06/07/2013

{happy weekend}

Hello friends. It was a sad week here in my Capitol Hill neighborhood of DC: Frager’s,Â our beloved hardware store (and 93-year old community institution), was destroyedÂ in a huge fire on Wednesday night. Thankfully everyone made it out of the store okay and the brick facade of the building survived the fire.Â The owners plan to rebuild and neighborhood businesses have offered temporary work for displaced employees, but I’m still reeling from the destruction.Â My husband and I moved to Capitol Hill in 2009, and Frager’s quickly became one of my favorite places on the Hill. That probably seems weird, but it’s so much more than a hardware store: my husband and I bought our first Christmas tree together from Frager’s. I’ve purchased enough paint that the guys behind the counter know Sophie by name. Frager’s supports local sports teams, employs neighborhood teens during the summer, and even hosts an egg hunt for little kids during Easter. I look forward to a future teenage Sophie getting her first part-time job there. I just can’t imagine Capitol Hill without Frager’s. Thankfully our neighborhood has a history of rallying together to help local families and businesses in need, and I’m looking forward to helping in any way that I can.

OSBP-Instagram-Fragers

In honor of Frager’s. Photo by me via Instragram from back in 2011.

A few links for your weekend:

Mini instagram projectors? What what?!?
LOVE these watercolor party hats from Jordan
The fascinating history behind one of my favorite songs (via Mara)
MAKE: Raspberry chocolate fudge pops
Congratulations to Kathryn on her baby girl and Michele on Meant to Be Calligraphy’s 4th anniversary!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

National Stationery Show 2013, Part 10: Bison Bookbinding and Letterpress, Papersheep, Smarty Pants Paper Co., Sugarcube Press, Sesame Letterpress, Fisk & Fern, Penelope’s Press, McBitterson’s, Happy Cactus, Grey Cardigan
National Stationery Show 2013, Part 11: An Open Sketchbook, Ilee Papergoods, Power & Light Press, L2 Design Collective, Chewing the Cud, La Familia Green, Tutta Lou, Orange Twist, Papillon Press, Paper Boat Studios, Kelp Designs
National Stationery Show 2013, Part 12: Avie Designs, Holstee, Plane Paper, Pancake & Franks, Cardtorial, Girls Can Tell, Max & Bunny, Martha Celebrations, Russell + Hazel, Mara Mi
National Stationery Show 2013, Part 13: Riverdog Prints, Paper Freckles, Oddball Press, Everything Little Miss, Ornament Letterpress, Dolce Press, Viva Greetings, The Permanent Collection
Time to pick out your Father’s Day Cards! Check outÂ Part 1 and Part 2Â of our round up!
Lovely whimsical illustrated Paris-inspired wedding invitations
Honor + Daniel’s rustic barn wedding invitations
Reorganizing your office? Check out our favorite drawer storage options!
DIY Tutorial: Cute hot air balloon baby announcements
Well Said Type: Gemmadonati

Check back soon for this weekâ€™s cocktail! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and Iâ€™ll see you back here next week.Â xoxo

06/06/2013

Pretty + Paper

Pretty + Paper: Pink Floral Inspiration

Bouquet byÂ Sarah Winward ofÂ Honey of a Thousand FlowersÂ via Ruffled (left) // Finn + Emma’s floral wedding invitationsÂ byÂ Moira Design StudioÂ (right)

Photo Credits: Bouquet byÂ Kate Osborne, Invitations byÂ Moira Design Studio

06/05/2013

Honor + Daniel’s Rustic Barn Wedding Invitations

I love the rustic simplicity of these invitations from Laura Macchia. The illustrations depict the wedding venue: a beautiful barn belonging to the bride’s parents, complete with an old stone wall and wooden fence. The illustration appears both on the invitations and double-sided post card save the date. Beautiful!

From Laura:Â It was such a pleasure to work with Honor and Daniel this past year on their custom letterpress wedding invitations. They were married in May at Honorâ€™s parents beautiful barn in Pennsylvania. Inspired byÂ Jeff and Amberâ€™s suite, Honor asked if I could create a custom illustration of the barn.

Starting with a double sided save the date postcard, we combined the barn with an old style typeface and used a natural color palette of green and slate gray. For the invitation, the addition of the stone wall, fence and trees completes a look that is simple, rustic and sophisticated.

Thanks Laura!

Design:Â Laura Macchia

Letterpress Printing:Â May Day Studio

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits:Â Laura Macchia

06/05/2013

Jessica + Cecil’s Illustrated Paris-Inspired Wedding Invitations

After becoming engaged in Paris, designer Jessica Stoun (soon to be Jessica Guy) set out to design her wedding invitations and save the dates. Jessica settled on a gatefold invitation with a Paris-inspired illustration, which was accompanied by an elegant rsvp card and a poem illustrated by Jessica’s sister. So pretty!

From Jessica: I designed, illustrated, and letterpress printed my own invitations after my engagement in Paris. MyÂ fiancÃ©, Cecil and I love to travel to big cities like New York and Paris, so I was greatly inspired by famous NYC resident and Paris native Ludwig Bemelans. You might know him from his children’s book Madeline. We’re old souls at heart, so the mid-century illustration style of whimsy andÂ naivetÃ©Â made a lot of sense for us.

The suite features an illustrated poem written by my sister and Maid of Honor. Since we’re having a small wedding, I made more of these and sent them to friends that wouldn’t be coming.

The details I loved about our invitations: everything was written in verse and an illustration ofÂ our dachshund Lily popped in and out throughout the suite. TheyÂ were fun little touches that people loved to notice.

Thanks Jessica!

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Jessica Guy

06/04/2013

National Stationery Show 2013, Part 12

We’re nearing the end of our coverage from the 2013 National Stationery Show, but this recap may be the most diverse yet! From a new-to-me exhibitor â€“ HolsteeÂ â€“ to eco-friendly wood greeting cards to office supplies, and even some pretty party supplies! A little something for just about everyone!