Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Steel Magnolias"

This simple stationery design features a neutral silver and white color scheme (perfect for winter!), a thick, modern serif font and a cute (but subtle) graphic flower-inspired pattern.

"Steel Magnolias" Invitation Duo (invite & info insert)

The invitation was printed on white paper and mounted to the folding silver metallic envelope with small silver brads in each corner.

You can really see how the dark silver envelope catches the light depending on the angle! Metallic envelopes are a great way to add elegance to your stationery.

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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.

Flowerless Bouquets 10 - Nature

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. This week, I have two final flower alternatives to show you!

Option 10: Nature Bouquets

Nature has other options to offer besides flowers and the other flower alternatives we've already looked at (feathers, seashells, and fresh produce)!

In spring, use grasses and leafy ferns. In fall, celebrate harvest season with autumn leaves and stalks of wheat and other grains. And in winter, add pinecones and cotton to your bouquet for earthy colors and variety in texture!

In the top left picture, autumn leaves have been shaped into flowers. On the bottom right (second row up from the bottom), pinecones have been spray-painted teal to match a color scheme and dusted with glitter to mimic freshly fallen snow. Pair natural elements with fresh flowers (I love the sunflowers with cotton and grain second in from the left on the bottom row!) or let them stand alone, simple and unadorned (except for a ribbon to tie the bouquet together).

I hope you enjoyed this exploration into flower alternatives as much as I enjoyed scouring the internet for ideas and photos! It's amazing how many creative ideas are out there. I encourage you to explore yourself, or come up with something completely new! Your unique decor ideas may become inspiration for someone else planning their own event... :)

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Flowerless Bouquets 9 - Fruits and Vegetables

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. This week, I have two final flower alternatives to show you!

Option 9: Fruit and Vegetable Bouquets

Use local and in-season produce instead of flowers for a unique bouquet perfect for destination weddings, autumn harvest themes, farm and orchard venues, and food-centered parties!

Perhaps you care passionately about organic produce, supporting local farmer's markets, eating healthily, cooking with fresh vegetables, or tending your backyard vegetable garden. Perhaps you and your partner shared your first date at an apple orchard or corn maze. Perhaps you come from a culture or family that puts a lot of stock into old family recipes handed down from generation to generation. Whatever your reason, don't neglect produce in favor of flowers if food means more to you! Fresh food can be as visually beautiful as delicious, and a surprising number of fruits and vegetables make for great bouquet staples (in addition to diet staples)! 

Fruits and vegetables to consider: strawberries, apples, cherries, berries, small gourds, citrus fruits (especially when sliced to decorate centerpiece vases and jars), pineapples (for table centerpieces only), leafy plants (spinach, lettuce, cabbage, etc.), string beans, artichokes, peppers, carrots, broccoli, garlic bulbs, small onions, and anything else you want to try!

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Fancy/Funky Friday: Patterns Pagoda & Morela

Happy Friday! Here are today's patterns -

First, the "fancy": Pattern Pagoda

Why it's "fancy": This pattern feels preppy and esteemed because of its crisp lines and clear linear structure.

Why it's great: I can just see this pattern embroidered as a border on an old "Home Sweet Home" plaque...


And now, the "funky": Pattern Morela

Why it's "funky": The tilted design gives an unexpected, modern touch to an otherwise "fancy" pattern.

Why it's great: Up close, you can really start to see the letterforms I used to create the 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!

Flowerless Bouquets 8 - Marshmallows and Candy

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 8: Marshmallow and Candy Bouquets

What's more fun, nostalgic, and delicious than edible candy centerpieces and bouquets? Answer: Nothing. Lollipops, candy canes, gumdrops, gumballs, and colored marshmallows make great options for bouquets, and they come in a great variety of bright, fun colors.

Use candy bouquets and centerpieces to inject childhood nostalgia into your wedding or other formal event, or decorate a child's birthday party.

And don't forget the main attraction - a table full of brightly colored goodies in glass jars and canisters that your guests can sample throughout the event!

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Flowerless Bouquet 7 - Balloons and Pinwheels

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 7: Balloon and Pinwheel Bouquets

Embrace the whimsy of childhood with balloon and pinwheel bouquets and centerpieces!
 

Use large, single balloons for unique "bouquets" or twist long balloons into flowers to create a bouquet with a more traditional shape.

Similarly, pinwheels can be tiny and grouped together like miniature flowers in a tight bouquet ball, or they can be giant and stand alone as a fun bridesmaid "bouquet." They look amazingly adorable in photos!

Versatile and fun, balloons come in every color imaginable, and you can easily make your own pinwheels out of your favorite colored or patterned scrapbook paper.

They also make great decor! String balloons or pinwheels on to your ceremony canopy or arch, attach small balloon flowers or pinwheels to the ends of each row of ceremony chairs, decorate your reception hall with balloons, or hand out miniature pinwheel wedding favors.

Balloon bouquets and pinwheels are also great for children's parties!

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Silly Love Songs"

Here's a great color scheme to transition from summer to fall - hot pink with shades of cool blues!

"Silly Love Songs" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

This stationery set features a hot pink folding envelope. I used blue patterned scrapbook paper to line the left flap and right pocket, then scanned the scrapbook paper to print a border of the same pattern around each printed item - the invitation and reply card.

The reply card has the same hot pink color as the main pink envelope, and the text uses the same shades of pink and blue found in the envelopes and scrapbook paper.

I love the thin light blue lines that cut through the wavy blue stripes. The scrapbook paper's design adds a lot of depth and implied texture to the stationery set (even though the paper is all smooth).


Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Stone Age"


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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 Camilla & Dakota

Happy Friday! Here are today's patterns -

First, the "fancy": Pattern Camilla

Why it's "fancy": Elegant curls and vaguely flower-like shapes give this pattern grace and vintage charm.

Why it's great: I love how much it looks like lace from a distance!


And now, the "funky": Pattern Dakota

Why it's "funky": Simple shapes and bold lines give this pattern a fun mod feel.

Why it's great: From a distance, it looks like an ikat design!

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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!

Flowerless Bouquets 6 - Doorknobs and Buttons

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 6: Doorknob and Button Bouquets

At first glance, antique doorknobs and buttons look a lot like brooches - but even the most colorful, adorned doorknobs won't have <i>quite</i> the bling of vintage brooches, and often appear sturdier (they are) and less elegant (after all, they were intended more for everyday use, not just special occasions).

They come in almost any color (and you can always paint metal or wood doorknobs to a different color if you don't find what you're looking for), and even delicate flower-shaped knobs still have a hint of masculinity and strength to their construction that's both unique and beautiful for bouquets.

Doorknob and button bouquets would be fantastic for an historic "steampunk" themed event (especially if the constructed "bouquet" is all unpainted metal colors like gunmetal gray and antique brass).

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Flowerless Bouquets 5 - Brooches

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 5: Brooch Bouquets

Brooch bouquets are <i>all</i> the rage right now! They're absolutely gorgeous, and they have a great vintage feel to them. Scour antique shops, jewelry stores (go for costume jewelry to save money and find large, colorful brooches), flea markets - even your grandmother's attic!

If the brooches mean something to your or your family, you'll have the added bonus of heirloom history on your wedding day - but even if all the brooches you find are brand new purchases, they'll mean something to you now, and will have all the more value for future generations.

Don't be afraid to mix different brooches! The best brooch bouquets have a variety of sizes and styles that all flow together by similarity in color or shape.

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Flowerless Bouquets 4 - Seashells

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 4: Seashell Bouquets

Like feathers, seashells are both found in nature and manufactured by humans for decor. Collect your own seashells from your favorite beachfront, or order fake (perfectly round) seashells that mimic the real ones.

Dye or color seashells to match your colors, or add hints of color with beads, fabric, and ribbon. Pearls look great with seashells!

Seashell bouquets and centerpieces are <i>perfect</i> for destination beach weddings, but also work great for under-the-sea themed children's parties, or hip urban events hosted at city aquariums!


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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Flowerless Bouquets 3 - Feathers

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 3: Feather Bouquets

Feather is a great way to add texture to other styles of bouquets - including fabric and paper flowers, as well as real blooms - but you can also create an entirely feather bouquet to really indulge the senses. Feather bouquets are great for winter, when real blooms are harder (and more expensive) to come by, and look amazing with single-color or neutral color schemes (like an all-white winter wedding, or a vintage ivory/light rose pink wedding).

Use real feathers (or feathers that mimic those that occur in nature) for a realistic look (think bright peacock feathers, earthy brown ostrich feathers, or the white softness of goose down), or have fun with bright, unnatural feathers like hot pink and neon green!

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Color of the Week - Lime

This week's color is Lime - a bright yellow-green color associated with neon and fluorescent hues!

Lime is a great color for summertime because of it's high saturation. Pair it with another bright color for an exciting color scheme!

Fun facts about Lime:

1. The first recorded use of "lime green" as a color name in English was in 1890.

  

2. Lime is a color three-quarters of the way between yellow and green (closer to yellow than to green), so named because it is a representation of the color of the citrus fruit by the same name.

 

3. To prevent scurvy during the 19th century, British sailors were issued a daily allowance of citrus. Though lemons were more effective (due to a higher quantity of vitamin C), West Indian limes were easier to obtain on Britain's Caribbean colonies, and British sailors thus aquired the nickname of "Limeys" because of their heavy lime intake.

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Shameless Plug Time: Love this color? Looking for custom stationery made to match this color (or whatever other color combinations you're using 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 Olivia & Milana

Here are today's fancy and funky patterns -

First, the "fancy": Pattern Olivia

Why it's "fancy": The lines are thin and curvy, and the style seems a little worn, like a vintage fabric that has faded over time.

Why it's great: Like many of my fancy patterns, pattern Olivia also looks like lace from a distance!


And now, the "funky": Pattern Milana

Why it's "funky": Dense shapes, evenly spaced lines, bold color, and a modern, graphic style all make this pattern "funky."

Why it's great: I love the mini arcs that bring to mind the image of cartoonish rainbows!

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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!

Flowerless Bouquets 2 - Paper

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 2: Paper Bouquets

Just like fabric, paper comes in several different textures and any color under the sun (and if you <i>don't</i> find the shade you need, you can just print out your own!), making it a great option for brides who want flowers in non-natural colors like dark teal or their favorite blooms at times of the year when they aren't readily available.

Use soft, pliable paper for rounder edges, or thick cardstock for sharp-edged petals. The internet is full of origami flower tutorials - try a bunch of different options to find out which style flower you like best (or is easiest for you to create) before committing to this extensive DIY project.

Like fabric, you can make your paper flowers look surprisingly realistic, or you can play up the "paper-ness" of your material by using patterned paper and newsprint (or other paper with printed words).

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Flowerless Bouquets 1 - Fabric

Today's wedding bouquets and centerpieces aren't limited to fragrant blooms. For the next five weeks, I'll be showing you my favorite flower alternatives, from new DIY creations to bouquets rich in history (and heirloom antiques!), from transient arrangements that look beautiful at your event to permanent keepsakes that'll look beautiful for generations to come.

Option 1: Fabric Bouquets

The great thing about fabric is it comes in every color imaginable (and if you <i>don't</i> find the shade you need, you can always design your own at Spoonflower.com!), making it a great option for brides who want flowers in non-natural colors like dark teal or their favorite blooms at times of the year when they aren't readily available.

For added elegance, sew small jewels (pearls, rhinestones) or beads into the fabric flower centers or around the edges of the petals. Fabric flowers can look surprisingly realistic, and are often significantly cheaper than real blooms - plus, they'll last forever as a great wedding keepsake!

For a less realistic-looking (but perhaps more beautiful) bouquet, mix solid colors with patterned fabrics, or play with texture by adding lace and using different types of texture.

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations as beautiful as your decor? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Fancy/Funky Friday: Patterns Kiara & Cherise

The difference between today's "fancy" and "funky" patterns is in the lines - Kiara emphasizes curves, while Cherise focuses on straight lines and angles.

First, the "fancy": Pattern Kiara

Why it's "fancy": These thin, calligraphic lines create elegant arabesques!

Why it's great: I love the hint of straight lines at ninety degree angles in the details between the arcs.


And now, the "funky": Pattern Cherise

Why it's "funky": The sunburst-like shapes and large pockets of negative white space are more modern and graphic than my elegant patterns.

Why it's great: My favorite details are the curves that look like criss-crossed hearts or pretzels!

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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!

Summer Color Combo - Gold & Coral

Coral is perhaps *the* color of this summer - and gold gives it a perfect level of sophistication for elegant affairs! This gorgeous color scheme is a great blend of modern and timeless, and would also be beautiful for spring (especially with a lighter coral color) or autumn (thanks to the richness of the gold)!

Tie coral bouquets with gold ribbons or place coral blooms in gold vases. Deck your tables in coral tablecloths accented with gold chivari chairs and gold place settings. And there's no shortage of coral and gold jewelry at your disposal - use coral and gold beads to fill clear vases and adorn your centerpieces and favors with gold and coral ribbons!


I also think this color scheme would be beautiful for a family room or other living space. The coral and gold are so warm and inviting!

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Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Under Formal Circumstances"

This stationery set is soft and romantic, with its pale pink, gray, and ivory color scheme!

"Under Formal Circumstances" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

The pattern is elegant, with its calligraphic lines and curves, but it's printed at such a large scale that it takes on a bold, modern feel. The invitation and reply card are each printed on ivory paper and mounted on smooth pink cardstock.

This color scheme would be particularly beautiful in winter! 


Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Basket Case"


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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.

Summer Color Combo - Red & Heliotrope

Bright and vibrant, this color scheme gets the party going!

Play with different shades of heliotrope, purple, and magenta to over-saturate your event with fun color, or choose just one to complement a solid, dependable red for more subdued affairs. Decorate with lots of flowers and girly accents like lace, ruffles, or damask patterns to further play up the femininity of this color scheme.

This would also make a fun color combo for Valentine's Day!


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