Emery’s Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements

Okay, these wood alphabet block birth announcements by Melissa of Atheneum Creative for her daughter Emery are just TOO CUTE. And such a unique idea! Inspired by classic wood blocks, Melissa created a wood block baby announcement with Emery’s initial engraved in the wood in classic alphabet block style. Melissa also engraved Emery’s birth details on the side in a combination of classic serif text and calligraphy script by Meant to Be Calligraphy. So pretty!

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Melissa: Someone once told me when I had my son, “You did not have a baby, you had a client.” And I just think that line is so funny… because it’s so true. I push the design is so many different directions, present them to my husband, then come up with a whole different range of designs and make the decision so difficult on myself.

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I really wanted to create something really special for this birth announcement – something that showed the “building” of our family. My son, who was just over two when Emery was born, was stacking blocks in his room one night. And as I sat there and helped him stack and stack, I felt the concept of sending a block for our little girl was just too perfect.

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

As I worked on the design, I kept pulling back saying this was just not “girly” enough for me. I knew that it needed some calligraphy from Michele from Meant to be Calligraphy to soften the look. We also used a chalkboard paint to give the wood block a soft blush color before engraving the design. The block announcement was mailed in a white box with some wood filler and a small little accordion folded card with family photos.

Wood Alphabet Block Birth Announcements by Atheneum Creative / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Melissa!

Design: Atheneum Creative

Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Atheneum Creative is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beautiful work right here!

Photo Credits: Chelsea Davis Photography

Best of 2015: My Favorites

Oh So Beautiful Paper: The Best of 2015 / Calligraphy by Cast Calligraphy

Image by Cast Calligraphy

Today I’m wrapping up my 2015 recap posts with some of my personal favorite posts from the year! 2015 was, for me, kind of a chaotic year. I feel like I spent most of the year chasing deadlines and constantly running around in an effort to just keep up, which didn’t leave much time to think about the future or how I want to grow my business. So while I’m still trying to wrap my head around my thoughts and goals for 2016, I know that at least part of what I want for the new year is to slow down, simplify, and focus on doing things intentionally rather than constantly reacting to everything around me. In the meantime, I’ve been looking back at 2015 to figure out what worked, what brought me joy (like the posts below), what I want to change, and what I want to do MORE of in 2016.

Hand Painted Rose Gold Foil Baby Announcements / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Alice’s Hand Painted Rose Gold Foil Baby Announcements

Okay, so I’m obviously totally biased, but I’m still completely nuts for Alice’s birth announcements! Each individual announcement was hand painted by Jenna of Mon Voir, meaning no two announcements are the same, and feature Jenna’s calligraphy and text printed in rose gold foil by Bella Figura on their gorgeous smooth cotton paper.

Brick + Mortar: All About NSS Mailers / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Brick + Mortar: All About NSS Mailers

Emily‘s Brick + Mortar column continues to be one of my favorite bright spots on OSBP! Two of my favorite installments from 2015 are the post that Emily and I co-wrote in March about NSS mailers and Emily’s post in September about the importance of the word “no” in growing your business.

Brick + Mortar: How Saying No Can Help You Grow Your Business / Art by the Dancing Cat / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Brick + Mortar: How “No” Can Help You Grow Your Business / Artwork by The Dancing Cat

Paper Party 2015! / Oh So Beautiful Paper / Photo by Charlie-Juliet Photography

Paper Party 2015!

This year’s Paper Party was a huge undertaking and SO much fun! We went with a subtle tropical theme with a color palette of cobalt blue, gold, and shades of pink, and plenty of tropical details like palm fronds, flamingos, and tropical fruit. The invitations were designed by Moglea with a hand painted background, hand painted envelope liner pattern, and text printed in matte gold foil by Bella Figura. Michele of Meant to Be Calligraphy addressed the envelopes in gold ink, and I dip dyed them in pink Kool-Aid!

Hand Painted and Matte Gold Foil Invitations for Paper Party 2015 / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Paper Party 2015 Invitations!

Tips for Working from Home / Bright Room Studio for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Tips for Working from Home from Bright Room Studio

Love these tips from Kim of Bright Room Studio for anyone working from home!

The Earth Laughs in Flowers / Oh So Beautiful Paper + Mon Voir Calligraphy Collaboration

The Earth Laughs in Flowers Art Print

Our very first limited edition art print! I collaborated with Jenna of Mon Voir on these gorgeous art prints featuring her floral watercolor artwork and calligraphy printed in matte gold foil. I can’t wait to do more of these collaborations in 2016, and in the meantime you can pick up your very own print right here!

Best of 2015: Babies + Kids

Oh So Beautiful Paper: The Best of 2015 / Calligraphy by Cast Calligraphy

Image by Cast Calligraphy

Nothing makes me happier than a beautiful baby announcement or colorful birthday party invitation. It’s hard to resist anything that involves an adorable photo of a newborn baby, and birthday party invitations can be so much fun – especially in those first few years when you can really do whatever you want! Ha! Baby announcements and birthday party invitations are a fabulous opportunity to create beautiful stationery (but without the added pressure that can come with creating a wedding invitation). My favorite baby announcements and birthday party invitations are those that manage to be whimsical, sophisticated, and kid-appropriate all at the same time while somehow not being overly cutesy. Some favorites from the year include a simple and modern hand lettered birth announcement, woodland critter birthday party invitations, gold foil polka dot baby announcements, watercolor popsicle birthday party invitations, and some SUPER fun invitations for a 5th birthday party!

The Best Birthday Party Invitations of 2015: Watercolor Calligraphy Popsicle Birthday Party Invitations by Maison Everett / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Watercolor Calligraphy Popsicle Birthday Party Invitations by Maison Everett

The Best Baby Announcements of 2015: Hand Lettered Letterpress Birth Announcements by The Good Twin and Power and Light Press / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Modern Hand Lettered Letterpress Baby Announcements by The Good Twin and Power and Light Press

The Best Birthday Party Invitations of 2015: Wild Kratts Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Wild Kratts Animal-Inspired Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper

The Best Baby Announcements of 2015: Gold Foil Polka Dot Birth Announcements by Lauren Chism / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Gold Foil Polka Dot Baby Announcements by Lauren Chism

The Best Birthday Party Invitations of 2015: Woodland Fall Harvest Birthday Party Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs, Photo by Sweet Root Village / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Woodland Critter Fall Harvest Birthday Party Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs / Photo by Sweet Root Village

More baby announcements and birthday party invitation ideas right here!

Classic Gray Birth Announcements

These classic gray birth announcements from Lauren Chism Fine Papers are so refreshing! Not a speck of pink or blue in sight! I love how the neutral tones and clean, classic design allow the sweet baby photo to shine – and of course I’m partial to the name Alice. Such a wonderful keepsake for a beautiful new baby!

Classic Gray Birth Announcements by Lauren Chism Fine Papers / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Lauren: Now that my husband and I are expecting, designing anything baby related just makes my heart skip a beat. I can’t get enough! I have been wanting to expand my letterpress birth announcement collection, so this is all working out very well 😉

Classic Gray Birth Announcements by Lauren Chism Fine Papers / Oh So Beautiful Paper

These announcements are extra special to me because Laura was my very first wedding client when I launched my business full time. Over the years, I have gotten to design some holiday cards and baby shower invitations for her… and then, this beautiful sweet girl arrived and I had the honor of designing her birth announcements. Birth announcements, much like wedding invitations, are such a special keepsake and something special for the family to look back on for a long time. I love how certain pieces of stationery, to those who love it, are so much more than just pieces of paper.

Classic Gray Birth Announcements by Lauren Chism Fine Papers / Oh So Beautiful Paper 

Back to the design! Once Laura chose the photo, the neutral tones of the image really leant themselves to a more muted ink color. She wasn’t into pink, so we tried out some shades of grays, tans and blues and landed on this pale gray. We paired it with gray envelopes in a lighter shade. This neutral color lover thought they were perfect. They are just so classic and chic, which really is fits Laura’s style.

Classic Gray Birth Announcements by Lauren Chism Fine Papers / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Lauren!

Design: Lauren Chism Fine Papers

Letterpress Printing: Elefant Press

Lauren Chism Fine Papers is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can check out more of Lauren’s beautiful work right here!

Photo Credits: Lauren Chism Fine Papers

Behind the Stationery: Wild Ink Press

Today we’re bringing you a MEGA edition of Behind the Stationery with the one and only Rebekah of Wild Ink Press­! She shares a little bit of everything: why she started Wild Ink Press, a tour of their studio and small storefront, the process behind her designs, and so much more. Thanks Rebekah!

Behind the Stationery: Wild Ink Press / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Wild Ink Press / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Hello! Rebekah Tennis here – owner, designer, and general boss lady at Wild Ink Press â€“ and I’m delighted to take you behind the scenes of our stationery company!

I started Wild Ink Press­ in 2009, springing out of a desire to create a cherished, finished product. I have a BFA in Graphic Design, and while I loved my job working in a corporate design firm, I found the nature of branding design to be frustrating – websites getting tweaked over and over, logos stretched out of proportion, with no finality to the work. I longed to create art that was both finished (forever!) and something that I loved, and so Wild Ink Press was born to create beautiful paper goods that others would value and enjoy. My husband Matt listened to my wild-haired ideas and we both took a series of letterpress classes at the San Francisco Center for the Book, then made the plunge and purchased a 1908 Chandler & Price Platen 10 x 15 Press on Ebay.

Behind the Stationery: Wild Ink Press / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Our company has grown and expanded over the years (through lots of blood, sweat, and tears, believe me) and we now are a staff of seven with a retail and printing space in a converted old soda bottling shop in downtown Chico, Northern California. It houses our letterpress machines, inventory, and also our creative and packaging space. We bought the abandoned building, and it has been very rewarding to restore it to its former glory and let it shine as a 3200 square-foot open studio workspace. We now have three Heidelberg Windmills, a 1912 Golding Jobber, a Vandercook Universal I, and a baby Kelsey 5 x 8 press (for the kids) in addition to our original C & P. And yes, we do print on all of them!

Behind the Stationery: Wild Ink Press / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Wild Ink Press / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Continue reading