DIY Tutorial: Fig & Gold Calligraphy Save the Date

A few years ago, we participated in a gorgeous vintage plum & gold inspiration shoot. Besides contributing our Gold Leaf Collection place settings to the shoot, we were also asked to provide a calligraphy menu and all of the place cards for the table. To this day, we still inquiries for save the dates or invitations that reference the menu from that shoot because the combination of the fig paper with gold calligraphy is so incredibly striking. – Bailey and Emma of Antiquaria

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

By embossing these stamps with gold powder it really creates a high end, custom looking save the date!

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step One: Place your A2 card on a stable and firm surface. Ink your save the date stamp (we used our Calligraphy Save the Date, No.2 stamp) and center the stamp over your card. When ready, press the stamp down with moderate pressure to make the print. Lift the stamp off and quickly move on to step number two. For more information about inking your stamp or making prints, please watch this video that shows the process in more detail.

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step Two: Once you’ve made your print, immediately cover it with embossing powder by sprinkling it across the paper. Shift the powder around until you have covered the entire image. Now, you will pour the excess powder off of the card onto a scrap piece of paper so that you can reuse it for future prints. Heat set the print, using an Embossing Heat Tool. You will be able to see the powder melt into a smooth and shiny gold when it’s done.

Note: One key thing about embossing is that it is wise to try to closely match your ink color with your powder color. By doing this, you will get much more crisp and opaque results. Since we are wanting a lovely and shiny gold print, we used both a gold stamp pad and gold embossing powder.

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step Three: You will now just repeat this inking and embossing process for your remaining pieces (we used our Floral Calligraphy Return Address stamp and our Floral Calligraphy Accommodations stamp) that will coordinate with your save the date. For the accommodations card, you will use a standard business sized card.

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step Four: To add a little extra personality to the suite, we added an envelope liner made from some awesome kraft and gold polka dot gift wrapping paper. It really helps tie the whole thing together! Trace the template onto your paper and cut it out with scissors. To install, simply use stick glue or double sided tape to adhere them into your envelope.

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Tutorial: Fig + Gold Calligraphy Save the Dates by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Finally, address the invitations, add postage, and send them off to delight your guests! You can also accent the suite with sparkly gold washi tape if you like!

Materials:

Calligraphy Save the Date Stamp, No.2

Floral Calligraphy Return Address Stamp

Floral Calligraphy Accommodations Card

Stamp Pad

Embossing Powder

Heat Gun

A2 Cards in Fig

A2 Envelopes in Antique Gold

Business Cards for the Accommodations piece, in Antique Gold

Gift Wrap to be used as an envelope liner, ours was purchased locally from Urbanic

Envelope liner templates

Pencil

Scissors

Glitter Washi Tape

Photo Credits: Antiquaria

DIY Tutorial: Festive Wrapping with Holiday Gift Tags

The holiday season is probably our favorite season of the year. We love all of the parties, good food, and decorating! Wrapping gifts doesn’t have to be a chore. If you use beautiful materials, it can be just as much fun as picking out the gift itself. We couldn’t pass up this stunning wrapping paper when we spotted it at Urbanic Paper Boutique in Venice a few weeks ago! We used beautiful rubber stamped gift tags and vintage ribbon to accent each gift. – Bailey and Emma of Antiquaria

DIY Holiday Gift Wrap Tutorial by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Holiday Gift Wrap Tutorial by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

By picking a couple of cohesive papers and ribbons, our gifts look even more beautiful sitting together than on their own. How great would they look all stacked under a tree?

DIY Holiday Gift Wrap Tutorial by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Embossed Holiday Gift Tags: For this gift tag, we used the embossing technique. If you go here you will find detailed step-by-step instructions for the process. For this tag, you will want a hunter green card cut to 2.25″ x 4″ and our “Happy Holidays” Calligraphy Gift Tag Stamp. Using a standard 1/4″ hole punch, punch a hole in the top center of the card. Simply thread twine or ribbon through the hole and attach to your gift.

DIY Holiday Gift Wrap Tutorial by Antiquaria via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Holly Berry Gift Tags: Cut white card stock to 2.25″ x 4,” and punch a hole using a 1/4″ hole punch in the top center. Ink your stamp (we used our “Holly Berry” Gift Tag Stamp) with hunter green ink. Center the stamp over your tag and press firmly to make a print. After it dries, simply thread twine or ribbon through the hole and attach to your gift.

Materials

Wrapping paper

For the Embossed Holiday Tag:

“Happy Holidays” Gift Tag Rubber Stamp

Green Card Stock

Hole punch

Stamp Pad in Gold

Embossing Heat Tool

Embossing Powder

Twine

For the Holly Berry Tag:

“Holly Berry” Gift Tag Rubber Stamp

White Card Stock

Hole Punch

Stamp Pad in Hunter Green

Twine

Photo Credits: Antiquaria

{happy weekend!}

Whew!  What a week… but I hope you’re all enjoying the coverage from the 2012 National Stationery Show so far!  I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, and hopefully giving a little care and attention to our poor neglected apartment and garden.  But in the meantime…

Constellation Print by Sycamore Street Press

…a few links for your weekend:

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week!  Cocktail Fridays will be back this afternoon – and we have a special cocktail just in time for Memorial Day weekend, 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

{happy weekend!}

Happy Friday everyone!  Do you all have fun plans for the weekend?  Most of my friends are out of town this weekend, so it’s shaping up to be a rather boring weekend for me.  But that’s totally fine by me; I’m looking forward to catching up on some sleep and getting some things done around the house.  No matter what, I’m sure my weekend will involve many listens to this Belle & Sebastian song; I was kind of on the fence about the most recent album, but I can’t get this song out of my head!  But in the meantime…

Didn’t See It Coming / Belle & Sebastian

…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 wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you all back here on Monday! xoxo

{happy weekend!}

Happy Friday everyone!  Do you have something fun planned for the weekend?  Tomorrow I’m helping a wedding planner friend with a wedding in Virginia and I’m a wee bit nervous.  Hopefully it will be a fun day, but it’ll definitely be interesting!  Can you believe this is the last weekend of June?  This summer is just flying by!  But in the meantime…

Strawberry Rosemary Sangria via A Cozy Kitchen

…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 wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

p.s. I still have a bunch of items available in my tag sale.  Check it out!