01/11/2018

Inspiring Calligraphers: Maurelle Calligraphy and Design

Hello to the new year (and finally some non-freezing temperatures here in New England!). As dependable as a blizzard in Maine (the great children’s book Blizzard Wizard is written by a Maine author, after all), it’s safe to assume that looking at beautiful calligraphy from the most talented and inspiring calligraphers puts you in a good mood. So here goes with today’s inspiration, Maurelle Calligraphy. Let’s take a peek! â€“ Jen

Maurelle was introduced to calligraphy when she was just fourteen â€” and fell in love with the art. “College happened, and I never picked up the pen again until six years ago,” she says. “This time around, I discovered script calligraphy (Copperplate), and I fell in love the second time around.” Maurelle channeled her natural entrepreneurial spirit and started her design business four years ago.

Photo Credit: Christine Pienaar Photography

How Maurelle describes herself in her own words:

“A creative soul, lettering artist, designer and teacher. A full time mother to three children (with a new baby that arrived 2 months ago) and wife to a very supportive husband living in the beautiful British Columbia.”

Photo Credit: Rachel May Photography

Maurelle first learned the traditional Copperplate calligraphy, with all of its rules to follow. “Along the way, I have used these essential rules to transition to a modern style of calligraphy,” she shares. “My lettering style is inspired by nature, the natural and delicate movement of foliage. It is now a culmination of old world charm, minimalism and beauty in imperfection.”

Photo Credit: White Linen Photography

Photo Credit: Maru Photography

One of Maurelle’s favorite projects was a custom invitation for a wedding in Iceland. The invitation included a hand-drawn painting of the venue and church. “It was an incredible experience because I stepped out of my comfort zone when I used acrylic as a medium to draw,” shares Maurelle.

Photo Credit: Mackenzie Jane Photography

Photo Credit: Melissa Gidney Photography

What happens when you make a mistake as a calligrapher? People make mistakes, right? Here’s what Maurelle shared:

“Mistakes are opportunities to learn! Since calligraphy is usually done using traditional dip pen and ink, sometimes errors are just unavoidable. For wedding invitations, it is more forgiving since I have to digitize my design first and edit it with a program before sending it to the printer. For place cards and envelopes, I usually require at least 20% extra stationery, and I have learned techniques from past experiences to minimize mistakes. For custom work like a wedding vow sometimes an ink blot or wrong spelling can get in the way at the very last sentence, I just take a deep breath and start all over again!”

Photo Credit: Erin Sousa

Photo Credit: Minted Photography

I just love when calligraphers dabble in illustration, too. So pretty! A big thanks to Maurelle of Maurelle Calligraphy and Design for sharing a sweet roundup of her lettering work. See you soon!

p.s. Check out all of our past calligrapher features right here!

01/11/2018

The Little Prince First Birthday Party Invitation

Hi everyone! Just a quick housekeeping note before we jump into today’s post: Registration for the Blueprint Model 2018 closes at 11:59 pm TONIGHT! Check out my blog post with all the details from earlier in the week, or go here to register!

We can all agree that The Little Prince is one of our all-time favorite children’s books, yes? I love that artist Kristy Rice of Momental Designs used this beloved book as the inspiration for her son’s first birthday party invitation! If you’re familiar with Kristy’s work, then you know that she always goes the extra mile to create the most special and thoughtful invitations. You’ll just have to read below to see all the details she incoporated into this “The Little Prince” first birthday party invitation â€“ it’s absolutely dreamy!

From Kristy: Izzyâ€™s beautiful and unique first birthday invitations were a high art twist on Antoine de Saint-ExupÃ©ry’s beloved childrenâ€™s story â€œThe Little Prince.â€ All of the artwork for the stationery was developed in a more detailed and realistic style compared to the original bookâ€™s illustrations.

Perhaps the most special piece for the whole event was a calligraphy backdrop written by Sarah of Flourish Grace. We wrote a letter to Izzy and gave her the text, so all guests could share in our sentiments to him. Here is what we wrote:

â€œDear Isaac our Izzy Wizzy baby guy,

You’ve shown us what it is to live, really live…to love bigger, to trust more, to make time for what matters, to pay attention, to put our phones down, to listen to God more, to love mornings, to marvel… to blow raspberries and let it be the best part of the day.

Love, Mama and Papaâ€

For the invitation itself, we created a custom game board-style box inspired by the Little Prince. At 17 inches by 10 inches, it was even the size of a board game! A spinner asked guests â€œWhat will the Little Prince teach today?â€ and allowed them to indulge in a bit of play as the explored the invitation. Each box had specially sized compartments to hold a copy of the book, a sheet of custom watercolor stickers, and small trinkets inspired by Antoine de Saint-ExupÃ©ry’s beloved words.

And we could not send our guests home without special favors! We curated a case full of fun stuff, with the title â€œA Visual Map and How-to Guide to Seeing with Your Little Kid Eyes.” Each mini suitcase was stuffed with time-honored goodies guaranteed to turn back the hands of time, even just for one afternoon; candy cigarettes, garbage pail kids, balsa wood airplane, bazooka bubble gum, Lip Smackers lip balm, Pop Rocks and a Slinky!

In the lid a watercolor map was custom fitted, calling out the “steps” to revisiting your childhood fun! To name a few: “Pop some rocks and swig some soda if you’re brave”, and “Read The Little Prince, it’s weird and wonderful and witty, just read it…k?” We really wanted our guests not only to read the book, but to experience the lessons of this classic story in a fun and interactive way, and to take a child-like perspective on life, even just for a few minutes.

Thanks so much Kristy! BTW â€“ you can see Kristy’s whimsical adoption baby shower invitations right here!

Design: Momental Designs

Calligraphy: Flourish Grace

Momental Designs is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ you can see more of their beautiful work right hereor visit the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Dolci Momenti Photography

01/10/2018

Glamorous Mixed Metals Wedding Invitations

It’s the first wedding invitations of 2018 â€“ and we’re going glam! These glamorous mixed metals wedding invitations from Taryn of Twinkle & Toast bring an extra dose of sultry drama, with gorgeous gold foil on matte black and metallic gray paper. And can you believe these invitations were created for a wedding in Malibu, California?? We love that Taryn and her clients chose to deviate from a typical bright and cheery aesthetic for a darker, moodier aesthetic. To round out the look she included amazing custom stamps and a custom watercolor envelope liner she painted herself!

From Taryn: Melanie and Matt are both from the east coast, but currently reside in Southern California. Since many of their family and friends still live on the east coast, this was going to be a destination wedding for several of their guests, and they really wanted to create a special, effortless California evening. They found the most beautiful venue in Malibu: a working olive tree farm that overlooked the ocean in the rolling hills. It was romantic and charming with breathtaking views. Their wedding was in October, which called for lots of moody dark colors of burgundy, gray, and black with mixed metals and vintage flair. This couple had a laid-back attitude and a great eye for design (the groom is an art director himself).

The whole invitation suite featured custom oversized spot calligraphy throughout. The main invitation had a pale gold foil print on a super silky pitch-black noir paper. To incorporate some burgundy, we had custom painted deep florals featured on their RSVP card and insert card. The accompanying cards were printed on a smooth ivory paper to tie in their vintage touch. The main envelope was a metallic black and the RSVP envelope was metallic gray, which gave it a smoky dark feel. Both metallic envelopes had a pale gold foil stamp return address, with metallic gold pointed pen calligraphy ink for the guest address.

We also designed custom postage stamps with the burgundy floral design on both envelopes. One of my favorite features was the custom painted envelope liner on the main envelope. We wanted to showcase the Malibu setting, but do it in a dark and moody way. Instead of a bright and airy sunset, I painted a sunset with hues of purple, black and blue, showing both the ocean and mountain setting surrounding Malibu.

Overall their vibe was moody, chic, sultry and romantic. The invite really set the tone for an intimate, elegant autumn evening for everyone meet in Malibu.

Thanks Taryn!

Invitation Design: Twinkle & Toast
Florals: Catalina Neal
Ring Box: The Mrs. Box
Styling Surface: Simply Rooted Surfaces
Postage: Zazzle (custom designed)
Rings: Marrow Fine

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Jenna Joseph

01/08/2018

January Advertising Special!

Good morning everyone! I have a big announcement for my stationer friends this morning! January can be a rough month, since we’re all just coming off all the holiday sparkle and heading back to reality after spending time with loved ones during the holiday break. So! I decided to make January a bit brighter by offering 30% off BOTH sidebar advertising and the first year of membership in our Designer Rolodex!

OSBP January Advertising Special

All new Designer Rolodex members will get 30% off their first year of membership from now until January 31. The application process is so easy, just fill out the form on this page! I canâ€™t WAIT to hear from you! And while I was at it, I thought I might as well extend the same offer to anyone interested in sidebar advertising! And yes, this offer also applies to multi-month ads, so book up now and save big! You can get in touch with us for ad rates and more info right here.

If you aren’t already familiar with the Designer Rolodex, it’s our curated directory of wedding invitation designers and a fantastic resource for couples looking to find the perfect designer for their wedding stationery. When I got married in 2008 â€“ back in the early days of blogging! â€“ I had a tough time both finding unique and creative design inspiration for my wedding invitations and finding an independent stationer to work with. I spent countless hours searching the internet, browsing portfolios, and collecting images (pre-Pinterest!) from magazines and online. So I started OSBP later that year with the goal of showcasing amazing wedding invitations and helping connect readers with invitation designers. All Designer Rolodex members are hand selected by me, and every single member produces the most gorgeous invitations you’ll ever see. I won’t claim that the Rolodex is the largest directory of invitation designers, but I truly believe that the Rolodex membership represents the best of the best.

So! If you’ve had an invitation featured on OSBP in the past and you’re looking to make 2018 your best year in business yet â€“ or if you’re a super talented new designer just starting out â€“ join the Rolodex! Membership is normally just $300/year and will absolutely pay for itself if you book just ONE client through the Rolodex in the next year. Designer Rolodex members can display their portfolio, get discovered by location, style, and printing methods, share links to their social pages â€“ and there’s even a link to past editorial features on OSBP. We’ll also be resuming our popular Meet the Rolodex posts (but on the blog this time!!) in 2018, so now’s the time to become a member!

Engaged couples, be sure to check out the Designer Rolodex to browse portfolios and find your perfect invitation designer!

And stationers, if youâ€™re already a Rolodex member, now would be the perfect time to update your portfolio and present your newest, bestest work to all of our new visitors. Here’s to a fabulous 2018!

Invitation Photo: Athena BludÃ© Photography from these Romantic Blush and Gray Wedding Invitations (one of my faves!) by Designer Rolodex member Coral Pheasant

01/05/2018

Best of 2017: My Favorite Projects!

Today I’m wrapping up our 2017 recap with a look back at some of my personal favorite posts from 2017! We’ve already covered fun DIY projects, favorite cocktails, sweet baby shower invitations and birth announcements, playful and colorful wedding invitations, and romantic and understated wedding invitations â€“ all of which I absolutely love â€“ but the posts below are a bit more personal in nature. I’m planning to write a bit more about my goals for 2018 next week, but one of those goals is to share more personal content, from conversations about motherhood and family to sharing more behind-the-scenes peeks to exploring more of DC. I used to share way more personal content, before Instagram became the thing it is today and before I had two kids (I honestly have no idea how any of you with 3+ kids manage to stay sane!), and I really miss it! I’ll also be doing a reader survey next week, but if there’s anything in particular that you’d like to see from me this year, please let me know in the comments!

One of my goals for 2017 was to get myself in front of the camera more often, which is DEFINITELY stepping outside of my comfort zone since I’m used to being the one behind the camera. But at the end of the day, it’s just me behind this mighty little blog, and it’s important to show my face more often. I teamed up with photographer Anna Meyer to visit some colorful walls in DC, and I can’t wait to do another installment in 2018!

Dallas Clayton’s #kindcomments wall at Union Market

The Best Walls in DC / Photo Credit: Anna Meyer for Oh So Beautiful Paper

2017 was a fairly big and transformative year â€“ I celebrated my 9th blogging anniversary and introduced you to Common Room Studio! So far I’ve shared the design inspiration for Common Room Studio and we hosted our first set of workshops, but I still need to do a full reveal! Stay tuned in 2018. Oh, and if you’re in the DC area, you can sign up for our newsletter right here!

9 Years of OSBP + Introducing Common Room Studio! / Image Credit: Frankie’s Girl via Instagram

Design Inspiration for Common Room Studio

On the home front, we shared our backyard makeover and talked about kitchen renovation inspiration! These days, my back yard looks more like a winter wasteland since everything has died back from the freezing temperatures, but I can’t wait until it looks like this again in the spring and summer! Oh, and we may have kickstarted our long-awaited kitchen renovation over the holiday break, so stay tuned for an update on that, too.