Behind the Scenes – Holiday Hydrangeas on The Brides Cafe

I could not be more excited that it is now officially appropriate to go Holiday wild!  To be honest, we’ve been listening to Holiday tunes at the studio for the last two weeks!  Imagine my thrill when the talented Janie from The Brides Cafe surprised me with this savvy Holiday shoot last week!  From time to time I send Janie stationery pieces, rarely knowing exactly how she plans to use them.  But oh the thrill of delicious surprise…

You may recognize the stationery pieces from a project with Bride and Bloom Magazine but we love seeing them again!  Read more here about the painted dots on each.  We adore this whimsical and modern painting technique!  More on the design from Janie:

“…my mother loved this time of the year and she so enjoyed all the planning and decorating….hydrangeas were one of her favorite flowers and I couldn’t resist these lovelies when I spotted them in our local Whole Foods a few weeks ago.  The great thing about hydrangeas is that you can purchase about five stems and truly decorate your dining table….their fluffy heads are perfect for the holiday table and I paired them up with lots of silver vessels and mercury votives…..and to accent the red in these antique hydrangeas, I added pomegranates…..and yes, that’s an “old silver tray” of my mom’s in the middle of the table holding the votives and the pomegranates…..so simple…sweet…and elegant.”

Big hugs to Janie for including some of my favorite stationery pieces and Amelia Johnson for capturing every moment so beautifully.

Jena P.

Protected: Marjan Q.

Press-Elizabeth Messina, Janie Medley, Momental and friends in Bride and Bloom Part II

Today is a look behind the scenes at the stationery pieces created for the Bride and Bloom shoot featuring Elizabeth Messina, Merriment Events and Janie Medley.  I mentioned in yesterday’s post that the request was for a non-flower centered design that was clean and unfussy.

A look at the collection photographed by yours truly.

You can imagine my shock when I learned our looks were on two pages!  The shot above features Janie’s gorgeous bouquet as seen on pg 131.

The half circles seen on each piece were individually hand painted, freehand.  No guides or template used here, just a decisive stroke using the perfect shaped brush.

The opaque gouache used to paint the half circles has such a pretty milky quality.  I love how the brushstrokes are seen here and there making it quite obvious these pieces were hand painted with love.  A simple scalloped edge on the table number gives the perfect dose of sweet to the look.

I am continually amazed when artists are brought together by a common vision to produce work that is both inspired and harmonious.  A big thank you to Courtney, Janie and Elizabeth for trusting my work to embellish your vision.  Collaboration for me is key in this industry and I am honored to be named alongside such talent.  Of course a big thank you goes to Leila and team at Be Inspired PR.  Your dedication to my work and brand vision is truly priceless.