03/17/2017

Happy Weekend!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! We’re doing something a bit non-traditional today â€“ we’ll be sharing a St. Patrick’s Day mocktail recipe a bit later today! It’s green, has lots of fizz, and I think you’ll really like it. Otherwise, I’m just hoping the sun decides to stick around â€“ and keeping my fingers crossed that the recent snow and freezing temperatures haven’t damaged the cherry blossoms too much! But in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend!

A Beautiful Mess sent me a couple boxes from their fun monthly Happy Mail subscription (pictured above) â€“ who doesn’t love getting happy and colorful mail each month?? You can sign up for your own subscription right here!

A breakdown of the proposed funding cuts in the Administration’s proposed 2018 budget. These funding cuts will eliminate jobs, reduce the capacity for U.S. leadership around the world, and create instability both at home and abroad. If you disagree with these funding cuts, please call your Senators and Representatives to let them know.

Loving these DIY rainbow streamer curtains for any time of year!

I need this brass planter in my life

This tissue paper backdrop is so much fun â€“ and I love that it’s reusable

Have you heard about Hasbrouck House in Upstate New York? I want to go to there.

YES to copper wall art ledges (and they’re on sale!)

An alternative to Guiness and Irish Coffee: The Whiskey Smash!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Absolutely stunning French Chateau-inspired calligraphy wedding invitations

Belated birthday cards!

Whimsical poppy and eucalyptus wedding invitations

A Bittersweet Coffee Mocktail

Garlands are such a fun way to add color and texture to your wedding!

Such cute illustrations from Tog & Pini

Have a wonderful weekend, and Iâ€™ll see you back here next week! xoxo

03/16/2017

The World of Illustration: Tog and Pini

Hello friends! With Easter just around the corner, I thought it’d be fun to share some illustrations to get us in the bunny spirit. Although I will say, with my kiddos, bunnies are big *all* year round. They actually used to have bunnies in their last preschool, which was the cutest, and they’re now stuck on the idea of a bunny as their first pet (and yes, I think we may go for it this year!). But back to the illustration world, I am a big fan of Australian-based illustrator Clare Dunstan of Tog & Pini. It’s one of those times where you find yourself putting hearts next to half of the artist’s collection on Etsy. And scrolling deep into the artist’s Instagram. So let’s hop down to this peek into Tog & Pini, as I’m sure it’s going to capture many fans. – Jen

Here’s a surprising fun fact about Clare. She didn’t even start drawing until she was 25! (How is that possible?!) She was always creative and as a child she sewed and made jewelry. Clare patterned her own teddy bears and made tiny doll’s house food out of clay. Then, on the professional side, she started out as a jeweler after studying gold and silver smithing. How did she jump from silver and gold to illustration? Clare shares, “After an unfortunate accident â€” setting the curtains above my work station alight â€” I turned to illustration as a safer pursuit for a dreamer!”

Just a little mermaid bunny for anyone else who lives with a child who loves anything related to mermaids.

So Clare turned to painting and drawing as her new passion, and it obviously suits her. Talk about an amazing late bloomer! She lives in Australia, so imagine the inspiration outside her window. And she works primarily in watercolor. “Being surrounded by such varied fauna has an obvious impact in my work,” shares Clare. She mostly draws on a little old antique desk that’s piled high with paints, pencils, papers, and photographers. “I’m a very messy worker!” she notes. Obviously, a lot of beauty comes out of that mess.

I love this illustration she did of meerkats. Clare lives in an outer suburb of Melbourne, Australia. “I have daily visiting native birds; a mob of pink Galahs, several sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and a pair of brightly coloured King Parrots,” she shares.

Here’s some bunny fabric in classic Easter colors, which you can find in her Etsy shop.

Clare is a true animal lover through and through. And she has pet rabbits (which surely inspired her sweet bunny illustrations.) She says, “We have two rescue dogs (who are hilarious), five guinea pigs and two rabbits that are a constant source of inspiration.”

And now I have some Easter baskets to plan. A big thanks to Clare Dunstan for sharing a peek into her work!

Photo Credits: Tog & Pini

03/15/2017

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Creative Garlands

Garlands are such a beautiful way to add color and texture to your wedding day. No matter your wedding theme or budget, there’s a garland that fits right in! And so many of our favorite garlands are made from paper â€“ which just makes us love them even more! From hand stained coffee filters that look like flowers to papel picado banners to modern geometric triangles, here are some ideas to get you started. â€“ Annie

Those aren’t flowers hanging from the ceiling. They’re hand stained coffee filters! | Photography: Sargeant Creative, Event Planning: Brandi of High Society Event Planning, Larrissa of Inviting Occasion via Sargeant Creative

Cute strands of paper triangles. | Photography: Byron Loves Fawn via 100 Layer Cake

These papel picado banners add so much color to the space! | Photography: Mandee Johnson, Event Design: Outfit Home, Planning: Magic Hour Marfa via Green Wedding Shoes

Love these white papel picado banners, too. | Photography: Phil Chester, Event Design: SELVA, Paper Goods: Oblation Papers via Green Wedding Shoes

Add a personal touch by hanging family photos. | Photography: Fearless Photography via The Knot

Hang an assortment of colorful ribbons, flowers, and candles for an eclectic look. | Photography: Cinzia Bruschini, Event Styling, Design, & Planning: Chic Weddings in Italy via Modern Wedding

Love the combination of fabric and string lights. | Photography: Phil Chester, Event Design: Bright Night and Tera Hatfield, Event Planning & Florals: Bright Night via Green Wedding Shoes

String fresh flowers for an eye-catching display. | Photography: Lacie Hansen Photography via The Knot

Or make your own paper flowers! | via The Artisan Life

Personalize your own simple, graphic garland. | Photography: Therese Winberg Photography via Junebug Weddings

Greenery is always a good call, especially when it’s made out of paper and reusable. | Photography: Anna Killian via The House That Lars Built

Can you believe these garlands are made from wax paper?! | Photography: Allie Rae Photography via Style Me Pretty

03/15/2017

Bittersweet Coffee Mocktail

We find ourselves in the odd predicament of a winter snow and ice storm in mid-March, something that doesn’t happen too often in DC. So I’m in the mood for a dark and stormy mocktail to complement our weather: A Bittersweet Coffee Mocktail. â€“Andrew

Bittersweet Coffee Mocktail

2 oz Cold-Brewed Coffee
3/4 oz Grapefruit-Vanilla Shrub
3/4 oz Rosemary Syrup

To make the rosemary syrup: combine a cup of sugar, a cup of water, and a sprig of rosemary in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until the sugar has melted, then remove from heat and allow the rosemary to infuse for 1o-20 minutes. Strain out the rosemary, bottle the syrup, and refrigerate.

Combine the coffee, grapefruit-vanilla shrub, and rosemary syrup in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a candied cherry and grapefruit peel.

Coffee is an incredibly versatile ingredient for mocktails, providing complex, bitter, and astringent notes that evoke bold spirits without the booze. Here, it serves as the backbone for a rich, bittersweet mocktail with an acidic edge.

But we didn’t want to just offer a glass of coffee. We also used a newly-released shrub from Element Shrub, one of our local DC-area makers. This shrub combines grapefruit and vanilla with apple cider vinegar; the bitterness of the grapefruit and the smoothness of the vanilla together evoke, surprisingly, chocolate â€“ which adds another rich, dark layer to this drink.

So, sweet chocolatey coffee â€“ sounds delicious, but that’s not a mocktail. We needed another ingredient to elevate our drink, to give it that botanical edge that so many great cocktails have. Rosemary syrup is a versatile ingredient for both mocktails and cocktails, so don’t feel bad about making a full bottle of the stuff â€“ you’ll use it faster than you think. It’s savory and herbaceous, a flavor profile reminiscent of herbaceous spirits like gin and dry vermouth.

As always, the goal with a mocktail isn’t to make a facsimile of a cocktail â€“ it’s to make a drink that’s every bit as grown up and sophisticated as a cocktail, but without the booze. It doesn’t have to be complicated â€“ just three ingredients are enough here.

Just remember, it is full of caffeine. Don’t drink too many of these late at night.

(Donâ€™t forget to follow us on Instagram!)

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

03/14/2017

Whimsical Poppy and Eucalyptus Watercolor Wedding Invitations

It’s SNOWING here in DC, so I’m trying to distract myself from this situation with these whimsical poppy and eucalyptus watercolor wedding invitations from Kim of Bright Room Studio! We’ve had the pleasure of featuring many of Kim’s beautiful hand lettered and watercolor wedding invitations over the years, and I’m beyond thrilled that she recently released a new wedding invitation collection that makes it easier for brides and grooms to get Kim’s signature style without the pricetag and timeline of a custom invitation suite. Kim is here today to share one of her favorite designs from the new collection! We’re loving Kim’s cheerful script lettering paired with the gorgeous watercolor floral and eucalyptus elements!

From Kim: I’m so excited to share one of my favorite suites from my new Bright Room Studio Wedding Collection! I call this suite the Poppy design. This design was actually the last one I created. The other suites in the collection are all pretty simple and very typography based and I felt like I needed a little more watercolor and a little more floral in my life, so I started painting!

The florals are inspired by some of my favorite wedding bouquets, with big bold flowers, lots of texture and unusual elements like kumquats and berries. I love the cheery color palette because I think it works for any season; the greens and pinks are perfect for spring and summer, the orange tones lean a bit more toward fall and the touches of eucalyptus can even bring this suite into winter time.

I used the florals throughout the suite, but I think my favorite spot is on the Save the Date. I love how the wreath compliments the rest of the suite without being too “matchy matchy.” I think this might be my favorite piece in the whole collection!

I love when invitation suites come together in a way that is coordinated and cohesive but not matching, so I gave the particulars card a watercolor wash background for a little pop and to ground the whole group. I also just kept a small eucalyptus leave on the mini details card to break up the florals a bit. Everything goes together but no two pieces are the same.

I also love how the watercolor prints look on the lovely textured cotton paper. It almost looks like it was painted directly onto the card instead of digitally printed. All that texture really brings the florals to life.

The entire suite can be customized too! For brides who love the florals, you can select your hand-lettered script style, font, color, envelope colors, and which pieces you need to bring together your perfect suite. Each suite has the option of an invitation, RSVP, particulars card, weekend events card, mini card (that can be used for a website, reception details or any other little bit of info), save the date and return address stamp. I simply love how versatile a pre-designed collection can be for brides!

Thanks Kim!

Design: Bright Room Studio

Printing: Mercurio Brothers Printing

Bright Room Studio is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ you can see more of Kimâ€™s beautiful work right here or visit the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits:Kim Roth