Real Wedding: Stacy and Adam

Sometimes wedding themes tend to get lost in an accumulation of decor, furniture, venue, etc, but this real wedding featured on Green Wedding Shoes is consistently lovely. Inspired by the fashion brand Free People, the bride and groom put together a delicate and whimsical outdoor event, fit with all the right details. A blend of feminine and bohemian style with neutral colors created a casual vibe, but we love how the quirky details make it so unique. Stacy and Adam, along with their wedding planners Sitting in a Tree Events, hit the nail on the head with their Free People wedding.

The couple chose our Cross Stitch wedding invitation, designed by Susy Jack, in a soft champagne and charcoal color combination. It matched well with the bridesmaids cream gowns and the overall decor.

The dream catchers were a nice touch, adding a fun textural element to the place settings. We love the retro place mats, too!

Congratulations Stacy and Adam! To view more photos, head over to Green Wedding Shoes.

Photos by Studio Castillero

New from Susy Jack*

Have you heard the news? Susy Jack* just released her new Foodie line of kitchen products and it's simply delectable! We were seriously impressed with her display at the National Stationery Show and since the big debut her new collection has been a huge success (not surprised!). Susy continues to out-do herself with brilliant patterns and modern materials so it's safe to say we were quite pleased to hear she was catering to us food lovers.

This is just one of many patterns among her new collection. Inspired by broken mosaic and Delf dishes, Susy has a natural way of giving fresh faces to old ideas. That tea towel is basically frame-worthy! Below is a snapshot she took of her booth at the NSS. Simple and stunning.

Do you recognize this design? Susy recreated her work from the Bohemian save the date into a set of recipe cards. Now wouldn't that make a delicious wedding gift?!

Check out Susy Jack*s entire shop here!

The Best of NSS, Part 3

There was so much good work at NSS this year that it was hard to keep it to just two posts. So here is my third and final post, but really I could have done about three more! Rose from The Great Lakes Goods always has a strong showing and this year was no exception (above and below).

Newcomer Pei Designs featured some super cute illustrations - all letterpressed (above and below)!

Our buddy Susy (from Susy Jack) really knocked it out of the park this year with her awesome recipes boxes, paperweights and calendars (above and below).

Do you recognize the feather illustration?

The always amazing Rifle Paper debuted these ridiculously adorable cocktail coasters:

Fawnsberg is run by two sisters, and features sweet illustrations on their cards and rubber stamps (above and below).

Finally, Atlanta-based Alee and Press really nailed it with their ombre style:

Whew! It was a great show and I loved checking out all the beautiful new work. Let us know in the comments if you discovered anyone new and amazing at the show this year!

New Susy Jack* for Hello!Lucky Wedding

 One of the things we take pride in most here at Hello!Lucky is our enthusiasm for working with talented artists and designers aside from our own. Combining forces with brilliant minds gives us a great pleasure, and there is no shortage of brilliant minds out there. As you saw this past holiday season, we paired up with 16 various artists around the world for our curated custom holiday collection, and it was quite a hit. Not only were we exposed to the extraordinary design skills of our favorite illustrators, but their designs were made available for our customers to enjoy. Since the holiday collection launched last year, we knew we were in the midst of some potential lifetime friends, one being the insanely gifted Susy Jack*. Her classic patterns and bold color palettes make up the perfect combination for a modern wedding invitation, and we're here to bring you just that! Six brand new, completely exclusive, letterpress and flat printed wedding invitations, save the dates, and day-of stationery, all for you!

Bohemian (above)

Meet Susy Jack*. A lover of textiles and paper, Susy's career took flight after her collection on Etsy made a splash in the design world. Now, you'll find her paper products and home accessories in stores all over the world. We asked Susy a few questions about her new wedding suite for Hello!Lucky:

What was your inspiration for this collection? 

My inspiration for this collection was to bring my most-loved motifs from decorative arts into a fresh, inviting, welcoming and stylish new place. I grew up in a house full of vintage and antique items. I was surrounded by decorative objects and they were a huge influence on my own creativity. I thought that exploring the place where art and craftsmanship meet, and combining that with a modern approach to style, was a great starting point for a wedding collection.

What was your process like?

My process is actually very mental--I spend a lot of time thinking before I get down to work. Often I'll perceive what I want something to look like before it even hits paper. I don't do a whole lot of sketching outwardly but in my mind. I sketch all day and play with ideas. Usually my sketchbooks are more filled with words than drawings; when I sit down to work, I often have words in mind instead of images. I'll want something to evoke humor, or love, or happiness or a combination of emotions and ideas.

 Cross Stitch

                       "Each suite is like a mini-collection, which I hope the bride will see as her very own."

 Daisy

     "I love overlapping patterns, and the idea of using a different pattern for each piece in the suite is so much fun." 

 Duchesse

 What usually sparks a design idea for you?

I'm an inspiration omnivore, which helps when you live in the middle of New York City. Usually an idea is sparked by browsing a flea market, museum or other place that's full of textural objects from bygone days but I also love the latest fashion and art. I try to get out and about and take in a lot of the real world: what people are wearing, what exhibits are happening. I love looking closely at something and figuring out what exactly it is that I like about it or what makes me interested in it. Then I start to work on my own new ideas. It's always amazing to see how looking closely, paying attention and being in the moment can make things come to life, creatively. It can be difficult to remember to stop and actually look more closely at something for a quiet, thoughtful moment, see it in all it's dimensions, experience it. I love doing that. It's always worth the time.

Feathers

"It's always amazing to see how looking closely, paying attention and being in the moment can make things come to life, creatively."

Tropic

To view the entire Susy Jack* collection and read more about her inspiration, click here!

 Photos by Edyta Szyszlo

Featuring Susy Jack* and Giveaway!

Today we're thrilled to feature the magnificent Susy Jack*! Susan Connor is the magic force behind the name, and works as a triple threat as designer, artist, and author/editor of the blog Hey Susy. Currently living and working in New York City, her inspiration comes from textiles, fashion, art, and sometimes from the hardware store. If you browse through her shop, you will be stunned at her collection of beautiful patterned pieces and office accessories. We love that she can turn her talent from product design into crazy cool holiday cards! Check out her collection here!

What inspired your design for the holiday collection?

My designs were inspired by the sweetness and wit of making up your own holiday traditions. Around here, our holidays are never very cookie-cutter, but they have a lot of heart. I started with the "Make Merry" mittens design, and the "Do You See What I See" glasses cards...which I thought expressed the idea of holiday DIY in a really fun way, and the other ideas grew from there.

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I'm taking a big step with my line, and launching into some new categories, which my customers have been asking about for a while. It's exciting. Not only am I really happy with the way the new product development is coming along, I'm also looking forward to a website relaunch, which will offer a better shopping experience, and an expanded view into my creative work, for my customers. These are a couple of big upgrades that I've been dreaming about for a long time, and it feels like the right time to put them out there.

What influences your style the most?

My style is most influenced by the idea of combining everyday iconic elements we all recognize - like a bow, or a clothespin - with motifs and ideas that are a little unexpected, a little luxurious. I love an item that has wit, fun, and style all at once - that, for me, is a winning combination.

What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Well, it's probably the Holiday Walk. We live in the middle of Manhattan, and it's very loud most of the year. The winter holidays are always strangely calm, and people seem to slow down and get dreamy. I love being stuffed full from a great holiday meal, putting on my mittens and giant puffer coat, pocketing a flask of eggnog, and venturing out to walk Central Park with my boy. We will often stop for Chinese on the way back. The cold air on my cheeks, the quiet joy in the air, and the spirit of another year gone by, and a new one on it's way always put me in a thoughtful, serene, and happy state of mind that is quite unique to the holidays.

Best holiday memory?

I have been blessed with a lot of happy holiday memories...too many to pick a true favorite. But, I will say the one thing that stands out is a tradition in my family. We would always get spindly trees -- probably because we weren't moneyed, but my mom and dad would tell me it was so the ornaments showed up better. We had a LOT of ornaments. Our ornaments were mainly vintage - typical Woolworth's 1940's glass - from my Mom's family in Schenectady - it is a miracle many of them survive. Each year, it was a joy to unwrap them and take them from their old cardboard boxes, and ancient cotton batting....and put them up on the tree one by one. Each one was like an old friend, and we would always discuss which ones were our favorites and why. My mom would always save one for the very end - a tiny silver glass elephant rearing up on his hind legs, trunk curling up. And he would go right under the star - at the tip top of the tree. He was special. I think about those glass ornaments - the lights playing off them, the faint smell of pine, and our little tree, completely weighted down with shimmery ornaments, in our creaky, drafty, weird wooden house. It was storybook in a strange way - and truly a memory that I cherish.

To enter to win a $100 gift certificate to Hello!Lucky (which you could use to order SusyJack* holiday cards!) head over to Susan’s blog here where she’ll be hosting a giveaway. And to get a free download of gift tags inspired by SusyJack*s designs, head over to How About Orange to print! Good luck!

**A winner has been chosen! Thanks for participating!**