IN THE STUDIO // RECENT WORK

I had great fun designing the invitation for a recent press event for the Independent Wedding Association Fall Wedding Fair. The theme was "Circus Chic", the design was just plain fun; fun to research, fun to design and FUN to print. The finished product is above and below are images of the piece on press. The IWA is having another wedding show on February 5th, 2011. More information to follow. I can say however, that this one will be a treat not only for the eyes but will be very educational as well.

A close up of the strong man. I love this illustration sooooooo much.

The first color goes on the 100% cotton paper.

Finished invitation. Note the blue printing plate in the background. Each color gets it's own plate.

Another view of the finished invitation in the foreground and one just about to be printed with the blue printing plate.

That's right, envelope printing with a full bleed {where the image runs off the edge of the paper}. Because we're that good.

INSPIRATION FILE // HIDDEN TREASURE

Who knew there would ever be a call for a graphic design archeologist? And yet here is a great find for said archeologist. These mid-century posters were unearthed at a Notting Hill gate tube station during recent renovations.

Go to Grain Edit to see the entire post as well as the Flickr page.

SHOP // AMBER SKY

If you are the vintage bride type this necklace is for you. It's new yet it looks old and it's blue. You're almost set. You can find this one at the Amber Sky Etsy shop. Really, you couldn't go wrong with any piece in the shop.

INSPIRATION FILE // THE TEXTILE BLOG

The Textile Blog is a great place to go if you're looking for design inspiration for you wedding, for your home or just for procrastination.

From the blog:
This blog concentrates on the history of textiles. It includes printed, woven and knitted textiles, as well as wallpaper, carpet, rug, tapestry, quilting and embroidery design. It also includes a culturally diverse approach to the history of textile design across the globe.

INSPIRATION FILE // GRANDPA GEORGE

I am finally redesigning my web site – correction – I am having professionals redesign my website. Which, after meeting Grandpa George on Saturday, I am even more excited about than I was before meeting them, especially because I walked away with this little "Easter egg" of inspiration. It's a series of film clips run together without sound of things that inspire the folks at Grandpa George. What is even better is that it is different every time you visit. It's not difficult to find, but you do have to look for it. Below is the Grandpa George home page. See the vertical bar on the right {on the actual page it is animated}? Click on it and you've got an endless stream of inspiration for your any creative project...yes, even your wedding.

More on the web site and what we're doing for Grandpa George in the weeks {months?} to come.

INSPIRATION FILE // VINTAGE CANDY WRAPPERS

Put the word vintage in front of any of the following words and I'm hooked: italian, french, packaging. Here we have all three. I'm obviously feeling a bit art nouveau today. Here are three wrappers that would be beautiful inspirations for wedding stationery from the typography to the pattern design to the illustrations. So much to be inspired from. Here are the links:
French candy labels, Leone, Hersheys.

SHOP // NO MORE NAKED ENVELOPES

The new love stamps are available now from the US Postal Service and they are the best I've seen. So colorful, they'll go with so many envelope colors. Designed by Derry Noyes and Jeanne Greco, they are based on images from 18th-century French playing cards.

Stamps are a great way to impress guests right from the start. Martha Stewart Weddings has done a great job of using vintage stamps in the styling of their wedding invitations for Weddings magazine. Here's one of my favorite shots:


Champion Stamp has a huge catalog of vintage stamps. Here are some of my favorites:


UPDATE {6.3.09}: Just found this story via 100 Layer Cake blog with more ideas on how to use and where to buy vintage stamps. Fabulous photos and great ideas. Check it out.