Category: Wedding

Save the Dates With Photos!

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 3 Comments

I love letterpress. A mechanical printing process just imbues such purpose into every piece, no matter what it is. But, it does have its drawbacks: mainly that it’s very difficult or impossible to reproduce 4-color images, like photos or watercolor.

Recently I’ve had a few couples interested in including an engagement photo on their save the date announcement, so I’ve gotten to design without the restrictions letterpress imposes, and set up a relationship with an offset printer. It’s been such fun!

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Sara reached out after seeing some of my save the date coasters on Wedding Lovely, however once I saw her hopes for her own design, I knew offset would be the way to go. They loved a hand-lettered look with lots of swashes—I loved how these turned out!

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Bride-to-be Allison has a more formal style, with classic calligraphy and romantic watercolor floral. I love how their monochromatic photo works with the rest of her design elements. Can’t wait to share her invitations with you next spring!

June & July Card Club — and an update!

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

You guys, I have just been the worst blogger lately! A little bit of writer’s block, a little bit of being overbooked… a whole lot of super short or non-existent blog posts!

As you know (or if you don’t, scroll back through the blog, I’ve had some fun projects lately!), I have been super busy—wedding season is in full swing! In addition to the amazing paper flower project I posted about a few weeks ago, I’ve designed two non-letterpress save the dates for 2017 brides and hand-painted graphics for two more real wedding invitations, and three more for styled shoots! Check back to see all of those (and even more watercolor wedding invites!) in the coming weeks, and in the mean time, here’s a sneak peek of Julie’s invitations:

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In addition to all this bridal goodness, I’ve also been designing new cards! You’ll have to wait till the holidays to see most of them, but keep an eye out for new birthday, thank you and sympathy cards in the mean time! A few of the latest and greatest designs are sure to be included in next month’s card club, so now is a great time to join! Here’s the link.

And of course, speaking of Card Club, I forgot to post July’s collection—again! Last month I was feeling the beach vibes, so I built the collection around shades of yellow, turquoise and sand.

COTM_716_4676This week, I’m feeling all pink all the time (just check out my instagram feed!), and mixing in some bright orange—plus bikes and balloons!—feels just right for summer! For a fun surprise, subscribers also received a 5″x7″ print of my watercolor bloom design from the Digital Prints section of my shop!

COTM_816_5125I absolutely love putting these collections together each month, so if you or someone you know loves getting mail, join the club today!

Adrienne & Matt’s Pink and Gold Wedding Invitations

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

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Adrienne is a classic bride planning a traditional ceremony and reception in the heart of small town Pennsylvania. Her vision for the big day was a formal affair in shades of white and ivory with accents of soft rose and warm metallics.

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Because her venue has a casual name, she wanted invitations that emphasized the formal nature of the day, which we accomplished with a formal filigree design motif and traditional typography. She also wanted to incorporate her future husband’s family crest, which I re-illustrated from an old photo and worked into their save the dates, flap of the pocket envelope, and the coasters which will adorn their reception tables (she also ordered extras to have on hand at home, which I love!).

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Once we had the design finished, I printed each piece by hand on my antique letterpress in a subtly metallic antique gold ink accompanied by a custom-mixed shade of pink. I love the mix of paper stocks that reflect her color scheme, employing my favorite bright white cotton paper from Crane, as well as rose inserts, sparkling gold envelopes and a lovely cream pocket to keep everything together.

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Red Wedding Flowers

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

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Sorry for the radio silence, friends, I’ve been super busy playing catch up from being away and working on some really exciting new projects!

The day before we left for Chile, a big order for paper flowers came in, and I was so excited because it was my first full wedding order, and so disappointed because I figured I’d have to refund it, as I wouldn’t be able to work on it for nearly two weeks. Lucky for me, this bride was planning ahead, and we had plenty of time before her big day!

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So the day after we got home, I got to work on this gorgeous flower crown and a large bouquet for the bride, along with a smaller bouquet (pictured) and boutonnieres! 5R0A0910 5R0A0925 5R0A0950

I tried some new techniques with my poppies and I’m absolutely loving how they’ve turned out! One of the things I love most about making paper flowers is the problem solving, always striving to make them more realistic and more beautiful. 5R0A0971

A special thanks to Adrian Cunningham of Ballyknock Photography for taking a few quick snaps before I sent them off to Australia!

Happy Birthday to 622 press!

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

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Bess and I met eight years ago today! If you’ve never heard the full story of how I found my press and got the studio up and running, check out my about page and the first few blog posts way back in 2008.

I never, ever, ever would have dreamed that this business would grow so much or travel so far. Life always throws you curve balls, but I really do think the universe has your best interests at heart. Here’s to eight more years!

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