Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone – and Happy Spring! Thankfully it actually feels like Spring today in DC, even if it doesn’t quite look like Spring just yet. Hopefully soon! But in the meantime…

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Pink Hellebore Floral Arrangement by Sarah Winward / Photo by Kate Osborne via Snippet & Ink

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Check back soon for this week’s cocktail! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here next week! xoxo

Evie’s Calligraphy Baby Announcements

Ashley from Lemon and Lavender recently welcomed a baby girl – Evelyn – into her beautiful family. I love the birthday party invitations that Ashley designs for her children (Gavin’s camp-inspired invitations are some of my all time faves), so I was thrilled when she sent Evie’s birth announcement over! Ashley worked with calligrapher Joelle Duff from A Charming Occasion to create the most darling announcement – complete with Evie’s own personal monogram!

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From Ashley: Our sometimes gypsy life inspired Miss Evie’s birth announcement. We currently reside in West Africa, and knowing that she would be making her first of hopefully many trips across the globe by the tender age of 5 weeks, I wanted to incorporate that element in her announcement.

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I enlisted the help of Joelle Duff of A Charming Occasion for custom calligraphy. She lettered Evelyn’s full name as well as the shorter version of her name. Since she goes by Evie we used the small enclosure card for her Sip & See as a way to incorporate that part of her name. Wanting to include a little bit of Senegal we took newborn photos of Evie in a traditional Senegalese basket to slip into navy 4bar envelopes. It’s always so fun to design for your own children and I was thrilled to have Joelle’s pretty work featured in the final design.

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In addition to the announcement, I designed a monogram rubber stamp because let’s be honest you are never too young for your own monogram – especially if you hail from the South!

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Thanks so much Ashley – and welcome Evie!

Design: Lemon and Lavender

Calligraphy: A Charming Occasion

Photo Credits: Ashley La Rue | Lemon and Lavender

Beck’s Chartreuse Letterpress Birth Announcements

Designer Kaydi from Maison Yellow and her husband welcomed their first child last October: an adorable baby boy named Becher! Kaydi wanted Beck’s birth announcements to be bold and fun, so she chose a bright chartreuse and steel blue color palette and a cute illustrated envelope liner. Letterpress printing from Czar Press and a sweet baby photo were the perfect finishing touches!

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From Kaydi: In October of last year my husband and I were blessed with our first child. No one can ever accurately explain to you just how crazy those first few weeks and months are. To add to the chaos, my husband is in the Air Force and had to leave for an assignment when our son was just 4 weeks old. Needless to say all my big plans of sending out fantastic custom birth announcements the month after he was born went out the window. As a designer myself, the last thing I wanted to skip out on was my own child’s birth announcement. So, even though they are a few months late, I finally decided on a design direction and ran with it.

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When deciding on a name for our son we both wanted something strong and bold but still a bit fun and different. I used those keywords as inspiration for the birth announcements: strong, bold, fun, and different. I feel those concepts came to life through the color palette, illustrations, envelope liner pattern, and layered component of the additional envelope with picture card. Being a multi-piece announcement suite, it also allowed for opportunities to use letterpress and flat printing, creating a depth of texture as well as opportunities to expand upon the main design concepts but in different formats.

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Since our son’s first name is a little different and special in that it means first born son in Hebrew, I wanted this to be the main focus of the letterpress card and come across strong and bold without a real “babyish” feel. The separate photo card tucked in an envelope labeled “our little love” sealed with washi tape was also a great way to introduce a nickname leaving the letterpress card with the complete formal name.

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The envelope liner, featuring onesies with ties labeled “Becher,” bottles, footprints, and rattles, was a must for me and added the extra playful patterning in the same chartreuse and steel blue palette as the rest of the suite. All in all, this birth announcement design turned out to be a perfect representation of our little guy and his wonderful personality… and not to mention a great excuse for more letterpress in my life!

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Thanks Kaydi – and congrats!

Design: Maison Yellow

Letterpress and Photo Card printing: Czar Press

Baby Photo: Joseph Mark Photography

Photo Credits: Maison Yellow

Stationery Inspiration: Mixing Vintage Postage

I’m a big big fan of using vintage postage stamps on everything from wedding invitations to baby announcements. So when Cara from Underwood Letterpress and Anne Robin Calligraphy sent over a few tips for mixing vintage postage to create little art collections on your envelopes, I couldn’t resist! These envelopes definitely make an impression and, especially when combined with stunning calligraphy, are a beautiful keepsake for the recipients!

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From Cara of Underwood Letterpress: Your wedding invitation sets the tone for your special event. The vintage postage on these envelopes takes first impressions to the next level by mixing genre, color and technique. Here are a few tips for ways to turn your outer envelope in to a piece of art that will leave a lasting impression!

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Don’t Be Afraid of Color!
Pops of color are essential to any design palette. Go bold with these fun and out there envelope designs. Mixing traditional design with Pop Art never looked so good. Each of these fabulous postage collages in the “In Love” line come with an eclectic mix of vintage postage plus a special Love stamp to celebrate the occasion!

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Tone on Tone
Tone on tone is all the rage this season and there is no better way to maximize your wedding colors than by using multiple shades of your favorite hues. Check out these vintage postage collages with purple tones, blues and greens. Your guests might just decide to put these envelopes in a frame.

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Mix Your Mediums
Try mixing techniques on your envelopes with this beautiful watercolor calligraphy design. The watercolor adds a whimsical touch while the modern address provides the perfect amount of juxtaposition.

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Vintage Postage: Underwood Letterpress

Calligraphy: Anne Robin

Photography: Stephanie Collins Photography

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! I’m back in DC after a whirlwind few days in New York and grateful to be home again with my little family. I’m still catching up from the last few days, so I’m skipping straight to our weekly link round up today. I’m excited to share the rest of the photos from the NYNOW winter market with you next week! But in the meantime…

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Still in awe of this constellation quilt by Haptic Lab

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Check back soon for this week’s cocktail! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here next week! xoxo