Ideas by Andrea: nature

Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Friday, September 13, 2013

Fancy/Funky Friday: Patterns Liberia & Toby

Both of this week's patterns feature curves and diamonds!

First, the "fancy": Pattern Liberia

Why it's "fancy": Several layers of over-indulgent curls pile on top of each other in this obviously Victorian-inspired pattern.

Why it's great: The white diamond shapes push unexpected negative space to the foreground, demanding attention.

And now, the "funky": Pattern Toby

Why it's "funky": Tilted squares feel off-balanced and more modern.

Why it's great: Like last week's, this pattern has a painted tile feel to it. I love the vine/leaf motif!

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Click here to see all posts related to "Fancy/Funky Friday"

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!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

End of Summer

I've always preferred autumn and winter over summer (whether because I was a winter baby, have fair skin that doesn't get along well with sunshine, or because I always excelled in and enjoyed returning to school for a new year and new beginning), but that doesn't mean a small part of me will never be sad to see the last dredges of summer pass away.

Make the most of the remaining good weather with a final outdoor barbecue. Invite your family and friends over. Drink lemonade. Make s'mores. Partake in a last outdoor game of horseshoes (or Ultimate Frisbee, or crochet, or soccer, or whatever floats your boat) before your lawn becomes too covered in fallen autumn leaves and snow.

Whatever you do, celebrate the end of summer with fun. After all, that's what summer is all about.

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Shameless plug time: Need invitations for your "Last Hurrah" party? Check out InvitesbyAndea.com and let me design stationery for your event!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Color of the Week - Amethyst

This week's color is Amethyst - a nuanced and beautiful grayish-purple color!

Amethyst is a great color for autumn because it pairs so well with typical fall colors like golds, browns, oranges, and reds. For springtime, create a color scheme of amethyst and pastels!

Fun facts about Charcoal:

1. The first recorded use of amethyst as a color name in English was in 1572.

2. The color amethyst is named for a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry; the name for the stone in turn came from the Ancient Greek words for "not intoxicated," a reference to the belief that it protected its owner from drunkenness.

3. The birthstone for February is Amethyst.

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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.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

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!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

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!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Stone Age"

This stone-inspired stationery set is great for weddings along pebbled beaches, or any occasion to celebrate local geology!

"The Stone Age" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card) and Save-the-Date

The invitation is printed on white paper and mounted to a recycled brown envelope with small silver brads. I decorated the side right flap and left pocket with scrapbook paper featuring a fun photographic stone print. I scanned the scrapbook paper into my computer to incorporate into the printed invitation, reply card, and save-the-date (though I lightened the picture a little so it wouldn't completely blend into the darker scrapbook paper).

For the text, I used a fun font that looks like letters scratched onto stone or wood. Less important information was written in a smaller typewriter inspired font.

The save-the-date and reply card also both have matching brown recycled envelopes.

Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Dressed to Impress"

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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.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Color of the Week - Seafoam

This week's color is Seafoam - a beachy blueish-green hue perfect for spring and summer!

Seafoam is gorgeous when paired with candy-colored pastels (like cherry blossom pink and orange creamsicle), as well as highly saturated hues (like azure blue and raspberry red)!

Fun facts about Seafoam:

1. The name comes from the sometimes green color of naturally occuring sea foam, a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater as it breaks down algal blooms and other organic matter.

2. Honeycomb toffee, a sugary toffee with a light, rigid, sponge-like texture, is regionally known by the name "sea foam" in many parts of the U.S., including Maine, Washington state, Oregon, Utah, California, and Michigan.

3. Seafoam green is similar in color to Paris Green, a highly toxic green crystalline powder that has been used as a blue colorant for fireworks, as well as for rodenticide and insecticide.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Garden Pixel"

This invitation combines retro 80's video-game style graphics with feminine touches and bright, cheery colors!

"Garden Pixel" Invitation

The idea for this invitation came from an idea I had for a fun winter party. Beat the cold winter blues with an indoor garden party! Celebrate the season's dismal bloom options with creativity! Make flower bouquets out of paper or fabric, or arrange pictures of flowers into 2D bouquets.

This invitation features 8-bit flower images printed on white paper and mounted on textured orange cardstock. Then, I paired the bright orange with a neon pink envelope to really scream for attention!

Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Silly Love Songs"

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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.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

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 perfect 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!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Flowerless Bouquets 3 - Feathers

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!

Monday, August 12, 2013

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.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Flowerless Bouquets 2 - Paper

Just like fabric, paper comes in several different textures and any color under the sun (and if you don't 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!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Flowerless Bouquets 1 - Fabric

The great thing about fabric is it comes in every color imaginable (and if you don't 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!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Color of the Week - Banana

This week's color is Banana - a pale yellow named for the color of unpeeled bananas!

All light yellows work as neutrals because of their similarities to tan and ivory shades, so they look great with almost any color!

Fun facts about Banana:

1. Bananas are edible fruits produced by large flowering plants native to tropical South and Southeast Asia; they are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea.

2. Bananas, like autumn leaves, canaries, and egg yolks, get their yellow color from natural pigments called carotenoids.

3. A person slipping on a banana peel has been a staple of physical comedy for generations, and the popular Nintendo Mario Kart video game series uses banana peels as weapons that cause opponets' cars to spin out and fall behind.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Color of the Week - Cherry

This week's color is Cherry - an eye-catching, highly saturated red with just a hint of pink!

Decisive and bright, cherry red is the perfect way to add a pop of color to your event or home decor - just remember that a little goes a long way! ;)

Fun facts about Cherry:

1. This color name derives from the name of the popular cherry fruit.

2. Cherry red is similar to the color known as "cerise," though the later is technically the slightly more blueish hue of a cooked cherry, such as those found in cherry pies.

3. Traverse City, Michigan is known as the Cherry Capital of the World and hosts an annual summertime National Cherry Festival to celebrate their production of tart cherries.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Color of the Week - Sky Blue

This week's color is Sky Blue - a pastel shade of blue that's calming, cool, and refreshing!

Pair it with another pastel or a light neutral (like silver or ivory) for a chilly color scheme beautiful for winter and spring, or add a pop of bright color for summertime!

Fun facts about Sky Blue:

1. The name "sky blue" has been used since at least 1728 to refer to the pale blue of the sky.

2. Many current professional sports teams use the color, including the Uruguay national football (soccer) team, whose team nickname is La Celeste (The Sky Blue One).

3. In contemporary culture, pale blue colors like sky blue are often associated with baby boys (though prior to the 1940s, baby boys were actually associated with pale pink, while baby girls were associated with pale blue).

Monday, June 24, 2013

Color of the Week - Avocado

This week's color is Avocado - a darker green shade with yellow undertones!

Because of it's richness, avocado is a great color for autumn - and it pairs great with typical autumn colors, like browns, reds, oranges, and golds. But avocado is also unexpectedly beautiful with pastels (team it up with pastel pink or lavender for springtime!), and looks gorgeous mixed with several other shades of green for a rich nature-inspired display.

Fun facts about Avocado:

1. Avocado is named after the dark green skin of the avocado fruit native to Central Mexico.

2. Avocado fruits are also known as "alligator pears."

3. Avocado was a common color for metal surfaces (including automobiles and household appliances) and shag carpets in the 1970s, along with "harvest gold." Both colors (as well as shag carpets) went out of style by the early 1980s.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Plum Major"

I just love this stationery set. It's colorful and whimsical, with fun flowers that look child-drawn and carefree. It's a great design for any spring or summer outdoor event, especially a more casual, family affair, or a hippie- or pagan-inspired event (including May Day and Renaissance Festivals)!

"Plum Major" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

For this stationery set, I started with a scrapbook paper I really liked. The paper had a scratched-texture purple and blue background, with colorful stems of flowers vertically aligned into stripes.

I used the same colors found on those flowers for each line of text on the invitation and reply card, and found a purple petal envelope and green outside and reply card envelopes to match the purple and green colors found in the scrapbook paper.

I also scanned in the scrapbook paper and included a strip of it on each side of the invitation and the left side of the reply card, to further tie everything together.

I love the petal folding envelopes because they mimic the same flower shapes from the scrapbook paper - and if you fold in two adjacent sides, the envelope looks like a heart!

Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Only Exception"

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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.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Summer Color Combo - Tangerine & Tiffany Blue

Blue and orange are complements on the color wheel, so they're guaranteed to work well together! Choose a bright, sunny orange like tangerine and offset it with a blue that has a bit of green tint to it to call to mind a glorious orange sunset over green ocean waves!

You won't find naturally occurring blue-green flowers, so opt for orange and white blooms instead. You can also use orange and tangerine slices as centerpieces! I love the bright orange parasols the wedding party has in the bottom left photograph - parasols are shaped like citrus fruit slices, so not only do the colors match but the shape matches the theme, as well! :)

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Shameless Plug Time: Love this color combination? Looking for custom stationery made to match these colors (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.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Fancy/Funky Friday: Patterns Ivy & Tarolla

Today's patterns both do a great job of balancing structure and fun. At first glance, they're both bursting with curls and whimsy, but each follows a strict grid placement and is well tamed. :)

First, the "fancy": Pattern Ivy

Why it's "fancy": From a distance, it looks like lace (or very structured curling vines). Can't you just see this pattern stamped on a brick garden walkway or stitched into a castle tapestry?

Why it's great: This is one of my patterns where you can definitely still see the letterforms I created the design from. Can you discern the elaborate cursive capital Ls and Rs? :)

And now, the "funky": Pattern Tarolla

Why it's "funky": Though the lines are thin, with traditional curlicues and double-lined angles reminiscent of diamonds, argyle, and Roman numerals, the fun spiral-inspired shape in the middle of each "frame" is just too modern to be called anything but funky!

Why it's great: I love how bold and attention-grabbing the purple lines are, even though they're thin. They're confident in their sharp angles and whimsical curls and stand out easily from the white negative space.

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Click here to see all posts related to "Fancy/Funky Friday"

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!