The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations

These beautiful watercolor wedding invitations from Caroline at Lovely Paper Things kind of defy genre descriptions, which seems appropriate for invitations reflecting the love of two opposite personalities! The invitations combine custom calligraphy with hand painted floral elements and abstract watercolor patterns. And I love that the invitation features a favorite poem printed on the reverse side!

The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Lovely Paper Things / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Caroline: Some couples just have such an incredible spark that you can feel it from miles away. And oh my goodness, Kyle and Dustin are one of those amazing, wonderful, and kind couples who are truly meant to be together. During one of our initial conversations Kyle mentioned that she & Dustin loved both art & unusual juxtapositions in the world around them. While brainstorming concepts for their suite, we fell in love with the concept of The Art of Opposites, which became the heart & soul of the design.

The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Lovely Paper Things / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Kyle, a city girl from Dallas & Dustin, a country boy from Montana came from two very different worlds. But like contrasts in art and nature, sometimes opposites create the most breathtaking combinations and complements. Their stunning suite incorporates custom calligraphy, hand painted floral designs, and unique abstract watercolor paintings in the most lush antique plum inspired color palette.

The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Lovely Paper Things / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The double-sided invitation includes a custom art print & a quote we found that perfectly ties everything together:

“We are sun & moon, dear friend; we are sea & land. 

It is not our purpose to become each other;

it is to recognize each other.

To learn to see the other & honor him for what he is:

Each the other’s opposite & complement”

-Hermann Hesse

The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Lovely Paper Things / Oh So Beautiful Paper

It was a truly magical suite that makes my heart so happy, for a marvelous couple! Cheers to opposites attracting!

The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Lovely Paper Things / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Art of Opposites Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Lovely Paper Things / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks so much Caroline!

Design: Lovely Paper Things

Printing: Czar Press

Styling: To La Lune

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Ashley Kelemen Photography

A Winter Fruit Mocktail

The snow has already started falling here in DC, and this storm is going to be a doozy. So what better to celebrate than a bright, tart, brilliantly red winter mocktail? Here’s a delicious winter fruit mocktail recipe that combines apple cider, sparkling grapefruit juice, and grenadine with a couple other surprising ingredients.  – Andrew

Winter Fruit Mocktail Recipe with Izze Grapefruit Soda / Liquoray for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Winter Fruit Mocktail

3 oz Apple Cider
1 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Grenadine
1 heaping spoonful Lingonberry Jam
Izze Sparkling Grapefruit

Combine the cider, lemon juice, grenadine, and jam in a shaker filled two-thirds with ice and shake well. Using a tea strainer or a Hawthorne strainer with a tight coil, finely strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with grapefruit soda and enjoy!

There are lots of bright, wintery flavors happening in this drink: pomegranate and apple and lemon and grapefruit and lingonberry, a wonderful Scandinavian fruit that reminds me of a sweeter cranberry. Despite all that tart fruit, it’s more crisp and sweet-tart than sour.

Winter Fruit Mocktail Recipe with Izze Grapefruit Soda / Liquoray for Oh So Beautiful Paper

This drink actually could have turned out too fruity, too much like a sweetened fruit juice the way a lot of mocktail recipes I’ve seen turn out, but the addition of the sparkling grapefruit juice (we love Izze’s) adds a dry, effervescent finish that balances out the other juices and syrups.

Winter Fruit Mocktail Recipe with Izze Grapefruit Soda / Liquoray for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Jam and fruit preserves make an excellent addition to many cocktails, but they’re especially useful for mocktails. Alcohol adds not just flavor but also texture to a cocktail, and it’s hard to mimic the complex mouthfeel of a cocktail in a mocktail. Adding jam to a mocktail helps thicken it up and give you a richer, silkier texture (as long as you finely strain it and don’t end up with chunks of jam in  your glass).

Check back in next week for another fantastic Tiki mocktail! (This one has apricot jam in it.)

(Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, where we’ve been posting our experiments before they make their way onto this column!)

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Here in DC we’re hunkered down for a big winter snowstorm – we’re expecting up to two feet of snow, which is a lot for DC! School was cancelled today in preparation for the storm, so I’ve got my two littles home with me today and for the rest of the weekend while we wait out the storm. We’re looking forward to all sorts of fun snow activities like sledding, building snowmen, and making snowballs! But in the meantime…

Suite One Studio Confetti Bowls / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The most AMAZING pink and gold salt cellar bowls by Suite One Studio (via Instagram)

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week! Stay tuned for another mocktail recipe this afternoon – we’ll be doing one each week for the rest of the month! If you missed it, last week’s Mocktail Mojito was an instant favorite! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Emery’s Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements

Okay, these wood alphabet block birth announcements by Melissa of Atheneum Creative for her daughter Emery are just TOO CUTE. And such a unique idea! Inspired by classic wood blocks, Melissa created a wood block baby announcement with Emery’s initial engraved in the wood in classic alphabet block style. Melissa also engraved Emery’s birth details on the side in a combination of classic serif text and calligraphy script by Meant to Be Calligraphy. So pretty!

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Melissa: Someone once told me when I had my son, “You did not have a baby, you had a client.” And I just think that line is so funny… because it’s so true. I push the design is so many different directions, present them to my husband, then come up with a whole different range of designs and make the decision so difficult on myself.

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I really wanted to create something really special for this birth announcement – something that showed the “building” of our family. My son, who was just over two when Emery was born, was stacking blocks in his room one night. And as I sat there and helped him stack and stack, I felt the concept of sending a block for our little girl was just too perfect.

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

As I worked on the design, I kept pulling back saying this was just not “girly” enough for me. I knew that it needed some calligraphy from Michele from Meant to be Calligraphy to soften the look. We also used a chalkboard paint to give the wood block a soft blush color before engraving the design. The block announcement was mailed in a white box with some wood filler and a small little accordion folded card with family photos.

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Melissa!

Design: Atheneum Creative

Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Atheneum Creative is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beautiful work right here!

Photo Credits: Chelsea Davis Photography