06/14/2016

Mon Voir Wedding Collection

I’m a huge fan of the calligraphy and illustration work from Jenna of Mon Voir. Jenna’s calligraphy style is so unique (and so beautiful) and her floral illustrations are just magic. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jenna on a couple occasions over the last two years: she designed my second daughter’s birth announcementsÂ in 2014 and we collaborated on a limited edition art printÂ last year! I was thrilled when Jenna told me that she had created a brand new wedding invitation collection based on her four most popular custom design styles. Four ready made invitation suites offer bold watercolor floral illustrations, delicate botanical illustrations, and calligraphed text paired with modern type, with printing methods ranging from digital to letterpress to foil. Such a great option for design-minded couples on a budget! Here’s a closer look at the collection:

Vibrant Muse:Â This magnetic and brilliantly blossomed collection arouses an appetite for glistening sunshine and the golden magic hour.Â Merging grace and excitement with herbaceous florets and prolific greenery.

Alchemist:Â This luxurious suite is fit for a darkened evening brimming with candlelight and modern exquisiteness. Dripping with undulating letters, this grandiose collection inspires accents of burnished heirlooms and fallen embers.

Climbing Tendrils:Â Inspired by a well tended garden and foraged flora, this invitation is a perfect pair to the organically-inspired affair. Complete with our signature style of botanical illustration, these delicate vines and buds are sure to set the tone for an evening of majestic romance.

Minimalist:Â An ageless representation of when heirlooms and stylish modernism intertwine. With a noble crest accompanied by modern calligraphy and type, this suite is sure to stand the test of time.

You can see more from the brand new Mon Voir wedding collection right here â€“ and they’re also a member of the Designer Rolodex!

Congratulations Jenna!

Photo Credits: Michael Radford PhotographyÂ for Mon Voir Co.

06/08/2016

Paper Party 2016: Hologram Foil Art Print and DIY Party Signs

Last week I shared the photos from Paper Party 2016, along with the party invitations, cocktail recipes, and tote bags, but I have a few final details from the party to share! For the past couple of years, we’ve created an exclusive keepsake art print just for the party inspired by the invitation design. This year’s keepsake art print features artwork from Ashley Buzzy Lettering & Press and was printed in hologram foil by Mama’s Sauce on lavender Colorplan from Legion Paper!Â And because the folks at Mama’s Sauce are just cool like that, they printed a bunch of extras for all of you! Keep reading below for instructions on how to receive one of these gorgeous prints â€“ totally free!

You may recognize the artwork by Ashley Buzzy from the party coasters, but the artwork was actually created exclusivelyÂ for this print. I gave the words â€“ “follow the call of the disco ball” â€“ to Ashley and asked her to work her magic. After seeing a sample of Legion Paper’s Colorplan paper in this absolutely GORGEOUS shade of lavender, I knew it was the perfect fit for this 5×7 art print. The talented team at Mama’s Sauce printed the artwork in hologram foil, and voila!

So dreamy, right?? I just love the way the hologram foil changes color in the light. If you’d like to have one of these art prints, please just leave your mailing address here and we’ll pop one in the mail to you!

I loved Ashley’s artwork so much, I decided to turn it into a fun sign for the party! I also made a second sign using calligraphy by Mon Voir fromÂ last year’s Paper Party. Both signs were made with vinyl over an acrylic board spray painted on the back. The idea is basically the same as this DIY acrylic sign tutorial (one of my all time favorites on OSBP!), but with vinyl lettering cut out using my Silhouette CAMEO instead of written out with a paint marker. I spray painted each acrylic board with a couple layers of silver glitter spray paint, then added a layer of mint green to one sign and pastel lavender to the other sign, and finally added the vinyl lettering to the front of the acrylic board.

Finally, the party welcome signs! Mixbook (one of our party sponsors) offers canvas prints in a range of sizes, and the 16×20″ size just happens to be perfect as a welcome sign for a cocktail party! We made a total of three canvas prints: one to display in the lower lobby, one to display at the party entrance on our floor, and another directing guests to the photobooth. Each print used the watercolor background from the Paper Party invitations and the party logo created by Ashley Buzzy. Michele from Meant to Be CalligraphyÂ then wrote a unique message on each print using a black paint pen. I love how these prints turned out!

So many fun details from Paper Party 2016! Which is your favorite??

Also, don’t forget toÂ leave your mailing address hereÂ to receive one of the exclusive keepsake art prints from this year’s party!

Photo Credits: Oh So Beautiful Paper

06/06/2016

Brush Lettered Baby Shower Invitations

I’ve been a huge fan of Molly Jacques for yearsÂ â€“ including all of her gorgeous fonts! â€“ and it’s always a pleasure when I get to feature some of Molly’s beautiful illustrations or calligraphy (or both!) here on OSBP. I was absolutely thrilled when Molly sent over the brush lettered baby shower invitations that she designed for her very own shower! Inspired by traditional sign painting techniques, Molly incorporated her own signature brush lettering into the invitation design, along with a whole lot of color. The result is so fresh and vibrant!

From Molly:Â I’ve been creating custom calligraphy and lettering for others for years, so when I found out that I was pregnant with our first baby, I was so excited to be able to design my very own baby shower invitations!

Between my own work schedule and getting ready for baby, I knew I wanted to create an invitation that wouldn’t create too much fuss around my schedule yet remain FUN and eye-catching. I wanted a design that that I could put together on my own time, in-between client projects, and print right at home on my own printer.

For the invitation, I knew I wanted to somehow incorporate a little bit of traditional sign painting technique mixed with modern brush style lettering. I was greatly inspired by the use of fun, bright colors to reflect the joyous occasion â€“ an aspect I also have been interjecting into baby’s nursery design. Likewise, I wanted to use texture and value as a major design element to contribute to the over-all playfulness of the invitation, you can see this technique showcased with white calligraphy on a mid-toned envelope as well as the dot gradient used on the actual invitation to indicate a middle tone value. Moreover, I also decided to add on a little bit of washi tape to the outer envelopes to add some additional texture.

Lastly, I thought long and hard on what lettering style I wanted and how it would effect the feel of the invitation. I wanted each recipient to feel excited and playful when they received their invitations, which brought me to the style mentioned before:Â a combination of traditional sign painting and modern, energetic brush lettering. I wanted to steer clear of tradition heavy calligraphy or lettering for this particular project.

Thanks Molly!

Design & Lettering: Molly Jacques for Juni

Printing:Â Printed from home on white 5×7 card stock

Envelopes:Â Paper Source in Pool

Photo Credits: Molly Jacques for Juni

06/01/2016

Paper Party 2016! (aka Pastel Rainbow Iridescent Disco Party Inspiration)

As promised, I’m sharingÂ the photos from this yearâ€™s Paper Party during the National Stationery Show! I canâ€™t believe the party was alreadyÂ two weeks ago â€“ the whole evening went by so fast! The iridescent disco vibes that helped shape the invitation design alsoÂ helped guide the overall party design. We incorporated a pastel rainbow color palette â€“ lavender, mint green, light blue, and shades of pink and peach â€“ along with plenty of sparkle!

This yearâ€™s party was again held at Hudson TerraceÂ in the 2nd floor Salon. My talented friend (and professional event planner) Janice from Bellwether EventsÂ helped me plan the party and kept the entire evening running smoothly. Our amazing group of sponsors and creative partners helped us bring the party to life, includingÂ the National Stationery Show, Mixbook,Â Etsy Wholesale, My Mind’s Eye,Â Smock, Bella Figura, Sakura of America,Â Hester & Cook Design Group, Legion Paper, Mailchimp, Crow & Canary,Â Honeybook,Â Sugar Paper,Â Foryourparty.com,Â SoirÃ©e Floral, Meant to Be Calligraphy, Ashley Buzzy, Parabo Press, Sarah from Parrott Design Studio,Â andÂ Smilebooth.

I printed the sponsor thank you banner on a 3′ x 4′ color engineer print from Parabo Press! Michele fromÂ Meant to Be Calligraphy provided the calligraphy lettering, which I combined with my own text and layered over the watercolor background from the invitations â€“ then just printed the whole thing! Easy peasy. We decorated with our signature honeycomb clusters with mini disco balls! We also incorporated iridescent tassels made from fringe door curtains.

I also hand painted the Paper Party 2016 logo (designed by Ashley Buzzy) on a 3′ x 4′ engineer print fromÂ Parabo Press. The lettering is actually made of holographic silver glitter over glue. It didn’t photograph very well, but it looked really cool in person!

Can you seriously believe this paper fanÂ wall?? It was definitely the highlight of the entire party. The team from My Mind’s Eye put the entire thing together â€“ they even made the disco ball YOLO letters! Amazing.

(image by Sugar Paper)

Sugar Paper made the gift tote bags for this year’s party â€“ stay tuned for more on that soon! Hint: there will be a giveaway involved!

I always like to have an interactive element at the party â€“ and this year that activity involved Sakura of America pens! We asked our party guests to help us celebrate 70 years of the National Stationery Show by writing a little love note using Sakura of America Glaze, Gelly Roll, and SoufflÃ© pens or Pen-touch paint markers. Janet from Fox and Fallow used silver Pen-touch markers to make a little sign to display amongst the colorful notes and pens. I loved the bright pop of color and seeing all the beautiful notes left by the party guests!

AND OMG THE FLOWERS. Dawn from SoirÃ©e Floral creates the most gorgeous arrangements for the Paper Party year after year. I really don’t know how she does it! This year I asked Dawn to create arrangements comprised mostly of greens â€“ ferns, tropical leaves, vines, etc. â€“ with just a few pink blooms tucked into each arrangement. For the blooms we used a mix of peonies, ranunculus, roses, and cymbidium orchids. They turned out even more beautifully than I could have possibly imagined!

photo via @exit343

photo by Carrie Fleck

We served two signature cocktails at this year’s party: a Pineapple Mai Tai and a Lavender-Lemon Collins. We’ll be sharing the cocktails and recipes tomorrow â€“ they were so good! Sarah from Parrott Design Studio was kind enough to design a cocktail menu for the party. I love her illustrations and hand lettered recipes!

Mixbook sponsored this year’s Paper Party photobooth â€“ and they made a book with photos from past Paper Parties (aw, memories!) for guests to browse while waiting for their turn in the photobooth, along with a few other photo book examples and some of their gorgeous photo cards. So fun!

You can find all of the Smilebooth photos from Paper Party 2016 right here!

Finally, a HUGE thank you to the wonderfulÂ sponsors and people who made the evening possible:

The National Stationery Show, Mixbook,Â Etsy Wholesale, My Mind’s Eye,Â Smock, Bella Figura, Sakura of America,Â Hester & Cook Design Group, Legion Paper, Mailchimp, Crow & Canary,Â Honeybook, and Sugar Paper

Foryourparty.com,Â SoirÃ©e Floral, Meant to Be Calligraphy, Ashley Buzzy, Sarah from Parrott Design Studio,Â andÂ Smilebooth

InfiniteÂ thanks toÂ JaniceÂ andÂ CarrieÂ for all of their invaluable help over the past few months and throughout the evening â€“ and our small army of friends (Kristina and Rob, Sarah, Mindy, Sam, Brad Burks, and more!) who helped stuff gift bags or with set up before the party. We couldnâ€™t have done it without you!

And of course a big thanks to Sara WightÂ for the gorgeous photos andÂ Hudson Terrace for having us!

Party Sources

Event Coordination: Bellwether Events

“Yolo” Paper Fan Wall: My Mind’s Eye

Engineer Prints: Parabo Press

Pens and Paint Markers: Sakura of America

Gift Tote Bags: Sugar Paper

Cocktail Menus:Â Parrott Design Studio

Lavender Foil Coasters, Stir Sticks, and Matchboxes:Â For Your Party

Micro Glitter Hologram Foil Coasters:Â Smock

Marbled PaperÂ Placemats:Â Hester & Cook Design Group

Venue: Hudson Terrace

Photo Credits:Â Sara Wight Photography

06/01/2016

Paper Party 2016: Rainbow Watercolor and Hologram Foil Invitations

I’ll be sharing the photos from this year’s Paper Party in just a bit â€“ but first, I wanted to help set the scene by sharing the photos of the rainbow watercolor and hologram foil invitations that we created for this year’s party! As with previous years, the invitations were a group effort. The ultra-talented Ashley Buzzy designed the invitations and envelope liner, Bella Figura printed everythingÂ on their smooth cotton paper, and Michele from Meant to Be Calligraphy addressed the envelopes. This year’s invitation design featured hologram foil over a digitally printed watercolor background!

I’ve been really inspired by all things iridescent lately, so I used that as the starting point for the rest of the inspiration for this year’s party. I created a moodboard for this year’s party, which contained an image of crinkled iridescent cellophane and a few images of disco balls â€“ and voila! Party inspiration! I thought Ashley Buzzy had the perfect design aesthetic to complementÂ my iridescent rainbow disco party theme, and I was thrilled when she agreed to create the invitation design!

Ashley was super inspired by the rainbow overtones of the iridescent cellophane in the party moodboard. SheÂ created this gorgeous rainbow watercolor background by layering a rainbow gradient over a watercolor splatter pattern that she scanned into her computer. Ashley also created a rainbow watercolor splatter envelope liner that complemented the invitation design without mirroring the design too closely.

I really, really, really wanted to use hologram foil for the printed party invitations â€“ but I had no idea there were so many different types of hologram foil! I must have looked at more than 40 hologram foil swatches at Bella Figura before settling on this smooth rainbow-y silver hologram foil called Spectrum. I love how the foil shows a different color and light spectrum at every angle! Bella Figura also letterpress printed the design and printing credit on the reverse side of the invitation and the envelope return address in a beautiful teal ink.

For the envelopes, I once again turned to my favorite envelope finishing trick: dip dyeing! I decided to continue the rainbow theme by dip dyeing the envelopes four different pastel colors: lavender, blue, green, and pink. Michele from Meant to Be Calligraphy addressed the envelopes in black ink in her beautiful Durham style.

Those are the rainbow watercolor and hologram foil invitations for Paper Party 2016! I hope you love them as much as I do!

Design: Ashley Buzzy Lettering & Press

Printing: Bella Figura

Envelope Calligraphy:Â Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper