11/08/2018

Inspiring Calligraphers: Sable and Gray Paper Co.

Hello everyone! I have something light and bright to share with you, and of course, it comes in the way of paper inspiration. We’re focusing on the work of Kristin Hussey, a calligrapher who runs Sable & Gray Paper Co. I think you’re going to love this uplifting inspiration as we take a peek at her lettering work. Let’s dive in! – Jen

Photo Credit: Tifani Lyn Photography

From Kristin: I got my degree in Architecture, and after I graduated from school, I worked for a firm that I had dreamed of working at. It was fascinating and such a great opportunity, but I didn’t realize the reality of being a modern-day architect until I was working there: it had become a very computer-driven career with all of the models and drawings being done in computer programs. I really missed working with my hands so I decided to try out a different career path that would be more hands-on. So I got a job at a florist, which was just the change I needed. While I was working there, the florist merged with a stationery company, and asked if I would take over the custom stationery designs since I had a background in design, and I completely fell in love.

Photo Credit: Luxlight Photography

About a year later I went off on my own and started Sable & Gray, which has been such a beautiful adventure. I try to make each invitation a real work of art, incorporating as many hand-crafted details as possible. It only felt natural to learn calligraphy as well so I wouldn’t need to rely only on predesigned fonts. I took a calligraphy course from Molly Jacques (who is a true modern calligraphy legend!) about 4 years ago and never looked back!

Photo Credit: Luxlight Photography

I’ve developed my calligraphy style over the past four years with a goal to create a look that is elevated, yet approachable (and also legible!). I’ve looked up to other calligraphers like Molly Jacques (who taught me pointed-pen calligraphy) and Jenny Sanders (who is just amazing), but have tried to develop a style that is uniquely my own.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Laduca Photography

Here’s a peek at Kristin in her element:

Photo Credit: Corey Weber Photography

I love to incorporate calligraphy into my custom wedding invitation designs and will tweak my style a bit to fit the mood and aesthetic of each invitation suite. I especially love doing watercolor brush calligraphy because it’s so beautiful seeing the gradient and watching the colors bleed together throughout each word. They really look like a little piece of art in and of themselves.

Photo Credit: The Weber Photographers

It’s tough to pick a favorite project! I really love this custom invitation suite that features a combination of watercolor brush calligraphy and letterpress printing on double-thick paper (and it has gorgeous dusty-blue edge painting, too!). The custom die-cut Michigan-shaped response card is an extra special cherry on top of this dreamy suite.

Photo Credit: Luxlight Photography

Thanks so much for sharing your work, Kristin! Looking for even more beautiful calligraphy? Check out our calligraphy archive right here!

Photo credits, except where noted: Kristin Hussey of Sable & Gray Paper Co.

Want to be featured in our calligraphy column? Reach out to us at submissions [at] ohsobeautifulpaper [dot] com with the subject line “Calligraphy Feature” for more details!

07/05/2018

Nine Ways to Incorporate Calligraphy Into Your Wedding

If I have a weakness for anything, it’s calligraphy. As far as I’m concerned, calligraphy is magic and elevates everything it touches to a work of art. Today I’m sharing nine ways to incorporate calligraphy into your wedding, for those of you in wedding planning mode who are as calligraphy-obsessed as I am!

Calligraphy by Script Merchant / Photo Credit: Kayla Barker

1. The Invitations and envelopes

First things first â€“ the wedding invitations! When most of us think about wedding calligraphy, we think of envelopes with beautifully calligraphed addresses. And I’m definitely all in favor of going all out for the envelopes, but you can also use calligraphy for your entire wedding invitation! Depending on your budget and guest list size, you could ask a calligrapher to hand write each invitation entirely in calligraphy or brush lettering â€“ like these hand lettered Sumi ink invitations â€“ or commission something called spot calligraphy, where a calligrapher writes out a few words (usually your names and maybe the venue or location) and digitally scans the lettering to incorporate into the final invitation design. There are calligraphy styles to suit every type of wedding: classic and elegant, modern, bohemian, whimsical, and plenty of examples of spot calligraphy in our wedding invitation archive!

Minimalist wedding invitation design by Jenny Sanders

Semi-custom invitation design by Anne Robin Calligraphy

Photo and Calligraphy by Lauren Saylor of A Fabulous Fete

2. Wedding Welcome Signs

Large signs are the perfect way to welcome guests to your wedding! Wedding welcome signs can be made out of anything from large pieces of plexiglass to reclaimed wood to an oversized tropical leaf. Looking for even more wedding sign inspiration? You’re in luck! I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to this topic right here!

Photo Credit: Barrie Anne Photography via Glamour and Grace

3. Ceremony Backdrop

I love the idea of using a favorite quote or a meaningful phrase written in gorgeous calligraphy to serve as a wedding ceremony backdrop! Text can be painted onto fabric (white cotton curtains or even a bed sheet would do the trick!), written onto a roll of art paper, or even printed using a service like Spoonflower!

Calligraphy by Neither Snow / Photo Credit: Erich McVey

4. Seating Charts & Escort Cards

Seating charts and escort cards serve the extremely helpful purpose of letting your guests know where to sit at the reception â€“ but they can also be beautiful! The difference between a seating chart and escort cards is that a seating chart is usually organized by table number, with the names of each guest at that table below, while escort cards are individual cards alphabetized by guest name that help escort guests to their table. Either way, your guests’ names will look absolutely amazing in calligraphy!

Photo Credit: Blush Wedding Photography via Style Me Pretty

Calligraphy by Neither Snow / Photo Credit: A Bryan Photo

Calligraphy and watercolor by Holly Hollon, Styling by Ginny Au, Photography by Erich McVey via Once Wed

5. Place Cards

A seating chart or escort card will get your guest to the appropriate table, but if you’re planning on assigned seating at your wedding, you’ll also need place cards. I love these simple color-dipped place cards with deckled edges â€“ or beautiful calligraphy tags pinned to gold spray painted faux fruit for a fall wedding. Plenty more place card ideas right here!

Color-dipped place cards with deckled edges by Wildfield Paper Co. / Photo Credit: Callie Hobbes Photography via Style Me Pretty

Calligraphy by Ashley Buzzy / Photo Credit: Rustic White Photography

6. Drink and Dinner Menus

Planning to offer a signature cocktail? Share the options with your guests with a beautiful calligraphy bar sign! And individual dinner menus can even double as place cards by writing the name of each guest at the top!

Calligraphy by Meant to Be Calligraphy / Photo Credit: Rebekah J. Murray via Wedding Chicks

Calligraphy by Chelsea Petaja / Photo Credit: Tec Petaja via Once Wed

7. Table Runners

This one is a bit outside the box, but wouldn’t a calligraphed table runner be the perfect addition to the head table for a romantic wedding? Similarly to a wedding ceremony backdrop, ask your calligrapher to write your wedding vows or a favorite poem onto a roll of butcher paper or art paper, making sure that the text appears only on each side of the table so that it isn’t covered by your centerpieces!

Calligraphy by Rachel Jacobson / Photo Credit: Milton Photography via 100 Layer Cake

8. Chair Signs

I love the idea of creating special signs for the bride and groom’s chairs at the wedding reception. Calligraphed signs (or fabric banners) could be the answer! They also look amazing with a little posy of flowers to accent the sign.

Calligraphy by Li Ward / Photo Credit: Dylan Howell and Sarah Byrne

9. Favor Bags

Last, but not least, send your guests home with a sweet little favor bag! Ask your calligrapher to make you a rubber stamp with your names or initials in calligraphy, then stamp it on cotton muslin bags and fill with your favorite treat!

Photo Credit: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty

03/21/2018

Calligraphy, Hand Lettering, and Typography Wedding Inspiration

We’re obviously pretty big fans of all things calligraphy, hand lettering, and typography here at Oh So Beautiful Paper. And weddings offer endless opportunities to incorporate a bit of text into your wedding dÃ©cor, from welcome signs to ceremony backdrops to dinner menus. Here is some calligraphy, hand lettering, and typography wedding inspiration that you can incorporate into your big day! – Annie

A wooden sign with sans serif type and script makes the perfect backdrop. | Photography: Harmony in Happenstance, Event Design: Bashology, Hand-Cut Wood Letterings: Bashology via Green Wedding Shoes

Hand lettering adds a whimsical touch to escort cards. | Photography: Mi Belle Photography, Event Planning: Bash, Please via Style Me Pretty

Watercolor and calligraphy is a killer combination. | Photography: Henry + Mac, Event Planning: 42* North, Calligraphy: Jenny Sanders via Style Me Pretty

These graphic gold napkins prove it’s all in the details. | Photography: Gina Paulson Photography, Event Coordinator & Stylists: ae creative via Wedding Chicks

Favors are an easy way to add a personal touch. | Photography: Bradley James Photography via Weddingbells

Love the hand lettering on this simple and elegant menu. | Photography: Samantha Davis, Event Planning & Coordination: Marry Me In France via Wedding Chicks

How fun are these personalized paper flags?! | Photography: Jesse Chamberlin of Our Labor of Love, Event Planning: Bash Please via 100 Layer Cake

You really can’t go wrong with a gorgeous laser cut wooden sign. | Photography: Christine Sarah Photography, Event Design & Planning: The Bloom & Co., Handmade Sign: Feather and Birch via Green Wedding Shoes

This graphic black and white menu is anything but boring. | Photography: Mackensey Alexander Photography, Event Planning: Ivory & Beau via Junebug Weddings

A dose of calligraphy at each place setting is also the perfect memento. | Photography: Jessica Kettle Photography, Event Design & Planning: Amorology, Paper Goods: Peanut Press Creative via Green Wedding Shoes

p.s. Fun acrylic sign ideas for weddings and photo booth backdrop ideas!

06/28/2017

Where to find Handmade Deckle Edge Paper

If I had to pick just one standout wedding invitation trend from 2017, it would easily be the return of beautiful and unique handmade paper with deckle edges. Handmade paper is all over my Instagram feed, and with good reason! Handmade deckle edge papers bring incredible depth to a wedding invitation suite, with gorgeous texture and those beautiful, soft feathery edges â€“ and, since the paper is often custom made by hand, it can be made in all sorts of amazing custom colors. Handmade deckle edge paper is also gorgeous in day-of wedding stationery, like menus and seating cards. Today I thought I’d share a few resources for where to find handmade deckle edge paper for those of you who might be on the hunt!

Photo by Little North Company via Instagram

For those of you who aren’t familiar with deckle edge paper, we’re talking about the thin, imperfect edges that result from traditional paper making techniques. During the paper making process, a deckle â€“ or wood fence â€“ is placed in the mould to keep the paper slurry within bounds and control the final size of the resulting paper sheet. During the paper making process, some of the paper slurry passes under the deckle and forms an irregular, thin feathered edge. You can also achieve a deckle edge look by hand tearing machine-made paper using a ruler (this invitation suite is a great example of hand-torn paper), and some handmade paper may also be hand-torn to achieve a specific paper size without a deckle. But for today’s purposes we’re focusing on handmade paper with a feathered edge resulting from a wood deckle.

Photo Credit: Jenny Sanders of Graceline

Romantic shipwreck-inspired wedding invitations by Poste & Co. / Handmade paper by Share Studios / Photo Credit: Kelli Durham Photography

Large Paper Orders

If you’re a stationer or calligrapher looking to carry deckle edge paper as one of your house paper stocks, I’m really only aware of two options for large quantity paper orders: the deckle edge paper stocks from Legion Paper (Arturo, Mediovalis, and Rives BFK among others) and Arpa from OrangeArt. I’ve seen the Arturo and Arpa papers in person and you really can’t go wrong with either option â€“ I’m particularly smitten with the lavender and pale pink papers from each line. If you know of other wholesale deckle edge paper options, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

Ethereal vellum wedding invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy / Handmade paper by Fabulous Fancy Pants / Photo Credit: My Sun & Stars Co.

Photo Credit: Jenny Sanders of Graceline

Custom Handmade Papers

Oooh, this is where things get fun! There are tons of independent handmade paper making studios across the country, all making unbelievably beautiful handmade paper. Since these are small studios (often just one person), they produce extremely limited quantities and may require longer lead times to produce enough paper and/or envelopes for a full wedding invitation suite. But the results are SO worth it! Here are a few of the folks on my radar (in alphabetical order):

Fabulous Fancy Pants

Photo Credit: Barbara Gregory Design

Fabulous Fancy Pants

Idyll Paper

Photo Credit: Erich McVey

Idyll Paper

Saint Signora

Calligraphy and Photo Credit: Katie Decker Hyatt of Signora e Mare

Saint Signora

Share Studios

Photo Credit: Styletter

Share Studios

Silk & Willow

Calligraphy by Seniman Calligraphy

Silk & Willow

Photo Credit: Jenny Soi

SpurlÃ© Gul

Etsy

You can also find some pretty incredible handmade paper shops from around the world on Etsy â€“ from traditional white and ecru paper to some very non-traditional color and material options. If you’re willing to spend a bit of time searching around, I recommend searching for “handmade paper” and “deckle edge paper” to get the best results. Here are a few of the more interesting shops that I found:

A couple quick tips for using handmade deckle edge paper in your wedding stationery:

Handmade papers vary widely in the materials used, texture, and color of each paper. If it’s your first time using a handmade paper or working with a particular paper maker, it’s probably a good idea to order some samples before placing a larger order.

Tell your stationer, printer, and/or calligrapher as soon as possible if you plan to incorporate handmade paper into your wedding stationery. You’ll want to be sure ahead of time that your favorite paper is compatible with your chosen printing method and invitation design. Writing on handmade paper can be very different from writing on machine-made paper, so your calligrapher will need to know well in advance so he or she can make any necessary adjustments in terms of equipment, paper quantities, or even just the amount of time needed to complete your stationery.

Those are my tips! Are any of you planning to use handmade paper in your wedding invitations?

03/06/2017

Romantic Copper Foil Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! Are you ready for some truly beautiful wedding invitations with one of the most gorgeous envelope details I’ve EVER SEEN???? These romantic copper foil wedding invitations come to us from two ladies that are near and dear to my heart: Samantha and Whitney of Gus & Ruby Letterpress! Whitney designed (and printed!) these invitations for Sam’s wedding a couple summers ago, with beautiful calligraphy from Graceline, a soft and romantic color palette, and copper foil details woven throughout the suite. So pretty!

From Samantha: My absolutely incredible business partner and best friend, Whitney, designed this custom suite for me, welcoming guests to my weekend-long wedding held outside Portland, Maine. Though the wedding was held in a refurbished barn, the event was not at all rustic and instead featured an elegant, romantic color palette of deep purples, rich raspberry, slate blue, copper, and a few blushy pinks. My overall aesthetic was inspired by a moody Vermeer still-life.

An interactive tri-fold save the date introduced guests to the event with information about the weekend. The piece was then tied with metallic twine atop a card featuring duo-tone papers (soft pink and deep plum) and a full-bleed floral pattern.

The invitation suite featured romantic, contemporary calligraphy by Jenny Sanders of Graceline Art and a classic roman font. The actual invitation featured a swath of copper foil along the bottom while other pieces used varying paper colors and small amounts of florals to convey the elegant tone. Each invitation suite was wrapped in a hand-dyed linen band, tied with metallic twine and had dried eucalyptus leaves atop them.

Weekend events cards were printed on duo-toned paper (deep plum and soft pink) and housed in small slate blue â€œdetailsâ€ envelopes featuring custom wax seal closures. All pieces were printed on a mix of double-thick 100% cotton paper and rich colored stock. As always, the pieces were lovingly letterpress printed and foil-stamped by hand on our antique presses here in NH.

The whole bundle was then housed in a deep wine-colored envelope with a soft blush liner. Delicate copper frames were foil stamped on the front of the envelope to encircle a selection of carefully curated stamps and white calligraphy finished the design.

Thanks so much Samantha & Whitney!

Design and Printing: Gus & Ruby Letterpress

Envelope Calligraphy: Jenny Sanders of Graceline

Gus & Ruby Letterpress is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ check out more of their beautiful work right here or visit the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Brea McDonald Photography for Gus & Ruby Letterpress