Search Results for: calligraphy

Brooks + Erin’s Romantic Sonoma Valley Wedding Invitations

These beautiful Sonoma Valley wedding invitations from Molly at Paisley Quill are so chic and romantic!  Molly wanted to reflect the vineyard location in a unique way, so she incorporated a cork veneer tag and yellow baker’s twine as a belly band for the invitation suite.  Love it!

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (10)

From Molly:  Erin wanted wedding invitations that, in her words, were “soft, romantic, unique, yet effortlessly chic.”  The wedding took place at the BR Cohn Winery in Sonoma Valley; we really wanted to play up the wine country theme, but not with a traditional grapevine motif.  That is when I stumbled on cork skin, a thin veneer of cork that is backed with paper to hold its integrity.  Cork.  Wine country.  PERFECT.

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8)

Erin opted for two-color letterpress in sunny yellow and a subdued gray.  Envelope liners, a custom map, an itinerary booklet, and a die cut cork tag all held together with yellow baker’s twine completed the look.

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9)

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (6)

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (4)

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (5)

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

To add even more detail to the suite, we went with hand picked vintage stamps from Holly at the Paper Nickel and beautiful calligraphy from Nicole at The Left Handed Calligrapher.  Nicole custom matched the calligraphy ink to the yellow in the invitations.  We also had a custom address stamp made to save a little money on the response envelopes

Wedding Invitations by Paisley Quill via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

Thanks Molly!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Paisley Quill

Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher

Vintage Stamps: The Paper Nickel

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

Photo Credits: Paisley Quill

{happy weekend!}

Happy Friday everyone!  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that my husband and I found an adorable stray kitten in our neighborhood on Tuesday evening.  DC has a huge population of stray and feral cats and it’s pretty common for us to come across homeless cats in our neighborhood, but this poor little girl was crying out for some love and attention.  She’s probably about six months old and weighs only 5.5 lbs – and she’s the sweetest little thing.  We’ve been busy this week getting her checked out and trying to get her back to health, but we’re hoping to find a good forever home for her here in the DC/VA/MD area in the next few weeks.  But in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

As usual, we have a fun cocktail coming up for you this afternoon, 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

Photo by me via Instagram

Calligraphy Inspiration: The Left Handed Calligrapher

Personal handwriting is such a unique thing; your hands, fingers, the way you hold a pen, it all contributes to the way ink flows to a page.  Nicole Black of The Left Handed Calligrapher, who is actually left handed, has created a name for herself and her rare ability.  (Studies suggest only 10-15% of the population is left handed!)  I think it adds a little charm to her writing style that draws me in.  And I’m certainly not the only one!  With work featured in Traditional Home Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, and on the Today Show, Nicole’s work is no stranger to the spotlight.  – Julie

Calligraphy by the Left Handed Calligrapher via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calligraphy by the Left Handed Calligrapher via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Although some of her work is modern, a few projects show a truly elegant, traditional style.  Beautiful isn’t it?  Perhaps she’s so skilled having studied under one of the chief White House calligraphers.

Calligraphy by the Left Handed Calligrapher via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calligraphy by the Left Handed Calligrapher via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Nicole’s writing style is so delicate and light.  At times, it’s almost as if the paper was kissed with a tiny thread of ink.

Calligraphy by the Left Handed Calligrapher via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calligraphy by the Left Handed Calligrapher via Oh So Beautiful Paper

If you’d like to see more work by Nicole, make sure you check out her website and blog.  She has also kindly put together a guide to social mailing etiquette to help you navigate the dos and don’ts, as well as a guest list worksheet.

Photo credits: 1 Bespoke Press; 2 Bobbi and Mike; 3 Renee Sprink Photography; 4 The Left Handed Calligrapher; 5 (left) + 6 Greg Blomberg Photography, Thisbe Grace Photography (right)

Nina + John’s DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations

It takes a very brave bride to DIY her own letterpress wedding invitations, and that’s exactly what Nina decided to do!  She kept things manageable by using one of my favorite calligraphy fonts – Belluccia – and limiting herself to a two-color design that fit with her vintage romance wedding theme.  After taking a letterpress course at The Arm in Brooklyn she was ready to get printing, and here’s how the invitations turned out!

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8)

From Nina: I  designed my own wedding invitations using the fonts Telegrafico and Belluccia, then took a letterpress course at The Arm in Brooklyn where I later created these invitations.  I love the texture of paper – we used a super thick 600 gsm weight paper for the main invitation.  I also picked up some beautiful kraft paper from Paper Presentation in New York for some of the enclosures.

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

We used two letterpress colours: a custom made red and a standard Pantone Black.  My theme is based on a Midsummer Night’s Dream and vintage romance, so I wanted a lot of muted pale blushes and lilacs.  The red in the main invitation is a nod to my Asian roots (red is the colour for Chinese weddings!).

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (7)

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9)

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (6)

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

DIY Letterpress Wedding Invitations via Oh So Beautiful Paper (5)

Great work Nina – congratulations!

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

Photo Credits: Nina Tsang

Ligature Wedding Invitation Collection by Paperfinger

You guys, today is such a happy day – I’m absolutely thrilled to help one of my very favorite calligraphers, Bryn from Paperfinger, launch her brand new wedding invitation collection!  Bryn is such a talented and kind lady; she created my beautiful logo that you all see at the top of the page and it’s always a treat to feature her beautiful calligraphy.  The new collection is called Ligature, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (13)

From Bryn: We created a collection so that we could create invitations for more clients, build on new designs and offer our clients quicker turnarounds without sacrificing the significance or quality of hand-drawn calligraphy.  The word “ligature” is a great metaphor for marriage.  In type design and lettering, a ligature is the unique letterform created by the combination of two alphabet characters that are connected by a linking stroke or flourish.  The ligature itself becomes a unique and distinct character of its own, made up of the two.

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (12)

Within the collection, each invitation and individual piece is hand-lettered to order (no digital typefaces!), then expertly produced with letterpress printing or engraving.  The collection will also offer edge painting and original patterned backing featuring hand painted patterns created by Bryn.  For those of you who prefer a more custom approach, Bryn tells me that she plans to continue to offer bespoke design services in addition to the Ligature collection.

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (7)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (6)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (4)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (16)

Ligature Collection Wedding Invitations by Paperfinger via Oh So Beautiful Paper (14)

Yay!  Congrats Bryn!

I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Paperfinger as a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can check out the full ligature collection in the Rolodex right here or over on Paperfinger!

Photo Credits: Dan Eckstein