New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations

Is there anything more beautiful than New York City in the fall? Central Park practically explodes with gorgeous fall foliage, and all the brownstones decorate their stoops with pumpkins and colorful autumn blooms. Becca of Suite Paperie created these whimsical New York City inspired floral watercolor invitations for a bride and groom tying the knot in the city. The invitations feature a color palette of rich autumn hues like purple and deep green, along with an illustrated map of Manhattan and soft watercolor florals.

New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Suite Paperie

From Becca: Kelly and Bennett wanted to set the perfect early Autumn New York City tone for their mostly out of town guests, and we set out to do just that! Oversized fall blooms were watercolor painted in rich purples, dusty roses, blushes, and deep greens, and paired perfectly with their wine and gray whimsical script and serif lettering on the main piece of their invitation suite. Digitally printed on duplexed soft white cover stock, the invitation was both colorful and luxuriously thick.

New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Suite Paperie

We created a custom map of Manhattan showcasing the neighborhoods and venues for the events throughout the wedding weekend. We also made sure to highlight important landmarks and neighborhoods that had special meaning to the couple, like their favorite place to sit and people watch, Washington Square Park, and where Bennett proposed to Kelly, Greenwich Village.

New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Suite Paperie

The back of the folded map listed a detailed schedule of the weekend, including welcome drinks and a post-wedding recovery brunch, a NYC must-have! The couple also wanted to include little fun facts and tips about New York City, like leaving plenty of time to get to their ceremony on a Friday afternoon, during rush hour, and encouraging guests to walk from the church to the reception at The High Line Hotel because, well, it’s New York City after all!

New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Suite Paperie

We carried the watercolor look onto the RSVP card and the front of the map insert. On the response card, we created mini watercolor animal silhouettes that served as meal option indicators. Additionally, on the front of the map insert, an oversized wash of minty green watercolor gives the suite a fresh, cheery punch.

New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Suite Paperie

My absolute favorite part of the suite is the envelope liner. We enlarged and layered the watercolor flowers to create a beautiful pattern and then digitally printed them on vellum for a subtle, but cohesive look to the suite. Finally, we wrapped the pieces in a berry colored double-thick cotton twine bringing out the rich colors in the suite.

New York City Inspired Floral Watercolor Wedding Invitations by Suite Paperie

Thanks Becca!

Design: Suite Paperie

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Lindsay Nathanson

Seasonal Stationery: Valentine’s Day Cards

Love is in the air! At least, it is at all the shops in my neighborhood. Valentine’s Day greeting cards are always a stationers favorite (the seemingly endless puns!), so the bevy of designs can be overwhelming. For those in a committed relationship, the options are truly endless, but what about all the other people you want to express affection to? While many Valentines Day greeting cards focus on romantic love, there are plenty of people in our lives we love in other ways – your mom, your besties, your work wife. We know it can be easy to dismiss Valentine’s Day, but honestly, the whole world could really use more love these days. In this initial Valentine’s Day card round up, we’re focusing on more universal messaging without any romantic notions (but stay tuned for next weeks round up if you are looking for saucier options). Enjoy!

Seasonal Stationery: Valentine's Day CardsFrom top right:

1. A sweet floral wreath in a rustic watercolor style from Little Truths Studio.

2. Share Valentine’s Day greetings with red foil and soft pink paper from Rifle Paper Co.

3. Send a rainbow of affection with this Valentine’s Day card from One Canoe Two.

4. This double heart note from Meeschmosh conveys the perfect dose of platonic affection.

5. It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without at least one food-related pun. The berry nice design (see what we did there?) comes courtesy of Mr. Boddington’s Studio.

6. This doily inspired greeting card is available as an online design (as well as paper). Designed by Hannah Berman for Paperless Post.

7. Keep it short, sweet and to the point with this simple message and hand-lettered text from And Here We Are.

8. Loving this red and pink block print inspired design from the good folks at Kansas City-based Hammerpress.

9. This card definitely leans more to the romantic side, but still feels appropriate to send to your best friend The red, white and pink roses are so sweet! From Clap Clap Design.

10. This floral die cut comes courtesy of Amy Heitman.

11. Really enjoying the combination of brush lettering with a soft palate from Evermore Paper Co.

Next week: Romantic Valentine’s Day designs for your (romantic) love!

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper

Hello everyone! And hello to 2017! Here we are already skating fast through January. For today’s dose of calligraphy inspiration we’re featuring the beautiful modern calligraphy of Kaylyn of Pirouette Paper. Her collection of lettering work shows how calligraphy instantly makes any event, party, wedding, or festive gathering feel special. I’m pretty partial to the Pirouette Paper handmade party signs, but feel free to share your favorite picks below!  – Jen

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Kristina Adams Photography

Photo: Kristina Adams Photography

I’ve always loved this idea of using calligraphy on kraft brown paper. It feels modern and not fussy. And in this case, the sign keeps the bubbly bar, with all the antique accents, from looking old-fashioned.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Mallory Dawn Photography

Photo: Mallory Dawn Photography

There’s definitely an organic style to Kaylyn’s work. I love her use of botanical elements, like leaves, with gold lettering  for sweet and modern wedding seating tags.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Savan Photography

Photo: Savan Photography

With Pirouette Paper, you’ll find invitation suites that mix  calligraphy with simple type for a beautiful effect.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Loren Weddings

Photo: Loren Weddings

Here’s the prettiest cocktail menu I ever did see. (I bet Andrew knows how to make all of these fun-sounding cocktails!)

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Mallory Dawn Photography

Photo: Mallory Dawn Photography

Letter work too pretty to store in a box (in my opinion). I’d frame a sentimental piece like this and hang in my bedroom.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Mallory Dawn Photography

Photo: Mallory Dawn Photography

This wedding menu features calligraphy letter work with an embellishment of gold foil. I love how the table features rustic wood chargers and skips the tablecloth to balance the golden accents for a more modern, less fussy-fancy table.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Mallory Dawn Photography

Photo: Mallory Dawn Photography

Kaylyn says her inspiration comes from her mood when she’s writing. “I love to let anything I’m feeling come through in my writing, whether it’s a more abstract and ethereal font (for those rainy days) or a more straight-forward, curly font if I’m feeling especially fun and youthful,” she says.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Savan Photography

Photo: Savan Photography

Kaylyn got into calligraphy after a photographer friend of hers asked her to attend a calligraphy class with her. After that fateful class, she decided that it’s what she wants to do. “From there I started building my business while I was finishing up school and working at Disneyland — lots of styled shoots, small commissions, etc.” says Kaylyn. But this past June, she said goodbye to Disney and jumped into full-time doing Pirouette Paper. “Most of the time it doesn’t even feel like work.”

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: The Hearts Haven

Photo: The Hearts Haven

Watercolors and calligraphy name tags mixed with rustic woods and fresh garland — this is one dreamy entrance to the celebration.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Natalie Schutt Photography

Photo: Natalie Schutt Photography

You can turn a vintage mirror into a standout program for the big day with hand-drawn calligraphy.

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pirouette Paper / Photo Credit: Kristina Adams Photography

Photo: Kristina Adams Photography

I hope this peek into the work of Pirouette Paper has been a pretty kickoff to 2017. Here’s wishing the new year is golden!

Stationery A-Z: Engagement Congratulations

Wild guess, but do you know someone who just got engaged? I’ll bet you do, as we’re currently in the midst of engagement season (no, really – 40% of all couples get engaged between the months of November and February). Before all the bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and actual real life weddings start consuming the majority of your free time, why not sit back, pick up your trusty pen, and send that dear, newly engaged friend a heartfelt letter of congratulations? Today we’re sharing a quick engagement congratulations card round up with a few of our favorite picks to help celebrate this momentous occasion:

Engagement Congratulations Card Round Up

From top left:

1. Celebrate your bestie’s engagement with illustrated confetti and general exuberance with this design from Smudge Ink.

2. Spending two months salary on one item is no joke, so why not honor the generosity of that purchase with this bling-ed out foil stamped design from Wrap Magazine?

3. Love this sweet watercolor illustration from Golden Fox Goods. No sentiment needed.

4. Don’t forget to accessorize with a fun illustration and a punny messaging from Hello!Lucky.

5. I wouldn’t think twice about saying yes to gold hologram foil. From The Social Type (if you are in the Los Angeles area, be sure to check out their new brick and mortar location!).

6. One Canoe Two has got your reaction down pat. Plus diamonds.

7. This card from Our Heiday honors engagement with a soft abstract painterly design, a touch of gold foil, and a celebration of the impending marriage.

8. Let’s call a spade a spade: some occasions just require a giant sparkling ring (a classic from Snow & Graham).

9. This Ferme à Papier design is great for its gender neutral palate and casual sentiment. I also really like that it addresses both members of the couple – after all, they’re both getting married!

10. Finally, what better occasion for some IRL confetti? Those party experts at Knot & Bow have got you covered. Literally.

Next week: the Valentines extravaganza begins!

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! How was your first week of 2017? I spent most of the week cleaning out my office and trying to mentally prepare myself to dive into 2017. The last couple of years have felt VERY chaotic, both personally and professionally, so this year I’m trying to take a step back and focus on building a foundation that will help me grow and move forward in an intentional way. I know we all project a positive, happy, and successful vibe on blogs and social media, but behind the scenes life often feels like the exact opposite! So, last summer, I signed up for Shanna Skidmore’s Blueprint Model program to help me build that foundation. I’m only about two thirds of the way through the 12-week program, but it has been absolutely invaluable in helping me figure out the direction I want to take, both with my business and my life (more on that sometime soon!), and some of the key ingredients missing from my business model. Anyway, I’m looking forward to finishing the final third of the program while things are still fairly quiet in January, and if any of you are interested in doing something similar for your business, I’d definitely encourage you to sign up for the next 12 week round – registration opens today and runs through January 12! And you can even get $100 off your registration with code “THEYTOLDMETOO” at checkout. And if that wasn’t enough, Shanna is offering one-on-one sessions for the first 25 people that sign up. Go NOW! But in the meantime…

Little Arrow Shop / Don't Quit Your Daydream

Don’t Quit Your Daydream Unicorn pin by Little Arrow / Photo by @tokyokittengalaxy

…a few links for your weekend:

  • How stamps get designed. I think this is just the coolest thing ever.
  • Just totally obsessed with this vase – and this matching terrarium
  • The holidays may be over, but I totally want to try Ashley’s recipe for dairy-free Milk Punch (made with almond milk!)
  • Have any of you tried a facial cleansing oil? I tend to get really dry skin in the winter months, so I’m very curious!
  • Can I please get this sweater in my size?? (I’m totally getting one for Sophie – and it’s 40% off with code MUSTSHOP!)
  • The invisible workload. I found this article super interesting. I’m sure in some homes it’s the husband who does most of the invisible thinking work, not to mention households with couples of the same gender, but I’m guessing in most homes the invisible work generally falls to one person. In my home, my husband helps keep track of our grocery list, but I keep track of pretty much everything else. What do you think? Is it the same for you?

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for us this week! Have a fabulous weekend, and I’ll see you back here next week! xoxo