Citrus-Inspired Letterpress Overprinting Wedding Invitations

These invitations and bright, summery, and undeniably lovely.  The invitations were letterpress printed by Sara and Brad of Constellation & Co. for their design intern Sarah Paulhus.  The main invitation incorporates a letterpress technique known as overprinting – where two different ink colors are layered during the printing process to produce a new color – to create the heart design in the main invitation.  Sarah selected pretty citrus-inspired colors of pink, orange, and yellow for the entire suite.  Beautiful!

Pink-Yellow-Letterpress-Overprinting-Wedding-Invitations-Constellation-Co

From Sara of Constellation & Co.: Our summer intern Sarah Paulhus did the design for this fun invitation suite under our art direction, and then we produced them at the end of the internship for her portfolio.

Pink-Yellow-Letterpress-Overprinting-Wedding-Invitations-Constellation-Co

Pink-Yellow-Letterpress-Overprinting-Wedding-Invitations-Constellation-Co

Sarah described her inspiration this way: “My summer wedding concept was inspired by citrus!  Grapefruit, oranges, lemons – they all remind me of summer afternoons.  I wanted to take advantage of the letterpress process and add a vintage-y feel to the theme, which comes off in the paper choices and ink.  Overall, I want the design to be clean and fresh, breezy, but also warm and inviting.”  We think she did a great job – not bad for her first wedding invite!

Pink-Yellow-Letterpress-Overprinting-Wedding-Invitations-Constellation-Co

Pink-Yellow-Letterpress-Overprinting-Wedding-Invitations-Constellation-Co

Constellation & Co. is a mem­ber of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beau­ti­ful work right here!

Photo Credits: Constellation & Co.

{happy weekend!}

Happy Friday everyone!  Did you have a good week?  Fall is definitely in the air this weekend, but I’m actually looking forward to the new season – spring and fall are my two favorite seasons in DC!  This weekend I’m looking forward to the Design Sponge book party in Georgetown, a neighborhood festival near my Capitol Hill ‘hood, and some antiquing with my husband and in-laws, who are visiting again this weekend.  But in the meantime…

Photo Credit: Marla and Shane Photographers via Urban Grace Interiors

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Welcome to the newest Designer Rolodex members!

That’s it for me this week!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

Sarah + Michael’s Vintage-Inspired Wedding Invitations

Alexandra from The Aerialist Press sent over these elegant vintage-inspired wedding invitations, and they seemed like the perfect way to help end the week!  Alexandra was inspired by the concept of the 1902s Great Gatsby era and wanted to give her clients a design that is classic yet a little bit playful.

From Alexandra: This invitation suite was inspired by the novel The Great Gatsby and the era in which Fitzgerald’s story took place. The couple really wanted a suite that was simultaneously classic and vintage with a playful edge.

I like to think of the ’20s in Long Island as sort of decadent, theatrical and elegant with a twist.  When creating the suite we really wanted to capture that feeling as well as the wildness of Jay Gatsby’s parties as detailed so sharply in the book and his abiding infatuation and love for Daisy.  The bellyband ended up being our favorite part and really finished off the whole look.

The suite was printed on 110lb Pearl White Crane Lettra paper, the inks are metallic silver and black and we used the Engravers Shaded, Burgues, and Mrs. Eaves fonts (I can’t resist listing these since I’m a not-so-shy type nerd).  The envelope liner stock was sourced from Papermojo.

Thanks Alexandra!

The Aerialist Press is a mem­ber of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of Alexandra’s beau­ti­ful work right here!

Photo Credits: The Aerialist Press

Claremont Collection Wedding Invitations from Curious & Co.

Today I’m thrilled to share some of the designs from the Claremont Collection, a wedding invitation line from Curious & Co. Creative with letterpress printing by Cleanwash Letterpress.  Curious & Co. Creative recently introduced four new designs to the collection, including the fabulous ikat wedding invitation that you might remember from the Martha Stewart Weddings sneak peek a couple of weeks ago.  I love the mix of modern and traditional design elements.  So pretty!

Curious & Co. Creative is a mem­ber of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beau­ti­ful work and the full Claremont Collection right here!

Photo Credits: Trevor Dixon

DIY Rubber Stamp Calling Cards

The ladies of Anti­quaria took a quick break to relocate to California (congrats ladies!), but today they’re back with another fab­u­lous and cre­ative DIY project!  This week they’re here with three options for DIY rubber stamp calling cards!

After a studio relocation and move…we are back with more DIY stamp tutorials!!  This week, we are exploring the world of calling cards, a fun and unique way to make a lasting impression on someone you’ve just met.  By using a calling card rubber stamp, you can customize and really make them reflect you!  Also, because you can make them in small batches, you can change their design on a whim and reflect your current mood & style.

To create these three calling cards, we adapted techniques from our previous DIY posts (and one sneak peek).

Our Geek Chic tutorial, is super easy and uses very inexpensive and resourceful materials!!

1. Find vintage, or download & print (we used Hex Dot for this calling card) graph paper. Cut into 2×3″ rectangles.

2. Cut kraft colored card stock into 3.5 x 2.5″ rectangles.

3. Ink stamp (we used our Calligraphy Accent Calling Card stamp) with desired color and make print using even pressure on a hard surface.

4. Using fun colored or patterned washi tape, affix the stamped graph paper to the kraft paper backing. (If more security is desired, use double stick tape to affix the two together and use the washi tape as decoration)

As a teaser for our next Save the Date tutorial, this calling card uses stamp pad edge painting to make the cards really pop.  This technique is so simple, you won’t believe it!

1. Using a heavy cotton paper, cut into 2.5×3″ rectangles.

2. To make the mixed ombre stamp image, use 2 different but similarly shaded colors (we used a mix of orange & red, one dark, one light).  Ink the stamp (we used our Navajo Calling Card stamp) lightly in the darker of the two, then ink over it in the lighter shade.  Stamp image with even pressure on a hard work surface.  Let the images dry overnight.

3. To paint the edges, grasp each card in the middle.  Drag the edges through your stamp pad, applying even pressure to ensure an even border…it’s that simple!!!

By far one of the most popular DIY posts we’ve done, this calling card uses the techniques from the Hand Watercolor Save the Dates & Thank You Card tutorial.  It astounds us how many different looks you can achieve with this technique!

1. Choose the colors you desire to paint with (a few similar shades and one contrasting always looks nice).

2. Paint random and uneven lines on sheets of watercolor paper. When dry, cut each sheet into 2 x 3.5″ rectangles. Admire how lovely and unique each one is!

3. Ink stamp (we used our Typewriter Calling Cardstamp) and print, pressing evenly on a hard work surface.

So, get stamping and be creative with the most important brand you represent….you!!

Photo Credits: Antiquaria for Oh So Beautiful Paper