Beck’s Chartreuse Letterpress Birth Announcements

Designer Kaydi from Maison Yellow and her husband welcomed their first child last October: an adorable baby boy named Becher! Kaydi wanted Beck’s birth announcements to be bold and fun, so she chose a bright chartreuse and steel blue color palette and a cute illustrated envelope liner. Letterpress printing from Czar Press and a sweet baby photo were the perfect finishing touches!

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From Kaydi: In October of last year my husband and I were blessed with our first child. No one can ever accurately explain to you just how crazy those first few weeks and months are. To add to the chaos, my husband is in the Air Force and had to leave for an assignment when our son was just 4 weeks old. Needless to say all my big plans of sending out fantastic custom birth announcements the month after he was born went out the window. As a designer myself, the last thing I wanted to skip out on was my own child’s birth announcement. So, even though they are a few months late, I finally decided on a design direction and ran with it.

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When deciding on a name for our son we both wanted something strong and bold but still a bit fun and different. I used those keywords as inspiration for the birth announcements: strong, bold, fun, and different. I feel those concepts came to life through the color palette, illustrations, envelope liner pattern, and layered component of the additional envelope with picture card. Being a multi-piece announcement suite, it also allowed for opportunities to use letterpress and flat printing, creating a depth of texture as well as opportunities to expand upon the main design concepts but in different formats.

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Since our son’s first name is a little different and special in that it means first born son in Hebrew, I wanted this to be the main focus of the letterpress card and come across strong and bold without a real “babyish” feel. The separate photo card tucked in an envelope labeled “our little love” sealed with washi tape was also a great way to introduce a nickname leaving the letterpress card with the complete formal name.

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The envelope liner, featuring onesies with ties labeled “Becher,” bottles, footprints, and rattles, was a must for me and added the extra playful patterning in the same chartreuse and steel blue palette as the rest of the suite. All in all, this birth announcement design turned out to be a perfect representation of our little guy and his wonderful personality… and not to mention a great excuse for more letterpress in my life!

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Thanks Kaydi – and congrats!

Design: Maison Yellow

Letterpress and Photo Card printing: Czar Press

Baby Photo: Joseph Mark Photography

Photo Credits: Maison Yellow

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! I greedily look forward to each Friday this time of year because with every passing week we get closer to spring! I’m sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but some days it’s really all I can think about. Anyway. Our big news this week is that we just finished our first major project at home: living room built-ins! I’ll be sharing more about those soon, but I’m so happy they’re done and looking forward to a weekend of filling them with books and some of our other favorite objects. But in the meantime…

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Never Fade painting by Jenny Vorwaller (I’m obsessed with the entire series)

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Sadly, no cocktail recipe this afternoon! We had an unexpectedly hectic week, so we’re taking some time to regroup and will be back in cocktail action next Friday. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you back here early next week! xoxo

Hot Air Balloon Baby Shower Invitations

Ooooh, surprise baby shower invitations! So fun. Anastasia Marie Cards & Stationery created these colorful baby shower invitations using inspiration from the soon-to-be nursery. Too cute, and I’m loving the gold heart stickers on the kraft envelopes!

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From Anastasia: These baby shower invitations featured an array of hot air balloons with peach, yellow, blue, and touches of pink as the color theme. Printed on smooth white paper, they were then paired with kraft envelopes and gold heart stickers. The idea was created by the papa-to-be from his wife’s nursery inspiration. How adorable is that!?

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Thanks Anastasia!

Photo Credits: Anastasia Marie Cards & Stationery

Stationery Inspiration: Mixing Vintage Postage

I’m a big big fan of using vintage postage stamps on everything from wedding invitations to baby announcements. So when Cara from Underwood Letterpress and Anne Robin Calligraphy sent over a few tips for mixing vintage postage to create little art collections on your envelopes, I couldn’t resist! These envelopes definitely make an impression and, especially when combined with stunning calligraphy, are a beautiful keepsake for the recipients!

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From Cara of Underwood Letterpress: Your wedding invitation sets the tone for your special event. The vintage postage on these envelopes takes first impressions to the next level by mixing genre, color and technique. Here are a few tips for ways to turn your outer envelope in to a piece of art that will leave a lasting impression!

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Don’t Be Afraid of Color!
Pops of color are essential to any design palette. Go bold with these fun and out there envelope designs. Mixing traditional design with Pop Art never looked so good. Each of these fabulous postage collages in the “In Love” line come with an eclectic mix of vintage postage plus a special Love stamp to celebrate the occasion!

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Tone on Tone
Tone on tone is all the rage this season and there is no better way to maximize your wedding colors than by using multiple shades of your favorite hues. Check out these vintage postage collages with purple tones, blues and greens. Your guests might just decide to put these envelopes in a frame.

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Mix Your Mediums
Try mixing techniques on your envelopes with this beautiful watercolor calligraphy design. The watercolor adds a whimsical touch while the modern address provides the perfect amount of juxtaposition.

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Vintage Postage: Underwood Letterpress

Calligraphy: Anne Robin

Photography: Stephanie Collins Photography