SUNSHINE + CHARCOAL

I love this little invitation that we created for my brother's - and now sister-in-law! - wedding.  The color palate makes me so happy: fresh sunshine yellow and soft charcoal, with a crisp, bright white.  And the letterpress impression was deep and tactile...

We used Nelly Script - a typeface by Crystal Kluge - for the bride and groom's names.  I love that it is clean and delicate, and so beautifully mimics the feel of hand lettering.  {AND, she is so talented and sweet, whether you are looking for gorgeous unique fonts or amazing custom work.}

Paired with a clean, all-caps typeface, the feel of the invite is pretty and contemporary.

See the way the flower illustration wraps around the envelope; front the front to the back flap?  A fun surprise in the mailbox.

The most fun part of the invitation: the way the white portions of the floral image look almost embossed, in contrast to the rich sunshine yellow ink pressed into the cotton stock.

Loving the vibrant yellow...and my brother and NEW {!} sister-in-law.  Happy, happy stuff, guys...TJG

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CHINESE NEW YEAR

Earlier this year, we had the the opportunity to create some beautiful invitations to help The St. Regis celebrate the Chinese New year with their clients.  We wanted to keep the invitation elegant and upscale - in line with the hotel's brand - but also to play off Chinese colors and symbols.

We actually ended up printing the invitation in two reverse color-ways; we couldn't decide which we loved more.  One version was letterpress printed in gold on heavy-weight, bright white stock and featured red edge-painting; the other version was letterpress printed in red with shimmery gold edge-painting.

Both were paired with red envelopes, letterpress printed in a tone-on-tone red ink.  The cherry blossoms wrapped across the envelope, with the hotel's return address on the envelope back flap.  I love those little touches that make you want to pluck that envelope right out of your mailbox, to save it from drowning in all of the junk mail and bills.

Love the subtle sheen of the gold ink, and the tactile impression of the clean, all-caps typeface with the Asian-inspired brush script.  And, the edge-painting for that extra touch...

So, which do you prefer: the gold or the red?  Either way, doesn't that shimmery gold edge painting make you happy?  Enjoy...TJG

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DO NOT DISTURB

A few months ago, we created these fun invitations for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of Atlanta.  We created two versions: a fun, bright fuchsia for the more contemporary Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta; and a pretty metallic platinum version for The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead.

The invites were letterpress printed on 160lb. bright white stock - a deep, beautiful impression - and die-cut into classic "Do Not Disturb" door sign {which happened to slip perfectly into a no. 10 envelope}.  Each card invited a guest to experience The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and were a fun play on a classic hotel symbol.

I love the mix of bold, clean type and pretty vintage-inspired scrolls and flourishes.  And, I am obsessed with the subtle sheen of that platinum ink.  Can you see the shimmer below?

Wouldn't you want to take advantage of this invitation?  Count me in for sure...TJG

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SWEET AVA REESE

My sister, Rachel, had a little girl at the end of July and the announcements just came back from the printer.  I have to say, I am in love: with my little niece and these sweet announcements.

When I was designing the announcements, my sister's only guidance was that these announcements should be fun, sweet - but not too juvenile - and with a pop of bright color {no pastel pinks, please}.  And, this is what we selected in the end.

We used a heavy, 160lb. bright white stock with a slight vellum texture and letterpress printed a whimsical floral illustration with no ink.  The result is this amazing texture: subtle and wonderful.  We then printed Ava's name and "stats" in a pretty peony pink that perfectly matched the Amy Butler fabrics that my sister chose for the nursery.

We paired the announcement with a kraft color envelope in a monarch size - not too narrow, not to short.  Unique.  The envelope was printed with a matching peony hue, mimicking the floral design on the announcement.  Often, the thin text-weight paper of the envelope doesn't show a dramatic letterpress impression - but the texture here is amazing.  And, the design wraps around to the back of the envelope, for a little surprise.

We printed thank you notes to match, a little taste of the blind letterpress impression and the bold contemporary take on Ava's name.  I love that she can use these to write notes on now...and then stick them away for 10 years.  They work for a baby, a teen and on {I'd use them now, at any rate.}

These were so fun to create: not only was I so pleased with the end result, but also, it was so amazing to have the opportunity to create something special for my sister.  Love you, Rach...TJG

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SIXTY AT SAKS

My mother-in-law, Dale, loves shopping {which works out very well for all her kids, since she is also exceedingly generous}.  She's not a casual-traipse-around-the-mall type of lady.  When at a shopping destination, she is a woman with a mission.  So, when dreaming up the perfect way to celebrate her sixtieth birthday, the middle of Saks Fifth Avenue was the ideal venue.  It is unique, special and fashionable: so "Dale".

For the invitations, I went with a black-and-white color palate - a la Saks Fifth Avenue - with pops of color.   I tore pages from every Saks catalog that I could get my hands on, duplexed them to 160lb. bright white stock, and hand-trimmed each to frame the accessories.  Then, I stitched small, letterpress cards inviting guests for cocktails in Chanel and dinner in Dior.  Each invitation was unique; so fun to put together...

The letterpress impression was deep and crisp on the 110lb. cotton Lettra.  And, the fonts: a mix of clean and modern and pretty flourishes.

Each invitation also included a little discount card, which featured a Saks-inspired logo to mark Dale's sixtieth.  I used the same logo on the envelope back flap, with a reminder to keep the event a surprise.

I used a black-and-white Katharine Hepburn stamp as postage: elegant, sophisticated and the perfect color palate.

Amazing woman.  Amazing event.  I hope the invitation did it all justice...TJG

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