11/07/2013

Sophie’s Nursery Inspiration

When we moved into our house back in March, we made sure to unpack and set up Sophie’s nursery as quickly as possible. We already had Sophie’s crib, a dresser and glider, and the ubiquitous Expedit for additional storage, but we didn’t do much else other than plop some furniture into the room. So while the room is functional, it’s far from finished â€“ or really decorated in any meaningful way. We haven’t even painted! I’ve settled on this card from Rifle Paper Co. as my color inspiration for Sophie’s room, with neutral light gray walls, a mint green ceiling, and accents of pink, coral, teal, yellow, and gold. I have lots of artwork on the way for the walls (more on that soon!), but I’m excited to incorporate some fun new elements into the room â€“ and to paint her bedroom door pink!

1. Rifle Paper Co.; 2. Geometric garlands from Land of Nod; 3. Anthropologie curtains (from a past season and sadly no longer available); 4. Ferm Living wallstickers; 5. Anthropologie hooks; 6. Task lamp from PBTeen; 7. Benjamin Moore paint colors Flamingo’s Dream, Alaskan Husky, Cool Mint; 8. Land of Nod nightstand; 9. pink door (if you know the image source, please let me know!)

{images via their respective sources}

11/01/2013

Friday Happy Hour: Tea + St-Germain Hot Toddy

Are you drinking hot toddies yet? You should be. It’s getting cold out, and the hot toddy is basically magic against cold, raw fall and winter nights. Especially if you’re not feeling well to boot. So drink some hot toddies. Like this Apple Hot Toddy we first posted about nearly two years ago (!!) or today’s cocktail, a hot toddy that combines whiskey, St-Germain, and tea that’s perfect for November. â€“ Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
3/4 oz St-Germain
1/2 oz Lemon Syrup
1/2 oz Apple Cider
6 oz Hot Black Tea

Brew the tea. Combine the whiskey, St-Germain, cider, and syrup in your glass, then add the tea and give it a stir to melt the syrup. Enjoy while it’s still hot!

This Hot Toddy is rich, sweet, smooth, and complex. The Irish Whiskey, which is traditionally triple-distilled, is a smoother whiskey that rounds out the slightly spicy tea nicely. The St-Germain adds a floral complexity and a sweetness that balances the tea’s astringency. The lemon syrup (I used Morris Kitchen’s Preserved Lemon Syrup, though I bet you could make your own) adds a bit more sweetness and some citrusy complexity. And finally, that little bit of apple cider helps smooth out the rougher edges of the whiskey and tea.

Hot Toddies are most often made with hot water, but hot tea does the trick too. Tea is not a new ingredient in drinks, though it’s probably been out of favor for a while. David Wondrich places the earliest use of tea in hot punches all the way back in 1727. So, this is a new recipe with an old pedigree.

Just remember, if you make a hot toddy with black tea, it will contain caffeine. Don’t drink one or two or three of these while experimenting with recipes and then expect to fall asleep on time. Trust me.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

This post is brought to you in collaboration with St-Germain. All content, photos, recipes, and words are our own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that help make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

11/01/2013

DC Guide: Autumn at the National Arboretum

The U.S. National Arboretum is one of our very favorite spots in DC: it’s basically a giant 450 acre park in the middle of Northeast DC with tree groves, gardens, and walking paths. I included the Arboretum in my mini guide to DC last year and we also did our family photo session with Adam Barnes at the Arboretum back in May. We love to visit the Arboretum in the spring when it feels like everything in the world is in bloom: cherry blossoms, azaleas, peonies, and magnolias. But we realized a few weeks ago that we had never visited the Arboretum in the fall, and we were afraid that we’d miss our chance due to the government shutdown. We made a beeline right after the government reopened, which was just when the foliage was starting to show its fall colors!

Sophie had the BEST time strolling around the Arboretum in her little red car! We mostly stuck to the eastern end of the Arboretum, which includes the dogwood collections and Asian collections. We also found the most beautiful little gazebo in a conifer grove. It was a perfectly peaceful afternoon spot.

The foliage around DC is even more impressive these days, so I’d love to make another trip! DC is so ridiculously pretty right now. I’m going to be so sad when it’s all gone in just a few short weeks.

p.s. If you missed it last year, you can find the rest of my mini guide to DC right here!

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

10/31/2013

Lauren + Juan’s Literary Letterpress Wedding Invitations

The ladies of Typecase IndustriesÂ â€“Â Emily, Stephanie, and Alessandra â€“ created these whimsical wedding invitations for a pair of book-loving high school sweethearts right here in Washington, DC! The invitation features a timeline of their relationship along with whimsical illustrations and a gatefold layout with a wax seal. So pretty!

From Typecase Industries: Lauren is getting her MFA in poetry and is a book lover, and wanted to evoke both of those things with her wedding invitation suite. The save the date is a bookmark! The gatefold invitation with the wax seal was a perfect choice: romantic but not overly complicated, much like the couple themselves.

Lauren and Juan have been together since high school, so we decided to include a timeline along the gate-fold flaps so the wedding guests could get to know a bit more about their history. Their favorite illustration is the book with a ring in it. Juan had the engagement ring in a hollowed-out copy of Jane Austen’s collected works when he proposed to Lauren in the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.

The invitations were letterpress printed on our Vandercook 4 in our studio in Washington, DC. The wax seal was made using an ampersand from our metal type collection at our studio.

Thanks ladies!

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Typecase Industries

10/30/2013

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Dark + Moody

In honor of Halloween tomorrow, I thought we could take a trip over to the dark and moody side of wedding stationery. There’s something to be said about the contrast between a bride dressed in white, entering into such a dramatic reception. Flowers and candlelight do an excellent job of setting this mood, but bringing in deep and dark hues with your stationery takes the theme that much further. Think rich purple, deep blues and black, and take a look at some of my favorite moody paper goodies below. â€”Kelly