Take a splash into summer with a cool and colorful Helani letterpress wedding suite submitted by our friends at Kate’s Paperie – SoHo in New York City.  Our smock spencerian calligraphy font is always a winner and is used for the couple’s name and wedding venue lines – which adds to the whimsical feel.  Playful type and our robin’s egg ink really create the excitement for the wedding on the island of Turks + Caicos.  What really has us pepped is the sensational wash of robin’s egg on the envelope liner – we can close our eyes and see the sparkling and inviting crystal waters.  We think this invitation suite is spot on – and a perfect match to what we expect was a fabulous and unforgettable wedding celebration!

inks: robin’s egg + silver| fonts: graham + smock spencerian + engravers | paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress | corner rounding | liner: the sinclair pattern in robin’s egg| invite size: S8

You just might say we have a soft side for pastel ink colors letterpressed on our thick 2-ply bamboo paper-and you would be right.  Take a look at these elegant Engadine invitations submitted to us by our good friends at Salutations in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Softer hues have a way of looking peaceful and calm, without being over the top.  The highlight is of course the gorgeous folio offset printed on the interior and exterior in the coolest colors to keep things modern.  There is a real warmth seen throughout this suite and we adore it!

ink: sea mist + wisteria | fonts: smock harrison + graham | paper: 2-ply ivory | printing: letterpress | corner rounding | folio exterior: virelles pattern in wisteria | folio interior: pippen pattern in moss | invite size: 5.125 x 7.75

Are you ready for take off?  We bet these custom letterpress wedding invitations will make you swoon!  This whimsical set was submitted to us by our good friend, Darcy at Pearl Beach Paperie in Orlando, Florida.  The invitation is printed in an AMAZING combination of cherry and black inks.  The exterior of the folio is offset printed in cherry which adds to the romantic vibe!  You can see the couple’s passion for airplanes and even a bit of the couple’s personality in every piece.  This set features just about the cutest reply postcards we’ve ever seen!  The reply postcards ask guests if they’re ready for take off or grounded due to inclement weather -as the choices are to accept or decline.  These creative invitations let guests know that the wedding celebration will be filled with fun!

ink: cherry + black | fonts: submitted| custom artwork: submitted | paper: 2-ply ivory | printing: letterpress | folio exterior:custom pattern in cherry | folio interior: custom pattern in gold | liner: custom pattern in gold |invite size: 5.125 x 7.75 |

Check out this cool letterpress invitation customization made to our Chasseral design submitted by our wonderful friends at Write for You in Washington DC.  We’re so in love with the gorgeous hues and the way the falling vines in turquoise ink cascade down the invitation.  Changing the orientation of this invitation to landscape adds to the simple elegance of this truly remarkable invitation.

ink: turquoise| fonts: graham + cameron| paper: 2-ply ivory  | printing: letterpress | invite size: S7

We are so excited to share this amazing little video from the Urbanic Summer Social! Design Life Cinema shot this great footage, and we just love seeing all of our crafty guests picking their favorite Smock gift wrap & putting our DIY pinwheel project in motion!

Recently featured in Martha Stewart Weddings and showcased on their blog (here and here), we loved working on this stunning summer-inspired custom designed wedding suite with our friends at The Wedding Library. We chose bright and cheerful shades of red and aqua, inspired by a vintage handkerchief with a fun cherry motif. The end creation is bright, elegant and perfect for a summer wedding celebration. We designed and printed letterpress invitations, signage, table numbers, favor tags, and place cards, all perfectly coordinated for the vision of the event and showcasing our Smock Clermont calligraphy font. Another huge thank you to Claudia Hanlin for proposing this fantastic project – it was so much fun and a true honor.

Miette and I recently attended a fairy festival at a local perennial farm. It was our first, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect (aside from lots of little be-glittered girls). On arrival, Miette was slightly awe-struck. Once she got her bearings, in true fairy fashion, she became quite industrious — sprinkling water on ALL the flowers with her wand. For nearly an hour. Other fairy-day moments: watching a puppet show, chasing butterflies and kissing a frog (ok, more princess than fairy, but still). I daresay, by the end, we were both fairied out.

While my last post focused on a  ‘big’ summer event, this week I thought I would reflect on a small and frequent tradition of our family – the evening walk. The best thing about this tradition (besides its ease) is that it is completely mutable. There is no start and stop time. No map. No itinerary. Very few rules. The kids run and look and shout and wrestle. They point out little things they find interesting – bugs and balls and old coins. They ask questions. They chase the dog. They get tired out. And my husband and I just try to soak it all in. Because this time together seems like it may go by just as fast as their little legs…

Every summer there is an event that reminds me just why we moved to Wisconsin. It’s called the Fishoree and, as the name implies, its a fishing ‘competition’ for kids. (Competition in the sense that there are awards given for such categories as ‘cutest fish’.) It’s a favorite of ALL my boys as it involves worms, tangled line and consequent fish-tales. Oh yes, and a locally brewed beer for my husband (who needs it after dealing with the tangled lines.) Miette loves it as well. This year she spent the entire evening squealing “I wanna catch a beauty!” (As in….“what a beauty!”) And therein lies my focus of the evening – soaking up the sheer beauty of it all.

I adored camp as a child. The dusty cabins, the spirited counselors, the fireside songs — I ate it ALL up. So it was with great anticipation that I went as chaperone to my oldest’s camp this past month. My main role was as witness; witness to the constant (loud!) silliness, the new found independence, the occasional scraped knee and consequent (quickly wiped away) tears.

But I also got to participate in a few of my camp-time favorites — a treasure hunt, a hike in the woods and a visit to the canteen. Next year I am hitting the rope swing.