Stationery A-Z: Just Because Cards

Did you know that April is National Letter Writing month? I’m (obviously) in favor of writing letters all year long, but I’ll take any additional excuses I can get! Today I thought I’d round up a few cards that are perfect for just saying hello and letting someone know you’re thinking about them – whether they live around the corner or on the other side of the country:

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1. Moglea

2. Meeschmosh

3. Sycamore Street Press

4. Ashkahn

5. Garance Doré for Rifle Paper Co.

6. Hello!Lucky (you can also find Hello!Lucky’s write_on letter writing kit – with 16 cards and envelopes! – at Paper Source here!)

7. Idlewild Co.

8. Ferme à Papier

9. Near Modern Disaster

10. Odd Daughter Co.

11. Ladyfingers Letterpress

12. Lilikoi Design + Letterpress

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13. Hartland Brooklyn

14. Ink Meets Paper

15. Snow & Graham

16. Amy Heitman

17. 9th Letter Press

18. Yellow Owl Workshop

19. Fancy Seeing You Here

20. Hooray Today!

21. Wit + Whistle

22. Red Cap Cards

 

Kearsley + Edward’s New England Quahog Wedding Invitations

Well this is fun! A collaboration between artist Kearsley Lloyd and Albertine Press, these invitations feature a bright and colorful color palette with a regional New England Quahog inspired design – and some beautiful watercolor illustrations to boot. Pretty!

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From Kearsley: Having designed custom wedding monograms and crests for years, I was especially eager to craft an invitation suite for my own wedding. All of my designs begin by hand with an original watercolor and gouache illustration, which I then manipulate digitally. The watercolor painting is preserved for use on stationery and paper goods while the digital version can be converted to any color scheme to feature on embroidery, screen printing, stamping, and other decorative uses for weddings…and well beyond.

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Our save the date was flat printed to preserve the unique appearance of the watercolor, and then invitations were letterpress printed by Albertine Press. It introduced and established the colorful theme and playful impression that carried through the invitation and entire sequence of wedding events.

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Our wedding was to take place at my family’s home on the Rhode Island coast, so we chose to feature the well-recognized Rhode Island Quahog (also known as a cherrystone clam) in our theme. Since my husband and I live in Bermuda, a British colony, the Hog Penny had become a symbol of our new life together and a fun secondary theme. Finally, a little research turned up a handy coincidence: my fiancé’s Celtic family crest indeed featured wild boars! You can imagine what fun we had, once the ‘Qua-Hog’ theme was established!

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I love taking a twist on traditional letterpress printing by infusing it with unusual colors and pattern. Echoing the fish scale pattern of our save the date card, I introduced an intertwined monogram design that served as the central theme of our wedding day décor. The painted edge on the invitation tied the color palette together beautifully. To that, I added a colorful tri-fold schedule of weekend events, as well as custom postage for the outer and RSVP envelopes. The design from the back of the dave the date greeting became the perfect pattern for the envelope liner, and my vibrant watercolor map design was a handy travel guide, included in a welcome bag for out-of-town guests.

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Thanks Kearsley and Abby!

Design: Kearsley Lloyd

Letterpress Printing: Albertine Press

Styling: Abby Capalbo

Calligraphy: Deanna Wiles

Custom Postage: Zazzle.com

Albertine Press is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their fabulous work right here!

Photo Credits: Erin McGinn

Happy Weekend!

Happy weekend everyone! For those of you celebrating Easter I wish you all a wonderful holiday – hopefully with lots of colorful eggs and chocolate! But in the meantime…

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The prettiest eggs I’ve ever seen! / Photo by Melissa Esplin via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Check back this afternoon for this week’s cocktail recipe! Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! With less than two months before the National Stationery Show, things are definitely kicking into high gear around here. I’m busy preparing for my annual Paper Party in May while also prepping a few fun projects that I’m hoping to share here soon! I’m looking forward to a couple of calm days this weekend before things truly transition to non-stop mode! But in the meantime…

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Photo by Parrott Design Studio via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Check back this afternoon for this week’s cocktail recipe! Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Seasonal Stationery: Easter Cards

Easter is just around the corner – in, um, like a couple of weeks – so today I thought I’d round up a few Easter cards for those of you celebrating the holiday. In addition to the favorites below, you can find lots more over in the Market List here!

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1. Thimblepress

2. Sugar Paper

3. 9th Letter Press

4. Paper Source

5. Egg Press

6. Hennel Paper Co.

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7. Lydia & Pugs

8. Noteworthy Paper & Press

9. Kiss & Punch

10. Hartford Prints

11. Hennel Paper Co.

12. Grey Moggie

p.s. More fabulous Easter cards in last year’s round up right here – and even more in the Market List here!