Cotton Flowers Invitations (Invitatii cu flori de bumbac)

Some cotton flower invitation ideas. These are not finished invitations, just ideas or 'SKETCHES' how I like to call them, but I love the idea so much I decided to share it with you.

Cateva idei de invitatii cu flori de bumbac. Am fost tare incantata de idee si de rezultat, asa ca am decis sa vi le arat.

Invitatii si papetarie cu flori de vara, dantela, medalioane monograma si buchetele de lavanda (Summer Wedding Invitations and Stationery. Romantic, Lavender, Monogram Locket, Lace)

E vara. Si dupa mai bine de un an ma bucur din nou de o colectie de invitatii finalizata, aranjata frumos si fotografiata si de o postare pe masura.

De la nastera lui Eduard totul a fost doar alergare, oboseala, somn intrerupt, incercare aproape inutila de a recupera ceva munca restanta in cele 3 ore cat doarme in patut fara mine.

Iata invitatiile lui Edwin si Andreei, un pilot si un designer vestimentar, niste oameni extraordinari care au facut ca intregul proces sa fie placut si relaxant.

Cei doi au hotarat sa renunte la plicuri, dar pentru cei care trebuie sa le trimita prin posta am adaugat eu un plic pe care l-am desccoperit intamplator si care mi-a trezit brusc gustul pentru craft si natur, deci veti avea ocazia sa mai vedeti si alte creatii in acelasi stil country chic.

Si in final, plicurile de bani facute pentru alta nunta in urma cu 2 ani, de la care a plecat inspiratia.

Si toate impreuna, aranjate intr-o mica expozitie in stanga mesei mele de lucru.

My Corner of Heaven (Coltul meu de rai)

Thus is my little corner of heaven. It's a place where I can be myself. A place where ideas emerge from everywhere I look, a place that calls me every time I am someplace else. Probably the reason for my not being a good christian. I don't long for heaven. Mine is already here.

The table on the left is one of my inspiration tables. This is where ideas are born. It's where I put things that look well together for when I have time to complete a design.

I bought a handful of fresh lavender bouquets from a gypsy lady outside my local Lidl today. My studio is filled with the scent of these lovely flowers. I initially bought them to have in stock for future lavender invitations, but now they fill my heart with joy because they are beautiful, they smell good and they bring a new light to the studio.

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Pe romaneste, asa arata masa mea cu idei (una dintre ele) asa cum am lasat-o azi dupa-masa.
Abia astept sa ma intorc luni la atelier. E coltul meu de rai. De asta nici nu pot fi un bun crestin, pentru ca eu nu tanjesc dupa alt rai decat cel pe care il am deja.

Acolo nu trebuie sa fac pe plac nimanui. Acolo miroase frumos a lavanda pe care am cumparat-o de la o tiganca in parcarea Lidl. Initial m-am gandit sa o am pe stoc pentru alte invitatii cu lavanda, dar acum ma bucur ca miroase bine si ma inspira, pentru ca aduce o noua lumina in micul meu colt de rai. Nu am avut timp sa o aranjez in borcanase. Poate luni....

Invitatii Ileana Cosanzeana

Mereu ocupata cu copiii, mi-am pierdut forma de a scrie, dar va las totusi cu niste imagini.

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

The Wedding of 800 Invitations (Nunta celor 800 de invitatii)

I already showed you the design yesterday.

It took me and my team 1 month to make them and probably another month to come up with a design before that. They filled up a mini van for transportation. I didn't count how many boxes there were, but I can imagine how much work the bride and groom had to put in to hand out or post each one.

Sunt invitatiile pe care vi le-am prezentat ieri. Ceea ce nu v-am spus e ca am lucrat pe ele timp de 1 luna, si inca o luna pentru a ajunge la un design final inainte de asta. 800 de fundite... 800 de bijuterii pe plicuri, o duba plina de cutii cu invitatii si satisfactia pe masura. In schimb mi-a fost cam mila de miri la gandul ca vor trebui sa le imparta pe toate 800 si la efortul pe acare o implica o astfel de operatiune.

gluing the jewels to the envelope flaps

(lipirea bijuteriilor pe plicuri)

one of the initial design options

(una din variantele initiale)

Lavender Invitations: Something Delicate, Something Extravagant (Invitatii in culoarea lavandei: ceva delicat, ceva extravagant)

Same design, with just a few changes makes a new invitation for a totally different kind of wedding.
Acelasi design, cu cateva mici modificari si am trecut de la mireasa delicata si romantica la o mireasa mai extravaganta.

I had designed this diamond and lavender invitation for Loukia's wedding.

Later, Cristina asked for an invitation that would make an impression yet keep it at a reasonable budget since hers was a 1000 person event.
I would have never put a jewel on a mere envelope. I am saving them for invitation boxes. And yet this has quickly became one of my favorite designs.

Creasem primul model pentru nunta Loukiei.

Mai tarziu, Cristina si-a dorit o invitatie cu care sa-i impresioneze pe cei 1000 de invitati si totusi sa se incadreze intr-un pret rezonabil. Nu m-am gandit niciodata ca as putea pune un bijoux pe un simplu plic. De obicei le pastrez pentru cutii. Si totusi, acest model a devenit repede unul din preferatele mele.

Loukia's Lavender and Diamond Invitations (Invitatiile Loukiei in culorile diamantului si lavandei)

Writing last night's post made it all come back to me and I couldn't stop blogging about these invitations. The design is not something completely new, but the relationship I developed with Loukia while making them is something special I will always cherish in my heart.

It all began with an e-mail froma future bride in Cyprus.
She was looking for something lacy to match her lovely dress and incorporate lavender and white, her wedding colors.

Articolul de ieri mi-a amintit de  Loukia si placerea de a lucra cu ea la realizarea invitatiilor pe care si le-a dorit: albe cu lila/lavanda si dantela. Iata si rochia cu care trebuiau asortate.

I made a few different samples based on her requests.

Am facut patru modele dupa descrierea ei, iar aleasa stiti deja care a fost.

By now you know what her choice was.

And it was such a pleasure to work with Loukia and make her invitations. I was even inspired to make a flower from her ribbon scraps.

Lucrul la realizarea invitatiilor a fost de a semnea o placere incat dupa ce le-am terminat am mai avut chef sa incerc o floare din resturile de panglica.

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).

Spring Flowers Collection Wedding Invitations (Invitatii de nunta colectia "Flori de primavara")

Let's ignore the cold weather and imagine spring is already here, with those little white, purple or blue flowers bringing so much joy into our hearts. As a child I used to know in which order they sprung and wend into the woods to pick them. It was pure joy!
I designed this collection with those moments in mind.

O colectie de invitatii inspirate de florile de primavara pe care le culegeam in copilarie hoinarind prin padurea de langa bloc.

The collection is larger, but I am starting with these 4 designs because I have had numerous requests of invitations for low budget weddings.
Making a low budget invitation is no easy task for me since I am inclined towards sophisticated looks with lots of details and high quality materials. However, this one layer card with a decorative sleeve allows for plenty of customization without making a hole in your wedding budget.

Colectia este mai mare, dar incep cu acestea 4 care prin structura lor (un card simplu si o banda decorativa) si excluzand plicul pot fi realizate la preturi mai mici decat modelele noastre obisnuite cu detalii sofisticate si materiale scumpe. Din pacate situatia economica actuala determina multe cupluri sa restanga bugetul alocat nuntii, lucru pe care il deducem si din e-mailurile voastre.

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Spring Flowers and  Purple Bow. (Flori de primavara si fundita mov).
With or without the pearl, it makes a darling cute invitation with a vintage flare. This lace may not be available anymore, but I am sure we can find something to replace it with.
Cu sau fara perluta, este o invitatie draguat cu aer vintage, usor parizian.  Probabil dantela lila nu mai este disponibila pentru ca o aveam de ceva timp in sertar, dar sunt sigura ca putem gasi un inlocuitor.

Spring Flowers and Cameo. (Flori de primavara si camee).
Same floral sleeve, decorated with a pink and white cameo for a soft and delicate look. The wording is also printed in a soft pink, perfect for a romantic spring wedding.
Aceeasi teaca cu imprimeu floral, de data aceasta decorata cu o camee in nuante subtile de alb si roz pentru un aspect delicat. La fel si numele mirilor si data nuntii sunt tiparite cu un roz pal, perfect pentru o nunta romantica de primavara.

Spring Flowers and Hydrangea. (Flori de primavara si hortensii).
Hydrangea is a very popular flowers for weddings. It's large blooms make for easy and effective centerpieces as well as beautiful bouquets. Here's a simple way to carry this motif into your invitation suite.
Hortensia este o floare foarte cautata pentru nunti. Fiind o floare mare, cu doar cateva fire se pot obtine aranjamente si buchete superbe. Iata cum puteti aduce acest motiv floral si in centrul invitatiilor.

Spring Flowers, Buckle and Lace. (Flori de primavra, dantela si catarama.)
Does anyone still adopt this vintage floral style for their wedding? This year seems to be all about retro, stripes and chevron. However, staying in fashion is probably not everyone's goal.
Nu stiu daca anul acesta mai face cineva nunta in stil vintage. Moda se pare ca inclina spre retro, dungi si zig-zag. Si totusi, sunt convinsa ca nu toata lumea isi face o prioritate din a fi la moda.

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]

Lavender Fields - My Learning Process

I strongly believe that every artist, no matter what the medium should be able to draw.
Drawing is like running sais Alisa Burke, one of my favorite artist bloggers, and I also believe it is something that becomes better with practice. Although talent might be something you are born with, you still need to work hard to improve your skill.

Here is a peek into my studio.
I don't draw or paint much although I wish I did more. I am still at the stage of drawing still lives. I was a disaster when I tried plain air painting and I definitely cannot draw from memory.

I can't say no to a challenge though and when my friend wanted a painting for her room I decided to go for it even if I knew I wasn't the best paintor in the world.
So, Lesson 1: Don't be shy, go for it !

Leson 2: Find your own way of doing it.

My friend wanted a lavender field with a small cottage and some trees around the house. I used a photo I found online and modified it to use as reference to my painting.
Here is the final result, although I prefer the unfinished version from the first picture .

I didn't paint this for myself and I know from experience that people prefer the more realistic look so I went for that. It was a good exercise and I definitely have to improve on painting houses and trees.


Lesson 3: Imitation is not a sin as long as it is for learning purposes.
Reproducing the masters work is one of the ways they teach you to paint. That is how you learn the techniques and find out what you like. Just don't try to sell a Monet reproduction as original art :) I think it's ok to sell it as a reproduction for just enough to cover your expenses and buy new materials to keep learning. It's also ok to give it away for free....