Month: November 2012

  • Hand-Painted Invitations

    The Ultimate Dress for a Winter Berry Wedding

    • Comments Off on The Ultimate Dress for a Winter Berry Wedding
    • by

    My favorite color to wear is red, so when I spotted this dress by Vera Wang on a wedding blog, I was completely blown away. The idea of even putting this dress on makes me giddy! I mean how stunning would it be to have a winter wedding and wear this dress?! It would be a dream! I love how this model’s hair is a bit messy too, while wearing this dress. Check out the other beautiful red dresses in this line here. And of course, this dress would be a superb choice for a Winter Berry wedding!

    Dress by Vera Wang. Winter Berry Invitation by Hand-Painted Weddings.

  • Hand-Painted Reception

    Winter Berry Reception

    • Comments Off on Winter Berry Reception
    • by

    The Hand-Painted Winter Berry wedding is elegant in its rich red accents and rustic in its wooden textures. Red berries are a beautiful accent to any winter wedding detail. You can use them mixed in with a bouquet of flowers, or you can simply place the berry twigs in mason jars.

    Dried berry branches are somewhat fragile, so I am also a fan of the artificial berry garlands (which you can get in any craft store this time of year). You can wind the berry garlands (which will likely be on a flexible wire) amongst candles in a table display, curl it around the base of your cake stand (I did this for my wedding!), or make into an adorable hair piece for a little flower girl.

    Bridesmaids will look striking in red dresses, and the bride will look stunning with a red shawl or cardigan around her shoulders for a winter berry wedding. Red flower hair pieces are also a gorgeous way to bring this elegant red accent to the bride’s attire.

    Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

    The Hand-Painted Winter Berry Invitation is available for ordering under the Shop Invitations tab.

  • Hand-Painted Invitations

    Hand-Painted Invitation: Winter Berry

    • Comments Off on Hand-Painted Invitation: Winter Berry
    • by

    The Winter Berry invitation is perfect for any cold-weather wedding, whether it is around the holidays or even after the holidays. I created a similar design for one of my best friend’s wedding a year ago and loved it so much that I thought I’d hand-paint it and make it available to all of you lovely brides-to-be out there.

    What I love about this invitation is that it is cozy yet crisp and modern yet classic.

    The Hand-Painted Winter Berry Invitation is available for ordering under the Shop Invitations tab.

  • Work in Progress

    Work in Progress: Holiday Berry Invitation

    • Comments Off on Work in Progress: Holiday Berry Invitation
    • by

    Today I’m sharing a little sneak peak of the Hand-Painted Holiday Berry Wedding Invitation. It is going to be just lovely! Stay tuned for the complete invitation later this week!

    P.S.- It is snowing again in the Philadelphia area today. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

    Winter Berry wedding invitation now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation shop.

     

  • Announcements

    Cyber Monday Deal – 40% Off Prints

    • Comments Off on Cyber Monday Deal – 40% Off Prints
    • by

    Who doesn’t love a good sale? I know I love a good sale, so in honor of Cyber Monday and this past Saturday’s Small Business Day, I am offering a sale under the Hand-Painted Weddings Paintings tab!

    40% off all watercolor prints today only! So, if you had your eye out on one of my prints, now is the time to pull the trigger! These would be beautiful, unique gifts for your loved ones….so get shopping!

  • DIY Tutorials

    Free Printable Download – Hand-Painted Thankful Cards

    • Comments Off on Free Printable Download – Hand-Painted Thankful Cards
    • by

    I want to take the opportunity today to thank the readers of this blog with a little gift…a free printable download of my Hand-Painted Thankful Cards. I hope these cards spread gratitude to all of your dining tables tomorrow in celebration of Thanksgiving.

    Thank you for reading! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

    Download the pdf here.

    Thankful cards designed by Hand-Painted Weddings.

  • Made my Day

    Gratitude Week: I am thankful for…

    • Comments Off on Gratitude Week: I am thankful for…
    • by

    It is the week of gratitude, and I want to share with you what I am most thankful for. I am thankful for my husband, Carl. He never ceases to amaze me in his zest for life. He smiles (and laughs) more than anyone I know. He is an incredibly intelligent person, and shows more patience than I could even imagine is possible. He gives the best hugs and is just overall warm. He is a great many other things, but overall, he makes life more fun and I am incredibly grateful to have him as my partner.

    What are you thankful for?

  • Inspired by

    Thanksgiving Day Cards

    • Comments Off on Thanksgiving Day Cards
    • by

    Why aren’t there more Thanksgiving cards? Why isn’t Thanksgiving as synonymous with cards as Christmas? It is a time to spread gratitude and love to the people in your life, just as Christmas cards spread cheer and joy to the people you love. Interesting, right?

    Hey, I’m just as guilty about this. I did not create a Thanksgiving Day card this year. I am, however, creating at least one Christmas Card design. Maybe it is because the two holidays are so close to one another, and there are so many activities stuffed into this short time frame that people can’t imagine another task for their to-do list?

    Above are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving Day cards I’ve seen this season. It is probably too late to purchase these fine cards from the companys’ online sites, but check out your local fancy paper store to see if they stock any of these beautiful cards.

    Next year I’m definitely designing a Thanksgiving Day card!

    Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

  • Work in Progress

    Hand-Painted Weddings Desk Calendar

    • Comments Off on Hand-Painted Weddings Desk Calendar
    • by

    I’m in the midst of designing my first calendar! This calendar will be in the shop (hopefully) by the end of the month! I’m a huge fan of desk calendars and am pretty excited to have my very own calendar on my desk all year.

    Also, I have been having a lot of fun practicing my calligraphy skills…not too shabby, right?!

    Photo by Hand-Painted Weddings.

  • Inspired by

    Inspired by Things Organized Neatly

    • Comments Off on Inspired by Things Organized Neatly
    • by

    I pinned the watercolor swatches image (top image) a couple of months ago on my Pinterest Watercolor board. Recently I clicked to see where this incredible image came from and was happily delighted to see it came from this wonderful Tumblr site called Things Organized Neatly.

    You simply must check out this site! As someone who is not naturally organized (I consider myself organic), I find these displays fascinating. Lately I have been observing how other designers display and photograph their work for their website, and I think that this Tumblr site holds a lot of inspiring ideas I can bring to this aspect of my work.

    Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  • Inspired by

    Inspired by a West Elm Thanksgiving

    • Comments Off on Inspired by a West Elm Thanksgiving
    • by

    Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?? For the past 2-3 years, my husband and I have hosted Thanksgiving. It is a lovely tradition!

    That being said…three members of my immediate family are currently in Kenya returning on Thanksgiving Day, so our normal traditions are out of whack this year. My husband and I are likely headed to his mother’s apartment and we’ll probably go out to dinner on Thanksgiving Day. We are still considering if we should host Thanksgiving on Friday or Saturday with my immediate family. Part of me will miss not celebrating the tradition, but part of me is wondering if this is a blessing in disguise and could give me a much needed break! Stay tuned for what we decide!

    If you are hosting Thanksgiving or are looking to bring a hostess gift, I highly recommend taking a trip to the West Elm website or store. West Elm is my go-to for decorating items! Their style is organic yet modern mixed with beautiful patterns and textures. This season West Elm has collaborated with the caterers at Jewels of New York and Kinfolk to create oodles on table preparation inspiration and recipes. Check it out here.

    Also, can we just soak in the beauty that the stylists at West Elm created in these photos for a second?! Super talented!

    All photos by West Elm.

  • Inspired by

    Pinned: Quiet, Peaceful Winter Inspiration

    • Comments Off on Pinned: Quiet, Peaceful Winter Inspiration
    • by

    Recently, I have been inspired by quiet, peaceful winter images in Pinterest. These images are usually subdued with soft color palettes. I believe this all goes back to my post on Friday, where I expressed that I am reflecting on peace.

    I look forward to peaceful days ahead snuggled up on the couch or at a coffee shop drinking a mug of coffee spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. One of my daily rituals is making a double shot of espresso with my manual stovetop espresso maker I bought when I was in Italy, but recently I have been having these cravings to go to Starbucks, purchase a big cup of coffee in one of their beautiful, red holiday cups, and really savor the richness of the coffee. Now I just need to make time for this simple, peaceful craving!

    Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    Winter Berry Invitation and Winter Frost Invitation is now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation shop.

  • Inspired by

    Inspired by Anthropologie’s November 2012 Catalog

    • Comments Off on Inspired by Anthropologie’s November 2012 Catalog
    • by

    I’m always inspired by Anthropologie. Dream job…work at the Anthropologie home office….or Anthropologie’s sister, BHLDN.

    The November catalog has been hanging out on my dining room table for a couple of weeks now. It is very hard for me to get rid of Anthro catalogs…they are just so pretty!

    What sparks my interest about this particular catalog are the fanciful elements that were sprinkled throughout the catalog, from a large apple to rabbits to a fox to a somewhat creepy kid with a rabbit mask (you’ll have to go through the online edition to see that). It is a totally unexpected and completely fascinating theme.

    I also love the models teased, crazy hair. I mean who doesn’t feel like their hair is like this when they remove a winter hat after a long day outside in the snow? But Anthro makes the hair look so sexy!

    The other element I love about this catalog are the handmade pieces. The paper trees interspersed with the pencil script writing. They are the perfect accents to this beautiful fantasy.

  • Made my Day

    Peace

    • Comments Off on Peace
    • by

    I have this quote on my fridge and on the home screen of my cell phone. It is a favorite of mine. It speaks to me. It is something I need constant reminding of. I know it is antithetical, but peace is challenging. It is something that I cultivate through yoga and self-exploration and realization. Peace is a big thing I am reflecting on this Autumn. What are you reflecting on this Autumn?

    Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings. Quote by Unknown.

  • Made my Day

    Autumn in Philly

    Autumn in Philly is lovely. The beautiful tree-lined streets in Society Hill start to brighten as the leaves change colors and soon litter the sidewalk. Potted mums and pumpkins adorn people’s stoops. Layered sweaters, scarfs, and cute boots adorn passer-bys. The smell of old fireplaces being turned on for the first time in the season is intoxicating to all around.

    As the season comes to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to pull out this painting I did last year of an early Autumn glimpse of Pine Street in the Society Hill/Washington Square West neighborhood.

    Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings.

  • Hand-Painted Invitations

    Hand-Painted Invitation: Autumn Reflections

    • Comments Off on Hand-Painted Invitation: Autumn Reflections
    • by

    The Hand-Painted Autumn Reflections Invitation is perfect for a (Drumroll, please)…an Autumn wedding. Particularly one that is near or on a lake. Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

    This invitation is very different than the Autumn Leaves Invitation but would be nice in conjunction with an Autumn Leaves Save-the-Date. Which brings up a good point…Did you know that I can take existing designs and paintings from the Shop Invitations tab and create your own custom invitations, designs, menus, programs, etc. to coordinate with or stand-alone items for your wedding? Yep, that’s right! Contact me for more details.

    Today, in Philadelphia, we are bracing for another storm…one with snow! I can’t believe it. I hope everyone in the Northeast stays safe today.

    The Autumn Reflections Invitation is now available under the Shop Invitations tab.

  • Made my Day

    Make Time Today to…

    • Comments Off on Make Time Today to…
    • by

    I got out to vote today…did you? Am I the only person that has adrenaline pumping through their body when they are waiting to vote? And then when I’m walking out of the poll station, I feel this awesome sense of accomplishment and pride…it is almost euphoric honestly.

    A few related fun links that you can check out today in your euphoric, patriotic state:

    • Check out this beautiful patriotic-themed wedding.

    • See if your local yoga studio is participating in Yoga Votes. I am excitedly getting a free yoga session tonight at my local studio.

    • Looking for patriotic accessories? Terrain has some super fun options.

    Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings.

  • Inspired by

    Autumn Reflections

    Autumn is a perfect time to reflect. Nature gets a bit quieter as things die down for the year. The trees shed their life in the most magical way for us to enjoy. The smells change from blooming flowers to cozy smells of burning fireplaces. The air loses a bit of its heaviness and becomes crisp and cool. The days become shorter causing people to move indoors earlier in the evening. All of these changes create a beautiful setting to reflect on your life. If not your life, maybe just your year. This is the brief moment before the craziness of the holidays where you simply must take the opportunity to breath in the magic and reflect.

    This painting is inspired by the beautiful reflection of the fall foliage onto Lake Jean during our last camping trip to Ricketts Glen National Sate Park.

    Autumn Reflections Invitation is now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation shop.

  • Inspired by

    Inspired by Falling Leaves

    • Comments Off on Inspired by Falling Leaves
    • by

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Autumn is my favorite season! I’m a big-time “leafer”. I love Autumn leaves…so much so that I don’t think I could live in a place that didn’t have fall foliage.

    I’m lucky to live in an area that has so much Autumn leaf variety. These are just a sampling of the leaf variety I found within a 3 block radius from our home in Philadelphia the day before the storm.

    I really am a kid in a candy store when it comes to Autumn leaves. I get so excited when I see a beautiful red or orange tree. I am completely smitten by the way the light sparkles and bounces off the brightness of the leaves!

    Autumn Leaves Invitation is now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation Shop.