09/10/2019

Dusty Blue and Pink Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper

It’s September, which means the days of cool weather and fall foliage are just around the corner. I’m loving these dusty blue and pink wedding invitations on handmade paper by Lauren Clements of LineAve Calligraphy for a fall wedding â€“ or a wedding any time of year, really. Lauren’s beautiful calligraphy and illustrations are absolutely beautiful against that gorgeous handmade paper by Farmette Press. And those Louisiana themed vintage postage stamps are the perfect finishing touch!

From Lauren: I loved designing my own wedding stationery! The invitation suite is letterpress printed on handmade paper in blue, pink, and cream tones. The design also incorporated a minimal line drawing of the church with some greenery accents. I used vintage stamps in a Louisiana theme to tell a story.

Our wedding ceremony took place at St. John Berchmanâ€™s Cathedral in Shreveport, Louisiana with aisles lined with fresh pomegranates and olive branches. The detail-packed outdoor reception was set on the lot of our future home.

The idea was a small, rustic, European-styled seated and plated dinner under the oak tree with 90 guests. The forecast called for a 90% chance of rain, and it wasnâ€™t wrong. The tent that was supposed to cover a small seating area was enlarged to cover the entire event, and not an ounce of detail was lost. It was truly an inspirational ending to the dreaded â€œwhat do I do if it rains on my outdoor wedding?â€ question that I googled for 2 weeks straight. Guests kicked off their shoes and had the best celebration in mud up to their ankles. The photos turned out absolutely beautiful despite the FLOOD. Quality vendors are so important from hair that frizzes gracefully, to makeup that stays put, hot food that is served in a downpour, and of course, THE TENT that single-handedly saved the day.

As a stationer and calligrapher, I obsesses over detail. I designed and created my own save-the-dates, invitation suite, seating chart, and endless â€œday ofâ€ details like programs, menus, favor tags, flower cones, corn hole boards and bean bags, custom ice cream signs that incorporated our dogs, and cocktail napkins. The gate to the property and the Catholic church we were married in were both incorporated into the wedding stationery, adding a personal and special touch to the invitation suite and day-of stationery.

Thanks Lauren!

Calligraphy and Design: Lauren Roberts Clements of LineAveCalligraphy

Handmade Paper and Letterpress Printing: Farmette Press

Photo Credits: Laura Caraway Photography

08/23/2019

Modern Calligraphy Summit and Watercolor Summit 2019 Enrollment!

Hiiiii!!!! I’m still here! Are you still here? We have so much to talk about! I’m hoping to get back into a more regular blogging schedule once my kids go back to school next week, but in the meantime I wanted to quickly pop in here and let you know that enrollment for BOTH the Modern Calligraphy Summit AND Watercolor Summit are open from now until August 30! If you’re interested in learning either calligraphy or watercolor painting techniques, you’ll definitely want to read below for more info. Yay!

Image by Jenna Rainey â€“ one of the talented instructors!

If you have no idea what Iâ€™m talking about, the Modern Calligraphy Summit offers the most amazing group of online calligraphy classes from every single calligrapher that I would want to learn from in person if I had the opportunity, including Anne Robin Calligraphy, Lauren Saylor of A Fabulous Fete, Karla Lim of Written Word Calligraphy, and so many more. There are two installments so far â€“ Modern Calligraphy Summit 1.0 and Modern Calligraphy Summit 2.0 â€“and the classes including brush lettering, invitation design, envelope layouts, basic copperplate, writing on non-traditional surfaces, digitizing watercolor illustrations, and so much more! And as much as an in-person workshop would be totally amazing, itâ€™s just as incredible to be able to learn from so many talented calligraphers from the comfort of your own home. The Modern Calligraphy Summit also includes handy templates and handouts, a private Facebook community to support you as you learn, and two bonus LIVE Q&A sessions with the instructors in January. And of course LIFETIME ACCESS to all the amazing content, so even if you canâ€™t start the course material right now you can pick it up at your convenience â€“ or go back and watch the videos as many times as you need to practice and get the hang of things!

I’ve heard from so many people who have benefited from these courses since the summit first launched in 2016, and now is your chance to learn calligraphy and watercolor at home! Enrollment is only open for a few days each year. You can even sign up for BOTH calligraphy summits and get $100 off! You can enroll in the Modern Calligraphy Summit here and the Watercolor Summit right here. Go, go, go!

This post contains affiliate links. By clicking on these links, youâ€™ll help support Oh So Beautiful Paper while also learning the beautiful arts of calligraphy and watercolor painting! I only recommend products that I truly love and trust that youâ€™ll love, too. My full disclosure policy can be found here.

03/18/2019

Eclectic Vellum Baby Shower Invitations

Anyone planning a baby shower? You’re going to love these eclectic vellum baby shower invitations from Lauren of Blue Eye Brown Eye! Lauren made these invitations for her best friend’s baby shower, incorporating the mama-to-be’s creative style into the invitation design with a fun vellum overlay, modern calligraphy, and a gold tassel to tie everything together (literally!). So sweet!

From Lauren: When given the opportunity to design my best friend’s baby shower invitations, I took the opportunity to fulfill my design fantasies for her and make them as special (and extra) as possible. Anna loves eclectic design and is a true creative herself, so I wanted the invitation to feel like it was an extension of her spirit. Anna’s personal and home style is layered, so I brought that idea into this suite. I’d been toying with the idea of layering printed vellum over an invitation, so this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. I love how the text peeps through the vellum and the brushstrokes, creating dimension and visual interest.

Without making them too “baby,” I snuck in a little pink in the abstract vellum overlay and kept everything else gender neutral with gray letterpress printing and a pop of gold. The gold tassel is a nod to all of Anna’s amazing travels â€“ she often brings me back a decorative pom pom or tassel from places like Peru or Mexico, so the tassel was my homage to her.

A little die cut “oh baby” letterpress tag was a sweet little detail I wanted to incorporate into the invitation. Saint Signora makes this amazing, barely there thin twine that I am obsessed with. It was the perfect finishing touch to wrap around the layered invitation and tie together with the tassel and “oh baby” tag.

Once dropped in the mail, I couldn’t wait for Anna and her husband Amir to see them. They’re two of my most favorite people in the world and making these for them was such a joy. If only y’all could have been at the baby shower itself…it was one for the ages!

Thanks Lauren!

Invitation Design: Blue Eye Brown Eye

Letterpress Printing: Elefant Press

Vellum Printing: Simply Mox

Gold Tassels: Absolut Supplies

Black Twine: Saint Signora

Photo Credit: Michele Equitz

02/11/2019

Navy and Leather Bachelor Party Invitations

These navy and leather bachelor party invitations by Kristin of Lustre Theory are a fun way to start the week! Beautiful deep blue and copper envelopes with calligraphy by Seniman Calligraphy, vintage postage stamps, and yes, plenty of leather details throughout the suite. Leather is such a fun way to add some texture to wedding invitations and party invitations, especially when paired with such beautiful jewel tones!

From Kristin: I designed this unique stationery suite for an editorial shoot coordinated by A Lively Affair in Norfolk, Virginia. The shoot was inspired by the idea of an upscale fall bachelor party incorporating textures of leather, wood, and metal. The cigar and magnolia leaves, along with the leather pieces, help add the perfect southern touches.

The invitation design was inspired by all the different textures mentioned above, from the leather outer envelope to the copper textured liner and dark navy inner envelope. Itâ€™s not often I get to design a stationery suite geared towards a primarily male event, which made this one extra exciting. I wanted the invitation design to have old southern charm combined with classic elegance. The beautiful envelope calligraphy by Seniman Calligraphy is the perfect contrast to the typography selections in the square invitation and rsvp card. We added vintage postage stamps to carry the color palette through to the envelope and add a touch of whimsical, outdoorsy artwork.

The invitations and RSVP card are letterpress printed in dark navy blue ink. Both are finished with a metallic copper edging process and pressed on extra thick white cotton paper. It was important that the invitation card and rsvp card have a strong typographical presence but an overall simple design layout. The leather pieces are all handmade to specification by HJ Leather Arts, a local craftsman in Norfolk. They include an outer main envelope, an invitation band and an event place card.

Thanks Kristin!

Invitation Design: Lustre Theory

Envelopes: Cards & Pockets

Calligraphy: Seniman Calligraphy

Letterpress Printing: Fino Print

Leather pieces: HJ Leather Arts

Photo Credits: Angela Elise Photography

01/28/2019

Organic Tropical Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper

Did you ever think you would hear the words organic and tropical together in an invitation suite? Well, today’s the day! Shana from Iris & Marie Letterpress sent over these beautiful organic tropical wedding invitations on handmade paper, inspired in large part by the texture of the Spanish moss at the wedding venue. The entire suite was printed on gorgeous handmade paper from Farmette Press â€“ I just can’t get over those natural deckled edges! â€“ in the most beautiful shades of blue and peach. So dreamy.

From Shana: These organic tropical wedding invitations started out with a little flamingo and some handmade paper, and from there the rest just fell into place! I was inspired by the Spanish moss texture at the venue and brought that into the suite using Farmette Press handmade paper. Loren’s paper is very textural, not perfect, and very organic looking â€“ exactly how Spanish moss feels to me.

Also inspired by the coast, we added a hand drawn little flamingo friend to the invitation along with custom spot calligraphy by Paulene at Leen Machine Calligraphy. Paulene’s calligraphy added another element of texture with the hand written look that the lines have. The color palette is very spring-y and beachy with all the shades of blue and bits of peachy neutrals.

We wanted to keep the colors lush, but still spring-like for the Savannah wedding. The overall suite has a rustic vintage feel with layers of organic textures throughout the suite, including the twine used to tie the suite together and keep everything in place. The calligraphy and text layout reminds me of script from an old document and the twine lends itself to that as well.

While there is a lot of texture going on, the overall design is pretty minimal. I kept the text small and to a minimum to let the paper speak for itself. The design is centered in the middle of the invitation to let the edges flow around the words and act as a frame. The leaves on the back envelope flap give the invitation a “fan me with your tropical leaves” vibe and, in my personal opinion, makes it all a little more regal. I absolutely love how these organic tropical wedding invitations came together â€“ from the speckles in the handmade paper to the Spanish moss to the bride’s gorgeous red hair!