Shawn + Matthew’s Watercolor Vermont Farm Wedding Invitations

We’ve had a bunch of cloudy and rainy days here in DC, so I’m loving all the bright color in these watercolor wedding invitations and save the dates from J at Grey Snail Press. Created for a farm wedding in Vermont, J incorporated whimsical hand painted illustrations in lieu of more traditional rustic design elements. J even sent the original watercolor artwork to the bride and groom as keepsakes. So great!

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From J: I worked with Shawn and her mother to create the stationery for Shawn and Matthew’s Vermont farm wedding. They had very specific ideas for the invitation suite, incorporating elements of their lives to create a colorful and fun watercolor invitation suite. Starting with the save the date, I created a watercolor design with their wedding details and a simple outline of their home states, which included a Holstein cow and New York skyline.

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Keeping in tune with the whimsical save the date, we stuffed the border of the invitation with illustrations of items important to the couple. It was filled with everything from a grizzly bear to boxing gloves, all intertwined with a floral vine and tumbling around the hand lettered text. Shawn and Matthew are both lawyers in Brooklyn, so we had several details related to that. Shawn used to be a competitive freestyle skier and Matthew is a sports lover, hence the skis and baseball equipment. We also included accurate drawings of their three cats.

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A coordinating rsvp postcard was created, carrying over the state outlines and cow and skyline illustrations from the save the date, along with corresponding thank you notes, complete with a watercolor illustration of a traditional covered Vermont bridge. All pieces were printed flat on 120# cover stock. Original artwork of the invitation and save the date were sent to the couple as keepsakes.

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Thanks J!

Grey Snail Press 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: Grey Snail Press

Seasonal Stationery: Valentine’s Day, Part 1

I’m a firm believer in sending your love year round, but a special day to give someone a card telling them how much you care about them? Why not?! Here are a few beautiful Valentine’s Day cards to pique your interest, but you can also check out the full Valentine’s Day + Love Card round up (with 200+ cards!) right here and last year’s Valentine’s Day round ups with some seriously awesome cards still available today. So many love cards! They make me very happy.

Valentine's Day Card Round Up via Oh So Beautiful Paper

1. Rifle Paper Co.; 2. Emily McDowell Illustration; 3. Parrott Design Studio; 4. Fine Day Press; 5. Hello Small World; 6. Ink Meets Paper

Valentine's Day Card Round Up via Oh So Beautiful Paper

7. Mr. Boddington’s Studio; 8. Little Low Studio; 9. Hello! Lucky ; 10. Paper Lovely; 11. Thimblepress; 12. Sugar Paper

Lots lots more Valentine’s Day and everyday love cards right here!

{images via their respective sources}

Moulin Rouge Inspired Red + Gold Foil Wedding Invitations

I love the idea of pairing one vibrant color with shiny metallic foil – in this case, bold red and gold from Erin at Lucky Luxe! Erin drew inspiration from her favorite movie, combining typography inspired by the Belle Époque and Indian design motifs into a sophisticated invitation suite. Beautiful!

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From Erin: I’ve been wanting to add an Indian-inspired invitation to the Lucky Luxe collection for quite a while, but I was unsure of exactly how I wanted it to look outside of vibrant colors and gold foil. After some concept designing, I remembered the Indian theme in my favorite movie ever—Moulin Rouge. I decided that could be the perfect way to give new life to an old idea—to combine elements of French typography with Indian ornaments.

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And so – Spectacular Spectacular – our most glamorous design to date is here, inspired by Satine, Christian, and the glittering, gorgeous costumes from the Hindi Sad Diamonds sequence. I guess you could say we’ve got a major thing for Baz Luhrmann movies, since our Gatsby invitation is the most popular Lucky Luxe design ever.

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Thanks Erin!

Lucky Luxe 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: Lucky Luxe

DIY Tutorial: Modern Brushstroke Hot Pads

It is seriously cold outside. We’ve even gotten into the single digits here in Nashville. If you’re planning on doing any entertaining at all in temps like these, there better be warm food on the table. Today, I’m sharing a beginner-level sewing tutorial to update your grandma’s hot pads – a necessary table accessory for all those warm dishes. – Mandy of Fabric Paper Glue

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Materials

1 yard – white cotton canvas
1/2 yard – insulating material*
black fabric paint
wide paint brush
1 package – black double-fold bias tape
scissors
sewing machine

*Insulating material is specifically made to be used as a lining in projects like pot holders and oven mitts. It is generally available at the fabric store in the interfacing and stabilizer section.

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step One: The first (and most fun) step is to paint messy, imperfect brushstrokes onto about a half yard of white canvas.  Remember to place something under your fabric to protect your work surface from paint. Because the canvas is absorbent, you shouldn’t have any problems getting the dry brush look.  You can’t really mess this step up, so just have fun. Depending on your paint’s instructions, you may need to heat set it with an iron once it has dried.

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful PaperDIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step Two: Trace something large and circular like a platter or a pan top onto the painted canvas and cut-out.

Step Three: Cut out circles of equal size from both some unpainted canvas and the insulating material.

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step Four: Layer the three circles together with the unpainted canvas on the bottom, the insulated material in the middle, and the painted canvas on top facing out.  Use your sewing machine to topstitch about 1/4″ from the edge all the way around.

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step Five: Sandwich the unfinished stitched edge between the black double-fold bias tape. Pin and then topstitch into place. The materials listed above are enough to make several, so repeat to your heart’s content in whatever sizes you like or need!

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful PaperDIY Brushstroke Hot Pads by Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Photo Credits: Mandy Pellegrin for Oh So Beautiful Paper

New Giveaway! Laurel Denise 2014 Planner

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

It’s January, and I’m sure most of you are trying to get organized and start the new year on the right foot! So for our first giveaway of 2014, we’re going to help you do just that – with a lovely 2014 planner from Laurel Denise!

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The Laurel Denise planner has been one of my very favorites for the last few years – and it’s perfect for folks (like us) who appreciate good design and want something pretty to help stay organized. This innovative planner lets you view both monthly and weekly pages at the same time, with plenty of space on each page to jot down items on your to do list, notes, phone numbers, and anything else life throws your way.

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In addition to individually tabbed months and weekly lists, the planner includes plenty of room for goal planning (for both 2014 and into 2015!), gift ideas, book and restaurant lists, and more. The winner will receive one planner in the cover color of their choice – navy blue (pictured here), gray, or metallic gold!

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To enter, leave a comment below telling us something fun that you’re looking forward to in 2014! You’ll have until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 17 to enter the giveaway. One winner will be selected randomly and notified via email. Bonne chance!

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*This giveaway is courtesy of Laurel Denise.  Official sweepstakes rules here.