We’re making slow progress getting the nursery together, but I can’t help thinking about possible artwork for the walls. Â I’ve had a few of these gorgeous and whimsical prints from Vapor Qualquer on my wish list for a while, so today I thought I’d share a few of my favorites!
 
 
 
Check out more over at Vapor Qualquer!
Photo Credits: Vapor Qualquer
Any cause for celebration is the perfect reason to throw a party – and designer Shannon DeCock decided to do just that when she was granted dual U.S.-British citizenship this past spring!  Shannon drew inspiration from the two Durhams – her current home town of Durham, North Carolina and her mom’s birthplace of County Durham in England – and incorporated a custom plaid in shades of red and blue.  So fun!
From Shannon: My mom was born in England and moved here when she was 20.  Due to the laws in place at the time, I did not receive dual citizenship at birth – so I applied for my dual citizenship last summer.  I took the oath this spring and thought it was the perfect excuse to throw a party!
I live in Durham, North Carolina, the Bull City, and, coincidentally, my mom is from County Durham, England.  I thought it fitting for the two Durhams to collide — giving the Durham Bull a bowler hat and a monocle.
I also created a custom plaid for the back of the invitation. Â Although tartan is typically Scottish, I thought the pattern added a colorful pop to the back, and County Durham is pretty far north.
Thanks so much Shannon – and congratulations!
Photo Credits: DeCock Designs
This week we’re showing you how to create a rustic twist on a classic wedding invitation using a palette of eggplant, ivory, and kraft – a beautiful color combination for late summer and fall weddings!  Using a variety of papers, ink colors, and stamps, we gave some additional depth to an otherwise classic invitation.  – Bailey and Emma of Antiquaria
Step One: Set an A7 (5″x7″) piece of card stock on a hard, clean surface.  Ink your invitation stamp (we used our Classic Invitation Stamp) thoroughly with a black stamp pad.  Center stamp over card stock, leaving room for your monogram.  Carefully set the stamp down.  Press moderately on the stamp.  Too firm and it will smudge and too softly will not give a clear print.  Remove stamp and let the ink dry.  Repeat, using eggplant ink, with the monogram stamp (we used our Crest Monogram stamp) centering it at the top.
Step Two: Using the same technique as in step one, stamp your reply card (we used our Classic Reply Card stamp) & reply address (we used our Baroque Frame return address stamp). Â You’ll want to use a 4 bar card (3 1/2 x 4 7/8″) and a 4 bar envelope (3 5/8 x 5 1/8″) for these pieces.
Step Three: Nowadays, it is increasingly important to include your wedding website within your invitation suite.  Guests rely on the wedding website for travel info, locations, and addresses – not to mention your registry!  We stamped our website card (we used our Calligraphy Accent Web Card stamp) on grommeted gift tags to add some interest to the suite.  We then tied some decorative gold ribbon through the hole to finish it off!
Step Four: We love to used things unexpectedly within an invitation suite… so when we ran across these tiny kraft sacks, we knew they would be perfect to incorporate into our next design!  Using the same monogram from your invitations (our Crest Monogram rubber stamp) – see budget savings!! – stamp it horizontally onto your tiny kraft bag.  Let dry.
AntiÂquaria is a memÂber of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beauÂtiÂful work right here or visit the real wedding invitations gallery for more wedding invitation ideas or to inquire about custom design services!
Materials:
Baroque Frame Return Address Stamp
Calligraphy Accent Web Card Stamp
Photo Credits: Intertwyned for Antiquaria
Lisa from Sapling Press always has the funniest cards!  Her latest series, Made Up Stats, (produced in collaboration with the author of the twitter stream by the same name) made its debut at the National Stationery Show last month – and of course it’s completely hilarious.  Each one makes me laugh, but I think my favorite might be facts 79 and 119!
 
 
 
Check out more over at Sapling Press!
Photo Credits: Sapling Press
I have a total weakness for beautiful prints, and I tend to accumulate new prints at an alarming rate considering the size of our apartment.  So I was thrilled when Keegan from KeeganMeegan & Co. sent over this amazing limited edition poster that they recently printed for designer and illustrator Nando Costa.  There are so many beautiful details in this print – from the metallic ink to the blind impression elements, all lovingly letterpress printed on soft cotton paper.
From Keegan:  We recently had the pleasure of printing this limited edition poster for Nando Costa in support of his short film “The New America.â€Â Combining large scale printing, tight registration, blind deboss, and metallic silver, this poster will have you staring for hours.  The 21 1/4″ x 15 1/4″ print was letterpress printed in black, silver, and gold with blind emboss elements cotton paper using a Vandercook Universal III.
Thanks so much Keegan!
Illustration:Â Nando Costa
Printing: KeeganMeegan & Co.
Photo Credits:Â Nando Costa