april showers

paper parasol ceiling fixture

canopy of butterflies

This May my daughter will be turning two and I've just sent out the invites I designed for her small family-only celebration. I took inspiration from this year's lovely spring season as well as the decor in her room. I've posted two pictures of her nursery as it was before she was born so you can take a peek at the little details that I've carried through to the invite; a painted paper parasol as her ceiling fixture,  cheery turquoisey-blue walls, the cherry blossom and geisha-girl bedding, butterflies. The invite's piéce de resistance is the gorgeous photo of my gal among this spring's cherry blossom trees, taken by my talented friend at three tulips photography. I used a z-fold format that allows the invitation to reveal itself slowly as one opens it.  Needless to say, the party has not happened yet, but I have many design elements planned for all the little details that I will include in another post. Happy bday my little may flower!

front detail

little details on the back

more than just invitations

Although my blog mostly features the invitations I create, I've decided to show a logo that has been keeping me busy as of late. It is for three tulips photography, my friend Alison's company. She is a wonderful photographer who takes the most exquisite pictures — whimsical, fresh, simple and modern yet soft and engaging with the most breathtaking sense of personality somehow captured in each picture. I am in the midst of creating an invitation for my daughter's second birthday that is graced with one of her gorgeous photos that I promise to post soon. Enjoy the logo for three tulips photography — and be sure to click to her site to see for yourself the gorgeous work that you too should commission from Alison!

stephen & meredith

These are gatefold invitations I designed for a bridal shower. My client, the groom's mother, wanted to include two adorable childhood photos of her son and soon-to-be daughter in law and created rhyming text to link the images with the invite. Since the shower is to be held at the beginning of spring, I decided to adorn the card with flowering trees and 'love-birds' perched within the branches. I housed the photos within chinoiserie-inspired pagoda 'bird cages' and used vibrant yet sophisticated spring colors. The centers of the flowers on the exterior of the card have a touch of hand-applied glitter for an extra sparkly touch. The invitations were printed on linen-finish paper to complete the chinoiserie look and feel.

Design-o-rama

A friend reached out to me to create invitations for her daughter's fourth birthday. Her daughter's favorite books are the 'Llama Llama...' series by Anna Dewdney (available here) and so together, they decided upon a llama theme. Children as well as adults are invited to the party; there will be a real live llama along with other animals from a mobile petting zoo, plenty of South American foods like empanadas and specialty cocktails! Their home will be decked out in papel picado banners which will add a festive Latin flair.
When designing this invitation, it was important for me to consider the perspective of my friend's daughter, a four year old adorable girl who, like many other four year old gals - loves deep pink and purple! She became part of the design process, going over the designs I submitted and selecting her favorites.
This brings me to the most important part of creating anything that I can be proud of — my process. I always begin by listening to my client and what their needs, wants, likes and dislikes are. Meeting in person is an advantage because I can often tell what styles, colors and ideas might appeal to them based on how they present themselves. Then I begin creating; usually a series of three to five differing design directions so that I can help the client really hone in on what they like. After this comes the selection of one design, and its refinement to a final version. Below are all of the initial designs I presented as well as the final, printed version.

this version was my favorite

the selected design before refining

the final printed version. the back was so much fun!

long lost circus

I have a few new items I will be posting soon but I have to wait until after the parties are held to post them. In the meantime, I have been organizing and archiving my files and came across this circus-themed invite from when my oldest turned two. It was inspired by a vintage circus poster that I love. The invites were long and skinny and mailed in chocolate brown envelopes from Paper Source. I can't believe how little Noah was and how much he has grown!

the design inspiration

envelopes from Paper Source

margaritas, mariachis & dinner

What better way to celebrate the engagement of a couple than to throw them a fiesta! My clients did just that, complete with live mariachis, mexican food and drink, and tables draped with colorful sarapes. This invitation captured the mexican flair and was folded accordion style to reveal the theme of the event panel by panel.  The font and graphics were kept simple until the actual invite page which has bright vibrant colors. Ai yai yai!

the 'invitacíon' closed

40 years later...

These invitations were for a surprise 40th wedding anniversary party that was being held at the exact same location, and on the same date as the happy couple's original wedding. To capture the feel of the elegant Bellevue Hotel and the wintry time of year, the colors were kept simple — an icy blue, white, a splash of coral — and the printing was on shimmery heavy card stock. A playfully cropped sepia toned photo from the wedding album keeps the elegant graphics from taking themselves too seriously.

Design details carried over to the back of the card