What happens when a visionary mommy gets together with some of the raddest stationers around? We get one of the most inspired stationery collaborations that I’ve seen in some time, not to mention hand lettered birth announcements that are out of this world awesome!

Here’s the story behind little Abraham’s birth announcements, complete with twists and turns and so many examples of the openness and collaborative nature that makes the stationery world so wonderful:

It all started when Abraham’s mommy had an idea. She envisioned a birth announcement that was as happy and hearty as her bouncy baby boy. Jo imagined a design with the seamless integration of multiple typefaces, including calligraphy and handwritten block-printing, which would in itself create the design.

This vision led to the exciting collaboration of the stationer Smudge Designs, Bella Figura Letterpress, and calligrapher/illustrator Patricia Mumau of Primele.

Jo, Abraham’s mother, began by talking with Julie and Joanna, the innovative mother-daughter duo of Smudge Designs. Smudge has a reputation for embracing a fresh and personal approach, specializing in the creation of custom personal stationery. Needless to say, Jo came to the right place. Smudge is passionate about tailoring to their customer’s exact style using only the finest materials and printing methods.

Wanting a birth announcement that was both hearty and playful, Julie and Joanna suggested working with the New York’s finest letterpress printer, Bella Figura. Nothing beats the luxurious chunky stock that can only be printed on using an Original Heidelberg machine. Jo was also imagining a design that was uniquely handwritten just for her: a design that couldn’t be put together by just anybody. Bella Figura, having connections to stationery designers and calligraphers all over the United States, was just the ticket.

Because the single design had to flawlessly incorporate multiple handwriting styles, there really was no better option then to bring into the project a professional hand-lettering illustrator. Bell Figura connected with Patricia Mumau, a contemporary calligrapher and illustrator. Patricia has been one of their wedding suite designers since 2010, creating their first design that was entirely custom hand calligraphy. Since then, Patricia has launched her own illustrated stationery line, Fawnsberg, which made its debut in 2011 and features the full-color illustration side of her work.

For this birth announcement, Patricia played with several types of hand writing styles, from her original Harrison Calligraphy, to creating a new, bold serif font with curls. The final product was a beautifully printed, entirely hand-drawn design finished in metallic blue foil and bright lime ink.

As you can see, all of the love and care that went into this project paid off. Jo had a birth announcement that was as bouncy, lively, fresh and playful as her son.

Story Credit : Rachel Mumau
Design Credit : Smudge Designs, Bella Figura & Patricia Mumau of Primele

image from Patricia Mumau