dress-up fun!
The party room was filled with custom superhero coloring pages, kapow! Cupcakes topped with pop rocks, boom blast bam mix, super pebble pops and not one, but two birthday cakes – Nutella and chocolate with a chocolate ganache and a gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting by two birds baking.
After the heroes, excuse me, guests helped save the city, they flew back home with their cape and mask, superhero tattoos, glow sticks, pop rocks, hero finger flingers, and loads of boom blast bam mix! They also got to take home their masterpiece coloring sheets!
His party was a blast to design and I loved incorporating a new perspective on the superhero theme! It was fun to put a modern spin on this theme without using one specific superhero!
Thanks Cari!
Design: Cari Marie Designs
Cakes: two birds baking
Photo Credits: Cari Holmes