What's in a Wedding Invitation?

This may seem pretty obvious to some, but I thought I would include a primer here for those that are preparing for their weddings and don't know where to start for invitations.
So, what does an invitation package include?

• The main invitation
• The reply card
• Envelopes for the above

That's it. I know, it doesn't seem like much. What about Save the Date cards, direction cards, and all that? All that other stuff is extra. So, if you're thinking about getting invitations done, you might do well to spend some time itemizing all the printed pieces you would like to have. It's always best to go to a stationer or a custom wedding invitation designer with a detailed list of what you want.

Here are some points to think on (some of these only apply if you are building your invitations from the ground up with a custom designer):
• Colors: which ones and how many? The more colors you use, the more it will cost)
• Size: 5 x 7, sqaure, accordian fold. Keep in mind that if you want inner and outer envelopes for your invitations, you are limited in size to 5x7 and 6" square.
• Theme: do you have a theme for your wedding, a Roman Holiday, garden party, Hawaiian Luau? You might want to get invitations that will reflect this theme.
• Printing Process: letterpress, offset or engraving?

It always helps to look around. Collect magazine clippings, or images from the web of invitations you like. Keep color swatches from fabrics or paint. The more thinking you do on your end, the more likely you will be to get exactly what you want.
See more wedding invitations here.

Artocracy

I found Artocracy.org through a subscription to Good Magazine (that my friend Kaz got me for Christmas). The artists are organized by "conceptual" art, "representational" art, and "photography". You have the option to buy a framed print, an unframed print, or you can download a PDF - how's that for accessible art? I really liked the above, by artist Glauce Cerveira

Tinlark Gallery

This weekend is the grand opening of Tinlark Gallery. I'm really excited to be going. It's in an awesome location (Crossroads of the World) in Los Angeles. I designed their website (although not their logo - which is really great). The website isn't up and running yet, but there is a splash page that will give you all the info about the show this weekend.

Artist Andrew Saftel

This is an artist I found while walking my dog past the Lowe Gallery in Santa Monica. Andrew Saftel makes these huge mixed media paintings. I love the colors he uses, and I love all the stuff that's going on in these paintings.

Stationery Show 2007

Since it's officially 2007, I'm now allowing myself to start planning for the National Stationery Show, coming up in May. Some of you might think it's a bit early to plan, but it takes me quite a while to figure everything out. I'm hoping to have lots of new stuff this year. Above is a sneak peak at some cards I am working on, based on fruit and vegetable labels.

Cooper Hewitt - Design Life Now

While in NYC over the holidays, we went to the Cooper Hewitt to see the Design Life Now exhibit. There was everything from NASA to Blik, and it was fabulous. The show runs until July 29th, and I highly recommend checking it out. The above photos are of the outside of the museum.

Added Links

I've added some resources in the right hand link list. There are wedding resources, blog lists, and a list of places to find Rosebud products. I'm hoping to expand the lists in the future, especially the wedding resources. If you have any suggestions, please send them along.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone! Today is my first official day of working on my own - yippee! Above is a photo of Toby, playing in the Buffalo, NY snow. I made a Toby calendar for my parents for Christmas, and this is the January image. I'm planning some changes for this blog, so stay tuned. I want to organize the links a bit better for all you brides out there looking for resources. I figured since I am an invitation designer, this would be a good place to list helpful links for brides-to-be. Hopefully I will have those up, along with some interesting new posts, in the next week or so.

Sea Creatures are Cool - Part 2

This book, The Octonauts, looks awesome. I first saw it at the aquarium in Vancouver's Stanley Park, but now I found their website. The illustrations are fantastic. Read all about the Octonauts here. I'm taking off for the East Coast tomorrow for some holiday revelry and whatnot. I'll be back again in January. Have a great holiday!

Zebra Bunny

I wanted to post a few more pictures of street art. Above is a zebra bunny - spotted in Santa Monica on Arizona Street, and some R's riding skateboards, also on Arizona. I'm not sure what any of these mean. Below, is a panda sticker, sometimes accompanied by a slug-like unicorn, and the happy cupcake - also a sticker.

Valentine Hearts

I'm skipping ahead a few months to February to feature these Valentine Hearts. I've just recently finished them. The design is foil stamped in hot pink onto light pink printed paper. The paper these are printed on is Crane's letterpress paper, and it is so soft, like fabric. The font that I used is called Balmoral, but I added more flourishes to the letters.

Rosebud Sale

The Rosebud Holiday Sale went really well - thanks to everyone who stopped by. And thanks to Harmony and The Bridal Bar who hosted the event. If you're a bride-to-be in the Los Angeles area, you should definitely check out this place. There are tons of references and ideas for your big day.

My Little Helper

Toby's been helping me tie ribbons for my Holiday Ornaments for the Rosebud Holiday Sale tomorrow. Actually, he prefers hiding his toys in the pile of ribbons. I imagine he'd be better at tying things if he had thumbs.

Sea Creatures are Cool

This is a new book from McSweeney's that my friend Kaz told me about. It's called Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid. A couple of years ago I made up a story about a clam named Fred who gets a job as a gardener at a palace run by a magical underwater sea goat named Ernesto. But I'm sure this book is more interesting. It promises to have squids, too, which is a bonus.