06/16/2011

Wedding Details: Escort Cards and Place Cards, Part 2

I hope you enjoyed the earlier installment of creative escort and place card ideas!Â There are so many great ideas, one post couldn’t possibly contain them all. Â Here are a few more ideas to help inspire your wedding day stationery!

How cute are these escort cards? Let me count the ways: The type! Â The twine! Â The glitz! Â Designed by Amy Hardy -Â Design8days, photographed by Paper Antler via 100 Layer Cake.

An example of how some of the most beautiful escort cards are the most simple.Â Calligraphy by Love, Jenna via A Lovely Morning (left). Â Martha Stewart suggests welcoming guests to your reception with these mint lemonade escort bottles â€“ so lovely! (right)

These succulents/chevron cards make me think “Palm Springs.” Â Photo by Erin Hearts Court from Yes, Please Design.

Um, how cute are these library-themed escort cards?Â The bride and groom displayed them card catalog-style.Â Designed by PAPERjo, photo by You Look Nice Today Photography via Elizabeth Anne Designs (left). Â Creative and perfectly rustic mini-stump escort flags.Â Photo by Vantage Pictures via Poppytalk (right).

Neutral escort cards are most definitely not boring.Â Photographed by Nessa K Photography via Style Me Pretty (left); Calligraphy by Neither Snow via Once Wed (right).

This rustic escort card display could be so easily replicated at any type of event. Photo by Amanda Bevington viaÂ Snippet and Ink.

A gorgeous place setting that works for your wedding OR your next dinner party (left). Â A luggage tag escort card idea for your destination wedding or hotel gift bag (right).Â Both by Martha Stewart Weddings.

This bride and groom invited guests to “take a little piece of Arizona home with them.” Photo by Kimberly Jarman via The Bride’s Cafe.

Paper rosette magnet escort cards â€“ so easy to DIY!Â via Ruffled

Love the use of stamps or symbols in lieu of table numbers/names.Â Photo by Cramer Photo via The Bride’s Cafe.

So often escort card holders are overlooked.Â These mini-pomander balls are so unique and pack a visual punch. Â Photo by Apertura via Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Thanks so much for joining me today â€“ I hope these creative escort and place card ideas serve as inspiration for you as you plan your big day!

{images via their respective sources}

06/16/2011

Wedding Details: Escort Cards and Place Cards

You already know how much I love wedding invitations, but I also love day-of wedding stationery â€“ place cards, ceremony programs, menus, and all sorts of other fun papery goodness. Â Today we’re rounding up some of the prettiest and most creative ideas as inspiration for all of you, starting with escort card and place card ideas! Â There are so many ways to get creative with escort and place cards for your wedding that everyone can find something that fits in withÂ their style or theme.

You can’t go wrong with a silhouette escort card for a classic wedding (left), and this “seating cards in a bottle” idea is so creative! Â Both from Martha Stewart Weddings

Beautiful calligraphy and neutral cards by Neither Snow

I want to go to a wedding that features these adorable button escort cards! (left) Â Equally adorable is using a typewriter to type each person’s name and then attaching a vintage typewriter key (right). Â Both viaÂ Martha Stewart Weddings.

AnotherÂ button idea, perfect for a rustic wedding. Photo by Max Wanger via Elizabeth Anne Designs.

This escort booklet idea is so versatile – featured in Martha Stewart Weddings (left). Â Photo of cupcake escort card by Jill Thomas, card by Posh Paperie via 100 Layer Cake (right).

How cute are these pinwheels for a whimsical, outdoor wedding? Photo by Jessica Stout via Style Me Pretty.

Love the color and types used in these cards.Â Ruby and Willow via Oh So Beautiful Paper.

Great color and visual impact in this example; perfect for a casual wedding. Â Photo by Studio Nouveau, escort cards by Strong Studio via Ruffled.

These fabric escort cards (left) were DIY’d by the bride and groom â€“ so creative! Â Photo by Brett Buchanan viaÂ Style Me Pretty. Â I also love the idea of beautiful calligraphy on green apples for a fall wedding (right). Â Photo by Meg Perotti, calligraphy by Calligraphy Katrina via Style Me Pretty.

These wrapped succulents are perfect for weddings, showers, Sunday brunches… Â Photo by Mary Swenson via Somewhere Splendid.

Skeleton keys and satin ribbon – so romantic! Â Photo by Kate Headley via United With Love.

Stay tuned for moreÂ beautiful escort and place cards!

p.s. Do you know the difference between place cards and escort cards? Â Simply put, escort cards guide your guest to their designated table, while place cards help guests find their assigned seat. Â Escort cards are typically placed at a central location at the entrance to the reception. Â Guests will find their card, then locate their table based on the number indicated on the card. Â Place cards, which are only necessary if you have assigned seating at your reception, sit at each individual place setting â€“ hence the name!

{images via their respective sources}

06/15/2011

Business Card Ideas and Inspiration #8

Has it really been two months since my last business card post? Â Yeesh! Â Well, we’re definitely going to take care of that today with some really pretty, creative, and inspiring business card designs that have caught my eye over the last few weeks…

Craft Lovely

Monday Collective via FPO

Love Citron

Marnich via Lovely Stationery

Studio on Fire

Evan Huwa via Graphic Exchange

Lace and Likes

Sita Murt

Cool square business cards by Adam Hill via Lovely Stationery

Lauren Bailey Design

Dolce Press

Monogram via Lovely Stationery

As always, if youâ€™d like to subÂmit your own busiÂness cards, you can e-mail meÂ right here!

{images via their respecÂtive sources}

06/09/2011

DIY Vintage Handkerchief Save the Dates

Hi Everyone! Â Today I’m super excited to introduce a new DIY series from the ladies of Antiquaria, an online shop curated by designer Emma James (you might remember her awesome wedding invitations) and calligrapher Bailey Amon. Â In addition to their shop, Emma and Bailey offer custom rubber stamps featuring Bailey’s calligraphy and they’ll be joining us here every couple of weeks with a fun DIY project to inspire all of you at home. Â Let’s get started!

Hello! Â We’re Bailey and Emma from Antiquaria, and we love vintage handkerchiefs!! Â This tutorial uses custom rubber stamps to create elegant and original save the dates. Â These offer your guests a true keepsake and help set the tone for your vintage wedding!

Step One:

After washing and ironing the handkerchiefs to the desired size, choose stamp pad and ink up the custom Â Save the Date stamp. Â We used our Â “Art Nouveau” Save the Date Stamp. Â On a hard and sturdy work surface, place the inked stamp on the handkerchief and apply even pressure. Â Then gently lift the stamp off the handkerchief.

Step Two:

Most couples will find it necessary to include accommodation options with their Save the Date â€“ including them in the invitation is often too late to capture discounted rates, etc. Â For this Save the Date, we printed out an accommodations card with a compatible font, we then used Antiquaria’s Â Wreath Monogram stamp to accent the enclosure.

Step Three:

Slide the accommodations card into the handkerchief and using your desired ribbon, tie them together, like a present.

Step Four:

Using a coordinating return address stamp {we used ourÂ Wildflowers Return Address Stamp}, ink the stamp and place it in the center of your square envelope.

**Remember to do this before you or a calligrapher addresses the envelopes so that you don’t have to redo any if you get a bad inking.**

Materials List

Custom Rubber Stamps like these: Â “Art Nouveau” Custom Save the Date Stamp,Â “Wreath Monogram” Stamp,Â “Wildflowers” Return Address Stamp

Vintage Handkerchieves â€“ Iron to 5.5 x 5.5 squares with starch and a hot iron. Â Check Ebay for lots of handkerchieves. Â It is more affordable to buy them in bulk than one at a time. Â Expect to pay $1-3 per handkerchief for vintage handkerchieves for this project. Â Etsy and local thrifts are other good places to look for them.

Colorbox Stamp Pad â€“ we used a variety of pinks and neutrals for this project.

5.5″ x 5.5″ Flat Card â€“ for the accommodations card

5.75 x 5.75 Square Envelope

Hand Painted Silk Ribbon

Photo Credits:Â Antiquaria

05/31/2011

Lauren + Joel’s Old Timey Letterpress Wedding Invitations

I love it when designers get married â€“ I get practically giddy in anticipation of the awesome wedding stationery. Â So when Lauren and Joel from Old Tom Foolery got married last summer, I couldn’t wait to see what they came up with for their invitations and save the dates. Â The result is an old-timey-meets-classic wedding invitation suite that perfectly suits both Lauren and Joel’s personalities as well as the cool venue where they were married â€“ all with a total sense of fun, fun, and fun.

From Lauren and Joel:Â We wanted the event to feel fun, with a hint of old-timey-ness. Â After all, we were trying to convince friends and family from around the country to come to Toledo, Ohio. (Not a destination on everyone’s ideal vacation list.) Â We tried to get people excited with an oversized theater poster-type save the date. Â This is really where we had our fun with the printed pieces. Â The save the dates were then followed up with a more toned-down invitation that still retained the look and feel of the first piece. Â We kept the look going with ceremony programs, thank you notes, place cards, and cookie jar labels for my mom’s famous homemade cookies.

The invites were printed byÂ Norman Clayton of Classic Letterpress in Emeryville, CAÂ on Crane’s Lettra and the envelopes were from Paper Source. Â We also tried to find vintage stamps that fit our personality, like a funny guy with a mustache, a printing press, Ohio stamps, and a retro film stamp since we got married at an historic theater. Â Tor Weeks did the hand lettering on the outside of our envelopes (she is also the designer of our Typestache poster).

The whole look of our event was based on the colors and vibe of two things: The Dahlia Dell in Golden Gate Park, which we used to walk to when we lived in San Francisco, and the gigantic mural of historic performers at theÂ Valentine Theatre, where we were married. Â We pulled rich magenta and plum colors from the garden and mural and accented them with a variety of reds, oranges, greens, and neutral browns. Â But the best part of the night was really the awesomeÂ Motown band we brought in from Detroit.