Graphic Design Studio and Custom Letterpress Invitations
Arabesque design goes back for centuries to manuscripts, tapestries, and metalwork, but the rhythmic linear patterns and geometric shapes from the 19th century are ever present in today’s modern world. From party invitations and stationary to home decor, we are loving the everlasting power of this long traditional form of artistic decoration.
The playful personality of Mia and Kendrick shone through in their invitation design and really packed a punch in the envelope. We loved the bright, bold pink touches, which also added a fun and colorful look to the wedding day as well.
Event planner: Laurie Arons
Photographer: Meg Smith
Invitations: A Day in May
One of the fun things about iPhones is that your photo book can trigger happy memories at any given moment. I just stumbled upon this photo from last summer – my daughter Sabine playing at the Calistoga Ranch kids’ pool. There’s just something about that big beach ball, floppy butterfly hat, and her pink dress! Bring on the ice cream cones, sand in our toes and lazy days. Summer is just around the corner.
Calistogaranch.aubergeresorts.com
We are loving these Mexico-inspired wallpaper patterns from Hygge & West. With their graphically intricate patterns, these designers were inspired by traditional embroidered textiles, painted murals in San Miguel de Allende, and the tile floors of a Mexico City church.
Awhile back we had the fun opportunity to redesign the wine labels for the Anderson Valley winery Donkey and Goat. They recently released a new sparkling Chardonnay (delicious!) and we love that the label looks just as fantastic on a bottle of white as it does on the reds. With just a small color change, the golden color of this delicious sparkling Chardonnay pops off the shelf. Spirited and effervescent!
I just spent Mother’s day at Indian Springs in Calistoga, the oldest operating spa in California. Wine country has it’s share of luxurious spots brimming with modern polish and posh, so it’s pretty wonderful to find a beautiful, family-friendly place with a whisper of roughness around the edges. Think swanky sanitarium meets mom & pop motor court. They underwent a renovation in 2014 but still maintained the original architectural details and touches. This place truly makes you feel like you’ve walked back in time.
“Useful and beautiful”, that’s the unofficial motto of the newly opened Studiopatro. We couldn’t agree more. We love when good design goes hand in hand with functionality and Studiopatro hits it out of the park with their beautiful textiles. So, in case you still need to pick up some Mother’s Day gifts this weekend, check out these beautiful (and functional!) pieces.
We are honored to be featured on Style Me Pretty today. Read our interview at the link below…
http://www.stylemepretty.com/little-black-book-blog
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we wanted to share these very fun photos from a pre-wedding BBQ fiesta. We teamed together with event planner extraordinaire, Laurie Arons, and helped Sarah and Graham kick off their wedding weekend with a Mexican-themed welcome party.
Event Planner: Laurie Arons
Flowers: Kathleen Deery Design
Photography: Gertrude and Mabel
Invitations: A Day in May
Venue: Holman Ranch
Catering: Paradise Catering
I just sent flowers to a good friend today. I have pretty high standards when it comes to floral delivery and I am normally unhappy with the presentation, but today there was good news! I found Olive and Cocoa. They offer really interesting and beautiful containers and unique floral designs ranging from hip succulents to the happiest Springtime blooms. Check it out for yourself – www.oliveandcocoa.com
Spring took it’s time to arrive this year, but the early signs are hard to miss. Nothing screams Spring like the color green. In an homage to this fresh and fabulous hue, here our some of our favorite ways we’re seeing it around town.
photo credit: kate spade, heath ceramics, wedding wire, serena & lily
We love the beautiful, unusual combination of navy and rose gold for this Santa Barbara wedding invitation. Navy is such a classic, timeless color, but the blush and copper tones lend a softness to the palette. Jenna Lam Events really brought the entire design to life at Villa Sevillano to create a romantic springtime setting. As seen on Style Me Pretty.
Event Planner & Design: Jenna Lam Events
Event Design & Florals: Renny and Reed
Photographer: Jose Villa
Invitations: A Day in May
Venue: Villa Sevillano
As I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, I’ve lately been fascinated with graphic, simplified forms of illustration. I was mesmerized by this recent little video on Charley Harper. His minimalist drawings of animals are utterly gorgeous. I love how he’s able to distill a complex subject down to it’s bare minimum, rendering only the most important details to convey the form.
birdlings.com/#/charleyharper/
I love this new packaging design for Jo Malone. The collection is called My Wanderlust and it’s quite a departure from their usual stark black and white design, but it still manages to work well with their elegant, understated brand. It’s also a perfect reflection of the word wanderlust – romantic, dreamy, aspirational…
Lucinda and Millie are an adorable sheep and chicken duo that live together on a vineyard in Sonoma. They are important contributors to the farm’s ecosystem and we were thrilled to team up with them and the organic winery, Lucinda & Millie, to relabel their bottles of delicious Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Take a look at the new designs!
My husband is Argentine which means, happily for me, that when we travel to see his wonderfully large family, we get to go to Buenos Aires. We are visiting now and my daughter was given a very cool coloring book by a famous artist here called Milo. Milo’s artistic style is whimsical and full of color so it has translated perfectly into a child’s world. The book itself is oversized so each image inside feels like a poster. And my favorite touch, at the bottom of each page, Milo adds: “Artist: Milo Y ………” Sabine cannot write her name yet, so I have been doing the honors there but she has been handling all the coloring. Enjoy the images of Milo’s famous work which can be viewed all around Buenos Aires as well as my daughter’s artistic flair.
We just love hand lettering over here at A Day in May, and when it is paired with a beautifully inspiring quote, we love it even more. Shuffle Prints from Etsy has elegantly transformed the words of the 19th century English novelist George Eliot (which, by the way, is a male pen name for the actual female author Mary Ann Evans.) So it may be a little too late for her, but not for us…
It’s Spring Break! Let’s take a look back at some of our favorite beach destination wedding invitation designs to get us excited for some hot sun and sand….
Spring arrives at my house with an extra air of festivity: two of my daughters celebrate their birthdays a single day apart. Though I don’t love the madness, I’m a sucker for creating a fabulous cake. My sister-in-law Katrina, one of the most stylish people I know, turned me on to these wonderful edible butterflies – the perfect topper to a cake, large or small. My girls were entranced!
I just love this post from POPSUGAR: 35 Design Destinations To See Before You Die. It covers the entire globe and some locations are even right here in our California backyard. As designers and design lovers, it’s so inspiring to see someone highlight a new perspective on travel experiences. Time to book our tickets!
popsugar.com/home/Best-Design-Travel-Experiences
