metroville

Here’s hoping that all of you have a safe and happy holiday! We’ll be back on Monday, after a weekend full of friends, fireworks, and lakeside relaxing -

image by mensatic via morguefile.com

So, at some point I ended up on The Wedding Co’s email list. They’re a Toronto-based wedding planning site - chock full of interesting info, btw, if you’re looking for more inspiration along that line.

Today’s email included a little post about the second dress pictured below, which led me to Cabaret’s website, where I promptly fell in love. The have the most amazing collection of vintage clothes - particularly, dresses. 1950’s and 1960’s era dresses are a minor obsession of mine, but because of my - we’ll go with modern - proportions, it’s rare to find any that fit me well. I get the feeling that I’d have a fighting chance at Cabaret. Toronto, here I come…

see? stunning.

The top dress - so Audrey Hepburn, isn’t it? - is a 1960’s era cocktail dress. Love that stand up collar.

The second dress is a modern reproduction of a dress from the 50’s that is in Cabaret’s collection - they’ll custom make one to your measurements, and oh, I do covet that one. So sweet, so feminine, and perfect for a wedding… whether you’re the bride or a guest.

so pretty...

On top, a suit-like dress with hand beaded silk panel. Yum.

I can see my friend Emily wearing this amazing yellow suit, or maybe just the jacket with a pair of skinny jeans.

And lastly, a sweet and simple a-line sheath from the 60’s.

All images via Cabaret’s website.

I found this via GreatFull Day, and apparently it’s making the blog rounds. So I apologize if you’ve seen it before, but I need a reminder…

… and with a vengance. Chicago is officially in summer - it’s in the mid to low nineties today, with almost enough humidity to swim in. Oh, lucky us. Feeling awfully sorry for Spike in our unairconditioned apartment, I’ve brought him to the studio today to “help.”

Which can be translated as: eating any low-hanging Stardream paper, sleeping under my writing desk, and going through the trash at every possible opportunity.

In honor of the weather, I thought calming colors were in order… so here’s a pale, cooling blues color board.

ahh... that's better.

top row: robin’s egg blue china ring (TheBrokenPlate etsy shop); Alexia Admore lace dress (and oh, how I wish I was long-waisted enough to wear it! - Bluefly.com); close up of blue milk glass Pyrex plate (Tannery Creek Antique’s Ruby Lane shop)

second row: Hanah silk ribbon (Girl Metro photo by Amanda Sudimack), china hutch (via Apartment Therapy - photographer/space uncredited)

third row: close up of  Girl Metro custom invitation wrap for a “sea and sky” themed Maui wedding, painted staircase from unknown source (I apparently snagged it from a blog somewhere as a “for future staircase” reference, but didn’t  note where it came from, or when… if you know, please let me know and I’ll update!)

bottom row: flip flops with custom signage by Laura Hooper Calligraphy (via A Lucky Orchid blog)

Laurie and Alan's Santa Fe save the date

So I’m not sure why I didn’t mention this when it came out, but I was recently recruited as an expert on invitations for a new blog that focuses on destination weddings.

It was fun to be interviewed - thanks again, Laura! - and I hope that the information is helpful. If you’d like to check it out, the interview is at Ultimate Destination Weddings.

File this one under innovative, creative and best ever wedding invites:

You know I’m a paper girl, but you’ve got to give the work that went into this some serious props! The film maker is (well, was - they got married on Saturday) the groom, Corey McKenna.

Ok, this is the sort of thing that I love and acknowledge that it’s totally, utterly, completely design-geeky.

Kern In Space: the game.

It’s an online game from Veer — you use your arrow keys to activate booster rockets on the falling letters and get them into proper position. tee hee.

Excuse me, I’ve got to go work on my space kerning now.

Things are buzzing here at the studio… a custom Bar Mitzvah invite is nearly wrapped up, we’re listening to Christmas music to try and achieve the right mindset for finishing those holiday cards, and the new letterpress has been the site of a few fun test prints. Which may, actually, lead to some more holiday cards. But we’ll see.

Also in the works - some new pocket-sized calendars for next year, a couple of additions to the wedding collection, and we’re working on some fun options for parties of the everyday variety.

As we get things finished up, we’ll be posting sneak peeks and special goodies for you here, so stay tuned!

…that most of our clients do not behave this way!

Thanks to Brandy, fellow Chicago Craft Mafiosa for pointing out the link.

& a shout out to CJ, who I think will particularly appreciate the last scene.

Ok, found the rest of my notes. Some of them are frankly less coherent than others… like the part where I wrote “Sweet Break terrifying orange + Pink (scribble) fountain!” I’m pretty sure that referred to the booth with disturbingly violent colors coursing through two chocolate fountains. The, er, chocolate? was, in fact, not in colors that generally appear in nature outside of deadly frogs and tropical fish. However, I think attendees were meant to approach and eat fruit covered in the stuff… Every time I passed by, the area around the fountains was notably empty. I wonder if there were any brave souls who actually ate some?

So. On to the design/stationery part of my notes.

One of the things I loved was Tapeswell’s patterned tape and envelope labels - super cute! I think I might just have to order some for myself…

Tapeswell's Envelope Wraps

(images via Tapeswell’s website)

I was thrilled to see fellow Chicagoans Pearl & Marmalade back this year, with lots of lovely new cards on offer… this is one of my favorites:

Owl card by Pearl and Marmalade, via their etsy shop

Another local company that I wanted to say hello to was Paper Stories Letterpress… it was Kelly’s first NSS, and her stuff looked fantastic. I particularly loved some of her newer mid-century modern letterpress chair silhouettes (what, me love a silhouette? I know you’re shocked.), which aren’t available on her site yet. These did catch my eye, while I was searching, though:

letterpress art print from Paper Stories Letterpress

(image via Paper Stories’ etsy shop)

I wonder if she’s got any left…

Alright, time to get back to work. Still not caught up from the trip last week, and I have a new custom product to add to the etsy shop shortly, too, so stay tuned!