Julian’s Red White and Blue Birth Announcements

It’s been a while since we’ve had any birth announcements here, so I was thrilled when Miguel Castro from Heavy Metal Letterpress sent over these fun red, white, and blue fold-out letterpress birth announcements that he printed in collaboration with designer Jorge Fino for Jorge’s son Julian!

Red-White-Blue-Baby-Boy-Birth-Announcement

From Jorge:  The process initially began with a specific visual design style –mid-century modern design – in mind.  Thankfully, Miguel was extremely up for pushing the production level to as high as I saw fit.  I finally settled on detailing a whimsical story of how a baby is made and to depict specific stages in a couples’ life that lead up to the creation.

Red-White-Blue-Baby-Boy-Birth-Announcement

Red-White-Blue-Baby-Boy-Birth-Announcement

I decided to visualize this all in infographic style, which lends itself well to the design style of the mid-century era.  I was inspired heavily by Ty Mattson’s wonderful piece (also a birth announcement).  The original design was vertical, but it didn’t include an area to display the birth announcement info.  I considered a double-sided piece, but ultimately it felt like a piece that didn’t have a clearly defined front and back, so I decided on a fold-out horizontal format.  This turned out much better because the reveal of the announcement information on the last panel enhanced the overall concept.

Red-White-Blue-Baby-Boy-Birth-Announcement

Red-White-Blue-Baby-Boy-Birth-Announcement

Fabulous work!  Thanks so much Miguel and Jorge!

{image credits: heavy metal letterpress}

Paige + Adam’s Vintage Equestrian Wedding Invitations

Last year, I featured the cutest Texas cactus wedding invitations for then-bride Emma James.  Well, I wasn’t the only one that admired Emma’s handiwork with her wedding invitations, because Emma sent over a new set of wedding invitations that she designed for a fellow Texas bride!  Paige and Adam’s wedding will take place later this spring at a horse farm, and Paige knew that she wanted an equestrian theme wedding invitation that reflected her lifelong love for horses.

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations

From the bride, Paige:  Our wedding is taking place at a horse farm just outside of Austin.  Having ridden horses my whole life, I wanted an equestrian theme throughout the wedding.   Having seen Emma’s vintage cactus wedding invitations on Oh So Beautiful Paper, I knew I wanted to collaborate with her for my invitations.

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations-Suite

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitation Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations-RSVP

The invitation itself was letterpress printed with a quirky map motif that led from downtown Austin to the horse farm, Kali Kate.  I loved adding the vintage postcard as a reply card.  It added a beautiful splash of color and helped keep cost down.

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations-Package

The calligraphy, vintage postage, and DIY packaging tied everything together.  For the packaging, I cut and assembled the kraft paper, ribbon, and burlap insert.  The kraft paper was stamped with a monogram logo that Emma designed for us and made into a rubber stamp.

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations-Monogram

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations-Postage-Stamps

Overall, I love the way our invitations came out!  The invitations are informal, but also pretty, and embody the rustic vintage feel I had envisioned for our outdoor hill country wedding.

Vintage-Equestrian-Wedding-Invitations-Envelopes

So beautiful!  And the calligraphy by Bailey Amon is the perfect complement for the rustic equestrian wedding invitation design.  Thanks Emma and Paige!

{image credits: Emma James for Inviting Affairs}

Romantic Handmade Valentines

The last couple of years I’ve been totally enamored with the beautiful valentines from Hello Handmade Paperie – a collaboration between artist Shanna Murray and calligrapher Betsy Dunlap.  Last year’s valentine featured a regency-style letter (gorgeous!) with one of Shanna’s illustrations and text by Betsy.  Sadly, this will be the last project for Hello Handmade as Shanna and Betsy pursue their own projects, but their final Valentine’s Day project is every bit as romantic as the last two.

Romantic-Calligraphy-Valentines

Each valentine is printed with Shanna’s lovely ribboned laurel illustration on the front and a customized note penned by Betsy on the inside.  These personalized, customizable valentines are available for purchase through February 4th, and all valentines will be shipped out on February 7th to arrive in time for Valentines Day!

Romantic-Calligraphy-Valentines

Romantic-Calligraphy-Valentines

Available for purchase right here.

{image credits: hello handmade paperie}