My trip home this past weekend reminds me of one of the first personal stationery sets that I designed. It was a retirement gift for my step-father. While he was no longer going into the office every day, he planned to continue to conduct business and I wanted to make sure that he had handsome papergoods to do so!

This stationery set was very much inspired by the rustic countryside in which I grew up and were my step-father still lives — a place where mallard ducks, gorgeous old trees, horses and rolling hills abound! An etched illustration style immediately came to mind as the perfect way to portray these elements of the countryside. Classic cream paper paired with graphite ink began a classy and sophisticated palette. The chocolate brown, printed full bleed (that’s a fancy printing term for from one edge to the other) on the back of the letterhead, notecard and business card, lends some weight and masculinity to the set. The back flap of both the #10 envelope and the notecard envelope  (not pictured here) are printed with the return address and a complementary etched illustration — mallard duck standing and acorn, respectively. Check out more of Lupa & Pepi’s custom papergoods and let us know your stationery inspiration!

from left to right: me, Wolfgang Weingart, Hans Allemann

It might not look like it but this guy (above) is an incredibly influential graphic designer. The summer before my senior year of college, I was lucky enough to study with him at a typography workshop at Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. For those of you who don’t know, Wolfgang Weingart is the creator of New Wave aka Swiss Punk typography (trust me, it’s a big deal!).

The last evening of the workshop (as with most of the other evenings!) we all went out for drinks. But this time, Wolfgang joined us! At one point in the evening, Wolfgang was talking to Hans Allemann (another renowned graphic designer). With two of my graphic design idols in one place and with a little liquid courage, I interrupted to ask to have a photo taken with them. Out of nowhere, Wolfgang grabbed my camera and snapped a self portrait. I blurted out “I want to be in it….” and managed to squeeze myself into the frame. This photo (which is way better than any posed shot would have ever been!) is one of my prized possessions and has been in a frame on my desk ever since.

When Robin and Sarah from GATHER Events asked me to be a part of their rehearsal dinner styled photo shoot, I was excited. When they explained their concept to me, I was ecstatic! Basically they handed me this inspiration board:

I was immediately in love with the textures — grainy sand, thick cable knit blanket, smooth marshmallow-y desserts. Then I was enraptured by the colors — creamy white, hazy smoke from the fire against the gradient of the sunset. It felt sumptuous yet cozy, casual and inviting. Needless to say,  I was incredibly inspired!

The cable knit from the inspiration board lead to the hand-drawn envelope liner which is contrasted with a graphic interpretation of the sunset gradient on the invitation. Yarn from the cable knit is also referenced with the twirl-y flourishes that accent the text on both the invitation and the mailing address. The color palette includes warm tones on the invitation which is then placed into the smokey grey envelope.

The typographic elements and graphic sunset gradient featured on the invitation were echoed in the menu design. Drinks were skillfully concocted by Pharmacie and pizzas were baked in Urban Pie‘s mobile (yes, mobile!!) wood burning oven.

Given that we were on a beach, it only seemed natural for the guest book to take the form of a “message in a bottle”. We tweaked it slightly and called it “wisdom in a bottle” encouraging guests to give some words of advice to the soon-to-be-wed couple. To make it a little more authentic, Robin and Sarah burned the edges of the sign hanging on the glass jug to give it texture and lend a little bit of a smokey quality to it.

The favors — delicious “Pigments” by Petite Pig — are in a glass jar sealed with a cork and a tag that reads “Mint to be”.

Check out the entire shoot from this talented team assembled by GATHER Events and featured on 100 Layer Cake!
Photography: Heather Kincaid // Concept, Event Design, Florals, Production, Styling: GATHER Events // Furniture, Custom Napkins, Pillows, Styling: Borrowed Blu // Hair & Makeup: Tara Dowburd-Luftman // Pizza: Urban Pie // Favors: Petite Pig // Cocktails: Pharmacie

A few weeks ago my instagram feed was flooded with photos from a fabulous party announcing the grand opening of Oh, Hello Friend‘s brick & mortar store in Fullerton. On more than one occasion I was one of the gaggle gathered around their booth at craft fairs cooing over the well-curated vintage-style wares that were always displayed with originality and effortless flair. I knew their store would have the same flair and well-curated product with the only difference being I won’t have to wait until the next craft fair to pay them a visit!

Flash forward to the monthly Potluck Dinner/Craft Night that I do with a few friends who I met when I worked at Paper Source. When it was suggested to swap the craft portion of our March meet-up for a field trip to Oh, Hello Friend’s store — to say I was excited is an understatement!! Here are some photos from our field trip:

Gorgeous, big channel letters are lit up and welcome you into the store. Something about the style of this sign says “Bob Fosse” to me… anyone with me?

The store is set up in such a way that you feel this sense of discovery as you peek at every nook and cranny full of vintage finds. Needless to say, this feast for the eyes took quite awhile for our field trip crew to devour!

Not only is the merchandise impeccably curated, but the displays are effortless and sweet. I love how simple everyday things — clipboards, loafpans, berry baskets, muffin tins, etc. — are repurposed to display product.

The mini cupcake stands (left image, 2nd row, 2nd from left) kept taunting me! I picked them up and put it down about 20 times. I may have to go back and get them! These adorable handmade dolls by Imaginary Friend (right image) were displayed on a daybed surrounded by pillows and handmade tassel garland.

1. Heart-shaped sparklers — I’m thinking this might be part of a fun photo op at some point this (wedding!) year!

2. Mesh wire baskets popped up in several places around the store. With a few sizes to choose from, it was difficult to decide! I ended up with this one measuring approximately 9″ x 5-1/2″ x 3″.

3. A dala horse is a traditional carved, painted wooden horse that originates from Sweden. It reminds me of Solvang, a small town near where I’m getting married later this year. This dala horse is a magnet, perhaps we will get a real one when we are up there for our wedding weekend.

Here is our field trip crew posing with the incredibly sweet shop owner, Danni! From left to right: Ji of Blooms in the Air, Robert of Mahar Craft, Danni of Oh, Hello Friend, Me, and Rebecca of RebeccaBraverman.com.

Whether you hail from the O.C. or you make a field trip out of it like we did, here are the stats:
Oh, Hello Friend
122 North Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, California