I jumped at the opportunity to combine other materials with traditional paper for this project. I proposed backing the card with a piece of frosted vinyl. The card would seemingly floated on the vinyl, which created this translucent frame around the message. Something modern, something frosty and wintery, yet also an element that would give the card a presence. My client’s branding includes brackets, so I complimented the back with a pattern of brackets. A custom return address rubber stamp combined with gorgeous hand-written calligraphy on rich navy envelopes (wish I’d had a photo to show you!) really completed this mailing. The best part was hearing that we achieved the wow! factor we were shooting for!

I was delighted to show my stationery work at HER Nashville’s Bridal Brunch this past Sunday.  We had an excellent turnout at Vanderbilt’s Commodore Ballroom and I am pleased as punch – or, should I say, mimosas!  It was such fun meeting with lovely brides-to-be (and their attentive grooms-to-be) as we chatted stationery needs and paper goods in a lively, brunch atmosphere.  I also had fun seeing which pieces caught the most attention – hello, lined envelopes & save the date postcards!  A highlight for attendees was the fashion show, featuring gown trends for Spring 2011 (ruffles! ruffles! ruffles!).  And a highlight for Design in August was not one, but TWO Studio Giveaways!  Brides entered to win either a set of custom thank you notes OR a custom return address rubber stamp.  I will be announcing the two lovely winners tomorrow.  Thanks, HER Nashville for hosting a can’t-miss brunch.  Cheers!

Stay tuned on Wednesday when I will announce the two winners of my Studio Giveaway!  Could it be you?!

I am proud to announce that Design in August will be showing at Nashville’s Bridal Brunch: A Toast to Wedding Style this January 9th!  Bridal Brunch is a champagne social featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, a bridal fashion show and the chance to mix & mingle with some of Nashville’s most elite wedding vendors.  It’s a one-stop shop to help you plan your perfect wedding.  And Design in August will be there to showcase custom stationery design.  I’m so excited!  Yet another opportunity to meet more of Nashville’s beautiful brides and chat wedding stationery & ephemera all in the setting of a boutique bridal show.  So gather your moms, your gals, & even your man, and join us for a lovely Sunday Brunch on January 9th.  See you there!

Photography from last year’s Bridal Brunch event.

• It’s an actual party for couples to experience what their wedding day can be like.  Instead of visiting 30-40 vendors in an 8×8 space at bridal shows, see 16 carefully selected vendors in action.
• Enjoy a swanky night out at the Noah Liff Opera Center from 6:30–9:30 p.m.  It’s a fairly new event venue with modern & stylish sensibility. (Follow the link – isn’t it fabulous?!)
• Design in August will be the featured custom invitations designer!  I will be on hand to show samples and chat about my design services for your custom design needs.  You will also get to see my designs in action, as I will be providing all the custom paper goods for the party.
• Savor delicious hors d’oeuvres and scrumptious desserts while enjoying Little Black Dress cocktails (with stir sticks designed by yours truly!) and local brews with music by a live band.  Bring your dancing shoes!
• If you register by this Wednesday, save 50% on your ticket by using the promo code “ABGRevue” offered by Ashley’s Bride Guide here in Nashville.  Register here.
  

Each $10 ticket includes dinner, dessert and dancing PLUS an entry into a drawing for a Grand Prize worth over $5,000 from top-shelf Nashville wedding vendors!  That’s three zeroes… and a big chunk saved from your overall wedding budget.  The Grand Prize Package includes a groom’s cake, bridal portrait session, custom thank you cards (by Design in August), rehearsal dinner planning, bar service, discount on customized draping, videography goodies, limousine transportation, and {much much} more.  See a complete list of bridal vendors at the Little Black Dress Revue vendor page.

Remember, if you register by Wednesday, November 3rd, save 50% on your ticket by using the promo code “ABGRevue” brought to you by Ashley’s Bride Guide.  Register here. That’s two for the price of one!  Talk about affordable date night.  Groom can’t make it?  Get your gal pals together for a Girls’ Night out!  See you there!

Photography via the Noah Liff Opera Center.

I stumbled across this original “Chuckle Map” of Tennessee by Bill Dyer that dates back to 1949.  Those who know us well, know that Mr. G and I met each other Lindy Hopping in Asheville, NC.  So a piece that incorporated all things Tennessee with a vintage 40′s voice was just about perfect.  The map determined the horizontal shape of the piece, while I added our own text to the welcome sign on the cover flap.  Matching the feel of the “Chuckle Map” illustrations, a handsome 40s-style reporter of “The Nashville Observer” voices our latest news with hep cat lingo of his era on the inside.  A string of twine and a western star-printed belly band wrap it up oh-so pretty, while each of the 184 envelopes was addressed with a printed label to match.

Vintage style Nashville hospitality. A little army of announcements about to inundate the mail system!I adore the little scenes of the “Chuckle Map” – especially this sleepy fisherman and the lady archer.Each envelope dressed up with a printed “brown paper bag” label. I had a custom return address stamp made to match the print.  Economical solution to printed envelopes!Hep Cat Reporter from “The Nashville Observer.”  You dig, Daddy-O?Mr. G and me: Lindy Hop Love.Tennessee is officially the “Nation’s Most Interesting State” – didn’t y’all know?

With a background in advertising and design, I use the elements of design as tools to communicate a brand message.  I approach stationery design in the same way.  All of the paper goods leading up to and experienced during a wedding, a charity gala, or other social gathering, are all tools used to communicate a cohesive brand message – your message!

Once the tone and look of our own wedding was set by our invitation suite, these pieces followed.  A program for our wedding liturgy, Escort Cards leading guests to tables named after various swing greats of the 30s & 40s, a lunch Menu at each place setting, and personal Thank You cards to mail guests after our event.

Special thanks to Tim Harman for our wedding day photography!

The paper goods throughout the weekend carried the look of our invitation suite.

A program for guests included the wedding liturgy and as well as details regarding the reception location.

This little vintage wedding couple also appeared on our RSVP postcards!

Did I mention that these Candy Apple Red bridesmaid dresses inspired the color of our printed pieces?

Each guest arrived to our reception to find their Escort Cards standing up on wine corks.  Many took theirs home as a memento!Tables named after the Greats of the Swing Era.

Menus placed at each setting.

Don’t you love how playful hand drawn calligraphy can be?  I adore the “M” in Menu.

Perhaps my favorite piece: Kids’ Menu complete with vintage mustached Chef!  Vintage toys also waited for each young guest.

Completing the entire paper collection:  Thank You notes to mail our guests, also featuring calligraphy script.

Aside from the fact that I got to be my own client, the creative process behind this suite was truly unique in that I was able to collaborate with another artist.  Josie Wolfe of Calligraphy by Josie provided the most central design elements – the main invitation is entirely done by Josie’s hand!  Several key phrases of the other pieces in the suite were also drawn by her hand – Kindly Respond, Dinner & Desserts, Reception and so on – all held together in a textured red pocket folder.  I love the original flourishes and slight irregularities that characterize hand drawn calligraphy.  There is a warmth and elegant tradition to the art.  And best of all, the result is one of a kind!  Coupled with a traditional serif font, accents of an art deco typeface, and little vintage icons, the result conveyed the 1930s -1940s inspired feel the Mr. & I were hoping to achieve.  Josie’s penmanship on the outer envelope finished off the suite.

Hand drawn calligraphy conveys the warmth and traditional elegance of a bygone era.

Icons with a vintage feel convey the content of each supporting card: Directions, Reception, and a pre-wedding Party.

A textured red pocket folder held together event details and the RSVP postcard.

Key phrases in hand drawn calligraphy on each card accent the main invitation.

A hand drawn Map on the back of the Directions card complimented the hand drawn feel of calligraphy.

RSVP postcards offered a spot for guests to write a personal message.  To this day we have held onto these as a keepsake!

Like the old tradition of blessing a new sea-worthy vessel for her maiden voyage, I feel compelled to raise a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut and *smash* it against my desk as I say, “Bon Voyage!” to this inaugural blog post.  But rather than waste a perfectly lovely bottle of the French bubbly (and risk flooding my Mac), instead perhaps I’ll pour myself a flute and raise it to you, my new readers and dear friends.  Thank you for your love and support and encouragement.  I’m excited about this journey into the blogosphere, as well as sharing my most recent and precious projects with you!  A bit of brand design, a bit of stationery, a bit of inspiration, and the occasional peek into my studio.  Cheers to the future of DesignInAugust.com!