03/06/2017

Romantic Copper Foil Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! Are you ready for some truly beautiful wedding invitations with one of the most gorgeous envelope details I’ve EVER SEEN???? These romantic copper foil wedding invitations come to us from two ladies that are near and dear to my heart: Samantha and Whitney of Gus & Ruby Letterpress! Whitney designed (and printed!) these invitations for Sam’s wedding a couple summers ago, with beautiful calligraphy from Graceline, a soft and romantic color palette, and copper foil details woven throughout the suite. So pretty!

From Samantha: My absolutely incredible business partner and best friend, Whitney, designed this custom suite for me, welcoming guests to my weekend-long wedding held outside Portland, Maine. Though the wedding was held in a refurbished barn, the event was not at all rustic and instead featured an elegant, romantic color palette of deep purples, rich raspberry, slate blue, copper, and a few blushy pinks. My overall aesthetic was inspired by a moody Vermeer still-life.

An interactive tri-fold save the date introduced guests to the event with information about the weekend. The piece was then tied with metallic twine atop a card featuring duo-tone papers (soft pink and deep plum) and a full-bleed floral pattern.

The invitation suite featured romantic, contemporary calligraphy by Jenny Sanders of Graceline Art and a classic roman font. The actual invitation featured a swath of copper foil along the bottom while other pieces used varying paper colors and small amounts of florals to convey the elegant tone. Each invitation suite was wrapped in a hand-dyed linen band, tied with metallic twine and had dried eucalyptus leaves atop them.

Weekend events cards were printed on duo-toned paper (deep plum and soft pink) and housed in small slate blue â€œdetailsâ€ envelopes featuring custom wax seal closures. All pieces were printed on a mix of double-thick 100% cotton paper and rich colored stock. As always, the pieces were lovingly letterpress printed and foil-stamped by hand on our antique presses here in NH.

The whole bundle was then housed in a deep wine-colored envelope with a soft blush liner. Delicate copper frames were foil stamped on the front of the envelope to encircle a selection of carefully curated stamps and white calligraphy finished the design.

Thanks so much Samantha & Whitney!

Design and Printing: Gus & Ruby Letterpress

Envelope Calligraphy: Jenny Sanders of Graceline

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

Photo Credits: Brea McDonald Photography for Gus & Ruby Letterpress

03/03/2017

A Matcha Coconut Mocktail

Now that March is here, and with it a very early spring, we thought we’d spend some time with non-alcoholic mocktails, something we haven’t done since last January. So let’s start off with a bright, fresh Matcha Coconut Mocktail recipe that is perfect for this weather and all the buds that are just starting to pop on our trees. â€“Andrew

Matcha Coconut Mocktail

1 oz Matcha Syrup
1 oz Coconut Milk
1 oz Mint Tea, Unsweatened
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
Powdered Turmeric

To make the matcha syrup: combine a cup of white sugar, a cup of water, and a tablespoon of matcha powder in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved and give it a whisk to make sure the matcha doesn’t clump. Bottle and refrigerate.

To make the mocktail: combine the syrup, coconut milk, mint tea, and juices in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice and shake well. Strain into a coupe glass and sprinkle powdered turmeric on top.

This drink is richly creamy and sweet-tart, with a vaguely tropical feel. The matcha â€“ made from a finely ground green tea leaves â€“ lends some verdant, astringent notes and a beautiful green color.

Without the turmeric garnish, this is a tasty drink, something like a funky smoothy. But the turmeric (which looks, appropriately, like pollen) adds just enough exotic spiciness, just a hint of bitterness, that the drink comes together as something complex enough to stand toe-to-toe with a cocktail.

Making good mocktails can actually be harder than making good cocktails. Liquor brings all sorts of complex flavors â€“ sharp, astringent, bitter, bold â€“ that are tricky to recreate without the real deal. But mocktails don’t have to be limp glasses of sweetened juice with a bit of soda. They can be complex and rich and layered too â€“ they just require a little bit of extra work to find those magic ingredients that turn a drink into a real mocktail. And so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time, hold on to those ingredients â€“ sharp spices like turmeric or bitter, astringent coffee are two good ones to remember!

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

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

03/02/2017

Rustic Orange, Navy, and Wood Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

Crisp and refined, with a hint of prep and elegance! Melissa of Atheneum Creative created these rustic orange, navy, and wood rehearsal dinner invitations for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his then-fiancÃ©e Amy Reimann. We’re loving the unique die cut shape and the walnut wood veneer pocket sleeves â€“ the perfect mix of modern and rustic!

From Melissa: Amy and Dale are such a fun couple. While their wedding was on New Years Eve and had the look and feel of an energetic disco ball, their rehearsal dinner had a completely different feel. With denim and orange as their color palette, paired with a more rustic aesthetic, we knew the invitation needed to both set the tone for the rehearsal dinner and be starkly different from the look and feel of their wedding invitation and wedding materials.

We built a custom pocket from walnut wood veener to hold the invitation. The invitation itself is printed with a navy blue foil on an orange paper and die cut to create the unique shape. For the invitation typography and design, we wanted to keep a mix of modern and rustic with fun pops like the date and time. Whenever we have the opportunity to play with the invitation wording, we always try to give the invitation a little bit of extra fun. Invitation wording is just as important as the overall design for setting the tone for an event.

We wanted the guests to experience the feel of this party the second they got the invitation in their stack of mail. We mailed the invitation suite in a crystal clear envelope with a wrap around address label. By using this envelope the guests could see all the colors of the wood, orange, and navy before they even opened the envelope. We also worked on a day-of few items for their guests for the rehearsal dinner, including a koozie printed with the reverse color scheme â€“ orange ink on navy fabric.

Thanks Melissa!

Design: Atheneum Creative

Atheneum Creative is a member of the Designer Rolodex â€“ you can see more of their beautiful work right here or visit the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Chelsea Davis Photography

03/01/2017

March Desktop Downloads!

Welcome to March! Spring is definitely marching its way into DC, with daffodils and crocus poking up out of the ground and half our flowering trees already in bloom. We don’t normally see these signs of Spring until late March or early April, which is both great and kind of disconcerting. But with signs of Spring everywhere, it’s totally appropriate that each of this month’s illustrated wallpapers from The Good Twin and Nathalie Ouederni feature plants and flowers in one form or another. Enjoy!

Desktop | iPhone

For personal use only. All illustrations by The Good Twin and Nathalie Ouederni for Oh So Beautiful Paper

If youâ€™re a designer or illustrator interested in contributing your own designs to this column, please email your design to hello(at)ohsobeautifulpaper.com with the subject line â€œdesktop downloadsâ€ and image files in both desktop and iPhone retina screen sizes. If itâ€™s a good fit Iâ€™ll add it to the post for the following month!

02/28/2017

Stationery A-Z: Will You Be My Bridesmaid Cards

Since winter is the most popular time of the year to get engaged, chances are there are a few of you getting ready to ask friends and family to be in your wedding party! If you aren’t able to ask in person, we HIGHLY recommendÂ sending a beautifully designed card to ask that all important question. Although bridesmaid cards are the mainÂ our roundup below, we know and love that wedding parties come in all shapes, sizes, and roles. There’s pretty much every option you can think of available,Â but we’ve selected our favorites below:

From top right:

1. “Will you be my bridesmaid pretty please?” asks this rather polite pale pink and gold foil design from Sugar Paper.

2. Make aÂ wedding party obligation cheeky, with this gold foil and hand letteredÂ sentiment from Ashkahn.

3. Brides get a bad rap. Poke fun at stereotypical bridezilla antics while asking your BFF to be your MOH (via Ladyfingers Letterpress).

4.Â Archer and Olive will take your request one step further byÂ personalizing your intended’s name right on the card.

5. Don’t forget to thank those hard working gals (and guys) for their time and unending commitment to your big day with this floral illustration from Banquet Workshop.

6. Beautifully painted flowers and elegant hand lettering fromÂ Shannon Kristen Studio.

7. Prescription drugs aside, this Emily McDowell design also features aÂ clever use of post-its and checkboxes.

8. Surprise your bestie with this super fun scratch-off greeting from Inklings Paperie.

9. Groomsmen are people too. This handsome number comes courtesy of Paper Tie Affair.

10. Not simply a gold foil sentiment, “bride tribe” is also a temporary tattoo. BacheloretteÂ party perhaps? Via Daydream Prints.

11. Perfect for a rustic setting, this Pen + Pillar design features a painted backdrop and elegant hand lettering.

12. Yet another beautiful hand lettered and dip dyedÂ design (via Moglea).