Parrott Design Tips for More Affordable Letterpress

January 18, 2010 // kristen // 3 replies

If you’re a bride or groom to be and would love to have gorgeous letterpress wedding invitations but think that they may be out of reach for your budget, then you’ll want to check out the “Tips for More Affordable Letterpress” post at Things are Better with a Parrott. Sarah shares a number of great tips that will allow you include letterpress stationery as a part of your special day in a more affordable way. Thanks for putting together this great resource, Sarah!

image from Parrott Design

Introducing Nonpareil Magazine

January 13, 2010 // kristen // 9 replies

You may have noticed that it’s been a little quiet over here lately, and I’ve been rather absent from my Twitterly duties over the past few weeks, too. Well, I’m so excited to be able to tell you why! Over the past few months, I’ve been toiling away with my partner in crime, Maddy from The Inspired Bride, on a huge, super secret project. The collaborative process has been an amazing experience, and we’re so happy and proud to announce our new online magazine, Nonpareil!

As Maddy has said, “Nonpareil is not just another wedding magazine with pretty imagery.” Yes, there will be plenty of gorgeous pictures for you to pore over (yay!), but our goal is to be a trusted friend and advisor as you’re planning your wedding or special event. We’ll be focusing on inspirational craft and do it yourself projects and tips and tricks that you can translate and customize for your special day, regardless of your budget or skill level.

The first issue will be launching very soon, and in the meantime you can bookmark us over at nonpareilmag.com and sign up for our mailing list for the latest news about the project. We’re on Twitter, too!

We are on the lookout for contributors for future issues, and invitations, stationery, and paper are an important part of what we’re doing, so if you’re interested in finding out more please feel free to contact us!

Bella Figura 2010 Letterpress Invitations

January 12, 2010 // kristen // 1 replies

Bella Figura recently released their 2010 letterpress wedding invitation collection, which includes over 60 new designs and features creations by so many fantastic designers and illustrators, including Jessica Hische, Erin Jang, Kamal, and many more. I’m drooling over, well, a lot of them, but one of my favorites is the oh so gorgeous Balsam Calligraphy invite featuring calligraphy by Patricia Mumau. Love!

A few more of my faves, though I could’ve included the entire collection here. It’s awesome!

images from Bella Figura

Paper Rosette Love

January 06, 2010 // kristen // 3 replies

Alright, so I’m going to be honest and admit that I’m not exactly sure what these are called — paper pinwheels, accordion fold circles, circular paper fans, paper rosettes? I’ve seen them referenced as all of these, but no matter what they’re called, they’re hot, they’re pretty, and they’re incredibly versatile. I love seeing the rosettes incorporated into everything from wedding decor to gift wrap and rubber stamping and holiday decorating projects. Here are a few of my favorites:

Clockwise, from top left:

* From the fabulous spirograph inspired wedding at Design*Sponge
* DIY wedding details at Style Me Pretty
* A winter holiday soiree at Snippet & Ink
* Posh Paperie’s paper pinwheel tutorial at Style Me Pretty
* Paper rosette details in this gorgeous floral arrangement by A. Hana Design at Once Wed
* Lovely gift packaging from Summer of Grey Likes Weddings at Style Me Pretty
* Paper rosette initial decorations from Cory and Chris’ wedding at Once Wed

Bonus! Paper Source has a downloadable PDF with instructions for making your own accordion folded paper rosettes. Check it out!

images from their respective owners

Carrotflower by Crystal Kluge

December 08, 2009 // kristen // 0 replies

Crystal Kluge continually amazes me with her calligraphy and font work, and my jaw just about hit the floor when I saw her newest, Carrotflower. The font itself is so fun and whimsical, drawn from one of Crystal’s most commonly used lettering styles, and it will work well in all sorts of projects, from invitations and announcements to paper craft and scrapbook projects.

The coordinating Carrotflower icon sets — Invitation, Christmas, and Celebration — are an absolute must see for stationery and wedding designers. These super sweet illustrative icons are just perfect for wedding invitations, holiday cards, and so many other paper goodies. The Carrotflower font and all of the icon sets are available in the Carrotflower Stationery Kit, and you can purchase them separately, as well.