Cupid was here...

When your Bat Mitzvah is on Valentines Day and you're as sweet a girl as my client's daughter is, there is no other way to go than combining both celebrations into one theme that cupid would melt for!

The first step? Getting the excitement for the party going in full swing. Invitees received a show-stopping red foil bubble mailer that contained all the elements of the invitation.

Inside, a big, red heart-shaped box wrapped with a pink satin ribbon and a shimmery card.

Within the box were the invitations for: 1) the Bat Mitzvah ceremony on pink shimmery paper embellished with iridescent swarovski crystals, 2) the evening party on red shimmery paper with a custom logo — eve<3 — with all the event details, and 3) the rsvp card and envelope both on shimmer paper. The box liner was covered in the decorative icons that were used throughout, including the logo for the Mitzvah gal. It certainly set the tone for the day's events and celebrations that were as lovely as the family who hosted it all!

Invitation suite

Box interior with Mitzvah invitation on top

Swarovski crystals embellish the names of the Mitzvah gal and her parents

Front and back of Mitzvah invitation.

Party invitation contains the same decorative icons used throughout

A wedding suite for the trees

Think stylish outdoor fall wedding by a barn, a 'country-chic' affair with rustic handmade touches; a ceremony under a Kentucky Coffee Tree, and a bluegrass band playing at cocktail hour. That's what my client had in mind for her wedding and invitations — something that was unexpected, simple and elegant while free of frill and fuss.

Also high on the priority list was to use as little unnecessary paper as possible (i.e. no outer and inner envelopes, no tissue paper protecting the interior and no envelope liners). The final result was a self contained invitation that folded up to become the envelope itself.

A hand-drawn depiction of the Kentucky Coffee Tree under which the bride and groom are to be married
serves as the introduction to the invitation's theme.

Rsvp envelopes and cards were eliminated and replaced with a stamped postcard. Extraneous details were printed on individual flat cards that all fit nicely in a glasine sleeve affixed to the third panel.

A strip of wood grain washi tape keeps enclosures secure in the glasine sleeve.
Rsvp card is 100% recycled brown kraft paper.

The bride and groom's initials are carved into a heart on the trunk of the invitations tree. This icon, as well as a custom wood grain pattern was repeated throughout the invitation suite.

Brown kraft exterior labels are made from 100% recycled paper
and tie in with the enclosed rsvp card, also on recycled brown kraft.

Back of label repeats the wood grain pattern and the bride and groom's custom icon.

Type treatment details on the main/center panel.

High on style and charming sophistication, but low on carbon footprint (thanks to a streamlined format, recycled paper and printing by catprint.com who participates in carbon balanced printing) this invitation is country-chic, eco-fabulous and a nod to the lovely couple. (Swoon!)

B'nai Mitzvah in a Box

A client approached me to design an invitation for her childrens' B'nai Mitzvah (her son & daughter were having their respective Bar and Bat Mitzvah's together) that would generate excitement for the event through the element of surprise.

The idea of a boxed invitation suite was the perfect fit, not only does it feel like an unexpected 'package' in the mail, but it allows the sender to include more than just an invite, but a little pre-party gift as well!

Two fabulous kids, one fun and festive invitation, two delicious rock candy sticks and two terrific parents who have certainly generated a buzz (or a sugar high) for this momentous occasion!

Box exterior with label wrap that seals the contents.

Button string closure is green on one side and purple on the other.

Festively wrapped rock candy sticks in the theme colors
rest atop a liner that reinforces the type treatments used throughout.

the golden age

When one of our always-young-at-heart friends turned 40, we celebrated with an evening out for dinner, a joke gift of a very posh yet tongue-in-cheek cane from fashionablecanes.com and of course — a card made by me to go along with the gift. Thus, a gentleman's top-hat and our friend's initials (and credentials) with a retro vibe became the look and feel of the card. I whipped this up and really like how it turned out; feels sophisticated, yet playful and alludes nicely to the gift, occasion and the recipient.

Front of card.

Back of card.

Card back detail. Reads: May you always walk with happiness, style &
a little extra something in your step. Enjoy your not-so-little extra something!

enchanted forest

Joslyne B. Custom Designs invitation

It has been far too long since my last post, so now it is time to play catch-up. I'll start off with a fete fit for a fairy princess (a three year-old one at that) who wanted her birthday celebration to include her favorite things: pink, fairies, butterflies, and little woodland creatures. A shimmery pink and white invitation was sent out — inviting guests to an enchanted forest — featuring a flying fairy, some polka-dotted mushrooms and ethereal butterflies. The spirit of the theme was captured in all the little details of the party, from the food to the decorations, right down to the guest of honor.

birthday fairy

tables decorated with miniature trees i created

detail: shimmering bird perched in its moss nest

detail: woodland creatures frolic at the base of the tiny trees

another table

Guests were served treats that included 'forest twigs' (thin pretzel sticks), marshmallow mushrooms, pink pixie punch (lemonade with a little food coloring), and of course, chocolate cupcakes with pink strawberry frosting topped with a butterfly/flower stick.

marshmallow mushrooms

more marshmallows, dipped in chocolate

cupcake front

cupcake back

Miniscule pink giftboxes were scattered about the garden for the kids to find. Inside of each box were 'fairy berries' (Jelly Belly Raspberries and Blackberries) sealed shut with little owl stickers.

There were fairy wands to take home, a treat bag adorned with a custom sticker featuring the guest of honor as an enchanted woodland fairy, and picnic blankets in the shade to enjoy the wonderful puppet show put on by Puppets Pizzazz.

Joslyne B. Custom Designs favor bag sticker

Everything came out just right, and our little fairy princess definitely had an unforgettable day.

the midas touch

This invitation was created for a casual post-wedding brunch. Inspired by slightly moroccan/moorish designs, and a soft yet sophisticated palette with a modern edge, these invites are among my favorites. On her wedding day, the bride wore gold shoes; a little detail that I decided to carry through with hand-applied gold leaf dots on the front and backs of the invitation, in addition to the return-address labels... just a touch of luminous surprise.

the envelope liner features the newlywed's initials as well as a reverse of the color palette

the back of the invitation has one small quadrefoil in the center with the couple's initials.
some of the dots around the edge are the hand-applied gold leaf.

the ensemble.

my superhero

My youngest son's birthday is in July so many of his classmates cannot usually attend. This year was the last year they would all be together in preschool, so we decided to take advantage of a random half day to have his school buddies over BEFORE the school year ended for festivities at the end of the shortened day.

My rambuctious almost-five year old is obsessed with superheroes so that was the theme. We had a super-hero castle moonbounce, pizza, popsicles, ice cream, cake, a spiderman piñata, a superhero tatoo station, pin the cape on the superhero, and I also provided real capes and arm bands for each little guest. I bought bathing-suit fabric in primary colors and gold (doesn't fray when you cut it, so no sewing required) and cut the capes for each child. With a little fabric paint and some stencils, I managed to write their names on the back of their capes. Again, I spent more time having fun at the celebration than taking pictures, so here are a few pics of the invite and my two littlest ones modeling their capes.