03/12/2014

Rose + Mike’s Woodland Wedding Invitations

Created by designer Frances Close for a cabin wedding in Michigan, these invitations feature woodland elements inspired by the wedding’s natural setting. Frances also incorporated a vintage feel to the illustrations to evoke the idea of a field guide that guests might find at the cabin!

From Frances:Â Rose and Mike decided to get married at a family cabin in the Manistee National Forest in Michigan. The wedding took place outside, and the invitations picked up on the natural surroundings by incorporating wilderness elements. The vintage feel to the images was intentional, as they were meant to look like something you might find in an old book that would be sitting at the cabin. Along with the spot illustrations on the main invitations and a woodland scene in the background of the map, we also lined the envelopes with a vintage butterfly pattern.

Thanks Frances!

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

Photo Credits: Frances Close

03/12/2014

Gracie’s Colorful Bridal Luncheon Invitations

These adorable bridal luncheon invitations from Rafftruck Designs had me at the envelope liners: a swatch of vibrant Liberty of London fabric that the bride planned to use in her backyard wedding. Starting with the fabric as inspiration, Dara from Rafftruck Designs chose a bright summer color palette and sweet script font for the invitation design. Lovely!

From Dara:Â Rather than a traditional bridal shower, Gracie held a bridal luncheon the morning of her vintage chic backyard wedding. A beautiful floral Liberty of London fabric set the tone for the dayâ€™s festivities so I knew I should incorporate the vibrant pattern into the invitations.

I started with bright, bold summer colors and selected a script font with lots of personality. The invitations were letterpress printed on 100% ecru cotton paper, which added the perfect amount of rustic romanticism to this bridal luncheon invitation.Â A kraft paper envelope lined with the amazing Liberty of London fabric completed the look.

ThanksÂ Dara!

Design + Letterpress Printing:Â Rafftruck Designs

Photo Credits:Â Rafftruck Designs

03/11/2014

DIY Tutorial: Dye Painted Napkins

Beautiful cloth napkins are definitely one of my weaknesses. They’re Â functional but add style and charm to a table. I also think they make great hostess gifts, because it’s the kind of thing people often don’t buy for themselves. Whether you’re looking to add more cloth napkins to your collection or on the hunt for the perfect hostess gift, these DIY napkins are perfect…and quick. All it takes is a little dye and a load of laundry to create a set of completely custom, one-of-a-kind napkins perfect for a Spring table. Â â€“Â Mandy of Fabric Paper Glue

Materials
white cotton napkins
liquid dye (I used navy blue.)
pointed-tip paint brush

Step One:Â Dip the paint brush directly into the liquid dye, and paint small crosses onto the napkins. I painted four rows of crosses onto one edge of each napkin. Don’t overthink it and try to hard to make them perfect and consistent. The charm comes from the casual and free form strokes. Make sure you put a drop cloth or some other surface protector underneath your napkins as you paint them.

Step Two:Â After the dye has dried (approximately 30 minutes), rinse each of the napkins out in cold water. Be sure to rinse them out individually or you’ll rinse the dye from one right onto another.

Step Three:Â Launder the napkins in cold water. Dry them, and give them a press.

Pair them with a beautiful Spring table, or bundle them with a pretty little ribbon for a thoughtful hostess gift.

Photo Credits: Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

03/11/2014

Quick Pick: Macon York

I’m still waiting for Spring flowers to arrive, but in the meantime I’m determined to surround myself with plenty of bright color to lift my mood. And right now, these vibrant cards from Macon York are doing the trick!

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-Birthday

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-Latte

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-Wonderful

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-Sunshine

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-Thanks

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-Garden

Letterpress-Greeting-Card-Macon-York-St-Patricks-Day

Joy’s DIY Tea Bag Bridal Shower Invitations

These DIY bridal shower invitations are so creative â€“ and I love the sentiment behind them! As a bridesmaid in her cousin’s wedding, Joy Ang wanted to create a memorable invitation experience for guests at her cousin’s bridal shower. After a bit of thought and experimentation, Joy came up with these tea bag invitations that fit perfectly with the shower theme!

From Joy:Â Last year I was a bridesmaid for my cousin’s wedding and I got the chance to design her bridal shower invitations. The theme was an Alice in Wonderland tea party, and that’s what led me to thinking about tea bag-shaped invitations. However, I wanted them to have a little more impact on the guests, so I thought it would be really fun to make the invitations hold tea leaves that you could brew and drink.

After a couple of prototypes, I created these invitations by printing on vellum paper, which allowed the tea leaves to show through. I then assembled the invitations similarly to how you would with an actual tea bag, using the tag at the end of the string as instructions for brewing the leaves. This was such an enjoyable project to work on and I’m so glad I was able to make it for my cousin and her shower!

Thanks Joy!

Photo Credits: Joy Ang