Modern Hand Lettered Birth Announcements for Baby Ryan

Hi again!  I hope all my U.S. readers had a wonderful 4th of July holiday!  Today we’re jumping back in with these adorable modern baby announcements from Paper Nest by Lesa.  The simple stripes and sweet hand lettering are a wonderful complement to the newborn photos – and I love that Lesa also incorporated a photo of the happy new parents!

Baby Announcements by Paper Nest via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

From Lesa: I went with a simple, warm gray stripe background; the stripes have a painted edge look as well.  The baby’s name is hand lettered in navy with bright green shading.  I just can’t get enough of stripes or a good warm gray, but the navy and bright green help bring in some fresh color.

Baby Announcements by Paper Nest via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

Baby Announcements by Paper Nest via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

Thanks Lesa!

Photo Credits: Announcements photos by Paper Nest by Lesa; Newborn photos by Alison Elyse Photography

Circus Sideshow-Inspired Baby Shower Invitations

I definitely have babies on the brain these days, and it’s always nice to see parents do something a little unusual and fun for their baby-related stationery, from shower invitations to birth announcements.  We’ve seen plenty of circus-inspired baby shower invitations, but I love this non-traditional interpretation from designer Tommy Perez for his own baby shower invitations – sideshow babies!

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (15)

From Tommy: To celebrate our little Zoë’s arrival, my wife and I decided to have a circus-themed baby shower – Zoë’s Magnificent Baby Bash.  The invitations were designed with a scratch-off detail, giving the invitee a chance at winning a fun prize!  The invitations were digitally printed on French Poptone “Whip Cream” 65 lb cover weight paper.

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (5)

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

To break away from traditional baby shower paraphernalia, I created a set of “Sideshow Babies” print inspired by a circus sideshow.  The set of four prints included the World’s Strongest Baby, Two-Headed Baby, Amazing Bearded Baby, and Snake Charming Baby.  Each print was a four color silkscreen on French Poptone “Whip Cream” 100 lb cover weight pape.  We even made a “Ringmaster” onesie for Zoë to wear after she is born!

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (11)

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8) Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (12)

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (10)

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

For one of the shower activities I created a “Build Your Own Elephant” paper craft project.

Circus Sideshow Baby Shower Invitations by Tommy Perez via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

So great!  You can see tons more photos on Tommy’s flickr page and even download the build-your-own-elephant template over on Tommy’s website right here!  Thanks Tommy!

Photo Credits: Tommy Perez

{happy weekend!}

Ah… the first week back after vacation is always a doozy, isn’t it?  But even after racing to catch up from a week away, I’m so very glad to be back home.  This weekend we’ll be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs and starting to make plans for the future nursery room.  Yay!  But in the meantime…

Photo Credit: Scout’s Honor Co.

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week!  Cocktail Fridays will be back this afternoon – and we have a special cocktail just in time for Cinco de Mayo, so check back a bit later for the recipe!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

Black + White Stripe Birth Announcements for Baby Felix

I’ve always had special affection for fun and creative baby announcements, but of course these days I’m paying extra special close attention to baby-related stationery.  I was thrilled when my friend Claudia from Fig. 2 Design Studio sent over the announcements that she created for her new baby nephew!  Claudia is known for her love of super bright colors and patterns, and for these announcements she went with graphic black and white stripes paired with bright blue neon accents.  I love the playful yet masculine design – perfect for a baby boy!

From Claudia:  I designed this baby announcement for my nephew Felix.  Inspiration came partly from the baby shower invitations I designed earlier, where we used a chevron pattern.  My sister and  brother-in-law like graphic patterns, however, I decided to go with stripes to vary things and not make it too matchy-matchy.  I’ve been feeling black and white patterns a lot lately and was dying to try neon blue ink!

 

I’ve also had a thing for arrows recently and I thought using arrowheads was friendly enough for a baby announcement, while still having that masculine feel.  I was so touched when my good friend and super talented calligrapher Michele of Meant To Be Calligraphy offered to do his name as a gift to my sister!  It was the sweetest touch and now little Felix has lovely letterpress printed personal stationery.

So awesome!  Thanks Claudia!

Design: Fig. 2 Design Studio

Calligraphy: Meant To Be Calligraphy

Styling: My Simple Details

Fig. 2 Design Studio is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of Claudia’s fabulous work right here!

Photo Credits: Mary Kate McKenna

Happy News!

You guys, I’m thrilled to share some extra-special news with you today â€“ my husband and I are expecting our first baby!  I’m in my second trimester and we’re due in early October.  I’ll admit, I was really surprised by how tough the first trimester was, at least for me.  Exhaustion and nausea both kicked in right around 6 weeks, which made it really difficult for me to keep up with my normal work schedule and left me unable to eat anything other than crackers (and maybe a little fruit) up until a couple of weeks ago.  But thankfully my energy levels are back up and my appetite is mostly back, so now we’re feeling incredibly happy and excited to embark on this amazing journey!

Photo by me