look what my uncle sent over in the mail yesterday – a whole package filled with lettering and drawing and printing goodies, all wrapped in 1940s newsprint. what fun!
paper and pen crush
i’ve been doing a lot of perusing around the stationery world recently (and by recently, i really mean for the better part of the last three years), and i just have to remark on some of the lovely work that’s kept my eyes trained on the screen (sometimes at the sacrifice of doing my own work… it’s all in the name of inspiration, right?).
pitbulls and posies – an la-based paper goods and design shop run by amber moon (who seems to love her hippy-esque name just as much as i did upon first glancing at it). i love the mixture of softness and edge that permeate all of their projects. some of my favorites include the deconstructed chevron pattern with sequins suite for an elopement announcement, and their desert mod invite suite, full of vibrant colors, tumbleweed silhouettes, and a playful layout.
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neither snow – this lady’s penmanship is breathtaking. all at once whimsical, fluid, edgy, and graceful, it’s so utterly romantic, it makes complete sense why people would want her script on their invitation designs, or their bodies. i’m in love love with the parisian wedding for which she scripted dinner menus, place cards, and table numbers on distressed vases. it’s all so timeless and fluid, organic and wistful, almost melancholic. i tend to draw a lot of inspiration from things that have those traits, and mara’s hand is one of them.
just a little eye-candy to keep you occupied for the rest of your afternoon, as you look longingly out the sunny window and wish you had an extension cord long enough to bring you outside to finish your work… err, or that could be just me. either way, happy wednesday!
gaga for gatsby
recently i was asked (by the lovely ladies of soiree weddings & events) to contribute to a 20s themed wedding vendor spotlight in honor of the highly anticipated dicaprio and mulligan great gatsby premier. i couldn’t have been more excited. if i could pick any other era to live in, it would definitely have been the golden, roaring, fringe and feather, pearl and diamond clad 1920s (new york or paris, that’s the real question). in preparation for the chalkboard lettering, i started doing some research on art deco fonts, and discovered a few that i immediately fell in love with. herewith – the ones i drew inspiration from, along with some deco-esque lines and accoutrements:
seriously – isn’t pinterest the best? so many resources to draw from. after three hours in the zapwater communications meeting room, here’s what i came up with:
i’m now thoroughly obsessed with art deco lettering. i’m sure you’ll see more inspiration and influences on here in the future. until then, go get yourselves some tickets to the great gatsby (opening tomorrow!) – it was simply splendid, gorgeous, and full of life.
{other vendors that contributed to the lovely evening: soiree weddings & events, be u weddings & brides, mignonette, pure kitchen catering, goose island catering, cage & aquarium, fig media, pistil & vine}
the wedding march, a soiree event
yesterday i had the most amazing opportunity to be a part of the vendor list for the wedding march, an event hosted by soiree weddings and events of chicago. soiree, spearheaded by the amazing tiffany munster, and aided in a large part by the talented molly blonn and rebecca niziol, brought together an impressive array of talented chicagoans to curate a wedding event at the gorgeous floating world gallery space. the event included a florist (see: stemline creative), sweets services (sugar chic designs), dj, photobooth company, photographer, stationer, catering company (fig – so delicious), bridal workout gurus, and many more.
for my part, i was asked to script and create menus for the center stage table that stemline and tablescapes put together. i had so much fun drawing these up, and then deciding on names for all the guests. i’d love to work on more projects like this, so if all you brides out there need calligraphy services for any paper portion of your wedding, i’m your girl!
invitations – lululemon style
i recently had the opportunity to design some invitations for a lululemon athletica ambassador event, for the 900 n michigan store in chicago. i love love love all of that store’s ambassadors (namely because i know all of them, and have taken all their amazing yoga, pilates, spin classes), and so this project held a special place in my heart. i hope you have fun learning all about the lululemon culture, amber cook, rebecca niziol, antonia desantis, tracy zindell (check out her gorgeous jewelry in her etsy shop too), jenny finkel, jessical aiken, and the token gentleman, mike thomson!
a different way to say i love you
valentine’s day is right around the corner. of course, how could anyone miss it? as soon as the last of the confetti was thrown from rooftops on new year’s eve, pink heart-shaped pieces of construction paper began to line the windows of nearly every store – from nail salons to the corner deli to every stationary shop in this town. while i don’t quite agree with the amount of pressure that these two back-to-back holidays inevitably assume, i do always think any inclination to let the people in your life know how much you love and appreciate and value and lust after them is good.
so, without further ado, the jilly ink valentine suite, currently available in the shop:
‘darling don’t you know – i fucking love you‘ cards – $4.50
‘oh baby – oh you kill me‘ cards – $4.50
‘oh shit – ok – fine – i love you‘ cards – $4.50
love stickers! $3 per sheet of 24 stickers
happy loving!
feel it in my bones
last weekend was my second showing at second fridays down in pilsen, at the lovely and welcoming and gorgeous space at both sides gallery. last month, i showed my wooden-books story installation piece, which was met with a wonderfully positive response.
this time around, i showed an edited version of that piece, along with some screenprints made while at saic, and a few cheeky custom illustration and calligraphy prints.
making these was so much fun. so much fun, that i think i’ll prop open my massive gray’s anatomy book (bought for $2 at the brown elephant in chicago), and start scouring for some more bones to to pair with suggestive phrases..
