Invitations: Lindley and Manning, Pt. 1

Here's a little project that I did with some teamwork from my friend Malorie (who designs textiles for Anthropologie in Philadelphia, brag, brag, etc.). I've known Manning and Lindley for a long time, Manning being a college classmate of mine from the good old University of Georgia; this was a project among friends.



Anyway, Manning and Lindley come from a town in south Georgia called Thomasville, and when they asked me to help them with their wedding stationery they wanted to feel that Southern charm. This involved drawing plants beyond my talents, and that's where Mal came in. I traded her a fancy Williams-Sonoma garlic press for the gorgeous illustration of a bittersweet branch - bartering is the best!



While keeping a traditional structure and illustration, I wanted to make the Save the Dates more contemporary with a modern color palette and clean typeface. I think the final result is something that satisfies the tastes of many Southern ladies and the unique exuberance of Manning and Lindley!



Keep checking back on the blog for Part 2: the wedding set!

Invitations: Gloria and Richard

These invitations are for the mother of a close friend of mine, Taylor. I was so happy that she asked me to do the invitations for her small, autumn wedding since I've known her and her daughter for a long time. I loved all her ideas for the wedding, the colors, the location - the whole thing sounded so warm and organic, I wanted the invitations to feel the same way.



These invitations ended up being some of my most favorite I've ever done, something about the texture of the ink, the richness of the colors... I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel like they invoke a distinct fall atmosphere.





Since the couple decided to do an online response and the reception will be held at the groom's home, we made a reception card with reply information at the bottom - double duty!



This picture is a little blurry, but when I printed the invitations, there was a bit of paper left unprinted and I don't believe in letting any paper go to waste! We decided to make it into a little card with the couple's "logo" at the top. This card could be used for thank-you notes, or small notes for guests to write congratulations at the reception.



I enjoyed working on this project because it is a great example of taking a very simple approach with paper and creating something beautiful in ink. No bells or whistles, just a graceful design, keeping the whole project on a reasonable budget.

However, someone didn't love this project as much as I did... our adopted stray kitty named Garbage (for you Office fans) was very jealous that I wasn't giving her attention while I was trying to shoot these photos. Here's her trying to destroy the set...



And subsequently rolling around adorably. If only I weren't allergic to cats, haha...

A Very Specific Kind of Decorator

I'm a big fan of The Office. Lots of people know that about me. It's actually not fun to play the trivia games with me because I know obnoxiously too much. Anyway, yesterday I saw a rerun of Season 2 "The Carpet" on TBS. It's the one where Packer dumps in Michael's office and he sits at Jim's desk, forcing Jim to sit in the annex with Kelly. Pam positions her computer at the perfect angle so that she can't see Michael at Jim's desk, and a realization is made... "I think I could have a career as a very specific kind of decorator." Well I think Pam and I have that in common.

For the past five months I've realized that I could probably afford a fairly decent lifestyle off the earnings I make turning things that aren't pillows into pillows. This time it's a set of pillows for Courtland (co-owner of No. Four Eleven) and her wedding in Maryland in October.

Similar to my blog post in June, I started with a queen sized bedskirt from John Robshaw in Metallic Gold Gent's Stripe...



And eight invisible zippers and some six yards of cotton twill later...



Courtland is going to have a lounge area near the dance floor for the guests at her reception - the lounge will have white slip-covered sofas and chairs, and these pillows. The color scheme for her whole wedding is navy, white, gold, burlap and driftwood. Working at the store and watching her plan has been lots of fun - especially since she has such great taste!



Also in the lounge will be a few of these "Navy Zig Zag" cotton rugs from Madeline Weinrib, which are available at No. Four Eleven if you're interested. I've also been working to embroider navy napkins with Courtland's signature monogram for the place settings at the reception.



I've been having lots of fun helping Courtland with her wedding plans, and getting even more practice with pillow construction! Keep dropping by the blog for photos on my current pillow assignments... one is another "re-purposing" project with a little more sentimental value, and the other is some massive pillow output with to die for fabrics from David Hicks and Kelly Wearstler... a little sneak peek...

A Little Help from Inspiration

The most fantastic thing about being a designer/artist/craftsman/creator is progress. No matter what you're working on, you always have the feeling that your new project is twice as beautiful as your last. Similarly, it's easy to look back on things you did a long time ago and feel like they're horrible compared to what you're doing now. The tricky part is that your current masterpiece will look just as junky four projects down the line as well.

The truth for me? All of the work I do is unique to each individual I work with, and every project has suited them and their style. Of course, as I learn new things I'm able to apply them to my repertoire in new and creative ways, but the beauty of my work isn't just in what ends up as ink on paper - it's the beauty of the love and personality these pieces represent.

All that to say, I am constantly searching for new ideas, styles, colors, etc. I like to store all of the ideas in my rolodex brain and refer back to them when customers come to me looking for direction. It's not about appropriation - It's about creating a catalog of style, a mental flip-book of swatches and patterns - a place I can pick and choose from to make something completely new for a person who is completely unique.

Through all of this searching and storing, I've found some invitations that absolutely take my breath away, and I thought I'd offer them up for your inner sketchbooks (click on the images to get to the websites):

From Hello Lucky...




I love the stretched-out handwritten type on these invitations, like a San Francisco skyline against the Golden Gate Bridge. The doodle additions, like the waves and the heart, bring so much personality to the invitations - and I'm laughing aloud at the idea of making your guests feel really guilty for sending you back that frowny-face NO response card!



I'm a big sucker for white and baby blue (as you can tell from this entire blog), but I think this invitation is a really good example of making your invitations modern and clean without losing delicacy and grace. A wedding is still an affair with a poofy white dress and lots of fluttering white flowers, and I like the fact that you can be minimalist and not lose that attitude.

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From Bella Figura...



Letterpress makes everything spectacular, and Bella Figura knows it. All of their images show the pieces from multiple angles with dramatic lighting, accenting the texture of the paper and the impression of the design. Looking at the website I get the same feeling as when I'm standing in front of the cheesecake cooler at Cafe Intermezzo. These invitations in particular highlight the depth of letterpress and creative use of negative space. I'm also quite drawn to subtle textures (sand, wood grain, woven fabric) and this "threaded" line across the page speaks to a cool sophistication.



Everybody's got their hands all over "vintage," but I often wonder what in the world that term means. Sometimes organic Art Nouveau and Victorian style mean vintage, sometimes it's the clean lines and colors of mid-century modern, still sometimes it's a teal and peach Art Deco wonder. In this instance it's the last one. The calligraphic accents and notched border speak to Deco design from the 1920's, and the bold type reminds me of old poster designs from that era. Receiving this invitation, I might even feel the need to go out and find an old Cloche Hat just for the occasion...



... and for something completely different, many people have never seen a hand-calligraphed invitation, mostly because they're crazy expensive and the style of most is getting increasingly outdated. Not to fear though, because this one breaks the mold. I love the fact that calligraphy is opening up more and more into a world full of different kinds of handwriting - a favorite of mine is Anne Elser, who teaches calligraphy classes at Binders in Atlanta. Why not spend a day writing out your invitation in your best handwriting, then send it off to a printshop to make 200 copies? How personal and priceless would that be?

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From Lucky Luxe...

This invitation is very similar to one I found at Bella Figura (which was also featured on Martha Stewart Weddings online), but I'm not sure which came first. Either way, I like this invitation's simplicity but overwhelming elegance. This one could be done very quickly and very cost efficiently for the bride who has impeccable taste, even on a budget.



This is another example of casual calligraphy, but in this instance I love how it's mixed with a very traditional format. I think this is a great option for the fun bride who still wants to make her more traditional mother proud to send the invitations to her family. I think this is a look that could read very well to an older crowd and still have lots of unique interest to younger friends. I also like the visual inference I have to make because the edges of the calligraphy bleed off the sides... was this merely pen on paper or did someone form the letters from a string?

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From Minted...



This final invitation is my favorite in a category I like to nickname "comic book chic." Graphic images, silhouettes, icons, word bubbles - all of these are becoming more and more acceptable additions to your wedding invitations, and I like it when they're sugary sweet and cute as a button. The fun colors match the nature of the illustration, and I'm absolutely smitten with the little heart icon topping it all off - almost like a cherry.

Identity: The Gracevine

I earned my BFA in Graphic Design, and although wedding invitations require me to use those skills, my education was geared mostly towards teaching me how to serve a business' needs. Although I think helping people make their big day extra special is a little more creative and organic, I love to offer my service and style to the small business owner who wants to make a big impression.

My most recent identity project was for Meredith, who has recently started her own custom framing company called The Gracevine (she has an etsy store in the works at www.thegracevine.etsy.com, coming soon) I tried to incorporate vine-like aspects into a typeface Meredith felt reflected the style of her work.



After we finalized the logo, Meredith chose a patterned paper from Envelopments, the Mehndi pattern in Champagnum, for her business cards. This pattern is very popular, as you might remember seeing it on wedding invitations for Tara and Zane in orange, and more recently Anna and Josh in pink. With only 100 cards, I was able to keep the cost low by printing them digitally.



Meredith also had the great idea of having me design frame fillers, so that when her frames were given as gifts, everyone would know who hand-crafted them. This is a great example of branding - a polished identity will catch attention and show people that you know what you're doing! Here is an example of a filler for a 3"x3" frame:



So far all of Meredith's business materials have used her new logo and have kept with a cohesive color theme. This kind of focus is a big step in taking your work from a "craft project" to a small business!