{happy weekend!}

What. A. Week. While we weathered the storm pretty well here in DC, my thoughts have been with those in New York and New Jersey affected by Hurricane Sandy.  The images and stories of the destruction are completely overwhelming and I know the road to recovery, much less the restoration of power, will be a long one.  When I haven’t been completely glued to the news, somewhere between last weekend and today, my little Sophie suddenly stopped looking like a newborn and started looking like a real baby.  She’s getting bigger each and every day, even though she’s still smaller at 7 weeks than some newborns, she’s paying closer attention to objects, and she’s smiling at us!  The smiles just make my heart melt.  This weekend we’re planning to visit our favorite flea market and relax at home, but in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday – when I’ll start sharing some of my favorite holiday cards! xoxo

Calligraphy Inspiration: Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy

Something that never ceases to amaze me about calligraphy is its powerful yet delicate nature. A prime example is the work of Alissa Mazzenga of Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy. I’m not sure how else to describe it other than to relate her fluid wisps of ink to watching spun sugar transforming into cotton candy. It’s kind of like magic. You can hardly believe that such curvaceous, soft lines can actually create letterforms. It’s truly lovely! – Julie

Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy via Oh So Beautiful Paper

I adore the contrast of Alissa’s feather-light writing to the bold, graphic stripes and shot of red. There’s no doubt this would catch someone’s eye in a pile of ho-hum mail.

Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy via Oh So Beautiful Paper

It’s definitely all in the details when it comes to calligraphy. Simple yet highly effective, Alissa’s style is all the ornament you need.

Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy via Oh So Beautiful Paper

With the holidays right around the corner, I’m sure many of you are considering a return address stamp for all the card and letter writing ahead. Luckily for us, Alissa also has a shop, FeastMade, that offers a number of beautiful custom calligraphy stamps.

Photo Credits: photography by Aimee Mazzenga; 2 invitation design: Cheree Berry Paper; 3 (right) invitation design: Baumbirdy, 4 invitation design: August Blume Custom Design Studio

Quinn’s Modern Birth Announcements

With a name as adorable as Quinn’s, why not make her first initial the focus of her birth announcement design?  Ashley from Fine Day Press incorporated an oversize Qand bright colors to create these modern birth announcements for this sweet girl.  So cute!

Modern Birth Announcements by Fine Day Press via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

From Ashley: A big bright pink “Q” with a sweet smiley face inside is a super-cute way to introduce little miss Quinn to the world! The design combines sweet elements with a clean sans-serif type, dark plum envelope and wraparound address label. The announcements were printed digitally on thick cotton stock.

Modern Birth Announcements by Fine Day Press via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

Modern Birth Announcements by Fine Day Press via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

Thanks Ashley!

Fine Day Press is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of Ashley’s beautiful work right here!

Photo Credits: Fine Day Press

*Fine Day Press is a sponsor of Oh So Beautiful Paper