Sneak Peek! Elegant Peacock: a hand-illustrated wedding invitation

There seems to be a pretty strong trend in the wedding world of using peacock feathers as part of wedding decor as well as using one of nature's most elegant color combinations. Brides the world over are inspired by the rich jewel tones of the male peacock's finery and his majestic silhouette.

If you follow me on Instagram you may remember this pic, taken of some drawings I was working on.

Well, that peacock had been living inside my head for months. I had this vision for a peacock "themed" wedding invitation that was different than any I'd seen before but the problem was trying to get it from my head onto the computer without it looking cheesy. So I collected a bunch of peacock images to give me some ideas for composition and to get the details right.

[I'm working on source references now, hold tight!]

After the initial sketch, I used some tracing paper to clean up and further develop the illustration finally ending with finished drawing which I outlined using a fine point Sharpie. Using the magic of my scanner and Adobe Illustrator my sketch was in the computer and ready for "design-ification."

After some awesome community-suggested tweaks, Elegant Peacock was on it's way to an Editor's Pick. Woooo hoooo!

There is that little green star again!

While the full invitation suite hasn't launched quite yet, here's a sneak peek at what the whole thing will look like. 

While I anxiously await the launch of my Elegant Peacock invitation suite, I know there will be a whole collection of other amazing wedding designs to come. You can get a sneak peek of the other selected designs at the winner's page on Minted right now.



While this post contains some Affiliate links, I am really just super excited to show you the fruits of my hard work! If I make a little commission from some shopping via these links I'll consider it a generous bonus. Thanks for reading!

Modern Belle: a classy letterpress invitation

I am super excited to announce that one of my design entries for the first-ever letterpress wedding invitation challenge at Minted was chosen to be part of the Spring 2014 line!

Check it out! (I love that little green star.)

Living in the South (North Carolina is in "the South," right?) I know how the Southern ladies love their bright colors and fun patterns. I wanted to create a wedding invitation suite that would appeal to the "Southern Belle" that was at once classy and fun in a modern and not too sweet kind of way. In the end, I was inspired by the ever-popular chevron motif and challenged myself to create an invitation that would appeal to both the bride planning a breezy beach wedding as well as the bride planning a wedding on a sumptuous Southern plantation.

My vision looks a little like this inspiration board.

[sources here]

I've been working on the remaining elements of the suite, trying to keep it classy but still integrate the fun chevrons in each element. This is where I ended up.

The suite will be available in one, two and three-color versions giving you the ability to choose each color you'd like from Minted's palette of letterpress inks.

Cyber Monday Deals at Minted.com

If you haven't ordered your holiday cards yet, now is the time! Minted is offering 15% off AND free shipping on all holiday cards. If you're in the market for stationery gift items or art prints for those stylish friends and relatives of yours EVERYTHING else on the site is 25% off.

If you have a photo in mind for you cards, use the Minted’s Find It Fast function and see your photo in every holiday card design on the site. It makes picking your design much easier (or is it harder when everything looks good?). Use the code CYBER2013 for your holiday card discount.

Not into that "traditional" family holiday card thing? Try a card featuring your favorite furry friend. I hear pets are the new kids. ;)

If your pet wont pose in antlers in real life, they'll be happy to wear them on a card in this Reinpet design.

Don't forget mom, there is a ton of stylish, pretty and modern stationery available too! Use the code MON25 for maximum savings!

Try Chic Stripes or one of the other awesome designs available!

Something Old, Something New Wedding Invitation Challenge

Is open for voting! This challenge focused on designing for different cultures, religions and traditions. There are a ton of great submissions that will allow for brides and grooms around the world to find the perfect invitation for their event. Go now, and let your rating finger do the talking.


wedding invitations - Lucky Horseshoe

wedding invitations - A Comic Book Love Story

wedding invitations - Sales Pitch

wedding invitations - Coral Beach

Head Over Heels Wedding Invitation Challenge

Is open for voting! There are many brilliant designs to rate, everything from the perfect rustic barn wedding invitation to clean and modern ones perfect for a wedding in a science museum. Go now, and let your opinion be known.


wedding invitations - Seaglass Floral

wedding invitations - Bistro Board
wedding invitations - Graphic Photo
wedding invitations - Certified Wed

Love Under the Stars

Is there anything more romantic than a night under the stars with the one you love? I'm not convinced that there is.

When I sat down to create wedding invitations for the Happily Ever After challenge over at Minted, I started thinking of romantic scenes and how those would translate to wedding stationery. Vintage constellation maps fit perfectly and the idea behind Star Map was born.

If you're not sure how to incorporate more celestial beauty into your wedding let this inspiration board be your starting point.


[ 1. Starlette Crown by giant dwarf 2. Starry night sky reception by Preston Bailey 3. Midnight Blue Sunstone Gold Necklace by friedasophie 4. Reading the Stars cross stitch by MiniatureRhino 5. Star Cluster NGC 290 from HubbleSite 6. tent under stars by Lissy Elle via Gypsy Girl Guide 7. liberty star and t-bar ballet flats from ASOS ]

Still want more starry goodness? Check out these great links:

-Decorate with easy DIY paper stars, tutorial from Annekata
-Sign a night-themed print with white ink for a unique guest book and art combo, Yearning Soul print by Andres Kal
-Gold star sparklers for the perfect reception getaway from Tops Malibu
-Line the aisle with glittered paper stars - Martha
-Wish upon a star wedding band set by BethCyrWeddings

Black + White

How about an inspiration board to start off the day? Inspired by my Vintage Ornament wedding invitation (available at Minted) bold black and white graphic elements make for a modern black-tie event full of personality.

[ 1. houndstooth dress photo by Veronika of ticktockvintage.blogspot.com 2. woman in dress, photo by Regina Relang, found via Schupman Collection 3. white bouquet Martha Stewart 4. martini by Martha Stewart via Ritzy Bee 5. lace cake from Real Simple 6. zebra photo by alles-sclumpf on flickr 7. Brandon Flowers for GQ ]

Minted Editor's Picks!

Holy smokes! In the last two challenges I've entered at Minted I've somehow managed to win 4 Editor's Pick awards. Not only am I totally shocked but also super excited! It's nice to feel like my hard work is paying off and for the opportunity to get my name out there and make some dough.

My first Editor's Pick came from my only entry in the minibook card challenge. I wanted to enter something in the challenge and see what it was like to work with the minibook format but I was at a total loss as what to do. Then I got my weekly Etsy email and they featured a ton of items all using triangles. I thought, "Gosh, I like triangles but I've never really done anything with them, I'll see what I come up with and submit it to this challenge." So I did. My design ended up reminding me a lot of all the stained glass windows here in England so that's what I called it.

I submitted it thinking I'd never win with it but was happy to have completed the "assignment" I'd given myself. Low and behold ... I get the results email from voting and my design is listed on there. What? While it didn't score very high (there were so many kick-ass designs!) someone saw some merit in it and I'm not going to argue!

Here's the design I submitted:

The design bones aren't bad but that color palette is all over the place.

Now here is the version for sale on Minted:

A vast improvement in color palette and much more striking with the bold navy blue background.

Indigo Prints

I've been steadily submitting stationery designs to (now defunct) Indigo Prints for a few months and have been lucky enough to have the designs below selected for sale on their site:

baby

personal stationery

holiday

party invitation

Indigo Prints is set to launch very soon so keep a look out!

Client Spotlight: Bindu + Michael

I'm not going to lie, I like to photo-blog stalk my clients. (Is that creepy?)

So imagine my excitement when I discovered that one of my best client's wedding photos were posted! She picked an amazing photography studio to capture her wedding day and I am honored to have been a teeny tiny part of it. (Remember this post?)

Behold the wonders of Lyon, France, 13:13 Boutique Wedding Photography and Bindu's exceptional style!

Go check out the rest of their photos and start dreaming of your own French country-side wedding!

Client Spotlight: Jen + Jimmy

Last winter I was approached by a co-worker of my husband's to design and print the invitations for his December wedding. Their wedding took place in a charming chapel in Pensacola, Florida with the reception at a local art museum.

After a bunch of design ideas they decided on a grey damask design with a cobalt blue frame and accents.


I am sorry I don't have pictures of the actual invitations, the job ended up becoming a last minute deal and I mailed them off while they were still hot from the printer.

They actually moved to England when we did and have become great friends. Thanks Jimmy and Jen!

Minted: It's time to VOTE - Breakout Wedding Design challenge

So click the links and vote (or rate) away!

Obviously I want to get all fives, but I cannot control what you pick. However, if you follow this blog there is a good chance you like how I design so I'm guessing you'll vote in my favor. But if you just like me and pretend to like my work (mom, this better not be you) maybe you can give me sympathy points for the shameless pimping I've been doing for this contest?

Even if it's not mine, please reward hard work and a great aesthetic.


Wedding Invitations - Berry Wreath

Wedding Invitations - Yellow Rosette of Texas

Wedding Invitations - Whale Love

Wedding Re-Do

Back in November, a friend and I went shopping for evening dresses. We were on a quest for long dresses and I wanted color. After every department store we could find we went to White House Black Market. (Why we didn't go there first. I'm not sure.)

Immediately, my friend found a great slim, long black dress with beautiful painted white flowers along the whole length of the side. While she was trying it on, the sales ladies were unpacking boxes of merchandise that had just arrived that day. One of the sales associates brought a beautiful red rose patterned, satin gown, out to show the other employees. I had to try it on!!

It was gorgeous but well out of my budget for this event. I didn't buy it (it's out of stock online) but I still find myself thinking about it and have a saved search for it in eBay.

Getting to the point ...

While perusing the WH BM website today I stumbled across the same gown in ivory!

I wish I could have another wedding. I'd do many things different (but I'd keep the same groom) and one of those things would be to wear this dress! I cannot express how madly in love with it I am.
How about a two-year anniversary vow renewal? Sigh. If any of you wear this for your wedding, can you show me the pictures? I'm happy to live vicariously through someone else!

Minted: Breakout Wedding Design

I have submitted three designs for the Minted Breakout Wedding Challenge and I would love your feedback and critique no matter how harsh!

Berry Wreath

Whale Love

Yellow Rosette of Texas

Client Spotlight: B's Wedding Invitations

Here I am sitting in our TLF (temporary living facility) while hubs is off doing stuff with his new squadron. Upon checking my email I see I've gotten an email from one of my favorite clients, B.

Before the insanity of the holiday season started I finished up an invitation design suite for her. You may recall her save-the-date postcards from earlier in 2009. Well, today she sent pictures of the final printed and assembled invitation! They look FANTASTIC so I just have to share.

To start the design process I asked her to describe the overall feel that she was looking for. Her answer was:

"French tea salon ... lovely chandeliers, wood panels, warm and cozy light, beautiful pastries, macaroons and other yummy things lined up on the shelves and counters, tea and hot chocolate served in wonderfully detailed tea cups."

She added that Ladurée's (of Paris macaroon fame) packaging embodied exactly the kind of look she wanted to go for.

[image source: some like it haute]

[source: beyond the pale]

Umm, how perfect is that for a spring-time French château wedding? I was psyched to get started on designs! After a bunch of concepts and revisions this became the final design.

B used Catprint.com and had them print everything on their 107lb shimmer cardstock. The paper punch she found in Hong Kong on a trip. The pocketfolders and envelopes are from paperandmore.com.