Modern Calligraphy Summit – Studio Sneak Peek!

Okay, raise your hand if you’re all signed up for the Modern Calligraphy Summit! I first shared the news about this fantastic online conference back in August (and again just before Thanksgiving), including all of the amazing participating instructors and lesson topics! If you haven’t yet had the chance to sign up for the Summit, I have good news! Registration re-opens this week, and it will be the last chance to enroll before the Summit takes place later this month.

Modern Calligraphy Summit Studio Sneak Peek Video Tours

As a special treat this week, the Modern Calligraphy Summit is offering the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see the creative studios where professional calligraphers work their magic! Three of the talented instructors will take you inside their offices for three gorgeous studio sneak peek video tours. You’ll see what it’s like to work from home as a professional calligrapher with studio sneak peeks from Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy, Anne Robin Calligraphy, and Laura Hooper Calligraphy. Sign up here to see the free video series!

Modern Calligraphy Summit Studio Sneak Peek Video Tours

And of course, the full Modern Calligraphy Summit will officially kick off later this month, with video lessons in modern calligraphy and brush lettering from nine amazing artists! From beginning calligraphy to flourishing, from envelope addressing to floral embellishments, it’s an incredible opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s best professionals, all from the comfort of your home.

Modern Calligraphy Summit Studio Sneak Peek Video Tours

Registration reopens this week – February 8-12 – and is the last chance to enroll before the Summit takes place online February 22 – March 5. You can sign up right here!

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations

Ooooh, copper and navy is just SUCH a great combination! These copper foil and navy calligraphy wedding invitations from the ladies of Fourteen-Forty strike a beautiful balance between traditional and modern design. And I love all the extra details, including the gorgeous envelope calligraphy, a wax seal closure, copper foil edging, and a whimsical copper foil envelope liner!

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Fourteen-Forty / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Patricia, Creative Director at Fourteen-Forty: From their very first meeting with us, it was clear that Danielle and Daniel care very much about design, which was music to our ears. Their wedding would be a classic, elegant, but modern affair, and this tension between the more traditional and the modern, the orderly and the chaotic, would shape their entire wedding invitation suite.

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Fourteen-Forty / Oh So Beautiful Paper

For their invitations, they knew that they wanted to incorporate calligraphy for its uniqueness and hand-drawn, timeless quality. But in keeping with their black tie wedding, the rest of the design needed to be formal and classic, which turned out to be a great combination. For instance, their envelope liner was an area we really had fun with, incorporating haphazardly placed dots to form a very modern splash of color.

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Fourteen-Forty / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Then, bringing all these pieces together was their beautiful wax seal, a nod to their special day as well as the time-old tradition of wax sealing. All of the assembly was done by hand in our studio, so each invitation going out was unique in the natural variations that occur with something like wax sealing by hand, as well as with letterpress printing and calligraphy.

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Fourteen-Forty / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Fourteen-Forty / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Color also played a very important role. Danielle and Daniel wanted to go bold, and the copper and navy blue are stunning together. Going with foil printing was a great choice – the subtle glimmer on the invitations and the envelopes really added a lovely bit of glamour, as did the beautiful copper foil edging on each invitation. Their accommodation and events card used elements of the liner and I love how we decided to alternate the paper color to tie in with the envelopes!

Copper Foil and Navy Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Fourteen-Forty / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Patricia!

Design: Fourteen-Forty

Calligraphy: Papersoul

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

Photo Credits: Fourteen-Forty

Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour

January has come and gone, and, with it, Dryuary is over. But I had some fun with mocktails! So expect to see some every now and then. But for February, at least, we’re going to spend some time exploring alcohol’s beautiful ability to absorb flavors from whatever you throw into it. That’s right – infusions! We’re starting with a simple drink that showcases the delicate flavors of green tea: a Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour. – Andrew

Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour

2 oz Green Tea-Infused Gin
1 oz Lemon
1 oz Honey Syrup

To infuse the gin: combine half a bottle of gin (375 ml) with 2-3 green tea bags in a non-reactive container, giving it a shake periodically. Since the tannins in tea can quickly turn an infusion bitter, sample periodically and remove the tea bags once you start noticing hints of bitterness. Tea infuses very quickly, so you may need only a couple of hours, and probably no more than a day, for a full infusion.

To make the honey syrup, combine equal parts water and honey in a saucepan. Heat gently, over low heat, stirring frequently until the honey has melted into the water. (Honey by itself is too thick to blend easily into cocktails, so you have to melt it into a syrup first.)

To make the drink: combine the gin, lemon, and honey syrup in a shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a star anise pod floated on top and enjoy!

Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The result is a delicate gin sour, with lots of green tea flavor up front and an earthy, sweet-and-sour finish. I was actually surprised that the green tea dominates this recipe so thoroughly, since juniper-forward gin and honey aren’t exactly quiet, shy flavors. But there you have it.

Green Tea-Infused Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Star anise is a fun garnish for drinks like this that highlight spicy or herbaceous flavors. It looks fantastic floated on top of a drink and, especially if you toast it slightly beforehand, releases some wonderful spicy aromas as you sip.

(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! The snow has finally disappeared in our neighborhood – we even had a couple of really warm days that have me super excited for spring! I know we’ve got many weeks before we get there, but I just keep imagining cherry blossoms, peonies, and all the amazingness that comes with spring in DC. But in the meantime…

Eva Black Palm Print / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Palm print by Eva Black

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week! We’re back to cocktail recipes starting this month – so check back a bit later for this week’s recipe! Although I’m hoping we’ll be able to do mocktails every now and then throughout the year. I really loved our Apricot Tiki Mocktail! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Modern Hand Lettered Wedding Invitations

I always crave color in the middle of winter, and these modern hand lettered wedding invitations from Meghan of And Here We Are definitely have color in spades! While the main invitation features playful hand lettering in crisp black and white, the enclosures feature an explosion of color with ink and watercolor floral illustrations of peonies and poppies. And yay for bright yellow envelopes! So perfect for a spring wedding!

Modern Hand Lettered Wedding Invitations by And Here We Are / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Meghan: When Brittney and Scott approached me for their Memphis wedding invitations, the direction was simple: classic and clean, black and white, with pops of color. The bridal bouquet also became a point of inspiration.

Modern Hand Lettered Wedding Invitations by And Here We Are / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Modern Hand Lettered Wedding Invitations by And Here We Are / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The letterpress printed invitation and RSVP cards feature playful hand lettered script offset against clean and modern typography, printed in black onto double-thick bright white Savoy paper. We then digitally (flat) printed a separate reception card and a tri-fold map. Digital printing allows for more playful color and illustration, so we introduced an all-over ink and watercolor illustrated floral pattern of peonies and poppies to add color and vibrancy to the overall package. 

Modern Hand Lettered Wedding Invitations by And Here We Are / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Our custom map included several points of interest for Memphis — from art and culture, to the best BBQ and beer joints. We were able to add more pops of color through our envelope choices: the RSVPs came with magenta envelopes and the full wedding invitation suite was mailed in bright yellow envelopes. Mailing addresses were beautifully calligraphed by Mallory of Hush Lettering.

Modern Hand Lettered Wedding Invitations by And Here We Are / Oh So Beautiful Paper 

Thanks Meghan!

Design: And Here We Are

Envelope Calligraphy: Hush Lettering

And Here We Are is a member of the Designer Rolodex – see more of their beautiful work here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: And Here We Are