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{happy weekend!}

Happy Friday everyone!  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that my husband and I found an adorable stray kitten in our neighborhood on Tuesday evening.  DC has a huge population of stray and feral cats and it’s pretty common for us to come across homeless cats in our neighborhood, but this poor little girl was crying out for some love and attention.  She’s probably about six months old and weighs only 5.5 lbs – and she’s the sweetest little thing.  We’ve been busy this week getting her checked out and trying to get her back to health, but we’re hoping to find a good forever home for her here in the DC/VA/MD area in the next few weeks.  But in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

As usual, we have a fun cocktail coming up for you this afternoon, so check back a bit later for the recipe!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

Photo by me via Instagram

{happy weekend!}

What a strange week!  From some crazy thunderstorms in the Mid-Atlantic area last weekend to the middle-of-the-week holiday, this week felt like a whirlwind from start to finish.  I’m looking forward to a low key weekend and hoping to escape the DC heat as much as possible.  I’m heading out a bit early today, but in the meantime…

Photo Credit: Scout’s Honor Co.

…a few links for your weekend:

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Friday Happy Hour: Watermelon Mojito

It’s summer – which means outdoor picnics, BBQs, and of course lots and lots of watermelon (easily one of our favorite summer fruits) and lots of mint.  So if you’re in the mood for something classic to beat the heat, try a twist on one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite drinks, a Watermelon Mojito.  Fresh, cold, sweet, citrusy, minty and delicious, the Mojito is the perfect drink for a sweltering summer evening. – Andrew

Cocktail Recipe: Watermelon Mojito via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8)

Read below for the full recipe!

Watermelon Mojito

2 oz Light Rum
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
Sparkling Water
Watermelon Juice to Taste
Handful of Mint Leaves

First: if you have any pre-made Mojito mix in your house, that overly sweet artificial stuff, throw it out.  Do it now!  Did you do it?  Ok, good.  Now, in a highball glass, very gently muddle the mint and syrup.  Add the lime juice.  (Some recipes tell you to muddle the lime in the glass and leave the lime shell; freshly squeezed juice definitely is best, but there’s already so much going on in this drink that I recommend discarding the lime shell.)  Fill the glass with lots of crushed ice, then add the rum.  For a classic Mojito, skip the next step, but for a Watermelon Mojito, add some freshly muddled or squeezed watermelon juice.  Top with sparkling water, garnish with a mint sprig, sugar cane or even a cube of watermelon, and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe: Watermelon Mojito via Oh So Beautiful Paper (5)

The Mojito is a Cuban highball, another one of those drinks that evolved organically out of the country’s citrus and sugar cultivation, like the Daiquiri.  The closest you’ll get to the original flavor of a Cuban Mojito is probably using Bacardi light rum; before the Cuban Revolution drove Bacardi to Puerto Rico, Bacardi was one of Cuba’s biggest distillers.  A classic Mojito is rum, sugar, mint, and lime, but the Mojito is a lot like another drink, the Caipirinha, in that you can play around with the original recipe to create all kinds of variants, using whatever fruit you like.

Cocktail Recipe: Watermelon Mojito via Oh So Beautiful Paper (19) Cocktail Recipe: Watermelon Mojito via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

No one really knows the origins of the Mojito.  A romantic story has it descending from a very old drink, the Draque, a drink supposedly invented by Sir Francis Drake in the 1500s with aguardiente (a really primitive version of rum), sugar, mint, and lime (the last three included mostly to hide the taste fo the aguardiente).  It’s possible, but it’s more likely that Cubans figured out for themselves over the years that they could combine all the lime, sugar, and rum they were producing into some really tasty drinks.  Does it matter?  Not really – the Mojito is too delicious.

Cocktail Recipe: Watermelon Mojito via Oh So Beautiful Paper (14)

P.S.  If you make one of these, you can see how much work goes into one of these.  Make sure to tip your bartender well the next time you order one, and make sure the bar isn’t very crowded when you do order one, or else you might not get the best Mojito…

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Seth + Summer’s Modern Woodland Screen Printed Wedding Invitations

Now these are FUN wedding invitations – and I love the combination of modern illustration with a rustic woodland design theme!  Michael Casebolt of Casebolt Design + Illustration created these wedding invitations for good friends Seth and Summer, building his design from their love for western North Carolina.  The invitations were screen printed in two colors on the front and three colors inside by the talented folks of Mama’s Sauce.  Love!

From Seth: Summer and I both strive for perfection.  When it came to our wedding invitations we had very high expectations, to say the least.  Knowing our limitations, we contacted our friend Mike – designer/illustrator extraordinaire!  Summer and I met with Mike and presented our (very) rough sketch and flickr inspiration set.  We discussed our interest in national parks and our connections to western North Carolina and gave him free reign to have fun.

After only a short time of not knowing what to expect we received our first glimpse of Mike’s work: the two front panels of the invitation.  It was everything we had envisioned and more!  It made me WANT to open the flaps and see what was inside.  We told him it was awesome, urged him to continue, and patiently waited for what was to come.

Modern Woodland Wedding Invitations by Casebolt Design and Screen Printed by Mama's Sauce via Oh So Beautiful Paper (5)

Elaborating on the exterior look and tying together every loose end we had pitched him, Mike nailed it!  All the elements were included in one cohesive illustration that really defined our ideal wedding.  We were very pleased with Mike’s work and impressed with his ability to merge our concept with his playful style.

Thanks Mike!

Design: Casebolt Design + Illustration

Screen Printing: Mama’s Sauce

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Michael Casebolt

2012 Paper Party

The booth recaps from the National Stationery Show may be over, but I have one final NSS post to share with you!  Every year for the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of co-hosting a little stationery meetup with Erika from Delphine one evening during the show.  This year, we invited the stationery and design industry’s finest to come hang out for a few hours outside of the Javits Center – and an awesome turnout of exhibitors, retailers, and fellow stationery enthusiasts showed up to get their paper party on!

 

This year’s meetup took place at a fun little venue just a few blocks north of the Javits Center called Little Town NYC on Restaurant Row â€“ we loved the rustic vibe and brick interiors!  Our fabulous and talented friends Janice from Bellwether Events and Cyd from The Sweetest Occasion helped us pull all of the party details together.  We were thrilled to work with some really amazing sponsors who made the party possible, including Crane & Co., Stationery HQ, Tradeshow Bootcamp, Ladies of Letterpress, and Mohawk/Felt + Wire.

 

 

The super cute paper party details were provided by For Your Party, and DC Rentals helped us out with some gorgeous linens!

 

 

 

Of course, a paper party wouldn’t be complete without a fabulous goodie bag!  This year’s goodie bag was pretty hefty and full of amazing paper from Crane & Co., Dingbat Press, Linnea’s Lights, Fig. 2 Design Studio, Russell + Hazel, Figs + Ginger, Tattly, Kelp Designs, Kate & Birdie, Cartolina, Paper + Cup, Crow & Canary, Czar Press, Knock Knock, Legion Paper, and Anthology Magazine.

 

Oh, and I can’t forget the invitations themselves!  Erika created the gorgeous design and the invitations were printed in mint green and gold foil by Stationery HQ.  The wonderful Michele from Meant to Be Calligraphy provided her beautiful hand lettering (in her Edwards style) for the invitations that we mailed out a bit further in advance.

We had so much fun at this year’s meetup!

Once again, a huge thanks and much love to our amazing sponsors: Crane & Co., Stationery HQ, Mohawk/Felt + Wire, Tradeshow Bootcamp, and Ladies of Letterpress, not to mention Little Town NYC for having us – and a million thanks to Janice and Cyd for all their help.  I can’t wait for next year!

There was no way I could fit all of the photos from this year’s meetup into a single post, but you can find the full gallery from the party right here!

Photo Credits: Tory Williams Photography