Letter Love: Paper Cuts by Sabeena Karnik

Boy, am I glad it is Friday! Here are just a couple amazing samples of Sabenna Karnik Paper Typography. Check out her whole alphabet here. I love when I randomly stumble across work like this! It made my day.

Inspiration Overload: Andrea Joseph

I sketch everyday and draw letters all the time, but I don't really draw enough anymore. At least that is my gut reaction when I see Andrea Joseph's work. The invite above for Andrea's sketch group in the UK has all the touches of fine art; a charcoal gradient hat, marker lines and fantastic organic handwriting, yet it still feels like an effective piece of design. Oh, how I miss drawing like this (and making it work commercially).

My favorite pieces of Andrea's are obviously the ones that combine her whimsical illustration skills with beautiful and creative text, like the "chips" above. But, all her work is stunning.

New Design: Lynn & James Big Sky Wedding

I was thrilled beyond words when Lynn and James contacted me about designing their destination wedding invitations. They are getting married in an intimate outdoor ceremony in Big Sky, Montana.  While I have never been to Big Sky (and trust me when I say I keep throwing out hints to my husband to take me there), I think it might be the most romantic place in the world. Can you imagine getting married there! How AMAZING is that??? 

Lynn and James really wanted to highlight the massive size of Lone Peak Mountain and the gorgeous wildflowers that grow during Montana summers. We decided on an elongated invitation to really enhance the landscape, and had fun with textures by mixing a natural linen paper with both offset and thermography printing.

Hope you enjoy!

New Design: Brooke & Adriel's Lacey Save the Date

Thankfully the sun listened to my blog rant yesterday, and I was able to capture some great photos this afternoon.

I have to admit that Brooke and Adriel's Save the Date is one of my recent favorites. Brooke came to me with a bold, modern, and slightly edgy idea for her letterpress save the dates. She had a vision of a black and white design with organic lace details to mimic the lace theme that would be a part of her big day. For the lace illustration, I asked Brooke to scan the lace from her veil (which was originally her mothers). It was important to both of us that the design was an accurate representation of the vintage chantilly lace, and I adore the sentimental value that was added by tracing the family heirloom. The organic edges add a playful element to the formal save the date.

To add a touch of drama we opted for a black envelope, and finalized the design with a custom wrap around label.

I can't wait to share the entire wedding suite in a few months. (I will let you in on a little secret - there are even more awesome details!)

 

©2012 All images are the property of Chena Design

Sunshine Day

Sunshine, you know I love snow but please kick the clouds to the curb. Come on, I need you! Pretty please come out tomorrow, I need to photograph new work, and I am old school and like to photography with natural light. I will never take advantage of you again, I promise :)

Sorry for the rant but I have LOTS of new work I want to share. In the meantime, admire this beautiful sunny poster from etsy printed in neon CMY with a K frame. ADORE!

Inspiration Overload: Gold Printing

Happy Friday! 2012 is off to a great start. I have so many fun and exciting projects in the works. A lot my clients have started asking for foil and metallic printing, which makes my heart smile. Metallics, especially gold, are a HUGE trend right now, plus they are really fun to use in design. Below are a few "golden" inspirations for your weekend.

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Gold Letterpress on cotton paper always gives a soft metallic feel. Love the type here!

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The hexagon shape of this gold menu is spectacular. 

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This invite is one of my recent favorites. The combination of gold foil printing, colored paper, confetti, stickers and hand drawn type is an invitation dream come true. 

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I am just waiting for the day when one of my clients wants custom coasters for an event. I love the simplicity of these gold and black ones. Perfect for a sophisticated soiree.

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Fun, simple, playful. It's the confetti – I think I love it!

New Design: Annie & Marc's Classic Destination Wedding

Annie wanted invitations that were classic and sophisticated, but definitely NOT stuffy since she was tying the knot near the beach. Her December destination wedding took place in South Florida where she grew up visiting her grandmother. Her wedding invitations are simple, carefree and "beachy" to mimic her happy childhood memories and the love that Marc (her amazing groom) and her share. The modern font, bluish grey ink, custom monogram and letterpress printing all combined to create Annie and Marc's perfect suite. 

Annie & Marc's custom monogram

The full invitation suite that includes invitation, response card, accommodation card (and not pictured, stationery, and printed envelopes with liners).

 Their fun and playful save the date taken in Austin, Texas where the couple lives.

Ceremony Programs with Custom Monogram

The rehearsal dinner invites mimic the invitation suite with font and monogram, but dive head first into the beach theme. These were digitally printed on linen paper, with colored envelopes and custom labels designed to match. 

I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed working with this couple!

 

Looking Back on New Design: Liz & Darren's Wedding Invitations

I have already shared some of the details (here and here) from Liz & Darren's glamorous October nuptials, so I figure it is about time to share their invitation suite. 

When Liz approached me about designing all the paper goods for her wedding she already had a well thought out and elegant vision for her big day. She wanted everything about her wedding (from her invitations to the lighting at the ceremony) to mimic a classic, "old world" style. 

The invitations are printed with gold thermography which actually shimmers in certain angles (even though the picture probably don't do it enough justice) on ivory paper that is mounted to a deep purple sparkle paper. The intricate scroll design seen throughout the invitation suite became a consistent design element for the entire wedding.  

 

The purple paper continued to add a little sparkle as an envelope liner and belly band. 

The full suite consisted of the invitation, printed outer envelope with liner, response card with printed envelope, accommodations card and thank you stationery with a custom one letter monogram. 

Liz really wanted a custom monogram, but knew it wouldn't fit into her invitation vision. So, we created a one letter monogram of her married last name to use on her thank you stationery. Liz also used the monogram on cookies for out of town guests, and her lighting designer made a custom "globe" that projected her monogram on the dance floor during the reception. How cool is that?!?

Liz and Darren were an absolute pleasure to work with. I am thrilled with the outcome of all the design, and wish this lovely and gracious couple a lifetime of happiness.

Welcome 2012!!!

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I hope each of you had an amazing holiday season and a very happy New Year.

2011 was a whirlwind of changes: Chena (my stationery and design studio) officially became a small business, Reid and I bought our first place, Reid passed the bar exam, and we adopted an adorable little puppy. I am so grateful for everything that happened in the past 12 months, but I am ready for 2012 to be in full swing. I hope the next year allows me to continue to build Chena and enjoy all the changes from 2011. I know it will be a year filled with a lot of hard work, but by the end of next year it will all be worth it.

A few of my 2012 resolutions for the design side of my life are:
1. Continue to expand the company through marketing and referrals
2. Actually organize my home office (which may mean moving it to a new part of the house)
3. Get my stationery and design published on at least two of my favorite blogs
4. Rebuild my website so it is easy to update and can include an online store

The last few months of 2011 were crazy busy and I fell a bit behind in posting about my work. The next few posts on Tailored will be looking back at some work from 2011.

Hope you enjoy!