A Peek into the Studio – Painted Christmas Stockings 2011

It’s that time of year again.  Each year I ask The Momental Girls to decorate their studio stockings!  This year our team has changed a bit so it is super fun to see the new personalities emerge!  Big love to this team of women I am proud to know…here’s to a fun and fabulous Christmas week!  Oh and keep checking those stockings ladies, lots of treats to come throughout the week!

From top right: Jess D. is my uber talented Creative Assistant who is always sculpting, cutting, painting and figuring something out for me.  Paper-cutting is apparently included in her vast skill set!  Next is Jess our Studio Manager with her stocking card dripping with painterly brushstrokes!  Moving on to Kelley our Communications Manager, whose sweet and classic sensibilites ring loud and clear with her painted hydrangea and snowy scene…

Up next is Katie, one of the newest additions to the team.  Funky paper circles adorn her stocking with a whimsical mix of hand cut gift shapes!  Steph S. got crafty with hand painted dots and a bright palette of orange and red.  Joy loves our newest snowflake artwork, can you tell?  Last is Stephanie’s bold and graphic mix of hand painted text and twine…too fun!

A Peek into the Studio – Art Deco, Positano Italy and Red Dahlias

This week’s favorites from the painting table are a varied bunch.  Each project holds so much sentimentality for its couple and family and we are honored to have brought these stories to life!  First up is Leigh’s Art Deco inspired wedding invitation.  A few photos of family heirlooms from Leigh are all we needed to begin.  I sketched a favorite brooch for it’s detailed design and round shape which translated effortlessly into this classic tiled pattern.  Hand painted dots and splashes of gold and gunmetal inks added over the top texture against the shimmer papers she chose.

Art Deco Brooch

Coleen is a lucky gal, headed to Positano, Italy as we speak for her wedding celebration.   Initially inspired by our White and Champagne Wedding Collection designed for The Knot, she wanted her very own contrast painted flower garden.  Lilies, roses, hydrangeas and gardenias adorned her seating plan, table names and escort cards all painted in milky white tones against champagne shimmer stocks.

My sketch of the iconic Amalfi coastline watercolored in vibrant tones…

Katie’s fall infused celebration highlighted her eclectic love of blooms and favorite travel spots.  Each table name featured a custom watercolor illustration.  Our favorites -  a slice of Old Forge Pizza and a tropical Bahamas landscape!  Free hand painted dahlias seem to explode (in a good way) across Katie’s seating plan.  Layer after layer of wine, red, gold and copper inks were applied to achieve depth in each petal.

So what am I up to?

Heading to NYC on Friday for my first Bridal Market!  Keep an eye out next week for our trend sketching series on the blog, reporting all the juicy details straight from the runway.  Can’t wait, follow me on twitter this weekend for live coverage.

Wrapping up details for my latest Inspired Ink shoot this Thursday with the help of talented photographer Jillian McGrath.  Not sure what Inspired Ink is all about? Take a look here.

Planning a little Birthday soiree for our dear Kelley.  Happy Birthday girl!!! XOXO

A Peek into the Studio – Paints, Palettes and Projects

Sometimes a simple act can lead to big things.  So I attribute my new watercolor palette to a lot of the gorgeousness going on at the studio as of late.  Call me crazy but nothing inspires me more that a white sheet of Arches and a palette full of fresh, new watercolor.  Soak it up.

First project off the new palette is hush hush so all I can say is I’ve been lost in lovely pink blooms for the past 2 weeks!

We’re trying out new textures and techniques lately  so how appropriate that our first swatches of Momental fabric arrived yesterday? Thank you Spoonflower!

Working on some incredible projects with super creative planner Constance Curtis.  This week we’re painting on rough cut wood with abstract ocean waves.

Lastly are Eileen’s painted ribbons and lovely lace and a sketch of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, divine.

A Peek into the Studio – Chandeliers, Hydrangeas and Bougainvillea

The studio is bustling with ideas and projects this time of year.  We love the variety of mid-summer, everything from blooms and feathers to venue sketches and snowflakes are on the painting table!  I pulled a few favorites from the last week to share.  First up is Alyssa’s cheerful and elegant day-of accessories.  Custom wedding programs, wedding seating cards and handmade wedding table number cards all coordinated in shades of pink, gold and blush!

Samantha’s lush and whimsical blooms are perfectly balanced in shades of blue, lavender and periwinkle.  We adore the combination of poppies and hydrangeas with Envelopments iconic Repousse pattern in Dove.  A sweet art tag embellishment for her Pocketfold presents the look as a mindful gift to each guest.

Lastly, but least in no way are Jason and Anne’s SKETCHED Save the Dates.  A breezy drawing of the venue in Acalpulco, Mexico complete with crawling Bougainvillia blooms creates casual drama with every brushstroke.

A Peek into the Studio – Etsy Binge, New Collections and Pretty Projects

We are knee deep in projects again at the studio!  Wading through the details of some stunning client projects, new invitation collections, photoshoots and an upcoming trek to Utah is my idea of living! Our newest collections take inspiration from some well known art movements, the more organic side of Alice in Wonderland and my love for collecting vintage pieces. Check out a sneak peek:

What goes hand-in-hand with creating new collections?  Why, photographing them of course!!  Next Monday, myself and two Momental girls will head here to have all new images shot!!  Of course each image will be mindfully styled with pretties.  Yesterday, Steph and I spent some time splurging on Etsy finds and boy did we hit the jackpot.  Here is a peek at some of our bounty!

Plates, Findings, Brooch, Feathers, Gold Pin, Frames, Strawberry Tray

Lastly but certainly not least are a sampling of our favorite client projects from last week!!  From left, Jaclyn’s heavily painted pink peony wedding invitation combined with Envelopments Graphite Brocade stock, RJ and Nikita’s kissing in the rain save the date, Kurt and Nicole’s classic venue illustration save the date, Krista’s pet friendly Tree Wedding Invitation and finally Paula’s bold Vintage Lacy wedding invitation artwork!!

Our 7+ new collections will be launching in early April!  We can’t wait to share!

A Peek into the Studio – Purple Posies and A Momental Favorite!

This week in the studio purple seems to be the theme!  Ashley’s stunning hydrangea and peony invitations feature a meticulous painting technique that kept our newest Momental Girl Steph busy for days.  A wet in wet technique featuring layers of sheer water color yielded a look that is rich with texture.  Five shade s of sheer purple inks and 2 opaque were washed into my sketchy hydrangea illustration.

Denise worked with us for several months to perfect her very unique version of our Versailles Swirl Design.  Purple swirls, ostrich feather, painted dots and Parisian inspired flourishes all combined with her rich palette of Envelopments® Graphite Plumes and Platinum.

I just had to share this little gem.  Christina chose a Momental Classic from the Vintage Lacey Tree Collection.  We love everyhting about this design.  Envelopments® Dahlia, clean white and a laid texture stock in ivory pair perfectly to create this whimsical, colorful and spirited tree wedding invitation.

So what am I up to?

We just finished a marathon 2 day revamp of the studio!  A magazine photoshoot just wrapped here and I cannot wait to share more soon!  Have a look at Daniel Lanton in action!

I’m creating a gorgeous suite of pieces for Michelle’s wedding celebration at Saddlebrook Ranch in Malibu, California!   I am thrilled to be working closely with Holly Flora and La Fleur Weddings on this project!

A Peek into the Studio – Peacock, Rose and Fleur de Lis Wedding Invitations

It has been a while since my last Peek into the Studio but hopefully these three designs will make up for the absence!  My Versailles swirl created for a client nearly two years ago has truly taken on a life of its own since then.  Originally inspired by an aerial view of Versailles Gardens,  the swirl illustration lends itself to a variety of add-ins that truly personalize the look for a wide variety of projects.

Kim’s swirl pattern incorporated several gold Fleur de Lis throughout the pattern.  An uncommon combination of gold and silver was balanced her by a strong cobalt blue shimmer cardstock border.

Stephanie’s swirl in shades of yellow, apricot and silver was topped with a peachy rose bloom as the focal point.

Nellie chose this swirl look highlighted with elegant peacock feather details.