Sunday, March 18, 2012

Watercolor bridal shower invitations


When given the task of sending out the bridal shower invitations for a good friend, I couldn't just go with store bought ones and miss an opportunity to showboat.  But not only that, it was a chance to design something without a client; I had free reign to do whatever I liked.  

Since I'm in the midst of several wedding related projects right now, I've been hitting the blogs hard, and came across this excellent tutorial from Oh So Beautiful Paper and put my own twist on it.  I loved the idea of doing something two sided.  It added so much style to what could have just been a simple card.  After painting the watercolor flowers (check the tutorial for how to), I grabbed a few of them from the back in Photoshop, and used them to adorn the front.  Using old typewriter font went along with the vintage feel of the whole thing, and the delicacy of the flowers was partnered with a simple script.  One learning was not to make the watercolor too light, or the scanner won't pick it up.  

They were printed out on Neenah 110lb Natural White Classic Crest paper, which is tough to cut by hand, fyi.  The envelopes are Laid Continental Blue, picked up from Paper Presentation.  Beautiful and classy, much like the bride before she is corrupted at the bachelorette party.  More pics below!




Monday, March 12, 2012

Signs of Spring

The early bloomers are popping up left and right, letting us know that Spring is finally just around the corner!  Though I am grateful for the incredibly warm winter we've had, the lack snow has actually made for nearly 5 straight months of gray.  And here you thought you avoided seasonal depression this year!

One Spring thing I've been waiting months for is the bloom of my orchid, which I received for my birthday last year.  It doesn't have a name because I'm not really into naming plants, but I love it like a like a child (I don't really know what loving a child is like).  I got so much joy out of watching each flower open last year that I'm psyched it's starting to bloom again.  I'm always amazed at watch a plant's life cycle, and seeing it bloom again is a sure sign that I haven't done anything to kill it.  Welcome Spring!

Hey girlfriend!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Philadelphia International Flower Show

The Philadelphia International Flower Show is totally where it's at for people who like literally anything flower related.  One part expo, one part county fair, and one part market, this event is a cocktail of color and inspiration.  Held in the enormous Philadelphia Convention Center, there seems to be an endless stretch of things to see, from 1000 square foot displays to tabletop flower arrangements.  20 year old prize winning cacti mingle with front yard gardens and botanical illustrations.  Unfortunately you're not allowed to walk into any of the displays, which takes a pretty high level of restraint. To say you're overstimulated is an understatement.    

Enough with the clever prose, it's time to get to the pictures.  I apologize upfront for the low quality; all the "mood lighting" actually makes the room fairly dark and it's incredibly crowded.  This is only a small sampling, click the link at the end to view the full album.  Feast your eyes...

A store window display in an old card catalog

A jungle scene composed entirely of pressed flowers!

Botanical illustration of an orchid puts my water colors to shame. 

I love this color palette of white, pink, and peach.
Indoor waterfall.  Probably the largest display in the show.
Magenta and orange orchids
Down the isle.
 See the rest of the photos here.