Spring Green

Chartreuse continues to be one of the most popular colors for invitations (the last 3 out of 4 suites we have done used it!). Chartreuse and chocolate brown are an elegant pairing, but you can also combine chartreuse with navy for a classic preppy look or with black for a bit of urban sophistication. Here are some examples of the chartreuse pieces we've done so far this spring.





(All wedding stationery above is by Blue Ribbon Design.)

New Store: Thistle & Clover

Last night I attended the opening for a new boutique in Fort Greene named Thistle & Clover. The owners have curated a sophisticated mix of clothing, jewelry and accessories, all displayed in a sleek gallery-like setting that really allows the individual products to shine. They also have a small selection of stationery - including a few designs by yours truly - which they have displayed in an antique case along with some gorgeous earrings and necklaces. The shop is beautiful and owners couldn't be nicer, so if you are in the neighborhood, definitely check it out!


Thistle & Clover
221 DeKalb Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11205
(718) 855 5577 (t)
(718) 855 5533 (f)
www.thistleclover.com

Store Hours:
Monday-Friday 12PM-8PM
Saturday & Sunday 11AM-7PM

Martha Stewart Living

Look! A friend spotted my Happy Anniversary card used as a prop in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living (lower left). This makes me very happy.

Hot Off the Press: Sneak Peak

Just a little peak at the beautiful ornamental scrollwork that was used in a new custom design.

(Custom Wedding Invitations above by Blue Ribbon Design)

Reading List : Invitation Wording & Etiquette

As a stationer, I am often asked to guide customers through the sometimes daunting task of wording their invitations. My approach to invitation etiquette: know the rules so you can decide when to bend them. It helps to have some time-honored references to turn to. That said, here are some of my favorite resources.

The Wedding Invitation Handbook, by Julie Holcomb
Indispensable. I turn to this book regularly for it's balance of traditional etiquette and contemporary style. In addition to providing sample wording for all types of situations, this book reinforces the idea that it's o.k. to bend the rules when the situation calls for it. It's also one of the first mainstream invitation guides I know of to provide sample wording for commitment ceremonies. Available from Plus And Press.

Crane's Wedding Blue Book
A wonderful reference for traditional wording and etiquette. It is particularly helpful with diplomatic and military titles. I bought mine at Kate's Paperie in New York, however this title is very common and should be available at any well-stocked bookseller. (Crane's also reproduces most of the content on their own website, crane.com.)

Emily Post's Etiquette, by Peggy Post
A great all-around etiquette guide. Skip the abbreviated wedding version - this is a general reference every well-mannered household should own. The current 17th edition is available from Amazon.com.

Wedding Invitations, by Jennifer Cegielski
I often recommend this beautifully illustrated book to anyone who is just beginning their invitation search because it does a wonderful job of explaining the many printing, paper and style options used for modern wedding invitations and offers sound advice on what to expect from your stationer. This guide also includes more information than most about how to address, assemble and mail your invitations. Also available from Amazon.com.

Taking a design from start to finish

I am often asked about the inspiration behind specific designs, so here is an example of how one greeting card progressed from inspiration to realization.

It all starts when I see something that catches my eye. In this case, I was taken by an illustration for one of Paul Poiret's most famous ensembles, "Sorbet." (Georges Lepape illustration for Gazette du bon ton, 1913, via The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.org)


What appealed to me most were the stylized rosettes and the black & pink colorway. I made several sketches and eventually came up with a stylized rose of my own. The sketch was then scanned and cleaned up in Illustrator.

Once the line art was created I started working on the layout. I love patterns and thought that this rosette would make an elegant repeat reminiscent of early twentieth-century textiles.


In keeping with the Moderne mood, I choose a typeface smiliar to those seen in period advertisements. Voilà, the finished product.

Hot Off the Press: Another Sneak Peak

I won't show the entire suite until after the wedding, but as you can see from these detail shots, this custom design uses a mix of classic borders to evoke elegant Old New York. I particularly love these border designs because they remind me of the decorative ironwork that adorns so many New York brownstones - very 19th-Century New York.


(Custom invitation design by Blue Ribbon)

New Moderne Notes from Blue Ribbon Design

Our new Moderne Notes are now available online!

Baby Announcements

Although wedding invitations represent the bulk of Blue Ribbon's custom printing projects, I occasionally design other types of stationery such as the chinoiserie-inspired baby announcement pictured below.

This announcement was created for a friend, and I love the fact that she wanted to use purple, which was a fun and refreshing change from the standard pink typically used for girls' announcements. I actually used the same pattern (in a different format) on her son's birth announcement (below) two years ago and I like the way that the pattern links the designs for brother and sister.

(Chinoiserie Letterpress Baby Announcements by Blue Ribbon Design)

Hot Off the Press: A Sneak Peak

I love working on custom design projects. It's fun to work one on one with the bride and I particularly love hearing about all of the event details (the size of the wedding, the desired level of formality, the location, the dress, the flowers, the cake!) and then coming up with a design that compliments and unifies all of those elements. And, of course, printing a new design for the first time is always exciting.

Above is just an itty-bitty sneak peak of a custom design that was recently created for a classic coastal New England celebration this Spring. I'm so happy with how it turned out, I'm thinking of adding it to the retail album. Photos of the entire suite coming soon...

(Invitation design and photo by Blue Ribbon Design)

Gray & Yellow Inspiration Board by Snippet & Ink

Isn't this pretty? What a delightful surprise to spot Blue Ribbon's Chinoiserie invitation in this beautiful mood board evoking "subdued elegance" created by Kathryn at Snippet & Ink. Click here for the orginal post and be sure to check out the blog's archive for more of her wonderfully inspiring collages.


Collage above by Snippet & Ink. Top row from left: St. Bartholomew's Church via On Decorum, bouquet from Rebecca Thuss, J.Crew dress from Brides, lemonade from Rebecca Thuss, flowers via I Do Vancouver ; Row 2: save-the-date via Thoughtful Day, tent from Ariella Chezar, cake by April Reed; Row 3: photo from Beth Helmstetter, bouquet by Artfool, invitation by Blue Ribbon, boutonniere and bouquet both from Martha Stewart Weddings.

Hot Off The Press: Spring Colors

We've been printing up lots of lovely invitations for spring brides. This is the first time that we have printed Rococo in a frost/slate colorway and I absolutely love it!

(Rococo letterpress wedding invitation by Blue Ribbon Design. Shown in frost/gray)

Letterpress Imprintables : Printing Tips for Home Printer

The menus above were created by running letterpress imprintables through an ink jet printer

On a budget but still want to incorporate letterpress into your wedding stationery? Imprintable flats can be personalized to create all kinds of invitations and tabletop stationery, including save-the-dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, menus, and more!

Most stationery stores offer in-house printing for the imprintable products that they sell, but you can also run them through your home printer. Every ink jet and laser printer has it's own quirks, but here are some universal set-up and printing tips that will help the finished product look it's best:

• When setting up your document template, make sure that the document (or artboard) dimensions are the same as your card and that the orientation (landscape vs. portrait) is correct.

• When selecting print preferences from your printer driver, make sure that the print media size is the same as your card, that the scale is set to 100%, and that the borderless printing option (if your printer has one) is selected.

• If your printer has any special settings for print media, select "matte card stock" and always make sure the print quality is set to "best".

• Before printing on the actual cards, test your layout and alignment on some scrap paper that has been cut to the same size as your imprintables.

• Print in small batches, keeping an eye on the printer to make sure that the printer's rollers are picking up the cards consistently and running them straight through without shifting the alignment.

• To prevent smudges, be sure to give the ink ample time to dry before handling the printed cards.

Layout Ideas

We recently added a new feature to the imprintables section of the website - now you may view printed examples of all of our imprintable designs. Check out the website to view additional designs and layout ideas.

(Country Garden imprintable invitations by Blue Ribbon Design)

Blue Ribbon Design Featured in In Style Weddings

What a nice way to start the new year! Our Andiron Border imprintable invitation is featured in the current issue of In Style Weddings.


(In Style Weddings Winter 2008; Andiron Border Imprintable by Blue Ribbon Design)

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from Blue Ribbon Design! We're closing early this afternoon, but will return after the holidays with a sneak peak of some new designs.

(Photo of Wedgwood Jasperware from www.wedgwoodusa.com)

Tony Duquette Holiday Windows

New York is known for it's holiday displays and once again Bergdorf Goodman designed my favorite. This year's theme is the "natural baroque" style of Tony Duquette, rendered in five magical displays inspired by the natural elements Earth, Air, Fire, Light, and Water.

Fire

Abrams just released a new monograph on Duquette and these holiday windows are a wonderful promotional tie-in. Not only are the main windows staged with Duquette-inspired fantasies, but the tiny niche windows contain whimsical displays Tony Duquette jewelry (check out the fine jewelry category of www.tonyduquette.com for a sampling of his designs).

Air

These windows are just stunning in person, the sheer amount of decorative bric-a-brac artfully crammed into each tableau is absolutely amazing. I was shopping at night and was unable to get a decent photo of any of the details (all the above images are from the store's website). If you can't visit the store, at least take a moment to visit the Bergdorf Goodman site to watch a wonderful video that chronicles the design and production of these windows.

Earth

(All photos from www.bergdorfgoodman.com)

Lipstick Queen

Last night I attended a shopping event at Space NK, a British "apothecary" that recently opened it's first US outpost in SoHo. The space is wonderfully spare and the product selection tightly curated, which makes for a decidedly more relaxed and focused shopping experience unlike the harried beauty departments at Henri Bendel or Saks.


Anyway, I wasn't there for the free champagne or chocolates, my real purpose was to check out Lipstick Queen. I first read about the line's creator, Poppy King, when she was profiled in The New York Times Magazine last year (read the article here), and I was taken with how she described her fascination with the glamour, both real and symbolic, of wearing lipstick. Not only are the lipsticks wonderful (her reds truly are wearable), but the package design is gorgeous. I love the Arts & Crafts inspired packaging for the Sinner and Saint lipsticks and the Beardsley-esque backings for the Oxymoron glosses. Given the current minimalist and clinical look of most luxury cosmetic lines, it's refreshing to see a brand that has unabashedly decorative and saucy packaging - definitely a standout in the beauty department.

(Photos top to bottom: www.spacenk.com; www.lipstickqueen.com)

Everything's coming up roses

A few of my favorite places that stylized roses have popped up recently.

Van Cleef & Arpels Roses de Noël

(photo from www.vancleef-arpels.com)

Liberty of London's Nineva Gold Necklace
Not sure if these are roses or camillas; I like to think they are roses
(image from www.libertyoflondon.co.uk)

Satin Rose slingbacks from Prada's resort collection

(from www.trendora.com Copyright © 2007)

La vie en rose

Ever since visiting the Metropolitan Museum's Poiret show this summer, I can't seem to get early 20th century modernism and the Art Deco aesthetic off my mind. Everywhere I turn I see Deco details that catch my eye and now it's beginning to show up in my initial designs for 2008.

I'm particularly obsessed with stylized roses - a favorite motif of couturiers Paul Poiret and Jeanne Lanvin. Apparently, I'm not the only one, since roses seem to be experiencing a kind of revival as another generation rediscovers this classic symbol of feminine beauty and allure. More on the renaissance of the rose in a bit...

(drawing of rose cascade © Blue Ribbon Design 2007)

More Seating Cards!

More seating cards... of the folded variety.

(Seating card designs & photos by Blue Ribbon Design)

Seating Card Gallery

Seating cards and place cards are among my favorite pieces of wedding stationery. I love the miniature scale and the wonderful repeat effect created when the cards are lined up at the reception. The seating card designs below come with mini envelopes. Have your calligrapher write each guest's name on the front of the envelope and their table number assignment on the enclosure. It's a good idea to keep a few blank seating cards on hand at the reception so you can easily take care of any last-minute seating changes.

(Seating card designs and photos by Blue Ribbon Design)

Chinoiserie Seating Cards

These chinoiserie seating cards were designed for an upcoming event. I can't wait to see what the cards look like when they come back from the calligrapher.

(Seating card design and photo by Blue Ribbon Design)

Cookie Favors

I designed these cookie favors for a recent wedding celebration (photos coming soon!) and I was so pleased with the way they came out, I just had to share.

The bride wanted to use a beloved family recipe to make cookie favors for the guests and the packaging needed to coordinate with the rest of the printed pieces I had previously designed for the event. Working with the brown and chartreuse palette that had been established with the invitation suite, small cellophane bags were lined with two sheets of paper: a chartreuse layer in front, and a cream-colored layer in back, which was printed with the couple's name, event date and cookie recipe. The perfect combination of decorative and personal, these colorful little packages provided a nice pop of color within the mostly white tablescapes at the reception and passed on a family recipe that could be savored that evening and in the future.

(Cookie favor design and photos by Blue Ribbon Design)

Musée des Arts décoratifs

If you are visiting the Louvre, don't forget to visit the Musée des Arts Decoratifs. The period rooms are full of beautiful textiles, ceramics, glass, and furniture, and the hushed Galerie des bijoux provides a quiet and intimate viewing experience that is a welcome change of pace from the crowds in the main museum.

Musée des Arts décoratifs
107, rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris
Tél. : 01 44 55 57 50
www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr

(Photo from museum website: Broche « nœuds », 1819-1838, Paris, photo credit: Laurent Sully Jaulmes)

Les Parfums de Rosine

This tiny boutique is tucked away in the corridors of the Palais Royal - the gardens providing the perfect backdrop for a parfumerie dedicated to exploring the essence of the Rose. The perfumes are delightfully feminine and (of course) I am in love with the packaging.


LES PARFUMS DE ROSINE
Jardin du Palais Royal
105, Galerie de Valois – 75001 PARIS
Tel : 01 42 60 11 51
www.les-parfums-de-rosine.com

(Logo and boutique storefront images from the Parfums de Rosine website. Photos of samples and shopping bag from Blue Ribbon Design)

Decorative Details

Just a few pretty details. From top left: Wall covering from the Grand Trianon, detail of a painted frame in the Louvre, a striking color combination (yellow, salmon pink, black, and gold!), and a close up of de La Tour's pastel of Mme de Pompadour at the Louvre (love the shoes).

Ladurée

One of my favorite places to visit in Paris is Ladurée on rue Royal. Their macarons are known to be amongst the best in Paris and after having eaten here twice during my visit, I can confirm that they are indeed worth a special trip.

The shop's fabled displays of pastel pastries are visually inspiring and the flavors on offer are enchanting: cassis-violette, praliné, framboise, pistache, pétales de rose, caramel à la fleur de sel, fleur d’oranger, citron, pain d’épice...

As a paper person, I especially appreciate Ladurée's flair for packaging and printed details. Wouldn't the initialed tea handle cover above (which is made of a very soft paper, by the way) make a fantastic addition to service at a bridal tea or during dessert at a wedding reception?

And speaking of wedding receptions, if you are having a French-themed celebration, macarons or chocolates from Ladurée would be a wonderfully extravagant wedding favor, especially since Ladurée's sweets are not available yet in the United States and must be ordered directly through the shops in Europe.

Ladurée Royale
16, rue Royale - 75008 Paris
Tel : 01 42 60 21 79 - Fax : 01 49 27 01 95
www.laduree.com

(All photos by Blue Ribbon Design)

Bonjour!

I've just returned from Paris and will soon be sharing a few of my favorite shops and inspiring places to visit in the city of light.

(Vintage Eiffel Tower fabric via Fabric Attic)