Wood Veneer Bar + Bat Mitzvah Invitations

I'm always thrilled to see my favorite design studios doing their own take on modern Bar and Bat Mitzvah invitations, which can often leave parents totally frustrated as they search for something different yet still respectful of the event itself.  These wood veneer invitations from Night Owl Paper Goods do just the trick:

Night-Owl-Paper-Bar-Mitzvah-Herringbone-Stripes
Night-Owl-Paper-Bar-Mitzvah-Dotted-Stars
Night-Owl-Paper-Bar-Mitzvah-Diagonal-Tiles
Night-Owl-Paper-Bar-Mitzvah-Star-Flourish

Herringbone strips and ornamental flourishes?  Awesome.  Check out the full Bar and Bat Mitzvah invitation collection from Night Owl Paper Goods right here.

{image credits: night owl paper goods}

Modern Bat Mitzvah Invitations

As I discovered last year, while helping my sister research invitations for my nephew's Bar Mitzvah, finding fresh and modern invitation designs for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah can be a huge challenge.  Invitation designs are often either a bit too far on the traditional side (ahem, boring) or are so theme-centric that they border on tacky.  So I was totally thrilled to see this fantastic custom Bat Mitzvah invitation by SeeSaw: 

Modern-giraffe-bat-mitzvah-invitation
Giraffe-bat-mitzvah-invitation
Giraffe-bat-mitzvah-invitation2

I love the balance of the modern design elements with the giraffe illustration by Rebeca Raney, which along with the illustrated foliage ties in perfectly to the Bat Mitzvah venue of the American Museum for Natural History without coming across as too childish.  So pretty!

{image credits: Seesaw}

Bella Figura 2010 Collection

I was absolutely thrilled when Bella Figura asked me to curate a sample package of five of my favorite wedding invitation designs from their collection.  I chose my favorites from the new 2010 collection, which features beautiful designs from Ellie Snow, Erin Jang, Jessica Hische, Ben Whitla, and many others.  Here are my selections:

Birch-letterpress-sample-1
Birch-letterpress-sample-2
Birch-letterpress-sample-3{birch}

 

Hendrix-3C-letterpress-sample-1
Hendrix-3C-letterpress-sample-2 
Hendrix-3C-letterpress-sample-4 {hendrix by jessica hische}

 

Herald-letterpress-sample-1
Herald-letterpress-sample-2 
Herald-letterpress-sample-4{herald by ben whitla}

 Canopy-letterpress-sample-1
Canopy-letterpress-sample-2 
Canopy-letterpress-sample-6
Canopy-letterpress-sample-7 {canopy by Ellie Snow}

 

Ribbon-letterpress-sample-1
Ribbon-letterpress-sample-2
Ribbon-letterpress-sample-3
Ribbon-letterpress-sample-4
Ribbon-letterpress-sample-5 {ribbon by Erin Jang}

As you can tell, I went for designs with lots of texture and both modern and unusual design elements, like the cross-hatch background on the "ribbon" design and the soft gray (almost blind letterpress) of the "birch" design, as well as nature-inspired details, like the "canopy" and "hendrix" designs.  I also really love the "Tara" design by Ben Whitla – if only I had been allowed six favorites!

Tara-letterpress-sample-1
Tara-letterpress-sample-2
Tara-letterpress-sample-3{tara by Ben Whitla}

If you're interested in any of my picks, you can purchase a sample pack from Bella Figura for $20 – and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to The Conservation Fund.  You can check out my favorites, along with those of other bloggers like Vané from Brooklyn Bride, Ami from Elizabeth Anne Designs, Anne-Marie from Perfect Bound, Kathryn from Snippet & Ink, and a few others on the Bella Figura Trendsetters page!

{image credits: Bella Figura}

*Bella Figura is one of my fabulous sponsors, but provided no financial compensation or incentives for this post. I feature their work solely because I think it's awesome. For information on my editorial policy, click here.

Paper Artwork – Amy Marcella

I first came across these beautiful gocco prints from Amy Marcella when doing research for my calendar posts and fell in love — the red and gold hues seem so fitting for fall and the holiday season:

Amy-Marcella-print2

I also really love this watercolor painting, titled Molecular Mountains:

Amy-Marcella-painting

 Amy has a few more prints and some lovely cards in her shop right here.

{image credits: Amy Marcella}

Getting Stuff Done

I love Summer's Thought of the Day series over on Design is Mine — this screen printed poster from Mary Kate McDevitt was Monday's thought of the day and I'm thinking about making it my new motto:

Silkscreen-poster-feels-good-to-get-some-stuff-done

Silkscreen-poster-feels-good-to-get-some-stuff-done2

And at only $5 from Mary Kate McDevitt's etsy shop this poster is a pretty good deal if you need a bit of inspiration (or a friendly reminder) in your home or office.

{image credits: Mary Kate McDevitt via Design is Mine}