White Butterfly and Beads Invitation (Invitatie cu Fluturi Albi si Margelute)

This is one of my first designs but I still love it so much that I decide to show it you again with a few improvements and additional stationery.

{RO}  Acesta este unul din primele mele modele de invitatii, dar imi place asa de mult incat am decis sa vi-l arat din nou, de data acesta cu cateva imbunatari si accesorii asortate pe care le-am facut anul trecut.

The initial design didn't have the wax seal, but I thought it would bring an extra element of interest, plus you can make it your own by customizing the wax seal. I would probably still go with the simple envelope for a christening invitation.
I also changed the initial plain envelopes with higher quality ribbed ones.

{RO}  Modelul initial nu avea sigiliul de ceara roz, insa mi se pare ca-i aduce un plus de farmec. Probabil pentru un botez as prefera plicul fara sigiliu.
De asemenea am inlocuit  plicurile cu unele de calitate superioara si o textura fina cu dungulite.

Matching table numbers. 

{RO}  Numere de masa asortate.

The table plan was my labor of love. It was also hard to pack and ship to England, but it was well worth the effort in the end.

{RO} Cel mai mult m-a solocitat acest plan al asezarii invitatilor la mese. A fost greu si de ambalat pentru a-l trimite in Anglia, dar in final a meritat efortul.

And I also have a special place in my heart for these programs which feature my own pen and ink drawing of the church where the wedding took place.

{RO} Aceste programe ale ceremoniei religioase sunt speciale pentru mine, deoarece am realizat chiar eu schita bisericii cu cerneala si penita.

Pink and Lilac Butterfly Invitation

Happy new year everyone.
I know I said I'm taking a break from posting, but I'm full of fresh new year energy and my little one has given me back my working nights. Oh, I can't explain enough what a joy this is! Does that make me workaholic?

Anyway, one of my goals for 2016 is to process a new design every week and post it in my Etsy Shop my website, and social media so I thought I could take an extra 10 minutes to update this blog as well.

I am getting a lot of request for this color combination, maybe with the addition of silver for wedding invitations.
What are your colors for spring 2016?

Spring Flowers and Butterfly (Flori de primavara si fluturas)

Another busy week in the studio finishing and delivering orders in time.
I wish I had another self who could keep you updated on what we are making, but since all of me has to be there in order to ensure everything is perfect, there is little energy left for blog posts.

However, I thought I could show you this invitation. It is very dear to me, although the bride ended up choosing a more  modern design (the one with a big satin bow in the picture below).

Gata sarbatorile! E a doua saptamana plina cu comenzi urgente de livrat, asa ca mai toata energia mi-o consum la atelier asigurandu-ma ca totul e perfect si la timp. Mi-ar placea sa am un al doilea eu care sa va tina la curent cu toate proiectele, dar cum sunt singura imi este imposibil sa fac asta macar de departe.

Invitatia acesta imi e tare draga, cu toate ca mireasa a optat pentru un model mai modern (cel cu funda mare de saten). Ma face sa ma gandesc la caldura, la campuri de lavanda, la o petrecere intima intr-o dupa-masa frumoasa de vara.

 A slightly different version with white flower.

(O versiune usor diferita cu floare alba).

Dragonfly Wedding Invitations (Invitatii de nunta cu libelule)

With winter just knocking at the door, our studio is already buzzing with dragonflies, butterflies, ladybugs bright colors and spring weddings.

I remember like it was yesterday a time just like this, 2 years ago designing Elena's wedding invitations.

She starded with a dark Tim Burton theme, but for some reason she decided to turn 180 degrees and pick a sunny color palette, sunflowers maybe even animated with dragonflies and ladybugs,

Modele create cu darg pentru Elena, care, in urma cu 2 ani pe vremea aceasta isi dorea niste invitatii stil Tim Burton. Apoi s-a gandit la ceva mai vesel cu floarea soarelui, mamarute si libebule.

First attempt (after the sunflowers and ladybugs have been discarded as well. I love the simplicity and purity of this DL card in a white envelope. Maybe add extra matching cards for the reception information, map, RSVP.

Iata primele modele de invitatii, dupa ce am renuntat la floarea soarelui si la mamarute. Imi place simplitatea si puritatea acestui model format standard (DL) intr-un plic alb. Se pot adauga la nevoie carduri de receptie, harti, carduri de raspuns in acelasi ton.

Add a box for a more sophisticated look or keep the simplicity of the envelope but mix your card colors.

Pentru nunti mai sofisticate invitatiile se pot pune si in cutii...

Sau pentru un aspect mai vesel putem face cardurile de mai multe culori.

Another favorite of mine. Yellow card with a yellow bow that somehow reminds me of the dragonfly's shape.

O preferata de-a mea: galben pe galben, iar funda aminteste de forma libelulei.

Or maybe you prefer more contrast.

In the end Elena preferred the large bows from my original round gatefold designs:

In cele din urma Elena a preferat fundele mari, renuntand complet la conceptul libelulei, dandu-mi ocazia sa-mi intregesc colectia cu aceste minunate combinatii de culori calde.

So here it is: "The Yellow Dragonfly Collection".
I still have to show you Elena's finished invitations, but that has to be left for another post as this one is already too long.

Acesta a fost colectia "Galben si Libelule". Mai trebuie sa va arat invitatiile Elenei finalizate, insa voi lasa asta pe data viitoare ca deja m-am lungit prea mult.

Dusty Rose and Silver Butterfly Wedding Invitations

Scratching the surface on last year invitation designs as promised.
Looking at these delicate invitations makes me smile with delight. I guess I was too busy to enjoy them last year when they were made.

Dusty rose was a very popular color and I am seeing lots of silver and greys along with it this year.

Flutter by Butterfly

You have seen this butterfly invitation before. I am posting it again today just because I love the photo. I came about taking it while working on the Touch of vintage invitation I posted yesterday. I was so pleased with how soft and delicate this picture looked I decided to show it to you.

Hooray for getting to know my camera, one year after purchasing a beginner photography course! I am finally conformable with using custom white balance (I know it is actually called differently). I still haven't switched to manual mode, but I am using Aperture Priority 99% of the time.

And, of course, a matching dress.

 [photo source]

A Touch of Vintage

With every request that I get it is becoming clearer that this year is going to be a very romantic one in terms of weddings. Soft colors, pinks, whites, lavender, roses, flowers, lace, and just a touch of vintage.

This design is no exception. It is basically a remake of an older Vintage-romantic butterfly invitation  I made 2 years ago.

I just changed the envelope with a pearlized white one and replaced the flowers with whatever I had in my flower box at the moment.

As with many of my designs, reproduction is dependent on availability of materials. I am often using supplies I have in my studio and create just for the sake of creation. By the time I post a picture online and you see it, these materials might be discontinued.
The fun part is creating a similar, yet different invitation for every bride.

How about a matching dress?

[photo source]

Purple Butterfly Invitation and Money Envelope Set

I designed this invitation some time ago as an ivory and purple replica of my "Parisian Chic" design.

Then someone recently asked me to make a matching money envelope. Here they are together

Parisian Chic Invitation - Little Paris Version

How many of you knew that Bucharest, the capital of my country, is called Little Paris? I know one of my followers does (Sorry I can't find your blog link. I know you have a post about this subject).

When I designed the Parisian Chic Invitation I had no intention of making more than one because it took me forever to finish it. Adhering the ribbon is a real pain. However, here I am making a new color version for someone in Bucharest.


I replaced the black butterfly with a purple one, the pink ribbon with white and also modified the damask pattern to match the new color scheme. While I still love my original design I couldn't help noticing how this one has a charm of its own, more soft and delicate.



Of course it has a matching box though the invitation is not too bulky to be sent in an envelope. I am entering this project to the Crafty Cardmakers Challenge: Spotlight on Containers and Fancy Envelopes.


And this is the version I personally prefer. As I was saying in my previous post, I am looking for myself in every design I make and so, while I was making the purple butterfly version, I tried more combinations until I found the one that I like the most. I would definitely change the box too. I don't know how yet. Probably a simple white organza bow to tie it close...

Black and White Invitations

I find it so intriguing that according to Google Analytics my most viewed page is the one featuring Black and white invitations.

While in other countries these colors are classic, they are certainly considered extravagant in Romania and most of our grandmothers would not be very happy to receive one, as black is associated with death and thought not to have anything to do with weddings.

Still, the trends are slowly pushing back tradition and here they are, my first black and white invitations for a Romanian wedding:














Sorry for the abundance of pictures. I just couldn't decide which ones to publish. They are taken in a hurry with my old point and shoot camera and none really shows the nice texture of the paper and envelopes.

You can still see that the layers are 3D mounted which brings a little extra attention to the whole design. And I have to brag about my dear brother having cut out all the frames (by hand, of course). Look here if you want to see what other talents my brother has.

Special thanks to Maggie for the frame digital image.

Dorina's Green Orange and Brown Butterfly Invitations

It's a beautiful day and the sun is shining, so what better moment to present you this happy garden butterfly wedding invitation.


It goes perfectly with OTWC Challenge #32 which has quickly become one of my favorite challenges on the web. They not only use wedding inspiration photos, but also make me step out of my comfort zone like with this color combo: green orange and brown.


The initial challenge actually came from Dorina, one year ago. She wanted an invitation using the colors mentioned above and a touch of yellow. She was having a garden wedding with butterflies as central theme. The invitations had to be playful, fresh yet elegant and she wanted feather butterflies



I won't bore you with all the details, but I can tell you it was the longest design process and hardest work I have ever put into an invitation. Dorina wouldn't want it anything but perfect so we exchanged many e-mails, links, photos until we came up with this.


The invitation ensemble consists of: invitation card, directions card with map on the back, response card and envelope, mailing box and mailing label.



This is the invitation card. The text is embossed with a fake letterpress technique.

(click on image for larger view)

This is the directions card. It has a map on the back that I drew line by line and dot by dot to match the whole ensemble. I really love how it turned out especially since it was my first time doing this.

The response cards and yellow recycled paper envelopes.

How about this version I came up with while playing with the design?

How about the butterfly. Notice the green spots? They were actually blue and I got some help from my brother to paint them green. This idea just sparked in my head why I was trying to buy the perfect butterflies. These were perfect except for the blue dots so I suddenly thought of the acrylic paint in my drawer and Dorina embraced the idea so I ordered them and set to work.


I do prefer this butterfly though.



I'd like to close by thanking Dorina for her patience during half a year's work and continued friendship. We are now sharing the wonderful experience of pregnancy and I am so happy she is more than just another client. I love my work especially for that, for being able to be more than just a service provider, for being able to give a hand at making every bride's wedding dream come true.

Monica's Vintage Pink Invitations (Invitatiile roz vintage ale Monicai)

Monica's invitations vere very fun to make. They were all different but had some common elements.
Unfortunately I only took a few quick pictures before mailing them so I myself don't even know how they all looked like.

A fost foarte interesant sa lucrez la invitatiile Monicai deoarece toate au fost diferite, avand totusi elemnete comune pentru mentinerea unitatii.
Din pacate am reusit sa fac doar cateva poze inainte sa le trimit, asa ca nici eu nu prea siu cum au arata toate.



I sent a set of 5 (photo above) directly to one of Monica's relatives in Hungary to save on shipping time. I actually tried to choose the most similar ones so they wouldn't have a hard time deciding which one to take.

Am trimis un set de 5 invitatii (poza de mai sus) direct unor rude ale Monicai din Ungaria pentru a economisi timp. Am incercat sa le grupez pe cele mai asemanatoare ca sa nu aiba probleme in a-si alege modelul.


Below are some work-in-progress pictures. You can see I have used the same lace in 2 colors: g pink and peach. All butterflies had flowers and pearls.

Mai jos sunt cateva poze in timp ce lucram la invitatii. Observati acelasi model de dantela in 2 culori diferite: roz-vintage si piersica. Toate au avut flori cu perle pe fluturasi.



I designed the paper for the envelopes myself according to the bride's wishes.
Am creat eu modelul hartiei pentru plicuri dupa indicatiile miresei.


Also see this invitation which is my personal favorite.
Ar mai fi si aceasta invitatie (preferata mea).

Raluca's Pink Butterfly Invitations (Invitatiile cu fluturi roz ale Ralucai)

This invitation has a special story. I only made 4 of them.
Raluca heard of me from a very good friend of mine and one day she e-mailed to ask if I could make just 2 invitations for her god parents.
I never say no unless I don't have the time.

Invitatia acesta are o poveste mai speciala. Am facut doar 4 bucati.
Raluca a auzit de mine de la o buna prietena de-a mea si intr-o zi mi-a scris sa ma intrebe daca as putea sa-i fac doar 2 inviatii pentru nasi.
Nu refuz pe nimeni decat din lipsa de timp.



So we met to talk about the design in a period when I was making Catinca's and Paul's invitations.
Although she innitially wanted something with purple, Raluca decided to combine the 2 designs mentioned above and she ended up ordering 4 of them (for the parnts too).


Asa ca ne-am intalnit sa discutam despre design tocmai in perioada in care lucram la invitatiile Catincai si ale lui Paul.
Cu toate ca initial vroia ceva pe mov, Raluca a decis sa ramana la o combinatie a celor doua modele mentionate mai sus si in cele din urma a comandat 4 bucati (si pentru parinti).



Just before they went away: