04/18/2018

Citrus Wedding Inspiration

Today we’re celebrating one of our favorite wedding themes with some citrus wedding inspiration! Citrus is the perfect wedding theme any time of year. Plan a citrus-inspired indoor affair during cold weather months when citrus is in season down in the South, or incorporate citrus into your menu for a refreshing treat during the warm summer months. The ideas below will get you ready for sunshine, longer days, and lemonade (or in this case, limoncello!). â€“Annie

Lemons make for the perfect place card! Just use a paint pen for crisp white lettering… | Photography: Brett Hickman Photographers, Event Planning and Design: A Good Affair Wedding & Event Production, Paper Goods and Calligraphy: A Good Affair Wedding & Event Production via Green Wedding Shoes

…or write on pieces of handmade paper pinned to clementines! I like how they incorporate shades of pink. | Photography: Katelyn James Photography, Calligraphy: The Weekend Type via Grey Likes Weddings

Citrus table numbers! | Photography: Jacqui Cole Photography, Event Planning: NK Productions Wedding Planning, Table Numbers: Paper Goat via Style Me Pretty

These chalkboard signs offer a sunny greeting. | Photography: Brett Hickman Photographers, Event Planning and Design: A Good Affair Wedding & Event Production, Paper Goods and Calligraphy: A Good Affair Wedding & Event Production via Green Wedding Shoes

Add a burst of color with a citrus-inspired watercolor menu. | Photography: Paula G. FuriÃ³, Event Design: Macarena Gea via Ruffled

Send each guest home with a little bottle of limoncello! | Photography: Janet Kwan Photography, Event Planning and Design: Blissful Memories & Events, Stationery Design: Nadiya V Design, Calligraphy: Love Lettering via WedLuxe

How cute are these leaf escort cards pinned to oranges? | Photography: Hunter Ryan Photo, Event Planning: Fabulously Chic Events, Stationery: The Paper Merchant via Every Last Detail

Escort cards and favors: check. | Photography: Steve Steinhardt Photography via Brides

Planning a welcome bag for your guests? Fill it with citrus goodies. I’ve got my eye on that fig orange spread. | Photography: Shewanders Photography, Event Design: Coastyle Events, Stationery: Paperless Post, Calligraphy: The Bloomery Co. via Martha Stewart Weddings

Such a creative way to display your place cards and menus. | Photography: Westrich Photography, Event Planning and Design: Carrie Darling Events, Stationery and Calligraphy: Cheree Berry Paper via Martha Stewart Weddings

These clothespins are so cute. | Photography: Shewanders Photography, Event Design: Coastyle Events, Stationery: Paperless Post, Calligraphy: The Bloomery Co. via Martha Stewart Weddings

Are you planning to incorporate citrus in your wedding? We’d love to hear the details!

04/17/2018

Modern Hand Painted Sumi Ink Invitations

There are lots of rules for wedding invitations, along with plenty of traditions, etiquette, and details to consider. But for a vow renewal, all rules go out the window! Megan and Drew chose to celebrate their marriage with an intimate ceremony and reception (with a super small guest list of close friends) that was a better reflection of their style than their wedding years before. They worked with Rachael of Hazel + Dolly to create these VERY cool and eclectic modern hand painted Sumi ink invitations. Each individual piece in this suite was hand painted, from the invitation to the RSVP card to the envelope! So creative and unique!

From Rachael: This invitation suite was for a vow renewal for a small group of friends of the couple. Each individual invitation, reply card, detail card, and envelope was hand painted. Every card had a unique watercolor wash using an amber-colored watercolor and lettering in dark black Sumi ink. Originally, I proposed this idea as a letterpress invitation suite, but when I found out how small the guest list was, we decided to do hand painted. The couple and I agreed that this added both a personalized and eclectic touch to the suite.

The couple, Megan and Drew, got married several years ago before the wedding industry really took off to become what it is today, and they were able to re-live that wonderful moment in their lives with an intimate ceremony and reception that was focused on their unique style. It truly evoked their love and the couple they’ve grown to be.

The paper used here is Savoy 236# (if you have familiarity with letterpress, this is my go-to for business cards and invitations because of its juicy thickness that allows for a deep impression). It’s also really wonderful for watercolor washes, which many of my brides want. The bright white offers a perfect background for the watercolor.

I used Sumi ink and a script liner brush for the lettering on the suite. For the envelopes, I used a script liner brush and Dr. Ph. Martin’s Gold Iridescent Ink â€“ it has a gorgeous sheen but is still opaque enough for envelopes. The suite paired nicely with some stamps of my vintage stamp collection, and because so there were so few guests, I was able to add vintage postage to each envelope. I always consider envelopes with vintage postage to be mini art galleries, and always try to encourage my brides to go this route!

Thanks so much Rachael!

Design: Hazel + Dolly
Styling: Ever Ours Events
Paper: Savoy Bright White 236#

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Sage + Fern Photo

04/16/2018

A Few Recent Etsy Faves

Happy Monday everyone! Did you have a good weekend? DC is observing Emancipation Day and DC public schools and government offices are closed, so my kids get a three day weekend! Anyway, I thought we’d jump into the week with a few recent Etsy faves! It’s been a while since I did an Etsy-focused post, but I’ve been quietly gathering a list of handmade products and wanted to share them with you. A bit of jewelry, some ceramics, a couple of wall hangings, and a couple other odds and ends!

1. Oh, hello gorgeous textile to hang on your wall! Emily from The Sweet Beast has one of these beautiful pieces in her home, and I always love seeing it on her wall. That pop of pink is just perfect.

2. I’ve been loving the look of stoneware ceramics lately! This blue and white mug is GORGEOUS.

3. How cute is this copper rainbow and yarn wall hanging? I’m thinking about getting one for Common Room Studio!

4. + 5. A big yes to statement earrings! These wood earrings and these acrylic and pom pom earrings are both super fun!

6. BEYOND obsessed with this brass hair clip. So ridiculously chic â€“ I want one in every shape and size!

7. Absolutely beautiful leather-covered vases. I bet they will patina beautifully over time.

8. The prettiest pale pink planter. Done and done.

9. I have several colorful necklaces from Jill Makes and wear them constantly. Thinking about adding this one to the collection!

04/12/2018

Inspiring Calligraphers: Ciarra Claire Calligraphy

Hey everyone! Everyone knows branding is an important part of any business. So it was interesting to hear from calligrapher Ciarra Claire about her own recent journey with rebranding! In addition to creating beautiful calligraphed stationery for events and weddings, Ciarra also now has an online paper shop (including giftable art prints!). Oh, and did we mention that she’s one of the fabulous members of our Designer Rolodex? Yep, we love her work THAT much! Let’s take a peek at all the new things that Ciarra is up to! â€“ Jen

Photo Credits: Live View Studios

In addition to rebranding her calligraphy business, originally named Silver Fox Calligraphy, Ciarra Claire also opened an online paper shop with art prints called Plein Air Paperie. She shares, “I am most excited about recently rebranding and standing on my own as an artist, and being able to offer a fine art paperie online to a wider audience beyond wedding stationery.”

Ciarra is now dabbling in wax seals, too. “I also have a collaborative seal with Artisaire!” She adds that they carry beautiful wax sealing spoons worth checking out.

Credits: Wax Seals and Artisaire

Photo Credit: Corey Weber / Styling by Sincerely Ginger / WaxSeals.com

Photo Credit: Morning Light Photography / Styling by Lacy Geary

What inspires Ciarra? She finds inspiration in classic calligraphy, such as copperplate. “But I love the casual look of hand writing, such as the little notes you find inside old book covers,” says Ciarra. “And I try to blend historical calligraphy technique with organic movement. I love old hand written letters and the calligraphy notes on vintage botanical prints.”Â Here’s a peek at one of her art prints:

Ciarra chose the name Plein Aire Paperie because the pieces are inspired by historical artwork and vintage prints. And she notes that they are also designed to be displayed â€œen plain airâ€ free standing or in a floating frame to show the pretty deckled edges. “They come with a tag about the line and a little black card to write a short note to your loved one and a blind embossed envelope,” she shares.

Thanks to Ciarra for sharing all the many things she’s working on! You can also find her on Instagram and see more of her work in the Designer Rolodex!

04/12/2018

Bright and Colorful Modern Wedding Invitations

Anyone in the mood for bright and colorful modern wedding invitations? Good! We’ve got you covered with these lovely painterly beauties from Ashley at Fine Day Press. These beautiful invitations feature colorful abstract watercolor artwork with a funky angular shape, a bit of gold foil for sparkle, and gorgeous envelopes in complementary colors. Let’s take a look!

From Ashley: Molly and Elizabeth share a love of color and are getting married at the Fig House, a modern venue in Los Angeles filled with bold, jewel-toned hues. Molly reached out about creating a custom invitation suite with a painterly, brightly hued feel for their wedding. As soon as I read her email, I knew it was a match made in paper heaven!

To start, I created a custom painted design featuring turquoise, bright yellow and hot pink tones that we turned into the invitation’s colorful background. The couple is inspired by hexagons and geometric shapes, also featured in the venue, so we incorporated an angular shape to the invitation design.

We used bold brush lettering to highlight Molly and Elizabeth’s names, paired with a modern sans serif for the rest of the type. The names are printed in a gorgeous gold foil stamp that adds a super special touch, and to finish it off we printed on our double-thick cotton stock. So dreamy! We chose Euroflap envelopes by Waste Not Paper in the shades Pool and Peacock to complement the design of these bright and colorful modern wedding invitations.

Molly told me later that working on the wedding invitations was her absolute favorite part of the wedding planning process, and that Elizabeth’s mom cried when she saw them, because they suited the couple so perfectly. How sweet is that?!? So thrilled I got to be a part of this beautiful couple’s special day!

Thanks Ashley!

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Fine Day Press