09/09/2014

Chelsea + Nick’s Night Under the Stars Wedding Invitations

You might remember Chelsea and Nick’s fun navy and white gingham save the dates from a few months back â€“ and today they’re back with their wedding invitations! Created by Rachel from Robinson Press, these beautiful wedding invitations feature a navy and neon red color palette and the Vermont landscape under the stars!

From Rachel: In keeping with the Vermont theme of their save the date, Chelsea and Nicholas wanted a landscape under the stars for their wedding invitation suite, so an illustration of the snake river became the centerpiece of the suite. They also loved this quote from poet Nikki Giovanni: We love because it is the only true adventure.

ThisÂ is a three piece invitation suite, plus double-sided his and hers patterned informal stationery, with a color palette of navy and neon red. The invitation suite wasÂ letterpress printed on bright white 100% cotton paper and tied with a gauzy italian cotton ribbon from Studio Carta.

ThanksÂ Rachel!

Robinson PressÂ is a member of theÂ Designer RolodexÂ â€“ you can see more of their beautiful workÂ right hereÂ or visit theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits:Â Robinson Press

09/09/2014

DIY Tutorial: Black and White Striped Napkin Rings

I think someÂ of the best and most economical ways to style a table involveÂ napkins and napkin rings, which are also great ways to break out some DIY skills. I’m a sucker for black and white stripes, so today, I’m making my own set of napkin rings donning my favorite pattern offsetÂ with some turquoise beads. They’re an affordable, low-skillÂ project,Â and I’m seriously loving the combination! â€“Â Mandy Pellegrin of Fabric Paper Glue

Materials
Wooden napkin rings
Black and white embroidery floss
Needle
Small beads
Washi tape

Step One:Â Begin by tying the ends of both colors onto a napkin ring â€“Â with the knots on the inside.

Step Two:Â Wrap the thread around the ring, alternating between the two colors. I alternated between six white wraps and three black wraps. Â As you wrap one color simply wrap it around the other, unused color on the back side. Stop once you’ve covered about an inch of the ring and set aside.

Step Three:Â Use a needle to thread several beads onto a separate piece of embroidery floss.

Step Four:Â Center the beads over the section of the ring that you’ve already wrapped, and secure on each side of the wrapped thread with a small piece of washi tape.

Step Five:Â Tie the beaded string around the ring on the back, and trim the ends.

Step Six:Â Now finish wrapping until you’ve covered the entire ring. Finish off by tying the strings on the inside.

Photo Credits: Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

09/08/2014

Anne + Durand’s Modern Boho Wedding Invitations

These beautiful wedding invitations from MeganÂ atÂ Ruby the FoxÂ are just perfect for the quintessential modern boho bride. Succulent-inspired details? Check! Beautiful calligraphy? Check! A bright pop of colorful edge painting? Check! Totally gorgeous result? Check and check!

FromÂ Megan:Â This suite was created for a fabulous Los Angeles-based bride for her modern meets boho wedding. She worked with Bash, Please to design her perfect day, and I had the honor of designing her wedding invitations! We started with a fresh palette of mint, coral, kraft,Â and taupe â€“ and the rest took off from there.

Playing off her love for calligraphy, clean lines and succulents, we came up with a stunning design that was totally representative of her big day. The suite was letterpress printed on luxe cotton stock, with edges painted in a pop of coral. To top it all off, Angelique, Ink graced us with her calligraphy talents for the couple’s names and the gorgeous envelope calligraphy.

ThanksÂ Megan!

Design:Â Ruby the Fox

Calligraphy: Angelique Ink

Ruby the Fox is a member of theÂ Designer RolodexÂ â€“ you can see more of their beautiful workÂ right hereÂ or visit theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits:Â Mary Kate McKenna Photography

09/08/2014

Ana + Liam’s Soft Floral Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! I thought I’d start the week with these beautiful soft floral wedding invitations from Nicole of UmamaÂ â€“ inspired by the bride’s request for a classic invitation with a floral print! Nicole carried the floral elements through the entire suite, from the invitations to the rehearsal dinner menu and other day-of elements. So pretty!

FromÂ Nicole:Â For this wedding suite, Ana wanted a classic invitation with a classic floral illustration.Â Ana planned to include touches of copper and cobalt blue china with ivory, fuchsia, and burgundy flowers in her wedding and also wanted to include a floral print in her invitations and day-of wedding stationery.

I wanted to give Ana a little bit of everything on her design wish list: the cobalt blue, the florals, and a touch of copper. I love the look of layered florals, to the point of abundance. However, I didn’t want to overwhelm the actual invitation. Our solution was to create a piece that would serve as a wrap to the invitation, reply card, and rehearsal dinner note.

On this folder, we were able to go floral crazy bringing in layered florals and lots of that cobalt blue. The invitation revealed a much cleaner and classic floral design, so as not to overcrowd the type below.

A mirrored floral pattern adorn the rehearsal dinner note and menu card, tying all the pieces together. For that touch of copper, we created a set of tags to be used at the venue, with copper rivets and a ribbon crafted from spiraled copper wiring. We used Dutch Felt 100lb paper in Creamery from Paper Presentation. It is one of my favorite go-to papers for texture.

ThanksÂ Nicole!

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

Photo Credits:Â Umama

09/05/2014

Tropical Sangria

In DC, August is usually a beast. A muggy, hot, sweaty beast. We thought we had dodged a bullet this year, since this August was actually really mild and pleasant. But we were wrong. August just waited a month. August found us. This first week of September has really just been August: hot and humid.Â So we could mope around in the heat, miserable. Or we could drink some Sangria â€“ with a twist inspired by the tropics. Yeah, that second one. Drink some Sangria!Â â€“ Andrew

Illustration byÂ Shauna LynnÂ for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Tropical Sangria

1 Bottle Dry Red Wine
1 Cup Aged Rum
1 Cup Watermelon Juice
1/2 Cup Lime Juice
1/2 Cup Falernum
1/4 Cup Allspice Dram
2 Cups Pineapple, Diced
2 Limes, Sliced

Combine all those ingredients in a pitcher. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator so the flavors meld. Serve over ice and enjoy!

It’s hard to go wrong with Sangria â€“ wine, a bit of liquor, some fruit and you’ve got a Sangria â€“ but I particularly love this one. It’s deep and rich, a little bit funkier than a Sangria fortified with brandy. It’s sweet and tart and a bit spicy. It’s summery and enormously refreshing on a hot day.

I got the idea for this when we made our RosÃ© Sangria last month. What about a Caribbean-themed Sangria, with a bit of a tropical touch? So this was born: rum instead of brandy, some tropical fruit and Caribbean liqueurs, a Tiki-like fantasy version of a Sangria that might have been cooked up in a pirate’s kitchen. Ok, so that last bit was pretty dorky. I don’t care. This is delicious. Give it a try.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper