04/30/2013

Beth + Eric’s “Come Away With Us” Destination Wedding Invitations

It has officially been over a year since my last vacation, so these destination wedding invitations from Beth at BC DesignÂ have me dreaming of a getaway on the Riviera Maya! Beth was inspired by their beach wedding venue, choosing a natural color palette and wave patterns throughout the invitation. Beautiful!

From Beth: The inspiration behind my wedding invitations came about after choosing Riviera Maya Mexico as my wedding location. The Mexican patterns and beautiful beaches along the coast helped bring my vision to life. Black seaweed covers parts of the beach creating interesting patterns and shapes near the shore. The simple color palette of tan and black was chosen to mirror the beach where the ceremony would take place.

I wanted my invitations to be simple and elegant but to also reflect the fun atmosphere of the resort we chose. Because it is a destination wedding,Â I included some hints of travel throughout each piece. The same pattern is repeated throughout the invitation to mimic the jet stream and the waves of the ocean. The intricate detail of the jet stream and wave pattern is also repeated with-in the heart that is found on a few of the pieces.

Thanks Beth!

Design: BC Design

Letterpress Printing: Lucky Penny Paperie

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

Photo Credits: BC Design

04/30/2013

Emma + Finn’s Floral New York City Wedding Invitations

I’m always a fan of floral designs, but even more so during this time of year â€“ when flowers and trees are in bloom all over my neighborhood of Capitol Hill. I just can’t resist all the pretty blossoms! Jessica from Moira Design StudioÂ sent over these floral invitations that she designed for a spring wedding at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City. She combined the feminine floral designs with an illustration of the New York City skyline. So pretty!

From Jessica:Â Feminine details of hand painted spring flowers and leaves are perfect for this spring wedding inÂ Central Park. Emma and Finn wanted to set the tone of romance and spring time, and wanted to focus their invitations with some custom artwork to reflect both their artistic careers. We paired the blush flowers with a simple watercolor of theÂ New York cityÂ skyline to further tie the Park and the city together.

The skyline lined the mailing envelope, and also was printed on the reverse side of the invitation. The floral pattern adorns the back of the response card as well as the response envelope.Â We addressed the envelopes in matching calligraphy for a unified look. We love working with different mediums, this suite was created with gouache and watercolor paint, as well as calligraphy ink.

Â Â

ThanksÂ Jessica!

Design:Â Moira Design Studio

Invitation Font: Bombshell Pro

Envelope Calligraphy:Â Moira Ink

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

Photo Credits:Â Moira Design Studio

04/29/2013

Seasonal Stationery: Mother’s Day, Part 3

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d share a final group of cards from this year’s Mother’s Day round up! There are so many colorful and beautiful cards this year â€“ lots of options for sending a little note of love to all the moms in your life. You can see a few more favorite cards here and here and the full round up right here!

1. W+K Studio, 2. 55 Hi’s, 3. Richie Design, 4. Rocket Ink, 5. Honizukle, 6. Wild Ink Press

7. Sesame Letterpress, 8. Tabletop Made, 9. Kate + Birdie, 10. Paper Society Co., 11. Missive, 12. Fine Day Press, 13. Lark Press

Check out the full Mother’s Day card round up right here!

{images via their respective sources}

04/29/2013

Lucas’s Letters + Numbers 3rd Birthday Party Invitations

Lisa from Good on Paper always makes the most creative birthday party invitations for her son Lucas! First it was a circus-inspired invitation, then a hide-and-seek inspired invitation, and for his 3rd birthday she drew inspiration from Lucas’s current favorite: letters and numbers! Lisa created the invitations using some inventive food styling and a few favorite photos of Lucas from this past year. Too cute!

From Lisa:Â I had so much fun making these. Lucas has really been into reading letters and numbers on everything from books to license plates so this year we threw him a letters and numbers inspired birthday party. For the invitation I basically set up a mini photo shoot with words out of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (another one of his favorites). It was super easy, fun and tasty.

The gray envelope was custom lined using a recent favorite photo of Lucas “reading” a newspaper. I also designed custom wraparound address labels and a directions card with another photo of Lucas lining up his cars and counting them.

Thanks so much Lisa! And happy birthday Lucas!

Good on Paper is a member of theÂ Designer RolodexÂ â€“ you can see more of Lisaâ€™s amazing workÂ right here!

Photo Credits:Â Good on Paper

04/26/2013

Friday Happy Hour: The Normandy Mule

After last week’s Dark & Stormy, I’ve been on something of a ginger beer kick. So we played around with some other drinks that use ginger beer to produce a drink that’s pretty spicy and effervescent but also light and crispy. The resulting cocktail is just as perfect for a spring day: the Normandy Mule.Â â€“ Andrew

Illustration by Caitlin KeeganÂ for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Normandy Mule

2 oz Calvados (or Apple Brandy in a pinch)
4 oz Ginger Beer
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Combine everything over ice, give it a good stir, garnish with lemon and enjoy!

Calvados is an apple eau de vie, a brandy distilled from apple cider made exclusively in Normandy (hence the name). It tastes very much of apples, with plenty of spice and earthiness. It’s great for fall drinks, but I think the ginger beer (especially all those bubbles) and lemon juice lighten it up perfectly for the spring. You could use an American apple eau de vie just as easily, though we’d probably have to come up with another name for that one…

We named this one after the Moscow Mule, another drink that combines vodka with lime juice and ginger beer. The Moscow Mule was invented back in the 1940s and help introduce America to vodka, which might otherwise have remained hidden behind the Iron Curtain. Why didn’t we feature the Moscow Mule this week instead of making our own? Well, we have a simple rule in this house: no vodka! Vodka, by law, must be flavorless and odorless, a neutral spirit that adds nothing to a drink but alcohol. Since cocktails are an important part of classic American cuisine, and not just a way to get smashed, we think it’s important that our spirits have flavors too, and not just booze. So no vodka, and no vodka drinks. Which just means we get to improvise tasty drinks like the Normandy Mule instead.

David Embury, in his classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, had this to say on the subject:

I have known people who preferred grain alcohol or vodka, which is the same thing…These people drink primarily for the “kick,” and not for the taste. In my opinion, such people should not drink at all. Unfortunately, however, they are usually the ones who drink the most.

This from a guy who wrote a 400 page book on drinking. Amen.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper