Red + Aqua Carnival Birthday Party Invitations for Grace!

As much as I love wedding invitations, there’s just nothing like the youthful exuberance of a kids party invitation.  Jennifer from The Paper Peony sent over these adorable carnival-inspired letterpress invitations that she designed and printed for her daughter Grace’s second birthday, along with some images of the party itself!

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From Jennifer:  We planned a vintage red and aqua carnival theme for a small gathering in our home.  The invitations set the tone with fun fonts, stripes, and a red balloon in each envelope.  I designed the thank you notes with sweet little flags to compliment the party décor.

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We decorated with lots of balloons and wonderful hand-made fabric banners that were hung all over the house (thanks to my mother-in-law).  We served lots of popcorn, gourmet hotdogs and salads as well as “popcorn” cupcakes that I made for the kids. They were a huge hit!

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We had toss games for activities and my husband Shaun even learned how to make balloon animals and flowers the night before.  He got really good at it too!  The kids favors were so fun to put together!  We included rubber ducks, animal crackers, clown noses, pin wheels, candy dots and whoopee cushions!  I also made little paper flags with each child’s name.

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Such a fun party, and it looks like Grace had a total blast!  Thank you so much Jennifer!

{image credits: jennifer larkin | the paper peony}

Sara + Ian’s Greek Isles Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone!  And thank you so much for your kind comments last week – you all truly helped cheer me up.  Also putting me in a good mood?  These stunning invitations from Bespoke Letterpress for a wedding on the Greek Islands later this spring.  That gorgeous shade of blue practically jumps right off the paper – I love it!

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Sigh… so pretty!  Check out more details over on the Bespoke Letterpress blog!

{image credits: bespoke letterpress}

{happy weekend!}

You know how some weeks are just harder than others?  This has been a tough week for me, with a to-do list that feels like it’s getting longer by the minute and a rapidly dwindling energy level.  I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, drained, and a little burned out – and on top of all of that, over the last few days I also managed to come down with a bit of a cold.  Not a good combination!  I’m hoping to recharge a bit this weekend and start fresh next week.  But in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend:

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week!  I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

{image credit: mrmikej via design crush}

Dawn + Matthew’s South Carolina Low Country Wedding Invitations

Having just spent some time in coastal South Carolina this past weekend, I was delighted to see these low country wedding invitations pop into my inbox!  Dawn and Matthew were married a couple of summers ago on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.  Designer Christine Wisnieski created a simple and playful invitation that reflected the relaxed vibe of the wedding location.

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From Christine:  I created this custom wedding invitation for two very close friends, Dawn and Matthew.  They wanted a suite of materials that were light-hearted and easy to use.  The solution was an accordion fold letterpress invitation card held together with a simple paper band.  The spirit of the invitation suite took inspiration from the laid-back style of South Carolina’s low-country.

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I love the accordion fold layout – and such a pretty scallop border!  Thanks Christine!

{image credits: christine wisnieski}

{happy monday}

Whew!  Three days, five states, and more than 900 miles later I’m incredibly happy to be back at home in DC.  I’m a wee bit tired from a long driving weekend, so I thought I would share a few photos from our road trip and some of my favorite links from last week before jumping back into the swing of things.

We stopped in the lovely and charming coastal town of Beaufort, South Carolina.  Have any of you been there?  We really enjoyed our time there!

And a few favorite links from last week!

I’ve got some gorgeous wedding invitations to share with you this morning, so check back soon!

{all photos by me}