A purple-themed picnic

Picture 1 Check out this picnic-themed inspiration shoot featured on the Southern Weddings blog! We created all the paper products to go with the floral theme.

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See all the photos here.

Photos by Larissa Cleveland.

Equestrian Wedding

6-creative-wedding-invitations We were incredibly honored when photographer Larissa Cleveland and planner Shannon Leahy asked us to participate in an equestrian themed photo shoot at the stunning Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto.

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We created invitations, reply cards, place cards, programs, and pony ride tickets complete with horseshoe motifs, gingham patterns and classic fonts.

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Vintage prize show ribbons added to the rustic theme.

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Even the cake used horseshoes as decoration!

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See more photos at Snippet & Ink (thanks Kathryn!), as well as a list of participating vendors.

Stellar results with vintage tools

IMG_4379 Our friends over at Dependable Letterpress recently created this amazing perpetual calendar as a promotional piece for their fantastic print shop. With clever sayings like "what goes around comes around" and "you can achieve stellar results with vintage tools" this piece shows off the beauty of letterpress while also keeping the days of the week straight until 2036! Want your own? A limited number are available on their etsy site here.

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Dayna & Ian's Eco-Friendly Wedding

vintage-3-piece-suit-men-wedding7 We are swooning over Dayna & Eric's adorable eco-friendly wedding in Orlando, Florida - all the earthy and homespun details tie together beautifully...

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They used our Home Sweet Home invitation set - we love how perfectly it suits the look of their wedding...it's always such a thrill to see how our clients integrate our work into their big day...

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Cuteness abounds!  See all the details and hear the whole story at Ruffled...

National Stationery Show: Best of the best, part 3

IMG_5386 Rounding out our favorites from NSS is this cheeky lightbulb from Fugu Fugu Press. We were also smitten with the clever illustrations from The Great Lakes:

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Last but not least, fun birthday wishes from Two Trick Pony:

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If you missed our earlier round up of favorites, you can find them here and here.

National Stationery Show: Best of the best, part 2

IMG_5409 Continuing with our favorite items from NSS, the above card from A. Favorite really appeals to our inner design geek, while this print (below) from Old School Stationers inspires us to turn off the computer and head straight for the kitchen!

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Ink and Wit cards and tea towels feature Tara's adorable animal illustrations.

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Along the same theme, we are coveting these animals from Enormous Champion something fierce!

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National Stationery Show: Best of the best

IMG_5317 Even though Rifle Paper Co is all over the blog-o-sphere, we couldn't resist posting about their debut at NSS. Adorable illustrations and hand lettering adorn cards, prints, stationery, and the super covet-able recipe box (above), complete with recipe cards, below (it will be available on their website soon).

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We also loved the hilarious cards from our friends at Blue Barnhouse...

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...and the beautiful fabric wraps (for wrapping gifts!) from Chewing the Cud.

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Stay tuned for more of our favorites!

National Stationery Show: Our friends & neighbors

IMG_5455 At this years National Stationery Show, we were honored and excited to participate in a booth community with three of our favorite designers - Egg Press, Hammerpress and EIEIO. Besides the camaraderie, treats and gossip, their work was incredibly inspiring! We especially loved the bus thank you card (above), gift wrap and calender (below) from Egg Press.

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Fellow letterpress printers Hammerpress had some fantastic new journals, calenders and cards:

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EIEIO had some great new wrapping paper, but unfortunately, we don't have any photos! Check it out here.

Real Wedding: Lily and Andrew

lilyandandrew_veritephotography023 Did you see Lily and Andrew's breathtaking wine country wedding on Style Me Pretty? Can you say gorgeous? We worked with the bride and groom to create all their paper products - from the save the dates to the place cards, and everything in between. Inspired by our Classic Cowboy, Heartland and Biltmore wedding designs, we created a unique suite that fit their rustic chic theme perfectly.

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The wedding was a true family affair. Andrew's cousin Jocelyn Arelt was their wedding planner, and  Andrew's aunt, Valerie Arelt, did all the flowers!

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The wedding and reception took place in the Sonoma Valley, at Lily's parents ranch. It was 106 that day! The ceremony took place in the middle of an oak grove.

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Guests enjoyed dinner catered by the Jimtown store in a Zephyr tent.

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Lily wore a Monique Lhuillier dress and Andrew donned a Thomas Pink suit.

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Many, many congrats to Lily and Andrew!!!

All photographs by Verite Photography. For more stunning images, please click here.

Bits, Glorious Bits!

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We're always on the lookout for fabulous details that might be used to add little touches of flair to wedding or party design.

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We came across The Gilded Bee via the lovely Head vs. Heart.  This adorable little shop has a selection of bits'n'bobs that would be a perfect addition to favors, cake décor, or...we're sure there are a multitude of uses to be had! Love this bit of ruffle...

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Handy little tags!

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Butterflies in a myriad of colors...all available here!

We Heart Donna Wilson!

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Scottish designer Donna Wilson is one of our new faves. We are endlessly inspired and amused by her fabulous homewares, quirky dolls, and handpainted ceramic dogs!

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As avid knitters, we love her wonderful knitted creatures - this here is Rosie who, apparently, likes ladybirds and rainbow beetles, dislikes being on her own.

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The guy on the right (above) is Harry Hairy Head.  He likes Roller Discos and Cherry Cola.  Hilarious!

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We are seriously coveting this knitted pouf too!

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Some of her housewares...we want them all!   Check out her blog , Leaves and Twigs for more!

Ring pillow

1509lucky-8066 Yet another (!) fabulous element from Eunice and Daniel's wedding was this handmade ring pillow. Designed by Eunice & Tricia Roush of House of Nines Design, this ring pillow can be yours!  Read on for complete how-to instructions...

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In addition to the pillow, Tricia also made the cockades for the groomsmen. Learn more about Tricia and her impressive millinery skills here, and visit her etsy site here.

Pin-tucked Ring Pillow How-to Guide

This linen ring pillow is decorated with pin tucks and a narrow pleated edge. We used seam tape, an inexpensive, delicate ribbon that is available in a range of pretty colors, for the edging and to tie the rings onto the pillow.

You'll Need

Materials (Makes 1 ring pillow)

1/4 yard linen 1/4 yard medium-weight quilting cotton in a light, solid color (no patterns) 1 bag fiberfill 3 yards 1/2" seam tape or ribbon, or 1 yard pre-pleated edge trim 1 yard 1/8" seam tape or ribbon Thread to match the linen

Tools

Quilting ruler Rotary cutter Sewing machine, and/or sewing needle Steam iron Scissors Straight pins Light colored tailor's chalk or chalk pen, like the Clover Pen-Style Chaco Liner Circle template with a 1" circle (optional)

How to: 1. Make the pillow insert. It's important to make a pillow insert to ensure that the lumps in the fiberfill don't show through the fabric of your finished product.

Using your rotary cutter, cut 2 squares of medium-weight cotton measuring 8.25" x 8.25." This will result an insert that is 7.75" x 7.75", for an 8" x 8" ring pillow (1/2" is used for a seam allowance). If you would like your ring pillow to be a different size, use the following formula: Canvas insert = Finished size + 1/4". Ring pillow = Finished size +1/2".

On the wrong side of one of the pieces, using the ruler and chalk, mark a line at 1/4" in from each of the edges. You have drawn a square, centered on the fabric, that measures 7.75" square. Using the circle template and chalk, round off the corners of the chalk square. If you don't have a circle template, try using a round household item, such as a jar lid. Layer the 2 squares one on top of the other, wrong side out. Starting about two inches in from one of the corners, sew using a running stitch on the chalk line, at 1/4" in from the edge along 3 sides plus about two inches at either end of the fourth side, leaving a gap in the center of the fourth side wide enough to slip your hand into. You can do this using a sewing machine, or by hand. Tie a knot and cut the thread. Cut off the excess fabric at the corners in a rounded shape to parallel the seam, leaving 1/4" for seam allowance. Turn right side out. Gather a handful of fiberfill. Pull apart to smooth out any lumps. Gently stuff into the pillow insert, using enough fiberfill to get a padded, but not overstuffed shape. Sew the open side shut using a ladder stitch.

2. Make the ring pillowcase top. Using your rotary cutter, cut 1 rectangle of linen measuring 8.5" x 12.5". To make the pin tucks (Figure 1): Lay the rectangle out in front of you, right (exterior) side up, with the long edges running from side to side. Starting at 2.5" from the left side edge, using the ruler and chalk, mark 16 vertical lines on the linen from top to bottom, every half inch. Starting with the first two chalk lines on the left, fold the linen matching the first line to the second, with the ridge of the tuck sticking out on the right (exterior) side. Pin in place and sew from top to bottom along the joined chalk lines with a running stitch, and iron the tuck toward the left edge of the pillow. Repeat this process with the third and fourth chalk line, and so on across the face of the pillow top until you have created 8 tucks. The pillow top should now measure 8.5" square.

On the wrong side of the pillow top piece, using the ruler and chalk, mark a line at 1/4" in from each of the edges. You have drawn a square, centered on the fabric, that measures 8" square. Using the circle template and chalk, round off the corners of the chalk square. If you don't have a circle template, try using a round household item, such as a jar lid.

3. Make the pleated edging. Lay out your 1/2" seam tape and starting from one end, measure 1/2" to the right, make a mark. From there measure 1/4" over & mark. Measure 1/2" from there, mark, move another 1/4", mark. See the pattern? You're making a series of 1/2" and 1/4" wide sections. Keep going until you reach the end.

Once all the pleats are marked, snip at each mark (a very tiny snip, needless to say). Fold the first pleat by pinching together the two sides of the first 1/2" segment and folding it down to the right so that the fold meets up with the next 1/4" mark. Stitch in place. Continue along, holding each pleat in place while you sew it down. You can also pin all the pleats down first and then run them through the sewing machine.

To save time, pre-pleated edging may be used instead.

4. Make the ring pillowcase bottom and attach the edging. Using your rotary cutter, cut 1 square of linen measuring 8.5" x 8.5."

On the right (exterior) side of the pillowcase bottom piece, using the ruler and chalk, mark a line at 1/4" in from each of the edges. You have drawn a square, centered on the fabric, that measures 8" square. Using the circle template and chalk, round off the corners of the chalk square. If you don't have a circle template, try using a round household item, such as a jar lid.

Lay the pillowcase bottom in front of you, right (exterior) side up. Place one end of the edging along one edge of the fabric, with the edging's sewn edge facing toward the outer edge of the fabric, and the ruffled edge facing the center of the pillow. The stitch line on the edging should be positioned at 1/8" in from the edge of the fabric. Leaving a 'tail' of about edging about 1" long free at the beginning, sew the edging to the pillow bottom all the way around, following the rounded corners as you go, stopping when you are about 1" before the place where the beginning and end of the edging will overlap. If sewing by machine, remove the piece from the machine and cut the thread ends off. To create a seamless look to the place where the edging joins, cut off any excess from the beginning and end of the edging, leaving 1/2" extra on for overlap. Where the two ends meet, fold the overlap over so that the join is covered and hidden in the fold. Iron lightly and pin in place. Sew the remainder of the edging down as before, joining the beginning and end as you attach them to the pillowcase bottom. Remove the pin, tie off and cut off thread ends.

5. Complete the ring pillowcase. Layer the 2 squares one on top of the other, wrong side out. Starting about two inches in from one of the corners on a side without pin tucks, sew using a running stitch on the chalk line, at 1/4" in from the edge along 3 sides plus about 2 inches at either end of the fourth side, leaving a gap in the center of the fourth side wide enough to slip your hand into. You can do this using a sewing machine, or by hand. You'll be sewing through both layers of the pillowcase, plus the pleated edging near its sewn edge. Tie a knot and cut the thread. Cut off the excess linen at the corners in a rounded shape to parallel the seam, leaving 1/4" for seam allowance. Turn right side out. The pleated edging should form a ruffle around the outside seam of the pillow. Fold the raw edges of the gap along the chalk lines (1/4" in from the edge), and gently press the folds flat with the iron to set them in place. Slip the pillowcase over the canvas pillow insert. Using the sewing needle and a slip stitch, stitch the gap closed. Tie a small, neat knot and cut the thread. Brush off any chalk that still shows on the pillow.

Cut two pieces of the 1/8" ribbon about 1 foot long each, and using a small, neat stitch and knot, attach them near their centers to the center of the ring pillow top.

Download the template here.