01/12/2017

Ocean Inspired Baby Shower Invitations

When your sister is expecting â€“ and happens to love sharks â€“ ocean inspired baby shower invitations are a perfect way to welcome the little bundle of joy! Jessica from Jamber Creative drew inspiration from under the sea to design these bold and whimsical blue and green invitations, complete with adorable seaweed graphics. This combination of whimsical graphics and bold patterns is so festive!

From Jessica: I created this ocean inspired baby shower invitation suite for my sister, Rachel. She has always been fascinated with sharks, so when she found out she was having a little boy, she knew she wanted his nursery to have touches of sea life, especially her favorite toothy fish. She also wanted to incorporate bold colors and graphic patterns in shades of blue and green so that the nursery didnâ€™t necessarily have a â€œthemeâ€ but instead just felt like a fun and vibrant collection of cozy, kid-friendly elements.

When creating her invitations, I went straight to her nursery for inspiration. We all agreed it was our favorite room in her home, and I wanted to bring this feeling to her invitations. I wanted to give a nod to the marine life of the nursery without being too overt or literal. Instead of using actual sharks, I created an underwater graphic with coral and seaweed, along with some fish and whimsical bubbles. I used this same element on her enclosure card and created a pattern with the fish and bubbles for the envelope liners. For an accent, I printed the back of each piece with various patterns that were actually present in the nursery. Crib sheets, rug and curtains provided inspiration for fun, unexpected pops of pattern when guests flipped over each card.

The entire suite was tied together with hemp cord and a bright green tag to announce the babyâ€™s gender. For guest favors, I created and printed coasters using the â€œOh Boyâ€ text and a few fish, tying them together with striped jute cord. Guests loved the little reminder for when Baby Clow (August) would make his debut!

The invitations were digitally printed on 120lb smooth white paper, and the coasters were printed on this same paper, duplexed.

Thanks Jessica!

Design & Printing: Jamber Creative

Photo Credits: Jessica Williams

01/11/2017

Timeless Southern Magnolia Wedding Invitations

Today we’re practically dripping in beautiful magnolia flowers thanks to these stunning,Â timeless Southern magnolia wedding invitations from Bonnie and Currier ofÂ Tenn Hens Design! And really, is there anything more perfectly suited for a garden wedding in Nashville? Bonnie and Currier incorporated magnolias throughout the save the dates, wedding invitation suite, and day-of stationery, from the envelope liner to small die cut magnolia flowers paired with escort cards for the reception. So lovely!

From Tenn Hens Design:Â Our client had grand magnolia dreams for this wedding, so we created a design that felt Southern, botanical, and timeless. The ceremony was set in a beautiful garden atÂ Cheekwood here in Nashville, and the reception followed inside the art museum located at the historic Cheek estate.

The square save the date was letterpress printed in blush and gray and we drew an illustration of the mansion. They loved the idea of a bookmark so we wrapped the magnolia pattern around the card to become a keepsake for guests. The envelope liner matched in the same pattern.

For the big day we revealed our plans of a custom magnolia wrap that held all the details together. Inside was the invitation with letterpress printed text and illustrations, gold foil, and gold edge painting. The gold foil added a real glam factor against the subtle gray impression along the edges. Such gorgeous details and textures in every piece. Behind the invitation, the wrap had a pocket that tucked all the detail cards and rsvp cards neatly inside. Even the blush from the save the date made an appearance on the rsvp card and envelope. Also we had custom wax seals made with the magnolia tree we created. We really wanted the suite to feel like you were revealing something super special as it all unveiled!

Escort cards were designed with die-cut magnolia blooms tucked inside small pockets and topped with a wax seal of the magnolia tree from the invitation suite. The tree was carried over to the program as well and we used the same gray paper on the cover from the envelope liner. The bloom illustrations also made an appearance on the circular menu. Touches of gold foil adding a bit of sparkle underneath the clear plate.

The magnolia designs really branded the entire event. We loved the impact of the big bold pattern, mixed with the soft color palette in the type and finely detailed illustrations. It was truly a dream to be a part of this incredible wedding with such a fine group of people.

Thanks Bonnie and Currier!

Design: Tenn Hens Design

Wedding Planning: The Social Office

Calligraphy: Val Cole

Tenn Hens DesignÂ is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ you can see more of their beautiful work right hereÂ or visit the real invitations gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

PhotoÂ Credits: Mary Craven Dawkins

01/09/2017

Autumn Floral Copper Foil Wedding Invitations

We are just in love with these autumn floral copper foil wedding invitations by Lauren of Charm & Fig, featuring luxurious blind impression letterpress printed floral details. LaurenÂ drew her inspiration from the bride’s unabashed love of the color orange, incorporating metallic copper foil and rounding out the color palette with deep red, plum, and forest green. We’re absolutely loving the copper foil details on the RSVP envelope and that gorgeous floral envelope liner!

From Lauren: This wedding suite made me want to pull out cozy wool blankets and the spiked-apple cider! Taylor unabashedly loves orange, which was a no-brainer for her fall wedding and a not-so-secret tribute to her beloved Texas Longhorns. We ran with the idea of using lots of metallic copper, fall florals, and romantic details for this black tie wedding.

First impressions are important! The first thing guests would see when they opened the interior envelope was a floral envelope liner displaying sophisticated fall hues of orange, wine, plum, and forest green. True story: another client saw a sample of this envelope liner, grabbed it, and vowed to use the palette for her dining room renovation!

On the invitation, we started with double-ply cotton paper and had it blind letterpress printed with a bundle of botanical florals. Debi Sementelli’s Bellucia calligraphy font was printed in copper foil over the blind image and brought just the right amount of elegance and femininity to the suite. A chocolate wax seal with a custom monogram was affixed to the top and added another layer texture to the main piece. For extra thickness, the invitation was backedÂ with Stardream’s metallic copper paper.

In order to create some balance within the suite, we opted for more simple reception and response cards, flatÂ printed in chocolate on single-ply cotton paper to coordinate with the chocolate wax seal.Â The outer envelopes were addressed by Maureen Vickery of Pendance Studio. She sourced the perfect copper ink and calligraphy style to match our invitations. For the final packaging, we created a single copper bellyband with the same paper used onÂ the back of the invitation.

The dinner plate menus were flat printed in chocolateÂ brown with the same dogwood florals from the response envelopes, and served double duty as a place card with the name of each guest printed at the top.

By far, the response envelope was our favorite piece. It was printed in copper foil with a detailed dogwood botanical illustration and the couple’s monogram. Although it was a little tricky to foil print over the crease of the envelope, our amazing printers pulled it off and it was totally worth it. It’s kind of a secret gift to yourself to have a pretty RSVP envelopes since you’ll get gorgeous mail for weeks as the RSVPs roll in.

Thanks Lauren!

Design and Styling: Charm & Fig

Printer: Quality Printing Company

Envelope Calligraphy: Maureen Vickery of Pendance Studio

Charm & Fig is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ check out more of their beautiful work right here or visit theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits:Â Charm & Fig

01/06/2017

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! How was your first week of 2017? I spent most of the week cleaning out my office and trying to mentally prepare myself to dive into 2017. The last couple of years have felt VERY chaotic, both personally and professionally, so this year I’m trying to take a step back and focus on building a foundation that will help me grow and move forward in an intentional way. I know we all project a positive, happy, and successful vibe on blogs and social media, but behind the scenes life often feels like the exact opposite! So, last summer, I signed up for Shanna Skidmore’s Blueprint Model program to help me build that foundation. I’m only about two thirds of the way through the 12-week program, but it has been absolutely invaluable in helping me figure out the direction I want to take, both with my business and my life (more on that sometime soon!), and some of the key ingredients missing from my business model. Anyway, I’m looking forward to finishing the final third of the program while things are still fairly quiet in January, and if any of you are interested in doing something similar for your business, I’d definitely encourage you to sign up for the next 12 week round â€“ registration opens today and runs through January 12! And you can even get $100 off your registration with code “THEYTOLDMETOO”Â at checkout. And if that wasn’t enough, Shanna is offering one-on-one sessions for the first 25 people thatÂ sign up. Go NOW!Â But in the meantime…

Don’t Quit Your Daydream Unicorn pin by Little Arrow / Photo by @tokyokittengalaxy

…a few links for your weekend:

How stamps get designed. I think this is just the coolest thing ever.
Just totally obsessed with this vaseÂ â€“ and this matching terrarium
The holidays may be over, but I totally want to try Ashley’s recipe for dairy-free Milk Punch (made with almond milk!)
Have any of you tried a facial cleansing oil? I tend to get really dry skin in the winter months, so I’m very curious!
Can I please get this sweater in my size?? (I’m totally getting one for Sophie â€“ and it’s 40% off with code MUSTSHOP!)
The invisible workload. I found this article super interesting. I’m sure in some homes it’s the husband who does most of the invisible thinking work, not to mention households with couples of the same gender, but I’m guessing in most homes the invisible work generally falls to one person. In my home, my husband helps keep track of our grocery list, but I keep track of pretty much everything else. What do you think? Is it the same for you?

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Brand new January illustrated wallpaper for your phone and desktop!
These wedding invitations combine soft watercolor illustrations with rustic mountain scenery
Don’t forget to send out your post-holiday thank you notes!
How to bring Pantone’s 2017 Color of the Year into your wedding
A little inspiration for 2017 (courtesy of Mary Poppins) in the fun new brush lettering font Tropical
Elegant blush and gold letterpress wedding invitations

Thatâ€™s it for us this week! Have a fabulous weekend, and Iâ€™ll see you back here next week! xoxo

01/05/2017

Elegant Blush and Gold Letterpress Wedding Invitations

I pretty much always fall in love with anything in the color pink. Pale blush pink, bright pink, magenta, neon… the list goes on and on.Â Lisa from MissiveÂ created these elegant blush and gold letterpress wedding invitations for a wedding in the mountains. I’m loving the combination of rustic and romantic, with hand drawn botanical details and vintage-inspired floral postage stamps. And those pale pink wedding details cards? So good!

From Lisa:Â The inspiration for this suite came from both the event venue and the bride’s description of her vision for their perfect wedding day. The wedding venue was the Black Bear Inn, a rustic, elegant lodge in the heart of the Sierra (think towering sequoia trees and the scent of pine year round). The wedding was held outdoors in the venue’s garden, surrounded by the resplendent woodland foliage of the Stanislaus National Forest.

An elegant blush and gold color palette with charcoal gray accents was a theme throughout the wedding and reception, from gold rimmed flutes, to sparkly pink sequin (yes, sequin!) table runners and blush pink floral arrangements in rustic wood boxes, which were handcrafted by the bride and groom.

Since their wedding was all about their love of the outdoors, coupled with bride’s idea of a perfectly elegant wedding, I designed a nature-inspired invitation suite featuring hand drawn foliage surrounding a combination of modern, calligraphic scripts and typefaces with rustic charm. The invitation design was kept symmetrical and orderly while incorporating lots of flowing, hand drawn botanicals to frame the wording.

Their entire wedding suite was letterpress printed on our vintage presses in blush and matte gold inks on soft white cotton and blush pink papers, with deep, tactile impressions. The couple’s wedding website had plenty of information for out of town guests, so we created a wedding details card printed in gold on blush pink stock for an accent of color.

Reply card envelopes were the same blush pink color and featured their address surrounded by more hand drawn botanicals. The bride chose the gorgeous Botanical Art stamps for the postage, which I’ve personally been hoarding for future use!

Thanks Lisa!

Design and Printing: Missive

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Missive