wrap the walls

If we owned our home, I would definitely consider putting wallpaper in a (small) room or two. Something unique and unexpected, like these patterns from Anthropologie, with fun names like Mansfield Court, Topsy-Turvey, and Lady of the Manor. Cranesbill Castle is my favorite.

Cranesbill Castle

Mansfield Court

Topsy-Turvy

Lady Of The Manor

Are You Being Served

Blazing Poppies

Anthropologie wallpapers

oh hello there

I feel as though I have been gone forever from this little blog of mine. Where have I been? Here's a small glimpse of what has consumed my life for what seems like the past two months.

Those are envelopes. From my wedding invitations. For the last two months, I have been designing, debating, prepping, printing, cutting, coloring, assembling, addressing, sealing, and stamping over 200 invitations... all. by. hand.

Phew! The best part is that they are now done and mailed and we are steadily receiving RSVPs! And the wonderful compliments I've received on how great the invitations are have made all the stress, hard work, and long sleepless nights that went into making them totally worth it.

I can't wait to share them with you!

a glimpse...

...of the Save the Dates that were sent out back in February.

I designed, printed and assembled them myself.* I received numerous compliments on them, which of course made me feel good, but what was most gratifying was that I was able to create. It was satisfying to see an idea become tangible and to be able to make the first glimpse of our wedding with my own hands.

*Thanks, Mom, for cutting envelope liners!

image by me

C'est Magnifique!

Who knew I could get so excited about wallpaper, but I saw this on Anthropologie and my heart went a-flutter. I want to cover a whole wall... nay, a whole room in it!

C'est Magnifique wallpaper from Anthropologie

letterpress love

I finally experienced the pure joy of letterpress printing this past Saturday, and fell in love! I took a letterpress workshop with my mother offered by a local press shop and learned how to print on an antique C&P letterpress. We had a great time learning about the craft and printing our own project. There's a lot that goes into creating a letterpress piece, and I now have such a better appreciation for the time-honored tradition. I'm certainly looking to incorporate letterpress into the wedding in some factor. I'm smitten with it.

composing the lead type, letter by letter

printing on the press

our finished product--a beautiful, deep impression

Letterpress Workshop at Railway Station Press in Alexandria, VA. More on letterpress here.

images by me

I'm a winner!

I'm super excited to have won my first blog giveaway! Especially since the prize is 50 free fabulous Save The Date cards from Minted.com! A big thank you to Sarah at Classic Bride for hosting the giveaway!!

Minted.com has so many great options, I had a hard time choosing which design to go with. Some of my faves:

Thanks again to Classic Bride and Minted.com!

amazing

These paper sculptures by artist Jen Stark are just incredible! It's all hand-cut paper!

all images from Jen Stark

dear sir

I admire the couture correspondence of Mr. Boddington's Studio.

How clever is that last calling card?

it's mine

I'd like to hang this print on my wall for a little daily dose of motivation.

The World is Your Oyster print by The Love Shop, via Paper n' Stitch

monkey greetings

How cute are these sock monkey greeting cards by Hello! Lucky letterpress? Thanks to Paper Crave for featuring these adorable designs. I love them! Especially Monkey on Safari...

cards/photos by Hello! Lucky, found via Paper Crave