Envelope Inspiration

I realized that I often share envelope inspiration from the #dailydoseofpaper hashtag on Instagram – but I don’t really share those envelopes here. So today I’m fixing that! It’s such a joy to open up our mailboxes and find a hand addressed envelope – even if you don’t have the skills of a professional calligrapher – among all the bills, junk mail, and catalogues. Any time I see a colorful envelope, I know it’s going to be something good! And even when I’m browsing through envelopes on Instagram, I’m probably more likely to stop and comment on an envelope post than any other type of image. Envelopes jump out at me for different reasons: sometimes it’s color palette, sometimes it’s the gorgeously curated vintage stamps, sometimes it’s the lettering style, or even something else completely. Today I’m definitely noticing a color theme in this round up, from terra cotta envelopes (so obsessed with this color right now) and brown walnut ink to deep navy and dark green. So much pretty!

Envelope Inspiration: White Envelopes with Walnut Ink by Hello Maurelle

Gorgeous walnut ink on handmade paper envelopes – just look at those deckled edges! – by Hello Maurelle

Envelope Inspiration: Terra Cotta Envelopes by Bare Ink Co.

Ooooh copper envelopes with white brush lettering by Bare Ink Co.

Envelope Inspiration: Green Brush Lettered Envelopes by Mary Kate Moon

Gorgeous green brush lettering with floral stamps for these baby shower invitations by Mary Kate Moon

Envelope Inspiration: Navy Blue Envelopes with Lilac Calligraphy by Sincerely Jackie Paper and Alison Vaz Designs

Navy blue and lilac has to be one of my all-time favorite color combinations – and that wax seal! Calligraphy by Alison Vaz Designs with art direction by Sincerely, Jackie Paper

Envelope Inspiration: Black and White Envelopes by Willow Wynn Co.

A modern take on classic black and white from Willow Wynn

Envelope Inspiration: White Envelopes with Blue Ink and Vintage Stamps by Mary Kate Moon

When the postage stamps become artwork by Mary Kate Moon

Envelope Inspiration: Dusty Blue Envelopes by Bare Ink Co.

Loving this gorgeous dusty navy blue with white ink by Bare Ink Co.

Envelope Inspiration: Hunter Green Envelopes by PCO Design Studio

This hunter green is an unusual envelope color choice – and is just so, so stunning – by P + Co. Design Studio

Envelope Inspiration: Navy and Gold Envelopes by Twinkle & Toast

Gold ink on dark blue envelopes is always a good idea – by Twinkle & Toast

What color envelopes are you loving right now???

p.s. Vellum Inspiration and Creative Wedding Menu Ideas

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Even though it’s cold outside, there are so many ways to make sure your winter wedding is warm and inviting. Winter weddings can be wonderfully cozy: think burgundy place cards, gold velvet ribbon, rustic wood details, and touches of evergreen. Oh, and don’t forget to offer something warm to drink! From place cards to wedding signs, here are a few winter wedding stationery ideas to help get you started! –Annie

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Simple calligraphy escort cards tied with gold velvet ribbon pop against the evergreen. | Photography: Alicia King Photography, Event Design: Monica Relyea Events, Calligraphy: Coppola Creative via Ruffled

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Love this vignette, especially the chalkboard schedule. | Photography: Alicia King Photography, Event Design: Monica Relyea Events, Calligraphy: Coppola Creative via Ruffled Wedding Blog

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Garnet calligraphy that perfectly matches the glassware. | Photography: Lani Elias Fine Art Photography, Styling and Art Direction: Ashley Nicole, Calligrapher: Julie Doan via Once Wed

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Add a festive touch to personalized favors with a sprig of greenery and red twine. | via Evermine Weddings

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Don’t be afraid to get punny. 😉 | via Evermine Weddings

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

This modern wreath and calligraphy banner are gorgeous! | Photography: Two if By Sea Charleston, Event Design: MOD Events, Calligraphy Banner: The Petal Report via Rustic Wedding Chic

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Burgundy place cards with gold calligraphy? Yes, please. | Photography:Lauren Fair Photography, Concept & Styling: Lauren Fair Photography, Paper Goods: Sandpiper & Co via Green Wedding Shoes

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Love this creative use of moss for displaying escort cards! | Photography: Jamie Beth Photography, Paper: Whimsy Design Studio, Floral Design: The Orchid Princess via Rocky Mountain Bride

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Navy and gold are a perfect combination. And that white calligraphy? Swoon. | Calligraphy: Wildflowers Calligraphy, Event Design: Laura Bravi for BiancoAntico, Photography: Sebastien Boudot via Sebastien Boudot

Winter Wedding Stationery Ideas

Embrace natural textures, like this wooden calligraphy sign. | Photography: Shannon Elizabeth Photography, Calligraphy: Wildfield Paper Co. via Green Wedding Shoes

Anyone out there planning a winter wedding? Let us know in the comments below!

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements

Alright, prepare yourself for some seriously sweet baby announcements! We’re loving the combination of a colorful patterned envelope liner and a unique paper size from Alana of Bourne Paper Co.’s â€“ she made these sweet and simple calligraphy baby announcements for her daughter Peyton! This is truly a gorgeous welcome into the world, with custom calligraphy from Anne Robin and a patterned envelope liner inspired by textiles in Peyton’s nursery.

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

From Alana: To celebrate the birth of our daughter, Peyton, I wanted to design a birth announcement that was simple and sweet with some subtle sentimental touches. Peyton’s nursery is decorated in a color palette of bright pinks and soft blues including several Hmong and mudcloth patterned pillows. I decided I wanted her birth announcement to be a complement to her nursery – modern and clean but with some bright and colorful accents.

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

The announcement card focused on one of our favorite newborn photos of Peyton taken by The DeJaureguis photography team. I also incorporated hand lettering by Anne Robin. The DeJaureguis team photographed our wedding and Anne did the calligraphy for our save the dates and wedding invitations. Getting to incorporate both of their work into our daughter’s birth announcement felt like a very special and personal touch.

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

The announcement text was letterpress printed in black ink (as you can tell from our save the dates, I’m a sucker for classic black and white letterpress). I used Crane Lettra in Fluorescent White. I love the textural feel and the way it makes the impression of letterpress stand out.

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

To add a pop of color, I created a bright blue and pink envelope liner featuring a Hmong-inspired pattern. I also incorporated a hint of the pattern into the address labels. The announcement was finished with a light kraft envelope, a nod to the weathered oak wood of her nursery furniture.

 

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

On a personal note, when I was born my paternal grandmother (a talented painter and calligrapher) created my birth announcements. Both of my grandmothers were creative spirits who fostered that same sense of creativity in me. Getting to create my daughter’s birth announcements felt like a fitting tribute to these two wonderful women. I look forward to sharing their stories with my daughter one day.

Sweet and Simple Calligraphy Baby Announcements by Bourne Paper Co. and Anne Robin Calligraphy

Thanks Alana!

Design: Bourne Paper Co.
Calligraphy: Anne Robin
Newborn Photography: The DeJaureguis

Bourne Paper Co. is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beautiful work right here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Bourne Paper Co.

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations

We simply love it when people stick to the classics and execute an elegant suite to the perfection. Raymond Ramirez-Manzo by KidGolightly Calligraphy designed these stunning vintage-inspired dusty blue wedding invitations with dainty calligraphy detailing. Deckled edges, spot illustrations, and stunning ribbon accents: these invitations are simply darling!

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy

From Raymond: I love creating custom wedding invitation designs for ladies and gents on their big day. These invitations pay homage to the very first invitations that I designed four years ago. My mom asked me if I could create a design for their Pearl Wedding Anniversary. At that time, I was in marketing and had no idea what to do. Little did I know, that moment would lead me to my wildest dreams coming true.

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy

So here’s the story: While doing my research regarding invitations, there was a sense of unexplainable thrill slowly filling up my body and that lead me to discover this art called calligraphy: I knew about it but it didn’t dawn on me that a regular person could do it. That discovery shook my soul. From then on, every fiber of my body knew that this was the career path I wanted to pursue. Fast forward 4 years, finally realizing the perfect branding and doing well in my first year doing calligraphy full time. The idea behind this design was to re-create that wedding invitation suite and pay homage to the invitation that started it all.

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy

With my aesthetics, I always thrive to make it feel romantic and timeless, so I wanted to breathe that same vibe into this particular suite. I also wanted it to have structure, so I played with lines in the layout to match the serif font, embossing those lines for added subtle texture. The heart of the design is the couple’s names in my signature calligraphy style, along with an illustration of a Villa on top of a hill. I wanted the design to look effortless, yet fancy.

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy

The invitation is printed on 100% cotton rag handmade paper from Fabulous Fancy Pants, leaving the natural deckled edges untouched for that organic textural element. The same handmade paper envelope was used for the main invitation. I used a Mist colored envelope a with euro flap for the partner envelope for the reply card, with the return address calligraphed as well. For this suite specifically, Little Postage House curated a romantic collection of vintage stamps that I think fits it perfectly. The wax seal stamp from Saint Signora added some old world feel as a beautiful finishing touch.

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy

I am so happy with how everything turned out. Sydney captured everything in film, while Alisha and Bethany added some floral magic to this shoot. The whole thing was extra special and it felt like I came full circle!

Vintage Inspired Dusty Blue Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by KidGolightly Calligraphy

Thanks, Raymond!

Design: KidGolightly Calligraphy
Florals: Native Bloom Floral
Postage stamps: Little Postage House
Paper: Fabulous Fancy Pants

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

Photo Credits: Sydney Tolifson Photography

Thank You Cards

The thank you card is really the backbone of any stationery collection. And rightly so – greeting cards and stationery is all about keeping in touch and connecting through a handwritten note, and what better reason to send a note than to thank a dear friend or family member? Thank you cards don’t have to be stuffy or formal – the most important thing is that YOU like the design and write your message inside. Employing humor, bright colors and cheeky illustrations, these selections show your personality as well as your appreciation. –Shauna

Thank You CardsFrom top right:

1. Enjoyed those front row tickets to Beyonce this summer? Send this Rifle Paper Co. foil extravaganza.

2. Aunt sent you flowers because she heard you were feeling down? This floral illustration by Dinara Mirtalopova for Red Cap Cards is a sure winner.

3. Finally scored an invitation to your neighbor’s annual BBQ? This Hello!Lucky hot dog design is a perfect way let them know just how you enjoyed those ribs.

4. Extremely generous friend gave up their Saturday to help you move? Pair this Smudge Ink card with an actual six pack and they’ll grumble less the next time you call.

5. Spouse knocked it out of the park for your birthday this year? Tell them how truly grateful you are for the gift (and them!) with this gold foil number from Frankie’s Girl.

6. Best bud stay up most of the night to help install your art show? Clearly, only a sheep wearing a headband will do. From Amy Heitman.

7. Home made treats appear on your desk for your birthday? Show your team just how much you care with this message forward design from Ladyfingers Letterpress.

8. Co-worker do you a solid? Drop this perfectly pink Ban.do card on their chair during lunch (next coffee is on you as well).

9. Mom passed along a new novel she thought you might enjoy? Show her she raised you right with this sweet beehive from One Canoe Two.

10. Quite possibly the worlds most perfect thank you card (also a garbage can) from Blue Barnhouse.