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

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

03/14/2019

DIY Modern Color-Blocked Easter Eggs

This post is sponsored by The Incredible Egg. All content and opinions are my own. Visit The Incredible Egg for Easter recipes and inspiration!

Easter is such a fun holiday, don’t you think?? I’m partial to any holiday that involves decorating â€“ and eggs are the cutest little canvases that can be decorated in so many fun and colorful ways. And now that my kids are old enough to join in on the Easter egg decorating fun, it’s even better! I love coming up with new Easter egg decorating ideas each year, and this year I’m really feeling inspired to experiment with new color palettes and color combinations. So today I’m partnering with The Incredible Egg to share these fun DIY modern, color-blocked Easter eggs!

My family looks forward to decorating Easter eggs all year long. We typically spend the holiday with my husband’s family, so we gather everyone around the kitchen table on Easter morning to dye eggs together. I love seeing the colors (and color combinations!) everyone chooses for their eggs and all the ways they express themselves creatively. Plus my kids absolutely love both getting to decorate eggs and then hunt for them with their cousins several times in the afternoon!

I’ve been feeling really inspired by earthy tones and neutral pastels this year â€“ from bold burgundy and yellow tones to soft pinks and sage green hues. I am especially loving terra cotta paired with navy blue and soft pink paired with mustard yellow. I knew these color pairings would be a beautiful and unexpected application on Easter eggs, especially with a modern, color-blocked dip-dye treatment.

Another exciting development? As you may have noticed, I’m using both white and brown eggs this year! I’ve always dyed white eggs in the past, but brown eggs work so beautifully with the deeper earth tones that I just couldn’t resist. Aren’t they just absolutely DREAMY with the color blocked dip dye?? I also loved the idea of creating different colors and tones using the same color dyes on both brown and white eggs. The lighter pastel tones produced a beautiful color wash effect on the brown eggs, while the deeper hues produced rich jewel tones by leaving the eggs in the dye bath for a longer period of time.

Here’s the color palette that I used as my starting point, along with the food coloring dye formulas that I used to dye the eggs:

A quick note: The color formulas above achieved *slightly* different results in person â€“ but it’s pretty close to my original color palette objectives! When you make these color formulas at home, always test the colors with a napkin or paper towel before dyeing your eggs!

There are a million ways to decorate Easter eggs â€“ from soft painterly pink and gold eggs to tissue paper eggs â€“ and I love putting a modern twist on traditional decorating techniques. All you need is traditional food coloring dye to achieve the gorgeous colors in these DIY modern, color-blocked Easter eggs! Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Supplies

White and Brown Hardboiled Eggs

Liquid Food Coloring

Muffin pan or small bowls for dyeing the eggs (note: the food coloring can leave permanent stains, so don’t use anything too precious!)

Vinegar

Tooth picks or wood chopsticks for stirring

Paper Towels

Disposable Gloves (optional)

To make the DIY modern color-blocked Easter eggs:

Step 1. Boil two cups of water, then add two tablespoons of vinegar to the hot water. Fill the cups of a muffin pan or a small bowl with about half an inch of the hot water. Add liquid food coloring based on the color formulas above or to achieve your own desired color palette. I used a variety of store-bought food coloring to create my dye colors, including standard red, yellow, green, and blue liquid food coloring, pastel gel food coloring, and bright magenta, teal, and orange gel food coloring. Use a toothpick or spoon to stir the food coloring together until completely blended, then give it another quick stir before dipping your egg into the dye bath.

Tip: Test the dye color with a paper towel before submerging your eggs, but keep in mind that a paper towel will absorb the dye much faster than an egg, so youâ€™ll need to leave the egg in the dye bath for a minute or two if you’re hoping to achieve brighter/more saturated colors.

Step 2. Wearing disposable gloves, pick up your egg and gently dip one side of the egg into the dye bath. The dye should not cover the entire egg and you should continue to hold the egg in place while it’s in the dye bath so it doesn’t roll over. Hold the egg in place for several seconds for lighter colors or around a minute for deeper/more saturated colors.

Step 3. Remove from the dye bath and pat dry with a paper towel.

Step 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with a second and third dye color (if desired), covering a different portion of the egg with each new dye color.

I just can’t stop staring at these colors! I love all the subtle color variations between the white and brown eggs and the different overlapping tones. The non-traditional color combinations are so special and unique!

Neutral pastels! Earth tones! Jewel tones! Gah, I just love these eggs SO much! Do you love this color palette as much as I do? Will you be making color-blocked eggs this year?? Let us know if you do! And donâ€™t forget to head over to The Incredible Egg for more Easter inspiration and recipe ideas!

This post was created in partnership with The Incredible Egg. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

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!