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Green and Neutral Holiday Gift Wrap Inspiration

Now that we’ve got our Christmas shopping mostly under control, it’s time to move onto gift wrap! I put just as much time into thinking about the wrapping paper and ribbon as I do the actual gift inside, and I tend to switch my color palette from year to year. I’ve definitely been feeling more of a subdued holiday color palette this year – mostly deep greens paired with neutrals (including blush, cream, white, and black) and pops of gold and red. So today I thought I’d share some green and neutral holiday gift wrap inspiration and resources!

Okay, so let’s start with the wrapping paper. I always decide on a color palette before choosing patterns, and this year’s color palette was deep green, cream, white, black, gold, and blush with just a wee bit of red. I find that you can mix any pattern as long as you stick to a particular color palette, so there’s a mix of everything in here: plaid, dots, stripes, and even lettering this year!

The Sugar Paper for Target holiday collection has become one of my go-to wrapping paper resources the last couple of years – the patterns are just so cute! I particularly loved the gold foil snow dots, pale pink with gold dots, and cream and black Santa lettering patterns. I also incorporated a few plaid and striped patterns from Copper Paper Co. and an abstract pattern from Our Heiday! I’ll put all the sources at the bottom of the post for you.

When it comes to ribbons, I always start with Angela Liguori‘s beautiful Italian ribbons – she really makes the most beautiful ribbon in the most beautiful colors. I’m especially loving her new deep green color (called Cypress), which is available in a variety of tight weave widths. I used several of Angela’s drittofilo ribbons this year (the ones with thin piping along each edge), along with a metallic loose weave ribbon and 1/8″ metallic braided ribbon.

It can be tricky to know which size ribbon to choose – but I generally go by the size of the box: a larger gift (and larger box) requires a wider ribbon, while a smaller box requires a smaller ribbon. You can also try combining a few thinner ribbons to create the illusion of a wider ribbon. I also love wrapping a thin ribbon (like the 1/8″ metallic braided ribbon) around a box several times to create added texture and interest. 

I also normally try to incorporate a wired ribbon into my collection for wrapping larger boxes, but I just couldn’t find anything I really loved this year! So I picked up this blush pink velvet ribbon from the Sugar Paper for Target collection, which I’m saving for a special shared present that my husband and I are planning to give to our daughters for Christmas. I also really love the velvet ribbon colors in this shop. Velvet is so dreamy this time of year!

RESOURCES

Gift Wrap

Sugar Paper for Target in gold foil snow dots, pale pink with gold dots, and cream and black Santa lettering

Copper Paper Co. in holiday plaid, poppy red stripe, and evergreen plaid

Our Heiday Winter Colorscape Gift Wrap

Additional independent gift wrap resources: Amy Heitman, Idlewild Co., Shannon Kirsten, Paula & Waffle, Snow & Graham, Fox & Fallow, and Knot & Bow

Ribbons

Angela Liguori tight weave cotton ribbon in cypress – both 1 1/2″ width and 1/4″ width – and striped natural/black 1 1/2″ ribbon, metallic loose weave ribbon in jade/gold, and drittofilo ribbon in natural/red, blush/rose gold, natural/black, petal/white, and natural/gold (I just keep adding to my collection each year!)

Sugar Paper for Target velvet ribbon

Tulip Bloom 3/4″ velvet ribbon

So that’s my deep green and neutral gift wrap for this year! What colors did you choose this year? Do you pick specific colors or patterns for each recipient, or use the same pattern for the whole family? Tell me, tell me!

Creative Direction and Styling: Nole Garey of Oh So Beautiful Paper

Gift Wrap Styling: Kelsey Bethune of Tart Event Co. 

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

2018 Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for Creatives

We’re kicking off our first official gift guide of the season with some gift ideas for creatives! I did things a bit differently this year and asked for input through Instagram stories – and you guys all had some really great suggestions! We’ve got a little bit of everything below, from books and art supplies to my favorite styling resources. So whether you’re searching for gift ideas for your creative friends or planning to send this gift guide to your well-meaning family and friends, hopefully you’ll find the perfect holiday gift below!

2018 Gift Guide for Creatives / Oh So Beautiful Paper

1 – 4 Styling Supplies: So many of you said you’d love to receive styling supplies and equipment as a gift! My favorite styling boards and backdrops come from One Stone West (I especially love their canvas backdrops) and Woodville Workshop. I also love using small ceramic dishes from Suite One Studio and The Object Enthusiast in photos to hold small things like cute paper clips, wax seals, and vintage postage stamps. Finally, a good telescoping tripod and light diffusers are essential pieces of equipment for taking beautiful photos. Plume Calligraphy and Angela Liguori offer some beautiful styling pieces, including vintage ink wells and glassine envelopes – you can also browse eBay for vintage ink wells! This handmade ceramic watercolor palette is both a beautiful piece of equipment and would look gorgeous in photos!

5 – A desk calendar is a wonderful gift idea! I love this simple black and white calendar from Our Heiday, but you can find even more calendars right here!

6 and 8 – Apple Pencil and Procreate Brushes: I heard from a number of calligraphers and illustrators out there with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on their holiday wish list! But if you’re lucky enough to already have those powerful tools in your arsenal, Isidore Augustine just released a brand new set of Procreate brushes just for calligraphers. 

7 – Scissors: Every creative person needs a beautiful set of scissors, and Angela Liguori makes the most beautiful scissors on the planet! These Fiskars scissors are my go-to for everyday crafting.

9 – Gift Cards! I know gift cards can seem like a lame gift idea, but they have the potential to be a really personal and thoughtful gift if done well! A few gift card ideas: an Airbnb Gift Card to help your favorite creative go on a solo weekend creative retreat, a gift certificate for a manicure at a local nail salon (especially for calligraphers and stationers), And for someone just starting out might really appreciate a gift certificate to a high-end supplier like Artisaire (wax seals) or Pressed Paper (handmade paper), or even to Blick Art Supplies or a local art supply store.

10 – Artist Supplies and Equipment: So many options! Choose from shiny crafting machines like the Minc Foil Applicator or Silhouette Cameo (I have both and LOVE them!), invest in a heavy duty paper trimmer, or keep things simple with paint, paper, and pens. It’s the perfect chance to try something new, like this Artist Pad Collection from Legion Paper with twelve 9×12 drawing and watercolor pads, this Coptic pen set, or this watercolor set from Sakura of America. Oh, and don’t forget a nice bag to carry things with! I’ve had my eye on this Madewell leather tote and this Everlane tote. 

11 – Books and Magazines: So many great book ideas for artists! Check out the shopping widget below for a few of my favorite suggestions, including The Designer’s Dictionary of Color and The Gift of Calligraphy. A subscription to a cool magazine like Uppercase is also a great gift idea!

12 – Classes and Workshops: Online classes and in-person workshops are a fantastic way to develop creative skills and find new inspiration. Look around for in person workshops in your area, including letterpress printing, screen printing, calligraphy, watercolor painting, paper marbling, weaving, macramé, etc. If in-person classes aren’t an option, look for online classes you can gift – or gift a Skillshare membership! I love the online weaving and natural dyeing classes from Rachel at Smile and Wave, and Simply Jessica Marie offers a range of online watercolor and brush lettering classes.

13 – This amazing Wood Drawing Board and Portable Easel would be such a lovely gift for a painter or illustrator!

14 – This adorable enamel pin by Cami Monet would be a perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite artist!

A Cute and Quirky Halloween Party

DIY Colorful Halloween Treat Bags

DIY Colorful Halloween Treat Bags

Halloween is so close you guys! As much as I LOVE decorating for Halloween, I’ve surprisingly never hosted a Halloween party. But my girls have two days off from school at the end of this week, so I’m hoping to pull together a little celebration with some of their school friends. Which means it’s time to track down some cute and quirky Halloween party supplies! This year, I’m definitely feeling classic black and white with the occasional pop of color – or something shiny like copper and hologram foil! And since my girls are still pretty young, we tend to stick to “cute” Halloween décor: black cats, bats, and pumpkins. But I’m sloooooowly introducing “scarier” motifs like skeletons and ghosts into our holiday decorations. Here are a few of my favorites!

Cute and Quirky Halloween Party Décor

From top right:

1. Honeycombs are my go-to party decorations for every occasion. I love these black and white two-toned honeycomb diamonds – a small cluster would look so great hung above a kitchen table!

2. Have a wall to decorate? These are the cutest party fans from My Mind’s Eye!

3. These rose gold hanging skeletons are the perfect match for the two-toned black and white honeycombs

4. 3D bat wall stickers for a quick and easy way to decorate pretty much any surface in your home!

5. Loving these black tissue paper spiderweb fans

6. Daydream Society has the CUTEST Halloween party plates, napkins, and cups – not to mention equally adorable matching temporary tattoos!

7. Okay, these are a bit of a departure from the cute and quirky theme, but I found these faux IV bag drink pouches and couldn’t resist sharing

8. Halloween cheese picks. Enough said.

9. Black cat party plates

10. Adorable black and white glassine treat bags from Knot & Bow

11. These die cut skull placemats trend more towards the scary end, but they’re so versatile! Use them as table décor or as wall decorations – or even on a front door!

12. Hester & Cook always makes the prettiest table runners – loving this spiderweb design!

13. It isn’t a party without a party banner! Loving this black cat banner, along with this hologram spiderweb banner and this adorable mini skull garland!

Inspiring Calligraphers: Frani Matthews of Authentic By Frani

Hey everyone! So I have a beautiful collection of calligraphy to share with you all today. We’re taking a look at the work of Frani Matthews and her take on the art of lettering work and favorite projects she’s worked on with her business Authentic by Frani. Let’s dive in! – Jen

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic Frani

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

On her start as a calligrapher, Frani shares:

“When I started lettering (more seriously than my notebook-doodling days, mind you), I simply mimicked the letter forms and fonts I saw in magazines, on Instagram, in advertisements, etc. I would trace things and break more intricate forms into smaller, more manageable portions; but in the end, my style just looks like the upgraded version of my loose, cursive handwriting. Using a pointed pen and ink amps it up to its characteristic look: effortless, romantic, whimsical. After almost three years of refining, my style is now a part of me. Each stroke carries the tension of my day, the joy, the hunger-shakes. We live (and create) out of the overflow of our hearts, and I’m thankful that this art continues to be a release.”

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

Photo Credit: Swak Photography

Paper or digital? The answer is clear, according to Frani:

“When designing pieces, I always sketch it out on paper first. I’m kind of a noob at digitizing my work (read: I’m still learning!), and I’d have no idea how to start from the screen. Sometimes, I consider saving up for a fancy iPad or something. Maybe one day. But I definitely feel most connected to my art, the client, and the energy of the piece when creating simply by hand. Is it wrong to say I tend to love my rough pencil sketch more than the crisp, completed piece? I don’t think so.”

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

This wedding suite that Frani created for an October bride featured so many creative favorites on one wish list: handmade paper, gold foil lettterpress printing, warm and muted tones, silk ribbon, wax seals, and vintage stamps. No surprise why this was a dream project to work on!

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

Photo Credit: Klaire Dixius

Frani likes to experiment with non-paper surfaces, too. On her favorites, she shares:

“In my spare time, I do some chalkboard lettering. It’s such a fun medium, and it stretches me creatively— between designing interesting layouts and then properly measuring and planning to ensure my ideas are portrayed accurately. I’m amazed by people who have a serious knack for it. I also appreciate lettering on fabric and embroidering my calligraphy as well.”

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

Inspiring Calligraphers: Authentic by Frani

Another design medium she loves: designing tattoos. Frani shares, “It gives me so much life to illustrate florals and encouraging words as it is, but the fact that people want something I’ve drawn on their bodies permanently totally blows my mind. There really aren’t accurate words for it.”

Thanks so much to Frani for sharing a peek into her work and process as a calligrapher!

Photo Credits: All images via Authentic By Frani, except where noted.

Want to be featured in our calligraphy column? Reach out to us at submissions [at] ohsobeautifulpaper [dot] com with the subject line “Calligraphy Feature” for more details!

Thirteen Beautiful 2019 Calendars

I’ve had calendars on the brain the last couple of weeks, so I thought we’d start the week with a round up of thirteen beautiful 2019 calendars! We’ve got everything from food puns and an animal swimsuit calendar (!!) to delicate floral illustrations and colorful abstract shapes. In many ways, this round up is a reflection of some of the major design trends we’ve seen over this past year. Oh, and I feel like stationers finally heard everyone begging for more space to write appointments on their calendars, since there are more appointment calendars this year than ever before – let’s take a look!

Thirteen Beautiful 2019 Calendars

1. Love, love, LOVE the colors in this abstract shapes wall calendar from Worthwhile Paper. You can even order it with the wood frame kit!

2. Loving the delicate illustrations on this botanical calendar from Esther Clark Co.

3. A colorful monthly wall calendar from Katharine Watson featuring a different gouache painting inspired by her traditional block print work and stationery designs. 

4. Loving the simplicity of the floral line drawings in this year’s calendar from Our Heiday – and plenty of space for notes and appointments!

5. Each year, Dear Hancock produces the cutest calendar featuring illustrations of their signature bunny. This year, bunny is arranging flowers! So cute.

6. Add an extra dose of positivity to your day with this Positivity wall calendar from Fox & Fallow! Rose gold foil on alternating pink and black pages. They also have a more traditional floral appointment calendar!

7. Rifle Paper Co. is always a safe bet for beautiful calendars. I’m particularly fond of this garden party floral appointment calendar.

8. I cannot resist a birth month floral calendar, and this beauty from Juliet Meeks is no exception! Each month features a unique floral pattern hand painted by Juliet and representative of that month’s birth flower.

9. If you prefer your calendar to double as wall art, look no further than this XL calendar from One Canoe Two! They also have a beautiful appointment calendar and illustrated desk calendar.

10. Food puns from ilootpaperie! I mean, can you think of a more perfect calendar to hang in your kitchen?? I think not.

11. This animal swimsuit calendar from Paper Wilderness CRACKS ME UP. Each month features a different watercolor illustration with an animal wearing a swimsuit, from a bikini-wearing shark to a bear hanging out in a swan pool float. Ha!

12. This big write-in calendar from Wild Ink Press makes my mom heart so happy. Two months at a glance, with plenty of space for notes, chore charts, special events, and more! Available in black (just use a white gel pen or paint marker) or kraft paper. 

13. A beautiful desk calendar from Page Stationery x Atticus – each month features one of his poems in a different lettering style!