Happy News!

You guys, I’m thrilled to share some extra-special news with you today â€“ my husband and I are expecting our first baby!  I’m in my second trimester and we’re due in early October.  I’ll admit, I was really surprised by how tough the first trimester was, at least for me.  Exhaustion and nausea both kicked in right around 6 weeks, which made it really difficult for me to keep up with my normal work schedule and left me unable to eat anything other than crackers (and maybe a little fruit) up until a couple of weeks ago.  But thankfully my energy levels are back up and my appetite is mostly back, so now we’re feeling incredibly happy and excited to embark on this amazing journey!

Photo by me

Calligraphy Inspiration: Behind the Scenes with Kathryn Murray

There’s nothing better than a good look behind the scenes, especially when it involves something as gorgeous as calligraphy.  We’re so used to seeing the final product, but it’s a real treat to see how it came to be.  The beautiful writing, the colourfully styled tables. When Kathryn Murray sent over this behind the scenes video, I knew I had to share it with you!  You may remember Kathryn’s amazing work from a previous post and countless real life weddings.  Here she gives us a glimpse at what goes into showcasing her work in her perfectly styled photos. – Julie

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Thank you so much for sharing with us, Kathryn!

Photo Credits: Matt Murray

Tara + Rich’s Colorful Palm Springs Wedding Invitations

If you thought last week’s oversize map wedding invitations from Ladyfingers Letterpress were cool, wait until you see these Palm Springs invitations!  Inspired (naturally) by the wedding venue, the entire invitation suite is just bursting with color – from cool aqua to bright neon pink – and Arley-Rose and Morgan used color and die-cutting to create an awesome layered landscape effect.  Love!

 

From Arley-Rose and Morgan: We worked with Tara and Rich all winter on these super sunny and poolside-inspired invitations.  The couple sent over vintage postcards and designs from the ’50s that featured Palm Springs as inspiration.  Arley hand drew the pool lounge chairs and umbrellas from the wedding location.  The envelope liners feature the iconic brick work of the walls lining the hotel grounds.

For the main invitation, we letterpress printed a two color design in neon pink and bright orange on Crane’s aqua 100% cotton 134 lb paper.  We then duplexed it (yes, we are a bit fanatical about details) to a second sheet of aqua paper, cut them down, and edge painted them in neon pink.

For the enclosures, we looked to the landscape of Palm Springs.  We were able to create a layered look using colorful 100% cotton paper and die cutting – incorporating all the information in a way that reflected the layers of foliage and mountains that are characteristic of the arid Palm Springs environment.

All of the pieces were stacked together and wrapped with a orange belly band, and we tucked the rsvp envelope in the back behind the invitation.  Palm Springs has been at the top of our vacation list since working on this project!

Thanks Arley-Rose and Morgan!

Ladyfingers Letterpress is a member of the Designer Rolodex – check out more of their beautiful work right here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Ladyfingers Letterpress

Edge Painted Business Cards from Antiquaria

You already know Bailey and Emma, the lovely and talented ladies behind Antiquaria, from their regular DIY tutorials here on Oh So Beautiful Paper – not to mention their custom wedding invitations and vintage shop.  Bailey and Emma recently redesigned their business cards, and I’m loving the beautiful knockout calligraphy logo and soft aqua edge painting!

From Bailey and Emma: We wanted to make something unique while keeping in line with our brand image.  The cards were letterpress printed in black and copper on super thick cotton paper.  We then added the edge painting ourselves because, after all, who doesn’t love a pop of color?

 

Thanks ladies!

Antiquaria is a member of the Designer Rolodex – check out more of their beautiful work right here!  For DIY inspiration, you can also see their DIY tutorials here.

Photo Credits: Kelly James of Studio Austin Weddings

Modern Wedding Invitations from Alee + Press

I’m a longtime fan of Alee & Press, so I was thrilled when Amanda from Alee & Press sent over some of her latest wedding invitation designs.  Amanda creates seriously beautiful and sophisticated (and eco-friendly!) typography-driven letterpress invitations and announcements.  Here are a few of my favorites…

Alee & Press will be exhibiting at this year’s National Stationery Show (Booth 2071!) – and these invitations are part of a new 2012 wedding collection making their debut at the show.  So exciting!

 

 

You can check out more beautiful invitations from Alee & Press right here!  Amanda also tells me that her Atlanta studio is located close to a key lime pie factory, which just sounds like the perfect way to keep creative energy flowing.  Thanks Amanda!

Photo Credits: Alee & Press