May Day Party Ideas

One of my favorite classes I took in high school was Humanities - two semester-long English courses where we studied the literature, music, art, architecture, dance, and religions of Western cultures throughout history. It was a very hands-on class, where we often danced, sang, performed plays, and dressed up in historical costumes. Of course, it wouldn't have been Humanities without recognition of the traditions of May Day, a big celebration was planned for May first.
By a stroke of luck, the day the Advanced Placement Studio Art portfolios were due that year was the same day as our May Day event, and as I was also taking AP Art, I was excused from school for the entire day and didn't need to attend any of my classes. Unlike many of the AP tests, it doesn't take several hours to turn in a simple portfolio, so after I turned in it, I had the whole day to myself. And instead of choosing to spend it at home, I went back into school for the last two hours of the day, just to be there for the May Day celebration. I had Humanities sixth hour that semester, but I also had many friends who had it fifth hour, and because I was excused from my fifth hour class, I got to be there for both hours.

It was a beautiful (if slightly chilly) spring day. We were encouraged to wear Renaissance-inspired clothing - or at least springtime colors and floral prints if we didn't have anything else. A May Pole was erected, and everyone spent turns holding the long colored ribbons and weaving in and out of each other's paths in time to the music. There were also jousting matches. Somehow our teachers had procured two shopping carts and foam "swords," and we took turns riding in the carts (our "horses"), trying to poke each other with the foam swords as we flew past. It was one of the most fun days I'd ever had at school. :)

So this May Day, why not have your own party? Invite some friends over to enjoy the nice weather. If you're crafty, it's easy to make your own May Pole. Other fun ideas are to create an outdoor spring-themed scavenger hunt to celebrate the season, or play blindfolded guessing games, where you have smells and tastes of spring for your guests to figure out. Try fresh fruit, scented oils, fragrant flowers, spices, jellybeans, grass clippings, rainwater, mud, and anything else that reminds you of springtime.

Pick light springtime dishes to serve, such as fresh vegetables and fruits that become available in spring. Inexpensive appetizers of crackers and nuts are other great May Day choices. To drink, serve herbal teas and fruit punch.

Decorating is also easy for a May Day party. Gather fresh or fake flowers, pine cones, acorns, herbs, and vines to make garlands, wreaths, and table centerpieces. Use ribbons to decorate the backs of chairs. May Day is all about enjoy the weather, but if it happens to rain on the day of your party, there are plenty of ways to bring the outside indoors through decor. Hang parasols or umbrellas from the ceiling, and make sure to use plenty of greenery in your decorating!

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Blue Period"

Since this stationery set has such an interesting blue color scheme, I instantly thought of my art history classes and learning about Pablo Picasso's "Blue Period." Of course, the bold, graphic flower design of this invitation is much less depressing from Picasso's early paintings - and even though the colors are all from the cool side of the color wheel, their high saturation makes them energized and exciting despite their cool tendencies. ;)

"The Blue Period" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

The main envelope is a dark blue metallic Himalaya pocketfold envelope. I think the darker metallic envelopes are some of the prettiest - they have the most variation in color, from very dark (as they are in the photograph above) to light and shiny when tilted toward a light source. The light blue cardstock I used as a background border for the invitation and reply card (which is also the same color as the light blue envelope used for the reply card envelope) is actually metallic, too. But the light metallics just don't seem to shine as much as the dark ones, simply because they're already so light to begin with that a little shine doesn't make as much difference.

I loved the way this flower graphic "popped" when its colors were lighter against a dark background, so I made the background of both the invitation and reply card a dark blue similar to the envelope. Of course, this would make it practically impossible for guests to write their response on the RSVP card, so I used the light lime green from the graphic flower as a background where the guests should write their name and reply.

Another thing that makes this reply card unique from most of my other designs is that it has the same vertical orientation as the invitation does. Usually I turn reply cards to "landscape" rather than "portrait" to allow more room for guests to write their name on the line, but because of the largeness (and roundness) of this flower graphic, the design simply worked best vertically. With stationery (like most areas of graphic design), it's always a delicate balance between functionality and beauty.

I created the eye-catching modern flower illustration by using the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator. I traced an image of an interesting plant I photographed in a Barcelona park in 2010, and changed the colors to a very contemporary lime green and pale blue color combination so that they'd really pop against the dark blue background and command attention.

All in all, this is one of my favorite stationery designs. It's so unique in almost every area, from the bold symbolic graphic to the interesting color scheme and orientation of the reply card. Plus, it uses some of those gorgeous metallic cardstock and envelopes that I love! :)


Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: A romantic rose-themed invitation set!


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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.

Fancy/Funky Friday: Patterns Sophie & Nebraska

Today's Fancy/Funky Friday post features two unique patterns with interesting negative space.

First, the "fancy": Pattern Sophie

You may remember this pattern from a Sunday Sample Spotlight post back in February. As I said in that post:

This pattern is one of my favorites. I love how much white negative space it lets in and how the rows are offset from each other to create that brick-like repetition so that you get the horizontal and vertical rectangle-like shapes. Plus, the pattern was created out of such a beautiful font that it's filled with little details and loops that are so elegant. Just gorgeous!

Pattern Sophie is definitely one of my more unique patterns. The negative space it creates is really interesting, and almost becomes the pattern itself. Because it's such an elegant, romantic pattern, it goes great with soft colors, like I used in the sample above.


And now, the "funky": Pattern Nebraska

This is another very unique pattern with some interesting negative space. There are areas of dense lines, and areas where a single thick dot or line juts out into the empty negative space, and these two opposites create a unique composition. The thick lines and free-standing dots give this pattern a very tribal feel that's really cool - and unlike most of my pattern designs. Hope you enjoy it!


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Shameless plug time: Love my patterns? I incorporate them into a lot of the artwork I create, from stationery for Invites by Andrea to the watercolors I paint. Check out Invites by Andrea's website to see examples of these patterns in use or drop me a line at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com to let me know what you think!

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Other Side"

Happy Earth Day! In celebration, today's Sunday Sample Spotlight features recycled envelopes and a spring grass motif. :)

"The Other Side" Invitation Trio (invite, reply card & information insert)

The envelopes for this wedding invitation set are all recycled "Kraft Brown" envelopes. The main envelope is a Himalaya style pocketfold, and the matching 4Bar reply card envelope is also shown. Because the envelopes are recycled, they are a little thinner than most of the envelopes I use, but they have a really cool texture to them that would be great for an eco-friendly or rustic-themed event.

I had a great piece of scrapbook paper made from a photograph of grass that I used for this design. I used the actual paper to line the left flap and right pocket of the Himalaya pocketfold envelope, and then scanned the paper into my computer to incorporate into the printed designs as well. The invitations and directions insert both feature a band of the grass at the top and bottom, and the reply card has a strip just along the top.

The typewriter-like font I used fit the theme of the vintage, recycled paper and grass motif very well, so I used it everywhere. I pulled the light green and black colors for the text right from the grassy scrapbook paper, and included a note at the bottom of the reply card and direction insert that encouraged the recycling of the invitation pieces after use.



Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: A bold flower illustration with a modern blue color scheme!

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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.

Fancy/Funky Friday: Patterns Farina & Rosalie

Happy Friday! Today's patterns are both pretty unique, so make sure to scroll down and check them out!

First, the "fancy": Pattern Farina

From a distance, Pattern Farina looks like a simple decorative diamond pattern, but up close there are a lot of interesting details, and some very dense areas of lines. Some of the lines are almost horizontal and vertical, creating some rectangular shapes superimposed on top of the diamonds. I love using this pattern as a large area, instead of just a single stripe. In the sample below, I kept the colors light so that the pattern wouldn't stand out too much, and allowed it to stay in the entire background of the design. It gives this simple save-the-date a very elegant look.

And now, the "funky": Pattern Rosalie

I'm sure you couldn't possibly guess what letter I used to create this pattern design. ;) Pattern Rosalie has some thinner lines, and certainly utilizes the elegant curves I enjoy so much, but I could never classify it as "fancy." It's just too unstructured.

Most of the pieces of the pattern don't touch others, letting the white negative space flow through the entire pattern, and though the "units" of the pattern are lined up vertically, the columns are each offset so that they don't line up horizontally. These traits make it almost difficult to determine the underlying structure of the pattern, since it seems so loose and free-flowing. The diagonals are much more prominent than any horizontal or vertical lines, and the most obvious characteristic is the S-shape that dominates the entire pattern.

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Shameless plug time: Love my patterns? I incorporate them into a lot of the artwork I create, from stationery for Invites by Andrea to the watercolors I paint. Check out Invites by Andrea's website to see examples of these patterns in use or drop me a line at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com to let me know what you think!

Earth Day Party Ideas

This weekend is Earth Day, and while it is a holiday that is often overlooked, it's also a great opportunity to round some friends and have a good time. I know what you're thinking - regardless of how important it is to preserve the planet we call home, planting trees and beautifying neighborhoods is a lot of hard, manual work, and on weekends such tasks are usually miles away from all of our minds. But if that's not your scene, there are still other ways to help and appreciate our planet. You can celebrate Earth Day - and do some good - without ever picking up a shovel.

Idea #1 - Recycling craft day.

Plastic and styrofoam take longer to degrade than paper, and unnecessarily fill our landfills. Instead of throwing things out, save the earth and have some fun with a craft day. Take something old and junky and turn it into something new and great!

There are plenty of inventive things (bookshelves, pencil holders, flower vases, etc.) you can craft and create out of empty plastic bottles. Check out some of these designs for inspiration, and come up with more of your own! You can also make new items out of styrofoam or packing peanuts. Re-stuff an old beanbag chair, or create your own pet bed for your favorite furry friend by taking an old pillowcase and stuffing it with packing peanuts. Make a seed germinator out of an old to-go restaurant container. Make finger puppets out of empty yogurt containers. The possibilities are practically endless, and it can be a lot of fun to come up with your own ideas.

Idea #2 - Have fun and donate money to an environmental charity.

If the weather's nice, gather some friends or family for a game of ultimate frisbee, horseshoes, touch football, or capture the flag, and enjoy the nice weather. Add an Earth Day twist and create a little friendly competition by asking each member of the losing team to donate a few dollars (decide on the exact amount before the start of the game) to the environmental charity of the winning team's choice.

Not athletic? There are other fun ways to raise money. Have a friendly game of poker - whoever wins the pot gets to pick which environmental charity to donate it to. Or adjust your favorite board game's rules so that you're playing for money and do the same thing. Hold a garage sale to get rid of some of your clutter or sell some of the great recycled crafts you made (see Idea #1), and donate any profits to charity. There are tons of options!

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Orange is the New Pink"

Orange and pink is a great color combination for spring and summer events. You can keep both shades pale for a softer, pastel look, or pump up either the pink or the orange to a more saturated hue for a little punch. If you want to be really daring, you can even make both colors bright and bold by using an exciting bright orange and hot pink combo.

For this design, I was inspired by a piece of scrapbook paper I had, and built the design around that. The paper (which I cut out and attached to two of the four flaps of the metallic rose pink "petal" envelope I used) features a collage of bright orange and medium/light pink flowers, with hints of saturated greens and blues in the flowers' centers. I picked the same shades of orange and pink for the textured orange cardstock and pink envelopes to carry the color scheme through the whole package.

"Orange is the New Pink" Invitation

What I really liked about the scrapbook paper (other than the fun, springtime colors) was the implied texture. The paper was smooth to the touch, but the shading and coloring of the flowers gave it a woven or canvas-like appearance that was really interesting. Because of this, I used a textured orange cardstock to back the invitation instead of a smooth paper to play up that textured feeling.

I scanned in another section of the scrapbook paper to my computer and incorporated a muted version of the same design in the background of the actual printed invitation. Because it was lighter, it didn't distract too much from the fun font the text was written in, but it still instantly connected with the scrapbook-lined petal envelope.

The whimsical nature of this bubble-font made it the perfect fit with the sunny colors and fun scrapbook paper, so I just had to use it. I love that the font is an outline, too - it helps keep the design airy and light, and allows the colors and textures of the scanned scrapbook background to shine through the words. Can you imagine how different the design would feel if the letters were solid black? They'd be so bold and thick they wouldn't go with the color scheme or design at all!


Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: An Earth Day Celebration!


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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.