11/16/2017

Calligraphy Inspiration: Pink + Peach

Hey everyone! My 6-year-old daughter isn’t the only fan of pink in our house â€” I love pink. My fall coat is a coral pink hue, in fact. And when I stumbled on the work of Natalie Garrigan of Pink + Peach, I was tickled pink. I think you will be, too. Here’s a sweet dose of calligraphy inspiration. Enjoy! – Jen

Photo Credit: Tetiana Photography

Yes to everything in this photo. The modern organic style of the calligraphy, the choice of berries and blooms for the place cards, and of course, the pink sofa.

Photo Credit: Sue Blue Events

Natalie is a self-taught calligrapher based out of Seattle. She just picked up calligraphy about 2 years ago (wow!). She went full-time with Pink + Peach about a year ago.

How do you get this good at calligraphy in such a short time? Practice, of course. Natalie shares: “My lettering style is ever evolving, as I feel I am still trying to perfect my style. That’s my favorite aspect about my job â€” I’m always learning!”

Natalie finds inspiration from fonts and she focuses on letter flow. She explains: “If I don’t like how my ‘h’ flows into an ‘r’ or ‘k’ into an ‘s’, I’ll rework the letters until I’ve found an aesthetic flow. In my mind, flow is queen.”

Photo Credits: Dawn Photography

Here’s a peek at table settings just perfect for fall. The calligraphy place cards add the special finishing touch. The place cards above feature Natalie’s lettering work on broken ceramic tiles.

These pretty place cards show off her calligraphy on vellum with edges burned by hand.

Black calligraphy on white envelopes is a timeless classic â€“ but Natalie’s calligraphy style and use of vellum envelopes makes everything feel modern.

Natalie loves to work her calligraphy magic on non-paper materials. Her favorites are leather and marble. Of leather, she shares: “It responds to ink beautifully and can be manipulated into whatever your vision is. Tiles are a close second because of their elegance.”

Photo Credit: Jason Lucas Photography

And with that cozy fall imagery, I’ll leave you. Thanks so much to Natalie of Pink + Peach for sharing a peek into her work and process!

11/15/2017

Quirky Camp-Theme Wedding Invitations

Well, these invitations are a lot of fun! Primary colors, pennants, buttons, and more in these quirky camp-theme wedding invitations from designer Misty Manley! Misty created these invitations for her own wedding last September â€“ we love how all the sweet details, like tacos and camping, ties into her own love story!

From Misty: Johnny and I have spent the last 9 years laughing at each other’s stupid jokes, eating too much, and taking nothing seriouslyâ€¦ so when we got engaged, we knew immediately we didnâ€™t want a buttoned-up â€œwedding,â€ we just wanted to kick back and party with our best friends and eat good food.

Camp Wyman was the first venue we looked at, and we knew immediately it was the one. The camp vibes were just too good; log cabins, a beautiful ceremony site accessible only by a path leading into the woods, logs for seating, and they let us personalize our whole event how we saw fit! Weâ€™re taco obsessed (we got engaged at our favorite taco joint, Mission Taco) and had their food truck and one other taco truck serve at the wedding, we brought in our own booze and let people BYOB, it was a family tradition to take our son to a different donut shop in STL every weekend, so we had donuts for dessert from our favorite place and one of our favorite personal touches, we had a unity PB&J during our ceremony.

As a graphic designer, I got so excited to take the camp theme and run with it! The details were so fun: a Wes Anderson inspired color palette, save the dates with button pins, and a two-sided foldout poster with a map for the invitation. The invitation included a timeline of our relationship that served as a border, silly badges and inside jokes. I used custom rubber stamps for the rsvp card and envelopes.

I made the wedding programs pennants that everyone waved in the air as we passed! More flags were screen printed and stuck inside vintage thermoses or our centerpieces. I poured my heart into every detail! I hand painted signs, and used the 18 months of our engagement collecting vintage goblets, the thermoses, as well as used a lot of my own vintage collectibles as decor.

Thanks Misty!

Design: Misty Manley

Buttons: StickerMule

Online printing: Mingo Press

Rubber Stamps: Simon Stamp

Paper and envelopes: French Paper

Screen printing: Art Farm STL

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Misty Manley and Vein + Vessel

11/14/2017

Thanksgiving Cards

I know I’m not alone when I say that Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday. There is no religion, no high-pressure gift giving (and receiving), just overeating a large, delicious meal that mostly consists of carbohydrates. What could be better? There’s also the sharing of this joyous meal with family and friends, and the recognition of all your many blessings. All that AND pumpkin pie?! While Thanksgiving isn’t traditionally thought of as a card-sending holiday, recognizing and sharing your thanks certainly does lend itself to the written word. I’ll start: I’m thankful for these clever and well-designed Thanksgiving cards in our round-up below. Cue up the football, don your sweats, and enjoy! – Shauna

From top right:

1. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be immediately verklempt with this Hello!Lucky for Paperless Post design.

2. Doesn’t this Dear Hancock cranberry sauce greeting remind you of one of the best Simpsons clips ever?

3. Check out this handsome fellow (complete with dapper pilgrim hat), courtesy of Golden Fox Goods.

4. It’s clear that Anne + Kate share my love of pumpkin pie (but not the ‘secret’ family recipe that we recently discovered originated from the side of the gingersnap box).

5. Yum! These cute critters from Quill & Fox are sharing quite the feast.

6. Give thanks for gourds – both delicious and aesthetically pleasing. From Pei Design.

7. Let’s be real – turkey is the worst part of the Thanksgiving meal. However, I’m choosing not to hold that against this Gingiber greeting.

8. If a bear, a fox, and a raccoon can put aside their differences to share a Thanksgiving meal, perhaps your family can break bread together despite differing opinions on current issues. From E. Frances Paper.

9. Happy Thanksgiving from this imbibing turkey. From Egg Press.

10. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I REALLY love pumpkin pie. From Hannah Berman for Paperless Post.

11. Check out this sassy turkey from Wit and Whistle.

12. It’s a cornucopia of thankfulness from Lucky Horse Press.

11/14/2017

The JÃ¤gerita

Ok, so JÃ¤germeister doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for most people. If you’ve encountered it in the U.S., there’s a reasonable chance it was at a dive bar, in shot form, served ice cold, a sort of dare to knock back its intensely, mysteriously herbal flavors. But JÃ¤germeister has been enjoying something of a renaissance lately as bartenders started to realize that, hey, it’s actually good despite it’s reputation. So people are throwing it into all sorts of cocktails. Here’s a favorite JÃ¤germeister cocktail recipe: the JÃ¤gerita. â€“ Andrew

The JÃ¤gerita

2 oz JÃ¤germeister
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz CuraÃ§ao
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Combine everything in a shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with fresh herbs â€“ we used some flowering opal basil from our garden). Enjoy!

JÃ¤germeister is what the Germans call a KrÃ¤uterlikÃ¶r, basically a German Amaro akin to Averna, Cynar, or Lucano. It’s made from cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, licorice, star anise, and over fifty other botanicals, giving it a mildly bitters, slightly sweet, intensely herbal profile. It’s been marketed in the U.S. as a party shot since the 1970s, but the Germans have been enjoying it since 1934.

Germans traditionally enjoy their JÃ¤germeister as an after-dinner digestif, but it’s also a versatile cocktail ingredient. In the JÃ¤gerita â€“ a play on the Margarita that’s been around since at least 2008 â€“ it works as the base spirit. It’s paired with lime and curaÃ§ao for a spicy, complex Sour that’s perfect for a gloomy and brooding November.

(Donâ€™t forget to follow me on Instagram for more cocktail recipe ideas!)

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

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11/13/2017

How to Find the Perfect Vintage Rug

This post is sponsored by eBay.

I’ve been working really hard to get everything all finished up over at Common Room Studio â€“ I can’t wait to share the full reveal with you soon! Vintage rugs are one of my favorite ways to add color and texture to a room, and I always planned to bring a bunch of them into the studio. Of course, I went straight to eBay to find the perfect vintage Persian lilihan rug. So today I thought I’d share my tips for how to find the perfect vintage rug so you can bring your own gorgeous rug into your space!

You guys, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I adore this rug. It has hot pink details (!!!), and the intricate pattern isn’t too busy and will only grow more beautiful with age. If you aren’t familiar with the Persian lilihan rug style, it’s 100% wool and is seriously the perfect low pile, but still soft underfoot, accent rug. I’m completely obsessed with this 1930s beauty, and everyone who visits the studio falls in love with it. I can guarantee there will be many more Persian lilihan rugs in my future!

If you’re looking for a gorgeous accent rug, you’re bound to find the perfect fit on eBay. There are approximately 1.1 billion listings on eBay at any given time, which means plenty of gorgeous rugs to go around. Vintage rug sizes are often quite different from our standard modern sizes, but you can usually find everything from small-ish accent rugs to long runners to larger rugs that would look amazing in a bedroom or living room. Just look at this 16 foot stunner!

This little plant-filled corner of the studio makes me so happy! Many rugs can be purchased instantly with the “Buy it Now” feature â€“ so you don’t even have to worry about getting into a bidding war! I have absolutely no patience once I’ve found my perfect rug, so I absolutely love the no hassle instant purchasing option and super fast shipping. I’m currently loving this navy and red 15 foot runner, this gorgeous 3×5 accent rug, and this unique rug with teal blue and peach accents. I may just have to scoop that last rug up for the studio!

When searching for vintage rugs, I like to look for unexpected details like non-traditional color palettes (hello hot pink!), unique patterns, or even visible wear on the rug like worn spots and fading. Each of these little elements will help a vintage rug work in a modern home, along with helping add interest and character to a room. There are new vintage rugs added to eBay every day, so start shopping now to find the perfect rug for your space!

This post is sponsored by eBay. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!