Vintage Stationery for a Lovely Bride (Papetarie vintage pentru o mireasa incantatoare).

Almost a year after her wedding Elena sent me these photos as she had promised and gave me permission to share them with you. Photo credit: cristianmereuta.

I made her invitations, table numbers and money envelopes/place cards.

She was one of those great-to-work-with brides who knew what they wanted yet gave m enough artistic freedom.

Her stationery has a story to tell, one I will always remember.
We started as usual with a discussion about her vision, a few inspiration pictures, then an initial design session I call "Sketches". Here are a few of my favorites.

And  my work table at the end of the day.

STEP 2 - FINE TUNING and FINAL CHOICE

STEP 3 - PRODUCTION

I couldn't find crochet lace that was delicate enough and looked vintage at the same time so I decides to take white lace and die it with watercolors.

FINISHED INVITATIONS:

A handmade dimensional envelope and vintage gold monogram wax seal completes this wonderful invitation.

The place cards and table numbers were made to match the invitation design.

How gorgeous does this table look?!

STATIONERY IN THE MAKING:

These money envelopes are actually hand-stamped, 8 stamps each (6 with the script background  2 with the corner flourishes  at least 10 minutes/envelope for this step only. Of course I could scan and print the design, which I did for a cheaper version, but the result is incomparable.

An almost finished version that I like even without the lace rosette.

Thank you, Elena, for the opportunity of working with you and for sharing your wedding day pictures with us.

Invitations for Spring-Summer Weddings - Work in Progress (Invitatii pentru nunti de primavara-vara in pregatire)

Emerald Ribbon is Back (S-a intors panglica smarald)

We have found a new supplier for this emerald ribbon so at least until it disappears again we are able to make these best selling green on green invitations.
I was extremely sad when I couldn'd make them especially since Emerald Green is Pantone color of the year.

How about red and green? I really love there 2 complementary colors together.

How about emerald and Ivory with a sophisticated lace addition?

Spring Cards (Felicitari de primavara)

Spring is definitely here and nothing can make me happier. Actually I can say March 1st is my favorite holiday. I like it even more than Christmas because it signifies the promise of the new season and the end of winter.
I hope the ladies who will receive these cards will feel part of the joy they were made with.

In sfarsit a venit primavara! As putea spune chiar ca 1 Martie e sarbatoarea mea preferata. Imi place mai mult decat Craciunul pentru ca aduce cu sine sfarsitu iernii si promisiunea unui nou anotimp. 
Sper ca doamenle care vor primi aceste felicitari sa simta putin din bucuria cu care au fost facute.

Green & Black (Verde si negru)

By the time green has come to fashion I am already tired of it. It is true I mostly worked with warmer or darker shades of green than the cool pastel shades the brides ask for 2013.
I liked playing with green and black combinations and, while the bride chose my signature large bow invitations, I prefer the other designs:

Pe cand a ajuns verdele la moda, eu m-am saturat de el. E drept ca am lucrat mai mult cu nuante calde sau intunecate de verde, nu cu nuantele reci si pastelate care mi se cer pentru 2013. 
Un proiect la care mi-a placut mult sa lucrez au fost aceste invitatii negru cu verde. Poate si pentru ca am facut prea multe inviattii cu funde mari, eu personal prefer toate cele 3 modele pe care mireasa nu le-a ales:

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A lovely spring design with a paper anemone accent and blue monograms.
Un model dragut, primavaratic, cu o anemona alba ca accent si monograme albastre.

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I love the elegance of this simple green knot-bow tied to the black card.
Imi place eleganta simpla data de acesta funda-nod pe fundalul negru.

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For some reason, this invitation gives me the impression of Celtic design.
Din oarecare motiv, invitatia urmatoare ma duce cu gandul la design celtic.

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And the final version that actually got into production:
Iata si modelul ales:

Art Journaling, A Love of Mine (Jurnalul de arta, una din placerile personale)

It is by now obvious that I like to mix materials textures, try out new mediums, products or techniques. Art journaling is one of the best ways I can do this.
I do have a private journal where I also write personal stuff, but normally I don't like to add words. These two pages are the last two I did for our "travelling sketchbooks" group, now on their way to Venice, Italy.

Jurnalele de arta sunt unul din cele mai bune moduri prin care imi pot manifesta placerea de combina materiale si texturi diverse, incercand totodata tehnici si produse noi.
Cu toate ca am un jurnal privat in care  scriu si anumite experiente personale, in general prefer sa nu adaug cuvinte in compozitie.
Acestea sunt ultimele doua pagini pe care le-am completat in cadrul grupului nostru de "caiete calatoare", acum in drum spre Venetia, Italia.

Time to Slow Down (E timpul sa o iau mai incet)

Last night as I was driving home I realized I was going slower than usual and didn't feel like going faster, so I pulled to the right and drove on at my convenient speed.
It was the second day I felt like leaving the studio early because I was tired.

All this can only mean one thing: it's time to give you the big news. We are expecting our second son at the end of April.
We haven't decided on a name yet and we are totally unprepared given my husband's shoulder surgery. We need to redecorate and get a new bed for Iona, extra car seat and all the other little things needed for a new family member.

On top of all this, I feel I need to slow down on my work. So, until further news I will no longer be taking new orders for custom design. My team can handle the production for existing design, and I will be around for communication as much as possible. I don't plan on taking a long maternity break and I am currently looking for a new studio space closer to home. But these are just plans and you never know when life has something different in store for you.

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De la Craciun ma tot pregatesc sa va spun marea veste, dar nu am gasit niciodata formula. Aseara insa, venind spre casa, am tras pe banda dreapta sa las sa treaca o masina care venea in spatele meu. Dupa ce a trecut am vazut ca avea un semn de incepator de vreo 15 cm diametru. Lasand la o parte restul detaliilor, se pare ca organismul meu imi spune ca trebuie sa o las mai moale cu munca, avand in vedere ca in putin peste 2 luni asteptam al doilea copil.

Asadar, incepand de azi nu voi mai lua comenzi pentru modele noi de invitatii. Colegii mei se pot descurca cu productia pentru modelele deja existente, iar eu voi fi disponibila pentru comunicare. Nu intentionez sa-mi iau un concediu prea lung, doar atat cat e nevoie, si sunt in cautarea unui spatiu mai aproape de casa pentru atelier, insa cum nu se stie ce-ti rezerva viata, prefer sa nu incurc pe nimeni.