04/13/2016

Seasonal Stationery: Mother’s Day Cards

Mother’s Day is justÂ a few weeks away! Today I’m kicking off a series of Mother’s Day card round ups with ten gorgeous cards to help send your love to Mom. This year I’m really finding myself drawn towards sweet and simple cards â€“ here are a few favorites!

1. A beautiful gold foil Mother’s Day card on speckled gray paper fromÂ MogleaÂ â€“ with an equally beautiful abstract envelope!

2. Sweet floral sentiments for your sweet mum byÂ In the Daylight

3. Neon pink Mother’s Day wishes byÂ Wayfare Press

4. A vintage-inspired card fromÂ Maple and Belmont

5. Beautiful sky blue letterpress printed calligraphy byÂ Parrott Design Studio

6. Sweet and simple fromÂ Sugar Paper

7. A pretty papercut Mother’s Day card fromÂ Evermore Paper Co.

8. I love thisÂ Ramona & RuthÂ card for fashionable moms

9. Giving mom flowers? Include this card fromÂ Worthwhile Paper!

10. For the superhero mom byÂ Ink Meets Paper

p.s. You can find a TON more Mother’s Day cards in the Market List right here!

04/11/2016

Virginia Countryside Wedding Invitations

While we’re on the subject of flowers today, how pretty are these Virginia countryside wedding invitations from Lauren atÂ Darling + Pearl? The invitation suite was inspired by the wedding venue in the heart of Virginia wine country. I’m loving the whimsical letterpress printed confetti pattern paired with vintage-inspired magnolia envelope liners. And the bride even did her own calligraphy for some of the invitation text and addressed her own envelopes!

FromÂ Lauren: The wedding invitations for Loren and Daniel’s wedding were a true collaborative effort. The inspiration was drawn mainly by the location of their wedding and the venue: Keswick Hall at Monticello in theÂ Virginia countryside.Â Loren and Daniel’s entire suite was letterpress printed in burgundy and silver and was presented with mixed color envelopes (which has become somewhat of a Darling + Pearl signature).

LorenÂ practices calligraphy and was really interested in using her own handwriting for her invitations. Loren provided me with the artwork for their names which was then processed into a printing plate along with the rest of the design. After the invitations were delivered, Loren alsoÂ addressed each envelope by hand inÂ calligraphy.

I wanted to create an invitation suite where each piece was different and exciting and walked the line of both traditional and unique. The envelope liners really pulled the suite together and added even more flavor â€“Â with the added bonus of Magnolia trees being a significant detail in the couple’s life. This was the first project that really had me stepping outside of my comfort zone as far as choosing less expected colors and patterns to line the sending envelopes.

Thanks Lauren!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Darling + Pearl

Darling + Pearl is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ you can see more of Laurenâ€™s beautiful work right hereÂ orÂ visit theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Darling + Pearl

04/05/2016

Romantic Calligraphy Dip Dyed Wedding Invitations

I’m a huge fan of the dip dyeing technique, and these romantic calligraphy dip dyed wedding invitations from Jill at Art + Alexander are no exception! The dark teal color is just absolutely stunning, and I love the way Jill continued the dip dye effect around all four edges of the invitation and some of the enclosures!

From Jill: The words I jotted down prior to designing this suite were: love letter, romance, simple, soft, and lovely. I love the colour that ink fades into, decades after being written â€“ a brownish gold tone. I tried to recreate that ink colour for this invitation suite. I also tried to keep the calligraphy quite soft and loose, as if it had been written on some romantic whim.

I opted for Cartiera Magnani paper for its rich texture and soft, organic look. I thought that the paper would behave similarly to a watercolour paper would, and absorb the watercolour paint well, which it did. I used the dark teal to add a pop of color, and wet the paper prior to dip dying so that it would bleed more and fade out more naturally, as well to give it a celestial look.

The invitation suite includes aÂ beautiful quote from The Chaos of Stars: “And Iâ€™d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, Iâ€™d find you and Iâ€™d choose you.â€

I just thought that it was the most beautiful quote and tied in so nicely with my original inspiration. I also included a watercolor illustration of a peony to add a touch of femininity.Â The suite was handwritten and the paper was hand torn. The stamps included in the photographs are from my Grandmother’s antique steamer trunk.

Thanks Jill!

Design and calligraphy: Art + Alexander

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photographed by: Shannon Yau

04/01/2016

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone â€“ and Happy April Fool’s Day! It’s also my husband’s birthday today! We’veÂ actually been in the Catskills in Upstate New York this week for some family R&R, since it’s our daughter’s Spring Break back in DC. We didn’t really have an agenda for this week, but we’re having fun exploring the area and relaxing at our temporary home in the mountains. We’ll miss these mountain views when we head back to DC this weekend! But in the meantime…

Three Potato Four Letter Board (via Instagram)

…a few links for your weekend!

Two Londoners were inspired by OSBP (yay!) to open their very own stationery store: Luna Stationery. London, go and say hello!
The prettiest tropical leaves you’ve ever seen
APRIL FOOLS!
I love the iridescent details on this cute dress
These giant ’80s-inspired stickers are so fun
DIY plaster succulent pots
Um, I need this gold edge cheeseboard NOW

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Hand lettered invitations for a wedding in the woods
How to make marbled paper â€“ and a gorgeous new marbled stationery collection from May Designs!
Beautiful brand new desktop and phone wallpapers for April
Post-itÂ® Brand celebrates 35 years!
Printable calligraphy Hello note cards
Absolutely gorgeous calligraphy from a self-taught lettering artist: Post Calligraphy
I’m loving the mix and match vibe of Brass Union’s business stationery in this month’s Finding the Paper
This week’s Well Said Type in the elegantÂ new calligraphy font Pen Swan

Thatâ€™s it for me this week! Check back in just a bitÂ for this weekâ€™s cocktail recipe! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and Iâ€™ll see you back here on Monday!Â xoxo

03/31/2016

Calligraphy Inspiration: Post Calligraphy

It’sÂ always interesting in seeing how self taught calligraphers develop their styles. It’s an opportunity to let a little personality shine through with a line quality based on each individual hand, rather than simply replicating a sequence of strokes; that’s just aÂ part of the charm of modern calligraphy! I came across the gorgeous work of Lisa Mavian, the artist/designer/calligrapher behind Toronto basedÂ Post CalligraphyÂ a while ago and have been thoroughly enjoying digging through her portfolio and feed. Take a look and I’m sure you will too! – Julie