Daily Drop Cap

t's a fairly basic design rule of thumb to use decorative fonts sparingly. Getting trigger happy with them can turn a great design into a circus faster than you can say "Rosewood." So why is it that I want to plaster my walls with these stunning drop caps from illustrator and typographer Jessica Hirsche? I just discovered on Swiss Miss that each day, Jessica shares a new hand-crafted decorative initial cap on her site Daily Drop Cap. This is part of her effort to beautify blog posts everywhere—a noble act indeed. I'm increasingly convinced that good typography makes the world go round. Enjoy the eye candy.

Jodie and Matthew's Preppy Chic Invitations

Check out these sweet photos of Jodie and Matthew's September wedding and the invitations we designed for it. Jodie and Matthew came to us looking to create a look for their special day that was fresh, preppy and tailored—just the look to complement their upbeat personalities and their outdoor engagement in San Fransisco—very sweet story.

Jodie had chosen to use navy and white pinstripes and kelly green as the benchmark for the wedding's design theme; she had even created her own inspiration board as she collected images that spoke to her. “I want it to feel like a South Hampton Garden Party,” she said.

And we knew just what to do. Crisp, bold stripes of green and navy printed on luxurious white letterpress paper were the perfect stage for for this clean, contemporary design. It went perfectly with their venue too: The Taft Museum of Art, an impeccably maintained plantation-style gem with sweeping green lawns and grandeur white columns. Guests told Jodie and Matthew “This design is so you!”—the ultimate compliment.

As we always do, we first gathered images that embodied the right vibe. Thank you Stephanie Williams for these perfect shots.
Then, the graphic story begins with a charming save-the-date.
For the invitation, a brilliant square invitation makes quite a first impression. Pin stripes and pops of pattern and kelly green keep the intrigue coming—tying all of the correspondence together uniquely and consistently.
RSVP and matching RSVP envelope leave no detail unturned. Color, typography and pattern unify all pieces of this striking suite.
A separate reception card directs guests from the wedding to the reception with style.

Thank you kindly for working with us, Jodie and Matthew. This beautiful shot by April at Bluebird Photography says it all. Congratulations.Invitation photos by Neysa Ruhl.

Fun with FontCapture

My girl, Rosie, just turned me on to a new site, FontCapture, that allows you to make a font from your own handwriting. I've seen this done before, but it's never been made this fun and easy. Plus, it's free and compatible with both Macs and PCs, so there are just 4 tiny steps between you and your very own font.

First, just print the font template. Then, fill it in with your own handwriting with a thin black marker. Be sure to keep your eye on the indicated baseline. You're already almost done. Now, scan the template back in and upload a jpeg or png file through 'Step 3' of the site. Give your personal creation a name, download the generated files to your computer —and voila; you're a type designer.

Here's my font creation: Tire Shop

Carolina Herrera's 2010 Masterpieces

Thanks to Carolina Herrera, the worlds of fine art and couture wedding fashion have collided—in a very good way. It's always a joy to see how fashion designers, season after season, continuously reinvent the entire concept of the wedding gown and still hang on to its innate romance as well as their individual style. Many of their choices inadvertently create subtle ripples in the sea of upcoming wedding trends for the entire industry. What an extra pleasant surprise today though, to see Carolina's haute 2010 fashions inspired by some of the world's most beloved painters, most of whom shook up our culture many centuries ago. We think the masters would be pleased to see the lines of art and fashion blurred in such an exquisite way.

Coutorture via One Wed

Coutorture via One Wed

Coutorture via One Wed

Coutorture via One Wed

Coutorture via One Wed

Coutorture via One Wed

Itty Bitty in the City

Recently we had the honor of designing sweet invitations for Connor's first birthday in Central Park. Connor's doting mom, Andrea, had an adorable idea to honor her sweet boy's big day with an "itty bitty in the city" theme, so we helped her introduce guests to the theme with a custom tiny invitation (at just 1.5" square.) It even came housed in a larger format teal envelope to exaggerate the tininess—so fun.

Andrea ran with the theme so tastefully too—seamlessly "thinking small" in her creation of delightful decor, favors and snacks. The best part is, she just shared these darling photos with us, captured by her talented friend Rafael Tongol Photography, and we couldn't wait to share them. What a perfect summer day in the Big Apple.



















Invitation Photos courtesy of Neysa Ruhl Photography; Birthday Party Photos courtesy of Rafael Tongol Photography

A Shout-out to Sprouts

Today, we're highlighting one of Giddy's favorite creative partners in the world of inspired weddings: Sprouts Floral Design Studio. Founded in 2000 and owned by the uber-creative and completely lovable Joni Sherman, Sprouts is the go-to florist in Cincinnati for truly original and impeccably refined florals. Her show-stopping bouquets and arrangements are not only layered with exquisite (often never-seen-before) goodies, they're also made from the highest quality product available—and it shows. Dabbling even further with alternative materials and containers, you simply can't predict what kind of grooviness Joni will create. Our advice is to describe the vibe you're going for and let the floral whiz just do her thing.

Photo 1 Tine Hoffman: TM Photography; Photo 2: Bluebird Photography

Photo by Tine Hoffman: TM Photography

Photo by Tine Hoffman: TM Photography

Photo by Tine Hoffman: TM Photography

Photo by Tine Hoffman: TM Photography

Photo by Neysa Ruhl: Neysa Ruhl PhotographyPhoto by Neysa Ruhl: Neysa Ruhl Photography

Mitzvah-voom!

I'm doing some research for an upcoming Bar Mitzvah we're working on and stumbled upon this totally fantastic Bat Mitzvah for Madisyn at Cipriani 42nd Street right in the heart of Manhattan. Photographed perfectly by Zlatko Batistich, it just goes to show that this coming of age is not something taken lightly by families OR designers. These spirited events are often the highlight of the year for the whole family—styled to the nines and beautifully rooted in age-old tradition. And yes, I'm kind of wishing I was friends with more 13-year-olds right now.

Flowers: Atlas Floral Decorators

Pattern Lust

Well, now’s as good a time as any to introduce you to my huge love affair with pattern—specifically mixing and matching bold, eclectic patterns. Adding anywhere from a small touch to a big flood of pattern adds so much unexpected personality to an otherwise simple design.

It’s a great way to get creative too. Like a funky chair in a living room or a zebra print scarf, things like envelope liners, program covers, and even boutonnieres are great places to introduce patterned papers or fabrics and create a visual pop. Similar to a bright floral arrangement, it’s also a great way to inject vibrant color and attitude to your décor and put a modern spin on a classic white wedding.


Image via Green Wedding Shoes



left to right: potted plant table numbers via 100 Layer Cake; dyi paper boutonnieres via My DIY Wedding Day; fabric pattern by Amy Butler; fabric tied invitation suite via Old Sweet Song; Fabric and stitched Save the Dates letterpressed by Alee & Press via 100 Layer Cake; fabric escort cards via Elizabeth Anne Designs




left to right: wedding programs using handmade papers via Mica78; product packaging via Mica78; patterned envelope liners by A Friend of Mine; patterned invitation sleeves via Crafting a Green World

And finally just a few of the patterns I am loving right now:




patterned papers via Paper Mojo