{happy weekend!}

Are you all as anxious as I am to get a start on the weekend?  I’m looking forward to a weekend full of Word Cup matches (yay!), a bit of gardening, sleeping in, and trying out this coffee smoothie recipe (yum!).  But in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend:

…and a few favorite posts from the week:

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

{image credits: pretty swell}

Sailor Tattoo-Inspired Wedding Invitations

Happy Friday everyone!  Before we start to head off for the weekend, I have a fantastic (and definitely unique) wedding invitation suite to share, this time from Diane Faye!  Diane designed this invitation suite for recent clients Jessica and Jared – all around the central inspiration of a sailor tattoo!

Sailor Tattoo Wedding Invitations

Diane sketched out all the entire design herself, from the names of the bride and groom to the nautical elements: The couple really loved my tattoo invitations but wanted their wedding invitations to revolve more around a sailing theme.  So with a little research and a few rounds of sketching, I created the custom lettering of their names, a fun anchor with the rope forming the ampersand, and an accompanying rsvp card and reception card.

Sailor Tattoo Wedding Invitations

Sailor Tattoo Wedding Invitations

The tag and phrase “there’s a wedding on the horizon” came from a sketch I did quite some time ago, but worked so well for Jessica and Jared’s invitation project.  So I sketched out a few tags and they chose the nautical star – fitting for a sailor theme.

Sailor Tattoo Wedding Invitations

Sailor Tattoo Wedding Invitation

With the yellow baker’s twine from Divine Twine it all came together into a wonderful package that the couple loves – and is one my favorite invitations to date!

Gorgeous!  I love how the hand lettering and tattoo details come together for a playful take on a sailing/nautical theme – so much fun!  You can check out more of Diane’s tattoo-inspired wedding invitations right here.  Thanks Diane!

{image credits: faye & co.}

Christine + Jason’s Polka Dot and Floral Wedding invitations

At the National Stationery Show last month, I got to talking with Christine from Flora and Fauna Press (you can see her NSS booth here) about the invitations from her wedding last year, and I made her promise to send over photos.  Well, they’ve arrived, and I think you’re going to love them as much as I do!  The design was inspired by the wedding venue – a ranch in southern California – and the swiss dot fabric that Christine used in her wedding dress.   Here she is, looking absolutely lovely:

swiss dot wedding dress

From Christine:  The overall invitation design was mostly inspired by the ranch where we were married.  I wanted a vintage country feel, while keeping it whimsical and fun.

california ranch wedding letterpress save the date

I decided to use polka dots after my dress designer suggested incorporating swiss dot fabric, since I thought it would be fun to tie that element into the wedding stationery.

swiss dot letterpress wedding invitations

swiss dot letterpress wedding invitations

california ranch wedding map directions

I used different size dots and a variety of stripes so the invitation suite didn’t get too “matchy”.

polka dot and striped wedding table numbers and placecards

wedding cupcakes and roses

Since I knew I needed papers to make cupcake flags and bunting, I matched my orange and green accent colors to French Papers “Pop-tone” swatches.

Gorgeous!  I love the crisp black and white with bright pops of color – Christine even created matching black and white letterpress bags for the candy buffet at the reception – not to mention the adorable mix of polka dots and stripes.  A huge thanks to Christine for sharing the photos from her wedding, and you can check out more wedding invitations from Flora and Fauna Press right here!

{image credits: christine brandt}

Burlap + Twine Invitations

I love seeing different materials incorporated into invitations, whether for weddings, showers, or birthday parties.  So when I received an e-mail from a reader (Hi Brandi!) seeking inspiration for a Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer party, the first thing that popped into my head was burlap!  I wasn’t able to find any photos of invitations printed directly onto burlap, but here are a few images incorporating burlap and twine as lovely accent materials:

burlap wedding invitation
{image by Brandon Kidd via Once Wed}

The wedding invitation above by D*lsh Design for photographer Brandon Kidd features a band of burlap tied around kraft and cotton paper invitation elements. 

burlap envelope wedding invitations
{cevd}

Christine mailed her own wedding invitations (above) in a dark green burlap envelope – such a great idea!

 

twine wedding invitations

twine wedding invitations
{bird and banner}

Love the use of twine in the above invitation suite by Bird and Banner

 

cotton and burlap invitations
{xowyo}

I could totally see these cotton handkerchief invitations from XOWYO being mailed in a burlap inner envelope, or attached to burlap backing.

 

burlap fabric fall rustic wedding decor
{erica turner via ruffled}

Hand-stamped burlap accents for a rustic fall wedding.

 

fabric invitation and menu pocket
{gertrude and mabel photography via chewing the cud}

I love fabric pockets for invitations and ceremony programs – burlap could easily be substituted for cotton in these ceremony program pockets from Chewing the Cud for a more rustic feel.

Have any of you used burlap or twine in your invitations?  If so, I’d love to see photos!

{images from their respective sources}

Giveaway Winners!

It was so wonderful to host two fantastic giveaways last week – and I’m even more thrilled to finally announce the winners!  Both winners were selected randomly using random.org, and the two lucky readers are…

Yay!  Laurel chose the “Ava” design from Gwyneth Paige for her calling cards, and Greg chose the “Tahoe” invitation suite from Hello!Lucky for his December 2010 wedding right here in DC!  A big congratulations to both Laurel and Greg – and a huge thank you to both everyone who entered the contest and to Gwyneth Paige and Hello!Lucky for sponsoring these two giveaways!