10/07/2015

Party Paper: A Pastel Halloween Party

Orange is great in its own right, but when every Halloween soirÃ©e you attend has it as the star, sometimes it’s fun to mix things up a little! Since pastels are so big for fall this year, why not throw a little pastel Halloween party!? You can paint pastel pumpkins and hand out pastel bags full of everyone’s favorite candy, it’s the perfect excuse to throw a little colorful pumpkin decorating party with your pals! â€”Â Kelly

1. DIY Marbled Pumpkins from PROPER

2. Pastel Diamond Confetti from Oh Happy Day Shop

3. Free Printable Gradient Papers from Mr. Printables

4. DIY Dyed Halloween Treat Bags from Paper & Stitch

5. DIY Pumpkin Halloween Bucket from Sugar & Cloth

6. Ombre Appetizer Plate from Shop Sweet Lulu

10/06/2015

Rustic Watercolor Garden Wedding Invitations

These beautiful wedding invitations from Amanda atÂ Wide Eyes Paper Co. seamlessly combine whimsical watercolor, beautiful botanicals, and a nature-inspiredÂ color palette of green and kraft for a casual-meets-rustic elegance design. Amanda carried the garden-inspired design all the way from the save the dates to the wedding invitations, menus, and day-of stationery!

FromÂ Amanda: This bright and cheery garden themedÂ set is inspired by a wonderland of floral botanicals with rustic andÂ whimsicalÂ accents that highlight the onset of Spring and Summer.

Hannah, the bride, contacted us with a specific vision for her wedding invitations and stationery. She wanted the design to convey a combination of casualÂ and rustic elegance. With this in mind, we painted whimsical floral elements in her color scheme, andÂ also created symmetry among the pieces by adding in simpleÂ sprigs of greenery. We executed her vision starting with the save the dates all the way through to the day-of stationery, including a custom rubberÂ stamp and menus.

One of the more personal touches to the stationery is the custom scenery we painted for the couple. They were married under a beautiful botanical arch that we capturedÂ and incorporated onto the information card.

Hannah and JamesÂ wanted to stick with the “natural look” for the envelope liners soÂ we painted a simple watercolor liner with touches of greeneryÂ and paired it with our natural kraft envelopes to tie in her rustic theme.Â The set also showcases a custom monogram we created for the couple which is engraved into real wood and assembled together with natural jute twine. The monogram is also displayedÂ on the menus as well as the letterpress tags created to assemble theÂ save the dates.

This is one of our favorite new sets, and we had an absolute blast collaborating with Hannah and James to make it perfect for their charmingÂ outdoor wedding.

Thanks Amanda!

Design: Wide Eyes Paper Co.

Watercolor: Emily FagesÂ

Wide Eyes Paper Co. is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ you can see more of Amandaâ€™s work right here or visit the real invitations galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Jasmine Fitzwiliams ofÂ Letâ€™s Frolic Together

10/05/2015

Inspired By: Lilac

Lilac and other pastels are generally lumped into the category of “spring” colors â€“ but I love lilac for fall! And lilac is especially pretty when paired with deep navy blue or pale peach, don’t you think?

1. Lilac and disco ear buddies from Ban.do

2. Lilac leather clutch from Baggu

3. Lilac color twist wool ribbon from Knot + Bow

4. Our Heiday

5.Â Ring dish from Redraven Studios

6. Sandals from ASOS

7. Moglea

10/05/2015

Modern Neon Geometric Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! We’ve had nothing but clouds and rain here on the East Coast for the past few days, so I’m ready for something bright and happy! These modern neon geometric wedding invitations from Stephanie of Dahlia Press definitely fit the bill! Stephanie combined super bright colors with geometric shapes for this modern garden wedding in Seattle. And how fantastic are the neon pink and citron yellow together? Such a great combination!

From Stephanie:Â Rarely does a couple use the word “neon” in our initial consultation, but when Tanner and Abbie said they were looking for something “fresh, vibrant, and neon” for their urban Seattle summer wedding, I felt up to the task! Tanner and Abbie were planning an intimate outdoor ceremony in Seattle’s Parson’s Gardens followed by an urban dining experience at a chic Queen Anne neighborhood restaurant. With the majority of their friends and family traveling from out of town, they wanted to make sure their save the date and wedding invitation would grab the attention of their guests.

Not being afraid of color, we chose to incorporate a palette of bold hot pink, citron yellow, and bright teal in a series of geometric shapes and patterns. We paired the neon tones with a deep charcoal gray for the detail text. For the invitation itself, we opted to print a combination of letterpress and flat printing to maximize the number of colors we could use and achieve a tactile experience. All items within the suite were printed on luxe 220lb stock.

Thanks Stephanie!

Design and Printing: Dahlia Press

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Dahlia Press

10/02/2015

The Jane Rose

I grew up in Upstate New York, outside Syracuse, so fall meansÂ applesÂ for me. So we’re switching gears from last month’s Smashes to talk about all the fun ways you can incorporate apples into your fall cocktails. We’re starting with a play on the classic apple-based Jack Rose cocktail with a fun and bubbly Jane Rose.Â â€“ Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Jane Rose

2 oz Bourbon Whiskey
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Grenadine
Sparkling Apple Cider

Combine the bourbon, lemon juice, and grenadine in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and top with sparkling apple cider. Enjoy!

The Jane Rose swaps out the Jack Rose’s apple brandy for bourbon and instead incorporates apples through the sparkling cider. This version still has the original’s brightly tart fruit flavors and rich, oaky backbone, and adds in a fizzy effervescence from the cider that makes this a fun party drink.

Sparkling cider comes in a lot of forms. Some are basically just carbonated apple juices, minimally fermented with some champagne yeast. (I once accidentally made some of this by leaving a bottle of apple juice in the fridge for too long.) Some are fully fermented, with alcohol contents comparable to beers. These tend to be drier, so which one you use will have a big effect on how your drink turns out. A sparkling cider will be much sweeter, so use a bit less grenadine, and have no effect on the proof of your drink. A hard cider will be much drier, so use a bit more grenadine, and will bump up the alcohol content of your drink. So plan accordingly.

(Donâ€™t forget to follow us onÂ Instagram, where weâ€™ve been posting our experiments before they make their way onto this column!)

Glassware byÂ Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper