In the summer of 2005, I left North America for the first time in my life to go to France for a few weeks with a small group of classmates and my high school French teacher. We each stayed with a different family in southern France (just outside of Montpellier) for three weeks, and then I met up again with the other eleven students and two chaperones for a few days in Paris before returning to the States. It was an experience I'll never forget, and only fueled my love of everything European. I've since returned to France to see the family I stayed with (and Paris) again.
And so I couldn't resist creating an illustration of one of my favorite sites of my first overseas trip - the castle of Chenonceau, which is a relatively small 16th century castle that was built as a bridge over the River Cher in the Loire Valley - and adapting it for a stationery set.
The most unique feature of the castle is it's bridge-like main hallway, which stretches across the river with large windows on either side, providing perfect views of the water. One of the colors I used for this stationery set, then, was practically chosen for me. I just had to use a deep, royal blue to help pronounce Chenonceau's beautiful river. The second color - metallic gold - also came out naturally, in an effort to maintain the regal European feel of the stationery.
I created the illustration of the castle in Adobe Illustrator by tracing a photograph I'd taken on my trip using Illustrator's pen tool. Since the illustration looked very stencil-like (and therefore more casual than a 16th century castle design should), I chose a very elegant script for the font, and spelled out the typical RSVP abbreviation to incorporate a little commonly understood French in the design.
The invitation and reply card were printed on my standard 67# smooth white cardstock, but they were mounted on a dark navy textured cardstock and paired with metallic gold envelopes to give it the rich texture and metallic shine it needed. The end result is a very elegant French design that would work great for any event that requires an excursion to Europe... or any stateside event that's merely European inspired. :)
Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: An artistic take on cupcakes!
Click here to view all Sunday Sample Spotlight posts.
"Like" Invites by Andrea on Facebook!
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Shameless Plug Time: Love this invitation (or others featured on this blog)? Want something similar (or something completely custom) designed for your event? Visit Invites by Andrea to view more samples, download a catalogue pdf, or fill out a design request form. Or shoot me an email to ask me your questions or learn more information.
And so I couldn't resist creating an illustration of one of my favorite sites of my first overseas trip - the castle of Chenonceau, which is a relatively small 16th century castle that was built as a bridge over the River Cher in the Loire Valley - and adapting it for a stationery set.
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| "Castle of Ladies" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card) |
The most unique feature of the castle is it's bridge-like main hallway, which stretches across the river with large windows on either side, providing perfect views of the water. One of the colors I used for this stationery set, then, was practically chosen for me. I just had to use a deep, royal blue to help pronounce Chenonceau's beautiful river. The second color - metallic gold - also came out naturally, in an effort to maintain the regal European feel of the stationery.
I created the illustration of the castle in Adobe Illustrator by tracing a photograph I'd taken on my trip using Illustrator's pen tool. Since the illustration looked very stencil-like (and therefore more casual than a 16th century castle design should), I chose a very elegant script for the font, and spelled out the typical RSVP abbreviation to incorporate a little commonly understood French in the design.
The invitation and reply card were printed on my standard 67# smooth white cardstock, but they were mounted on a dark navy textured cardstock and paired with metallic gold envelopes to give it the rich texture and metallic shine it needed. The end result is a very elegant French design that would work great for any event that requires an excursion to Europe... or any stateside event that's merely European inspired. :)
Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: An artistic take on cupcakes!
Click here to view all Sunday Sample Spotlight posts.
"Like" Invites by Andrea on Facebook!
-
Shameless Plug Time: Love this invitation (or others featured on this blog)? Want something similar (or something completely custom) designed for your event? Visit Invites by Andrea to view more samples, download a catalogue pdf, or fill out a design request form. Or shoot me an email to ask me your questions or learn more information.
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