Featured...on Oh so beautiful paper!
It is always a pleasure and an honor to be featured by an industry blog! We love Oh So Beautiful Paper and are thrilled to have our Peach Orchard bespoke suite featured there today!
a few weeks back, we did a post about creating this suite and the artwork that went into it. Its one of my favorite suites to date!
Bespoke invitation ... hot air balloon baby shower
My little sister called me one day (on a side note, my sister is truly an incredible person)...her best friend was having a baby and she asked me to create the invitations for her baby shower and to design the shower itself. No pressure or anything. Working for a friend is difficult, working for family is even worse! The expectations are high; they're familiar with all your work and know what your levels of creativity and capability are. Thankfully, my sister knew when she said, "do something over the top and sparkly" that I totally had this.
I started with a few ideas (the background and artwork details to follow at some point). We knew we wanted something slightly whimsical, pastel, pink, sparkle and I knew I wanted to ship it in a box. I loved the idea of incorporating hot air balloons; the historic kind with laurels, fanciful rope work and pennants streaming off the baskets. I also knew I wanted to create something more that just the balloons themselves, something to give them depth and perspective. I drew out a city skyline in simple ink pen, keeping the city itself simple and used the combination of the city layered with the balloons.
The names of the mommy-to-be and her new baby girl were done in calligraphy, appropriately with a good deal of flourishing. The entire suite was printed on crystal white shimmer paper. The second card bore their registry information, additional calligraphy, and hot air balloons. The entire suite was wrapped up in a pale pink fabric with a lovely floral applique on it. I then used a 3 inch pale mint satin ribbon to tie them up and topped the entire set with a large brooch. The entire suite was popped in a beautiful box in matching white shimmer, a matching address label with matching calligraphy wrapped around the box, keeping it closed through the post.
Bespoke Invitation...circus baby shower
...today we're going to chat a bit about the design process behind this darling little shower invitation.
I adore working with a bride and groom to create something for their wedding...dont get me wrong. Every couple is different and presents a slightly different aesthetic...however, its quite fun to be able to branch out and do something a bit different sometimes.
This lovely invitation was created for a circus themed baby shower. My client (Miss Robin) wanted to incorporate pool blue and shades of blush as well as a slight nod to the typical typography one would find on the vintage show posters.
The one draw back about shower invitations is that there are less pieces... we love more pieces...it gives us the ability of incorporating more elements, especially in the backers. For this project, I knew I wanted to create a pattern using elephants and hearts.
Lets chat about this tent for a moment...you simply cant have a circus themed anything without a tent. I hand drew the tent itself, and layered it with banners.
We kept with the typographical lettering for the insert card, which included the mommy-to-be's registry information as well reply directions for the guests. We backed it with the matching elephant and hearts backer.
...you know how much I just adore envelope liners... how could you not?? We incorporated the same tent as the invitations and repeated the color burst. All the envelopes were then addressed in white calligraphy using our Helena font.
this suite was created through our bespoke process.
Featured...Al Fresco Dining on Style Me Pretty
A bit ago we decided to have some friends over for a dinner party...but since Im inherently an event designer, I can never to just a simple dinner party (actually, this was pretty simple for me). I wanted something interactive, not that i dont love cooking an meal and then ending up in the kitchen half the night. I was looking forward to spending an evening with friends, so I decided to do a build-you-own-pizza night, have several local artisan cheeses and meats, and make my own dough and sauce.
I wanted the evening to be light and carefree, enjoying the last bits of warm summer evening before the fall chill kicks in.
For decor, I have always loved the look of candle wax dripping...clearly having been lit over and over in the same ritual. I created the look with empty wine bottles and candles, letting the wax trickle down the sides.
There is a little French restaurant here locally in San Diego (Kensington to be precise) called Bleu Boheme; a quaint place, tucked into a corner building, with chalkboard walls with hand lettered and painted menus, reclaimed wood floors, exposed stone walls, and silver candlesticks that have been burning candles in their same position for years. The wax drips and puddles on the tables, off the edges. There is just something so blissfully romantic to it all...something I just cant quite put my finger on. Anyhow, I digress.
I brought out a stack of my vintage china plates, antique flatware and linen napkins. I love the look of stacked and mismatched china, with their little patterns and colors peeking out around the edges. I never can pick a favorite...
I backed the table with a board (which I most certainly hung from the edge of my patio, much to my husbands dismay) with a quote:
"when the wine goes in, strange things come out"
it seemed appropriate.
you can read more about this lovely party on Style Me Pretty Living
Featured...on Style Me Pretty Living!!
I have to give Jenny some credit on this one...a couple weeks ago she brought up a good point - I take a TON of pictures. I mean, seriously. Its a little nuts. That's not the point she brought up, but they're related. She suggested working some of my (non professional) photography into our world a little more - like where my husband and I travel, for example. So, on her suggestion, I sent some pics from a recent Napa trip we took with some friends to Abby over at Style Me Pretty Living. Slightly to my shock, she emailed me back the same afternoon asking if I mind if they published it the following day! Needless to say, our trip to Napa is not blogged on Style Me Pretty today!
The husband and I have now been to Napa/Sonoma at least a half a dozen times, probably more. It's our quick weekend get away go-to. Now that we've been a decent amount of times, the novelty of all the wineries has worn off a bit...I mean that in a good way. The last few times we've been there, Ive been able to slow down from art of cramming in as many wineries as possible and been able to enjoy things a bit more. Something Ive really noticed the more Im there is the sheer beauty of the area that I feel most visitors miss in their wine rush.
Ive always been the romantic that swoons over "weeds" climbing up an old wall (I think they're vines, not weeds) or the way brick crumbles. The Napa valley is truly a beautiful area, even aside from the acres and acres of grape vines. The old gnarled trees that line the winding roads, the rolling hills and treelines, the fact that there aren't any freeways. Moss grows in the shade on bridges, trees and buildings, Jersey cows spot the landscape and Michelin star restaurants are tucked into nondescript old buildings. Plus there's wine.
On this particular trip, we found a darling little restaurant in St. Helena, where we were staying, called The French Blue. The white, bright open space is right up my alley! Quite a bit of the restaurant seating was at a long family style table, with little sections for separate parties split with table lamps and little potted rosemary and olive trees. All the seating was over sized, with large pillows. I just loved the open, bistro atmosphere and the simple charm.
We also got to take a cooking lesson at White Hall Lane with their executive chef. Their new kitchen is gorgeous, with the same bright light I love. Its on their second floor, and the balcony looks out over their vineyard. We've been member at WHL for a few years now, and its been exciting to watch the company and their facilities grow and change.
We have realized that renting a house is the way to go when you visit the valley - you don't have to eat out as much, you have more space and have so much more flexibility. I would encourage you to visit the valley, but pay close attention to the unseen beauty around you.
photography: moi | The French Blue | Schramsburg | Far Neinte | Nickel & Nickel | St Helena | White Hall Lane | Hall Wines
...in process - A Midsummers Night Dream
Like all our designs, we start with some sketches. This one was particularly in need of a layout since I knew there would be quite a few elements and characters in play. By sketching it out, I have a better idea of where I can use what elements, how the pieces translate from the invitation all the way through to the menus and placecards, as well as I have a better understanding of what elements will need to be created.
From the sketches, I started created the artwork with pencil and paper, then went back through and inked it all in. This was a case that i wanted to leave some of the lines visible, so I choose to use ink rather than just leaving the pencil.
...then comes the mess. Im grateful that I have enough space that I can get out all my toys and leave them out if need be. I started painting these in last night and finished them this morning.
...In Process - A Midsummers Nights Dream
We're working on creating an invitation suite for Angie of Absolutely Events based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream. Its one of my favorite pieces from Shakespeare (along with The 12th Night). However, it lends itself to a few conundrums...this massive list of characters and elements, for example. I sketched out all my pieces already (pics to come, of course) and I new I wanted to include trees, a fairly hallow, and .... something else. I wanted to create some sort of pattern to include all the different characters, with vines, leaves, flowers, fairies, spider webs, etc. I used the base idea of a chinoirsier or toile to blend all the elements together.
Since I knew that would be the most difficult design, so thats where I started. I first sketched it, then inked it in. From there, I'll scan it into the computer and clean up any pen skips or mistakes, then print it out and add paint.
real wedding ... Taylor & Justin
...a sneak peek of Justin and Taylor's wedding at the Scripps Forum in La Jolla...
...in process - bespoke invitations
we get asked a lot about the process we go through when creating custom invitations... starting from scratch always creates a lengthy process no mater what you're creating, and custom wedding invitations are no exception.
our process is different from most for a few reasons - one, we're calligraphers. two, we're artists and three, we're graphic designers. add those three factors together, and you get a unique take on paper products.
let us walk you through our process a bit ... when working with a new bespoke invitaion client, the first thing we do is hammer out some of their ideas, what pieces they would like, and what the overall look and feel will be. this usually starts with sketches, rough notes and some scribbles...like so...
these sketched sheets are the basis for our design. we review color palettes, design inclusions, potential assembly ideas, etc. for this particular suite, we're pulling out peaches, blushes, pinks, greens and ivories. the design elements included in this suite will be peach blossoms, peach trees, orchards, some grape vines, grape leaves (no actual grapes) and the barn and farmhouse where the reception will take place. the client also likes silhouette portraits, which we'll try get on the design somewhere. at this point, we really get a feel for the overall formality of the event as well.
the next step is to start creating some artwork. we begin with sketches, then depending on the look we're going for, their either inked and then painted, or just painted. for this suite, i first sketched, then inked using rough lines rather than a hard outline. i wanted the watercolor to be fair in color, so i used the light ink lines to help define the elements a bit more. here, i ended up with about 8 pages of elements.
now comes the fun part - the painting or illustrating. since we use a lot of mixed media, this could be watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, ink, or acrylic. by this point, we've really narrowed down what a client is looking for. sometimes this includes doing a rough design board if we need to narrow things down a bit more before we move into the paint stage. since this stage is the most time consuming, we try to not end up painting too many more elements than what we'll actually be using.
we then march right into the lettering. since we're also calligraphers, most of our work includes some sort of hand lettering or calligraphy. we do all our calligraphy as master copy work, then using a scanner, applique the calligraphy onto the design and reproduce the work as one print. we use the same process for our artwork.
from here, we create a design board. we LOVE using design boards; they're an excellent way to visually put all our elements in one place and convey the overall look and feel. a client can see all their artwork, patterns, fonts, and other options all listed out at once. we use these design boards to decide what elements go where, what patterns we'll put on which pieces, what the envelope liners will be, etc.
once our design board is in place, and all our elements have been approved by the client, we move into our proofing. we create invitation suites different from a lot of design companies out there - each piece in the suite is often quite different from the next and sometimes showing just a single piece doesn't convey the entire suite accurately. we usually create a couple invitation layout options, but select our favorite to create several pieces in the suite so the client can see how we plan on using elements from one piece to another. we also print the back sides of all our pieces, adding even more details and available space for elements and design.
our process and technique does set us apart, and the end result is truly a completely bespoke invitation, extremely unique to each client. this is where the hashtag #ilovemyjob comes in!
Bespoke invitations:
I know its cliche, and I say it
every time...this is my new favorite! Im going to go ahead and call
these envelope liners epic....not a word to be taken lightly!! Epic. I
said it. They feature water color portrait silhouettes in little
painted frames, with an awesome banner. Tucked between the frames is a
mini painting of the barn and farmhouse from the venue complete with
little grape vines that lead up to the house. Top that off with some
calligraphy and then add some peach branches and grape vines and you
have yourself a pretty amazing envelope liner!
The suite also includes watercolor and calligraphy on the reply card, reception and brunch card, and the reply envelope liner.
Yup, definitely my new favorite!
I know its cliche, and I say it
every time...this is my new favorite! Im going to go ahead and call
these envelope liners epic....not a word to be taken lightly!! Epic. I
said it. They feature water color portrait silhouettes in little
painted frames, with an awesome banner. Tucked between the frames is a
mini painting of the barn and farmhouse from the venue complete with
little grape vines that lead up to the house. Top that off with some
calligraphy and then add some peach branches and grape vines and you
have yourself a pretty amazing envelope liner!
The suite also includes watercolor and calligraphy on the reply card, reception and brunch card, and the reply envelope liner.
Yup, definitely my new favorite!
