Paper Guppy Inspiration

getting personal...

Before I started this blog, I had a lot of reference points - and I mean A LOT. Basically, I read quite a few blogs (we won't get into exact numbers). I follow blogs that range from wedding based to design in general to personal. Generally, I just lurk around and read them, never commenting etc. But after reading about the Mighty Summit that Maggie and a few others just hosted I was inspired to create my own life list - ahh the power of the internet.

I don't have 100 yet, but I figured I would post my first 30 or so to get started and then I'll continue to update it here. When I accomplish something, I'll blog about it and let you know. In looking back on my last few posts, I've started to go down a path where I'm just using this blog as a portfolio, which I'd like to do from time to time, but I'd also like it to be more a little more interesting :) 

So, here's my list so far....

1. have an invitation published in Martha Stewart Weddings

2. take singing lessons

3. become fluent in French

4. make my own chocolates for easter

5. visit an elephant sanctuary

6. learn enough about wine to actually know what I'm talking about (instead of just "this is yummy")

7. revamp our kitchen and bathroom

8. try 100 new cheeses

9. learn how to take great photos and not just fix ok ones in photoshop

10. volunteer

11. work on an invitation for someone famous

12. blog consistently

13. start an etsy shop full of cool projects that I've been meaning to do

14. make photo album books out of all of our digital photos

15. organize my music so it's not spread out over cd's and 3 computers

16. organize all of my invitation samples and extra papers in a way that I can do it consistently - instead of just 1 huge day

17. throw a fabulous party with all of the fun and cute details I regularly see on blogs and in Martha

18. take dance lessons

19. make dinner 5 nights in a row (and reheating left overs doesn't count)

20. take a vacation once a year (a real vacation too, not just a trip for a friend's wedding etc)

21. rent a house someplace fabulous with a group of friends

22. stand up straighter

23. have pretty hand writing

24. start sewing again - use all of the beautiful fabric I've already purchased

25. learn to kayak

26. try acupuncture

27. go whale watching in hawaii

28. own a vacation home

29. design an award winning stationery/identity package

30. know offhand what color someone is referring to when they say a pantone number

31. maintain a well manicured hand with pale pink polish

32. take a pilates class

33. play in roller derby game

34. have my own studio/retail space

35. own a koi pond

 

muslin bags? check!

Remember this post? Well it worked! We were able to letterpress on the front of the bag without a problem.

This wedding was a second marriage for Laura and John so they definitely wanted to include their children in the celebration. The invitation featured a nest with their five chicks and two birds on branches at the bottom. We also incorporated the birds and branches in with a custom monogram for the front of the pouch. The rest of the suite was kept fresh with varying paper and envelope colors.

images: The Paper Guppy

oh boy!

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working on a baby announcement (see - it's not just weddings over here at The Paper Guppy). The nursery was decorated with an animal silhouette pattern in shades of brown and blue. Since Michael is a Colorado native, we chose to go off of that pattern but we used Colorado animals instead. I love how it turned out - especially the envelope liner!

so exciting!

Working with Sydney and Chad was a treat in of itself - having their wedding and invitations featured in the Fall/Winter 2010 issue of Town & Country Weddings is definitely the icing on the cake! From the beginning Sydney had a clear idea of what she wanted her invitations to look like. We spent weeks developing mock-ups and exploring materials until we came to what I think (and I know they would agree!) was the perfect invitation. The end result was a chocolate brown silk book cover with the invitation mounted to the inside right panel. Then we wove a hand dyed hanah silk ribbon through to hold the enclosures on the left. The stunning calligraphy was the work of Melinda Mraz, a friend of Sydney's. I finished Mindy's custom monogram off with an illustration of two crossed vintage skis. This monogram appeared throughout their wedding stationery suite along with chunky snowflakes to carry on their winter wonderland theme.

A big thank you to Sydney and Chad for having such a fabulous vision for their wedding and invitations. And another thank you to Paige and CC of Colorado Wedding Company for making the connection!

the save the date:
the invitation: 
a few reception items (menu, program and thank you note):  

first image: scanned from Town & Country Wedding Fall/Winter 2010

all other images: The Paper Guppy (I'm still figuring out what works best for taking photos so bear with me as I try to get everything color correct etc.)

oh the places they've been

I have save the dates on my mind today and I thought I would share one of my favorites from this year. Paige and Jeff had a long history together so an accordion timeline seemed like a perfect fit. To get started Paige gave me the events and dates and from there I illustrated little icons. Then I finished off the design with custom flourishes. Finally, the front and back covers used some of their favorite quotes relating back to love and time.

images: The Paper Guppy