Stacey

I chose a swirling script and simple leaf spray artwork painted with touches of ivory ink!

My Story is Art, Painted Beautifully

Elizabeth Messina

Every so often I feel the need to wax poetic; please forgive me in advance…today is one of those days.  After creating handmade, hand painted wedding invitations for over 7 years, building a team of 8+ employees and traversing the many highs and lows that owning a business can bring; this girl needs to take a moment and just be grateful.  It seems in this life we breeze about our days in a rush to the next big moment, project or trip.  We scoop up every opportunity to make a name for ourselves, our employees and for me the friends I have the joy of working with each day.  Don’t get me wrong, drive and passion are all good things but only when balanced by a strong sense of the life you are creating alongside a business or career.  I read this post by Liene Steven’s and this one by Sean Low earlier this week and both spoke to me in so many ways.  Our businesses and brands are so closely intertwined with our souls and personalities that it can be immensely difficult to have a life or even desire moments that exist outside of creating our art.  As an artist though I have mindfully chosen to craft moments where I can just be me; admiring and feeling life, not always the me going after life, if you know what I mean.

I read a little excerpt from the Elizabeth Messina studio tour on Brooklyn Bride a few weeks ago where she was speaking about her blog.

“…its been so wonderful to share a little bit of myself without anyone editing me or my work….i feel connected to the world in a way i couldn’t have imagined….”

In a way I imagine Ms. Messina’s connection with her blog is her mindful moment to just be and carefully share bits of herself with the world.  So with that being said  I plan to do the same…take a day each week and break from Peeks into the Studio and Behind the Scenes posts to share a bit of myself; what makes me tick, what get’s my creative juices flowing and what gives me rest. 

I am an artist. I see, hear and feel the world in color.  I like what I like and sometimes it defies description.  I can fall in love with a simple shadow in a photograph, texture or pose and have it make me want to paint.  These simple, un-categorizable types of moments are those I plan to share.  Our lives are full of moments…more of the kind hopefully that make us want to sing and paint, dance and write.  My story is art and makes me want to paint it beautifully with passion, generosity and care.  Join me? 

Anne D.

The single sheet program is to the left and tri-fold to the right.

We added more purple and experimented with a new pattern for the wrap!

So I had fun with this!  I added a folder tag and patterned wrap.  The invitation now features an additional border in a more vibrant purple!

Behind the Scenes – Utterly Engaged is Sew in Love Part II!

Utterly Engaged launched their Anniversary issue last week and earlier this week I took some time to share a special project we contributed to their “Sew in Love” shoot.  Today I want to give a behind the scenes peek at the Paper Painted Blooms created for the issue!  Heavy watercolor papers, thick shimmering inks in sherbet shades and glistening vintage broaches all played a part.

A peek at the inspiration shots sent over to get my creative juices flowing.

Each bloom was crafted from a variety of papers.  Thick watercolor sheet were torn into strips and then painted with our signature Watercolor Stripe technique.  As each bloom was sculpted tiny tears appeared on the paper edges; such a lovely happy accident.

Recent Louis Vuitton ads provided the perfect inspiration for the shoot.  For me the moody settings and old Hollywood look of the ads fed my creative mind on this project.   Cameos and vintages laces were woven into each bloom.  I have a thing for collecting little baubles and lace runners.  A pair of scissors and a bit of pinning was all the runner needed to become elegant bouquet handle wraps and bloom detailing.

This little bouquet measured at a petite 6 inches and was crafted from a stunning handmade pattern paper that I then hand painted in shades of peach and gold.  A starburst like broach was woven into the bouquets center and sparkled like crazy every time the light changed.  This little guy didn’t make it into the shoot but I loved it just the same!

A huge thanks again to Lucia at Utterly Engaged and Carissa from JL Designs for bringing me on board!

Linda K.

The colors and paper choice reflect a very romantic mood…

Kerry D.

There seems to be a little trend starting with all these lovely paper layers and I love it!!!

Press – Utterly Engaged is Sew in Love!

It has been a dream of mine to have our work included in the innovative force that is the online magazine Utterly Engaged.  Artistic content and creative minds are at the core of this marvel which is only a slight 1 year old.  12 Issue later and Utterly Engaged has marked its place in so many hearts and minds as the trailblazer in new wedding media.  Impeccable content is delivered to brides and industry obsessed alike on a monthly basis, keeping us all brimming with ideas and better for it.  When I received an email from Lucia and then a call from Leila, I knew I was in for some good times.  I wasn’t wrong.

Hearing that a Momental Scupted Bloom would be included in the Anniversary issue of Utterly Engaged was thrilling and frightening to say the least.  I would be working with people I have admired for some time, collaborating on designs and all from far, far away in Pennsylvania!!  The project invovled Carissa from JL Designs who styles events with serious verve and crafts stunning florals like no one’s business.  The direction was to create loose sculpted blooms to ship off to Carissa for inclusion in one of her fresh bouquets.

For fun I sent Carissa a full bouquet of Sculpted Blooms and much to my shcok this lovely was featured on its very own page.  Still..catching..my…breath.  Seriously though, I am excited to see the textural blend of real and paper flowers in various combinations.  It works.  Enough said.

I’ll be back later this week with a behind the scenes look at the creation of these blooms, the inspiration and one bouquet you won’t see in the newest issue but only here!