Birthday Brunch
My grandmother will celebrate her 80th birthday next month. It's just a family affair, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to make invitations! Isn't she beautiful?!
Wedding Wednesday: Janice & David
Janice and David married on a warm August evening at Creekside Pavilion in Driftwood, Texas. Although Texas is known for it's hot summers, this evening was the perfect backdrop for a lovely wedding as the sun was setting and sparkling through the trees. 
The couple chose rich navy, cream and white to decorate their big day, and it started with the invitations (of course! the first visual your guests receive!) Janice knew she wanted to say "I do" outside, so I made sure to include elements of nature in the invitation. (The suite included an invitation, map, RSVP and thank you card to match.) The invitation definitely set the tone for the big day as it combined elegant type, with a simple--yet playful--line drawing. Janice and David carried this theme into many other elements of the wedding. The table settings, the flowers--in blue and white china vases, and even the cake topper with two little blue love birds! We even incorporated the design of the invitation into the ceremony programs that also played the part of fans for guests to fan themselves on the summer evening.
Venue: Creekside Pavilion. Invitations: Lilly Louise. Photography: Sherry Hammonds Photography. Flowers: various moms.
Tea for three
A friend of mine commissioned me to paint three sets of cards to give as gifts to the three hosts that gave a shower in her honor. It was her idea to do teapots, as the shower was a traditional tea party. Take a peek.
Babies and Birthdays
There is something about the act of making something for someone. With every decision -- brush stroke, color choice or drop of glue -- I'm thinking about the recipient. It's somewhat meditative, and it makes giving the gift even more special.
In case you didn't know, I have a little bit of an obsession with giving my friends gifts as unique as they are. I had two opportunities recently to feed that obsession. First, with a friend's son who celebrated his first birthday. Second, for my dear friend who is expecting a little girl in June -- we celebrated baby's upcoming arrival this weekend at a lovely shower. I gave both the little ones a small piece of art for their wall. I made collages from cut-outs of painted paper; birthday boy got a curious iguana and baby girl got a purple elephant with a pink birdie friend perched on her trunk. I framed both pieces in a light wooden frame. I hope the little ones enjoy their gifts (someday) as much as I enjoyed making them. 
Kara & Win
I'm hereby declaring Wednesdays on the Lilly Louise Blog "Wedding Wednesdays." First up, Kara and Win.
Kara and Win will celebrate their 2 year wedding anniversary in a few days! This was one of first wedding invitations I created, thanks to Kara who gave me the freedom to make something special for her and Win's big day. The couple chose light green and cream as their wedding colors, and we pulled these colors into many pieces of the wedding, accenting them with pinks and yellows.
Kara and Win married on a lovely spring morning at Green Pastures Restaurant in Austin, Texas. The couple said their "I do's" under a cluster of oaks as family and friends watched from the speckled shadows of the trees above. It was a lovely Texas day. A reception followed with a delicious spread of fresh seafood and vegetables, mimosas, Green Pastures' signature milk punch (danger!), and a champagne toast. Upon leaving their reception, the couple was showered with lavender as they made their way through the crowd. Guest took home small envelopes of wildflower seeds to plant and remember Kara and Win's special day.
Flowers: Susie Lewis. Photography: Stella Alesi Photography. Venue, catering and cakes: Green Pastures Restaurant. Invitation, favor and program design: Lilly Louise.
Music + Craft = Lisa Hannigan's music video
This is a little visual and musical treat! Enjoy.
I Heart Letterpress
Last week I visited Lumino Press, a letterpress and book arts studio here in Santa Barbara. In the last 10-15 years letterpress has made a come-back in the world of printing, particularly with wedding invitations. You may be familiar with the lovely work of a letterpress--the crisp type pressed into a toothy paper, the results are oh-so-handsomely tactile. While letterpress is a more costly option for printing, I find the visual and tactile results well worth the splurge.
Letterpress printing is a term for the 'relief' printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed", in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image. Historically, movable, metal (or wood) type was used to press words into paper. Although metal and wood type are still used today, text and graphic elements can be created digitally on computers and transferred to paper using photopolymer plates and metal engravings. I was lucky enough to have a letterpress lab in college, where we had an extensive library of metal and wood typefaces. I learned about the process and the traditional ways to set type, as well as the history of type terminology that we use today.
I'm currently working on a wedding invitation suite that we will have letterpressed and it makes me so happy! I'll be sure to keep you posted on the final design. Letterpress is a great way to print a very simple piece because it adds dimension and tactility. When I hold a letterpressed paper good in my hands, I find myself running my fingers over the crisp depression of the type, studying the ink and admiring the paper. (I'm often salivating, too!) Can you tell I'm obsessed?! I love these letterpressed wedding invitations below from Pancake & Franks.
Peachy Keeps Watch
Peachy is my studio buddy. She keeps me company during the day, snores to whatever tunes I have playing, and lets me know when the mail carrier is here or if there's been a knock at the door. She's recently figure out that if she stands on her hind legs, she can see what's going on outside, without actually going outside. I guess some days that beats going outside to see what it is (could be something scary like a lawn mower!). So, we've added "keeping watch" to her job description.
Making Cards
This weekend I made a handful of sets of Watercolor Heart Cards. I sit down with my paintbrush and my watercolors (I use 12 1/2 dozen egg crate to hold the paints--it's perfect) and paint away. Although I'm repeating the same shape, each little painting is unique, it's quite meditative, too. After the paint dries, I cut a square around each heart and glue to a folded card. A set of cards includes 4 blank cards and envelopes. Sets are for sale here.
