When Meredith (the bride) and I first spoke, we clicked right away! I knew she was going to be a pleasure to work with. She is an interior designer who appreciate color, texture, and extraordinary design elements. It was also very important to Meredith to use recycled papers and conserve where possible. We talked about everything her wedding weekend would entail. On my end I brainstormed and researched appropriate imagery, colors and textures. We both had the same vision for her invites.

This is the inspiration board she sent to me:

The final result was a custom pocket-fold that is textured like sand with speckles of color. Letterpressed sandpipers adorn the outside and is tied shut with twine. To avoid using an inner envelope, a small hang tag was used with the less formal names in calligraphy by Laura Hooper. On the inside, the invite is mounted and all of the other elements are tucked into the pocket. A double sided, folded response card to save paper was a nice way to have guests respond to each of the weekend’s upcoming activities and to keep things organized when the responses start rolling in!

Enjoy the photos!

Enjoy…

Wow! The first week of March 2010 is O-V-E-R. It felt like the longest week ever since my husband was away in San Francisco. In the 6 years we have been together, we have only been apart for a few days at a time. This was hard and the time change made it worse. But…I made it! (He said he bought me some goodies and I asked him to pick up a few things for the nursery from Urban Outfitters, so I’m happy).

I hope you all enjoyed your week as well, and for those of you who might have missed something, a quick recap:

* Did you grab the spring-like plaid desktop? Get it here.
* A sneak peak at concept boards that I was working on for a presentation of invitations.
* If you are engaged, you must check out this link for adding to the crane chandelier.
* Crazy cool music posters by artist Jason Munn.

For those of you who bake, have you ever checked out Bakerella? Even if you don’t, just to look at the amazing creations on this blog is worth your time. I promise!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I’m looking forward to next week and some new projects along with a week-long stretch of weather in the 40’s!

For more information, click here.

{ photos via: 100 Layer Cake }

Keep your eyes out for the final suite printed!

I tried yesterday to look forward to spring with some shopping. Lots of florals, stripes, and plaids around. Christopher has to travel to San Franciso this week for work, so we went shopping for him. (well me too). So in trying to help mother nature along with bringing spring in that much quicker, here is a cheery plaid for your desktop!

Download a 1280 x 1024 or a 1024 x 768 version here.

Have a great week everyone! I have so many fun things to share with you all it is going to be a great week.

I can’t believe the last week of February 2010 is coming to a close. Why is it that when you are so young time seems to crawl by and when you are old older, time seems to fly and you just beg for more hours in the day?

It has been an extremely busy week here at the studio. Some things i can share, some things i can’t {yet} but don’t worry they will be worth the wait. I’m practically busting at the seams to share!

In the meantime, here is a quick recap of the week:

* For some stylish office organization, check out these links.
* For some new letterpress business card collateral, check out these designs!
* Oh boy… a simply beautiful beach themed invite sneak peek here.
* This week’s designer file featuring Jessica Constable and her amazing jewelry was featured yesterday.

I also wanted to share this site i recently stumbled upon featuring some gorgeous handmade items. I hope you enjoy it!

I hope you all have a great weekend with lots of fun plans. See you all next week!

I have been pretty excited to share today’s Designer File with you. I first “met” Jessica when I started reading her blog, Makeunder My Life. I then realized that holy moly… she designs fabulous jewelry as well and is also one of the creative minds behind Spring.  We have become friends and hope to meet next time that I am in Chicago. I am truly inspired by Jessica’s work ethics, value on life, love and business and so i was thrilled when she agreed to take time out of her hectic design life and interview for a designer file. I hope you enjoy!

What (or who) inspired you to start your own business?
Actually, I never set out to start a business. When I was 15-years-old, I was making ankle bracelets for myself at a pool and some ladies approached me and asked to buy them. I spent six hours making them ankle bracelets and earned $30. It happened so naturally, that I decided to continue to make jewelry and sell it to fellow students, teachers, and friends. And the rest is history!

Who is your favorite designer?
I don’t know if I have just one favorite designer. I would have to say my top picks would be Jeanine from Aphro Chic , Michelle Adams from Rubie Green, and surprisingly, Nicole Ritchie’s new jewelry line, House of Harlow. All of these designers have a crisp, modern vibe while still maintaining a pretty classic edge. Any of their pieces will still look fresh in years to come.

How do you define success?
I think success is finding the ability to design one’s life as they would like, while still being thankful and flexible during the bumps along the journey. Life will never be perfect, but if we discover our purpose and then begin to pursue that vocation, I believe we will discover joy and unforeseen blessings. In order to reach these goals, I think one needs to be brave and stay faithful during the darker moments.

How do you keep a work/life balance?
As a morning person, I strive very hard to maintain a quality of life that is in my personal best interest. Which means I generally work from 8:30-6:00 Monday through Friday. Sure there are exceptions to this every now and then, but overall I reserve my nights for fun, friends, and Erwin, my boyfriend. I find I am better able to stay motivated and energetic during the day.

What should we expect to see from Jess LC as your business grows?
Great question! In April you will see a very different Jess LC than you do now. Sure, most of our styles will carry over, but we will be launching a brand new collection with new techniques I’ve never done before with sterling silver pendants and a new logo and website. Even our colors will be getting a makeover. Out with the sage green and in with a bold coral. I intend to pursue PR for the first time, reach a broader audience, and really make a splash in on the jewelry scene. Of course my focus will be on continuing to develop an online clientele worldwide. It’s a lot of work to get everything ready, but the reveal will be quite dramatic.

Here are some of Jessica’s fabulous pieces!

I also have to give Jessica a huge shout-out for designing an amazing bracelet for me. If you have been reading along, you might remember the launch party for Clark + Walker Studio that i sponsored? I got in touch with Jess and she made the coolest bracelet for me. I wear it all the time! I just had to add this photo. It was tricky to photograph because of the crystal, but it is just perfect!

Thanks again to Jess and I hope you enjoyed this Designer File! Be sure to check out all of her goodies at Jess L.C.