Cozy Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! Since it’s Christmas week and all, I thought it would be fun to share these cozy Christmas Eve wedding invitations from Lauren at Darling + Pearl! With metallic silver envelopes, burgundy ink, wool yarn to tie everything together, and gorgeous envelope calligraphy, these invitations are perfect for a winter gathering!

Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations by Darling & Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Lauren: This invitation suite was inspired by Christmastime in the Northeast: warm and cozy sweaters, hot chocolate, seasonal baked goods, cocktails, friends and family all gathering around an adorable little christmas tree farm for a winter wedding. The invitation and reply cards are letterpress printed with and additional enclosure that adds a really great graphic element and keeps everything exciting.

Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations by Darling & Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations by Darling & Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The envelope calligraphy was done by Therese Swift Hahn of Bella Scrittura. Everything was wrapped in merino wool yarn (kinda like a little present) to lend another nod to the season and the envelope liners bring in dash of metallic silver that complements Therese’s work on the reply envelopes.

Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations by Darling & Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations by Darling & Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Christmas Eve Wedding Invitations by Darling & Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Lauren!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Darling + Pearl

Envelope Calligraphy: Therese Swift Hahn of Bella Scrittura

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

Photo Credits: Darling + Pearl

Pastel Marbled Wedding Invitations

Pastels are having a major moment this fall – especially shades of pale lavender and lilac! Today we’re getting even more gorgeous pastel inspiration with these wedding invitations from Lauren at Darling + Pearl Letterpress. I’m especially in love with the lavender script text and pastel-colored marbled envelope liners!

Pastel Marbled Wedding Invitations by Darling and Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Lauren: These invitations were originally created for The Big Fake Wedding in Philadelphia. The inspiration for these invitations was a mood board created by Ashley Buzzy Lettering and Press: a whimsical and dream-like scene with an array of pastel colors. It was really interesting working with visual inspiration that was not at all paper related. This process was much more organic and more about the feel and emotion of the event. Working through the design from that avenue was so enjoyable!

Pastel Marbled Wedding Invitations by Darling and Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

This entire suite was letterpress printed. The invitation and response cards were printed in lavender ink on double thick cotton stock. The website card was printed in silver on bright plum paper and set into a tiny vellum envelope along with silver confetti and sealed with some silver crackle washi tape. The light kraft envelopes were lined in beautiful pastel handmade marble paper that really tied the entire suite together. The warm gray response envelope added to the depth of the entire design.

Whimsical Marbled Wedding Invitations by Darling and Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Whimsical Marbled Wedding Invitations by Darling and Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I enjoy finding typefaces that complement each other and – every once in a while – I like the idea of letting the script take the “back seat” and handle the body text while the serif handles the name text. It’s a less traditional concept, but the aesthetic totally stands out. 

Whimsical Marbled Wedding Invitations by Darling and Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Whimsical Marbled Wedding Invitations by Darling and Pearl / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Lauren!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Darling + Pearl

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

Photo Credits: Darling + Pearl

Unexpected Business Card Ideas

As far as I’m concerned, business cards are tiny works of art. A beautiful business card makes a huge impression, and I would argue that the business card is even more relevant in today’s world of email, cell phones, and social media. Here are a few unexpected business card ideas for creating a beautiful – and unforgettable – business card!

Unexpected Business Card Ideas

Oh So Beautiful Paper Watercolor and Letterpress Business Cards / Design and Printing by Gus & Ruby Letterpress

A Bit of Shine

Metallics are the new neutral. And they look amazing on a business card! The options are endless – from shiny metallic foil logos and type to more abstract applications. And the metallic foils themselves come in every hue imaginable, from classic gold to of-the-moment rose gold and copper to trendy hologram silver!

En Route Photography Gold Foil Business Cards / Design by Belinda Love Lee

En Route Photography Gold Foil Business Cards / Design by Belinda Love Lee

Hand Painted Details

What could possibly be more unique than a hand painted business card? A splash of semi-transparent watercolor pairs perfectly with letterpress printed type, whether layered over blind impression (no color) text or as a modern swash underneath the key details. You could even DIY your own business cards using a custom rubber stamp over a watercolor painted background!

Satsuki Shibuya Watercolor and Blind Impression Letterpress Business Cards / Printed by PresshausLA

Satsuki Shibuya Watercolor and Blind Impression Letterpress Business Cards / Printed by PresshausLA

Akula Kreative Rubber Stamp and Watercolor Business Cards

Akula Kreative Rubber Stamp and Watercolor Business Cards

Colorful Edges

The edge is the perfect place to incorporate a bright pop of color – or even stripes of different colors! You’ll want to use double-thick paper ( at least 220lb) to maximize the visual effect, but it’s well worth the extra effort!

Oh Happy Day Stripe Edge Painted Business Cards

Oh Happy Day Stripe Edge Painted Business Cards

Or Shiny Edges!

Did you know that you can put shiny metallic foil on the edges of business cards and wedding invitations? Well, you can! It’s a very specialized printing method, but perfect for a card that is already full of color or wants an even bigger visual impact.

Oh So Beautiful Paper Gold Foil Edge Business Cards / Foil Edging by Boxcar Press

Oh So Beautiful Paper Gold Foil Edge Business Cards / Foil Edging by Boxcar Press

Unique Shapes and Layouts

Who said that a business card has to be rectangular? I’m a big fan of square business cards, circular business cards, even hexagon cards! Or stick with the rectangular shape but go with a vertical layout. Anything goes!

Trentina Navy and Gold Foil Business Cards / Design by Christine Wisnieski

Trentina Navy and Gold Foil Business Cards / Design by Christine Wisnieski

Go Double Sided

A double sided business card is a great way to create visual impact while keeping all of your contact information in one place. You can have the reverse side printed or adhere patterned papers – like vintage wallpaper, gift wrap, and scrapbooking paper – to the reverse side using spray adhesive.

Jessica Comingore Floral Double Sided Business Cards / Printed by PresshausLA

Jessica Comingore Floral Double Sided Business Cards / Printed by PresshausLA

Jessica Comingore Floral Double Sided Business Cards / Printed by PresshausLA

Light on Dark

I love the look of light text against a dark background – so unexpected! Metallic foils and matte white foil look amazing against dark navy blue and black paper.

Clementine Rose Gold and Navy Business Cards / Design by Sara Jensen / Printed by Iron Curtain Press

Clementine Rose Gold and Navy Business Cards / Design by Sara Jensen / Printed by Iron Curtain Press

Unique Materials

I thought I had seen everything – but then I saw a leather business card and thought it was the most amazing idea! You can letterpress print, foil stamp, and screen print on leather, making it as versatile a medium as paper. I’ve also seen paper business cards that incorporated embroidery and fabric. The sky’s the limit!

Arnsdorf Leather Business Card

p.s. More creative business card ideas right here!

This post was created in partnership with eBay. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Emma + Brian’s Star Map Wedding Invitations

These beautiful wedding invitations from designer Emma Mällinen might appear to be a simple black and white design – when in fact they’re so much more! The invitation features silver screen printing on black paper, classic Baskerville text letterpress printed on white paper, blind deboss elements – and a truly stunning star map meets tidal chart design!

Star-Map-Wedding-Invitations-Emma-Mällinen-OSBP7

From Emma: Preparing for our wedding in June has been one of the most exciting times of my life. As a graphic designer I have felt like a kid in a candy shop. There are so many things to design or customize, and over the past year I have made everything from favor box labels, to conversation starters, to all of our event signage. I’ve treated myself to all the colorful visual possibilities. Romantic lettering? Check. Bold flowers? Check. Creative language? Check. But when it came time to design our wedding invitations it felt different, like a big responsibility.

Star-Map-Wedding-Invitations-Emma-Mällinen-OSBP5

The invitations turned out to reflect us more than we could’ve even dreamed of. Our initial inspiration came from our wedding site on the Cape Cod seaside. It was Brian’s family house, overlooking the sweeping sand flats at low-tide. We loved the way the sky and the sea melded together for a few hours each day, and we thought this an apt metaphor for our own union in the same place.

Star-Map-Wedding-Invitations-Emma-Mällinen-OSBP6

We created an image of a vintage star map and a tidal chart meeting – a reference to our evening ceremony overlooking the same view. For the reverse side, we took pieces of this illustration and used them as structural elements, printing them in blind deboss around our classically arranged text. The text design was based on historical treatise frontispieces and was set in Baskerville.

Star-Map-Wedding-Invitations-Emma-Mällinen-OSBP8

The wonderful people at Mama’s Sauce did an amazing job with the technically complicated order. The diagram of the vintage star atlas and coastal tide map were screen printed in silver ink on French Paper Poptone 100C Black Licorice. This paper was then duplexed to Crane Lettra 110C Cotton, on which our text was letterpress printed in black with accompanying blind deboss.

Star-Map-Wedding-Invitations-Emma-Mällinen-OSBP2

All of these choices reflected our unique relationship: the invitations were spiritual without referring to specific religious symbols; the language was our own colorful style; and the color palette was serious but playful with deboss. We added a purple silk envelope to bring a dash of color and sent off our invitations knowing they would be cherished for a long time to come!

Star-Map-Wedding-Invitations-Emma-Mällinen-OSBP9

Thanks Emma!

Design + Envelope Calligraphy: Emma Mällinen 

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: Emma Mällinen

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! I’ve been spending a lot of time out in my garden lately (now that the weather is finally nice again!) and it has been so nice to see everything start to turn green after so many months of brown and gray. My peonies even have buds and the lilacs aren’t far behind! But in the meantime…

Flowermuse-Coral-Charm-Peonies-Instagram

Photo by Flowermuse via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper: