Once again, it’s almost time for the Seattle Wedding Show. Join us at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center (we’re in booth #1428) January 3rd and 4th, 2009 and see in person some of our favorite projects from this past year.

We can’t wait to meet you!

I’m always in the market for a good bag (it’s an addiction!) and while I can’t necessarily afford the bags I really want, there are lots of really awesome affordable contenders out there. While in Chicago I was introduced to etsy seller Moop by an etsy-obsessed friend (thanks Natsuko!) and I’m in love with this bag. It’s functional, just the right size, and that perfect neutral color that goes with everything.

market bag in gunmetal gray :: available here

Let’s start Monday off with something bright and cheerful!

This year our clients were not afraid to use some color!

One of the most popular invitations from 2007 was the folio-style invite we created for Jane and Roland (above) in bright shades of green and orange. That invitation inspired a lot of response from 2008 clients, several of whom specifically cited it as an inspiration during our initial consultations.

One of our couples that used Jane and Roland’s invitation as a jumping-off point was Kira and Perry, a New York couple planning a May wedding. Kira initially told us they were going for an “urban chic (with a bit of funk) vibe” and we also learned that Perry’s favorite color is orange. We designed this bright and fresh invitation accordingly – square, with orange type letterpressed on a beautiful thick white stock. The corresponding program and menu were offset on that same beautiful white stock – reversed out with white type and an orange background.

Another couple inspired by Jane and Roland’s invite were Jill and Nick, who were married in September. They definitely take the trophy for our brightest invitation ever! Their wedding incorporated some classic fall and northwest themes, so the cluster of leaves, formal type, and letterpress on thick cotton paper hinted at the elegance of the event, while the orange and lime green color scheme kept everything feeling fun and fresh!

I am always excited to see what will be a trend in any given wedding season, and looking back at 2008, bold use of color was definitely a strong trend. We can’t wait to see what comes in 2009!

This 3-color letterpress print is so much fun! I’m a northern CA girl at heart, and this print reminds me of home. I wonder if I can convince Jonathan that we need this – we have a long list of artwork we want – maybe I can push this to the top of the list.

Stunning work by etsy seller labpartners.

We’re currently buried under a foot and a half of snow, which isn’t that big of a deal…except that we live in Seattle, where there’s very few plows, no sand/salting trucks, etc… So it is what it is. We haven’t left the house in a week, except for when our neighbor takes pity on us and takes us to the grocery store in his truck. We don’t even own a snow shovel (no one does around here, I’m discovering) so our yard is a literal winter wonderland!

I’m telling you all of that as a lead in to my point, which is that being housebound has allowed us to get a bunch of work done! Every December we update our website with new work, and we’re right in the middle of that update right now – I can’t wait to share with you some of what we’ve been working on! Here’s a little sneak peak and a beautiful invitation suite we designed for one of our August couples. One of their big concerns was keeping things as eco-friendly as possible, so this garden party inspired suite is printed in soy ink on 100% recycled paper.

More to come – the updates will launch next week!

How much do I love this bag? Let me count the ways…

Bag by Cole Haan for Assouline. Numerals from the Didot font family.

{ found via notcot.org }

Some of you will remember the vintage inspired invitations we posted about in November (shown above). We worked with the bride, Linnea, and her event planner, Kelly of Sweet Pea Events, on some truly spectacular pieces for their reception as well. We had so much fun working on these items – programs, direction cards to help guests navigate from the ceremony to the reception, menus, table names, passport escort cards, and postcard wish cards.

All of the items were offset printed on shimmery metallic pale pink paper in chocolate ink, which complemented the icy blue color scheme at their reception. Linnea and Paul are quite the world travelers (thus the exploration theme!) so the tables were each named after an international destination that they’ve been to. We used vintage travel posters for the table names – I love the bold, clean images.

Many of the guests at the wedding were visiting from foreign destinations – India, Australia, England, France, China, etc. – so Linnea came up with the idea to use “passports” to help her guests learn a little more about one another. Guests were encouraged to visit the various tables, collecting stickers at each to put in their passports. The passports also functioned as escort cards – guest names and their assigned table were written in each passport.

One of my favorite items was the well-wish postcards we created. Linnea was reluctant to go with the traditional guest book, so I suggested cards that could be at each guest’s setting. Guests could take their time and put a little thought into what they wanted to write – the postcards encourage them to share memories of the past or wishes for the future. We affixed vintage map stickers in the corner to look like a postage stamp.

We saw these chocolates in the form of old “hot type” from Typolade recently and thought it was not only a great way to tip one’s hat to the old tradition of typesetting, but also a cool way to customize events, such as weddings, with dual purpose accoutrement.

See a few ways below: (all image via typolade)

Place Setting / Favor

Gift Tag / Snack for later

Guest “Welcome Note” / Favor

When you start to think about it the possibilities are endless in the ways you could use this for your next event. In the meantime check out these other fun images from typolade.de:

Love these “gin and titonic” ice cube trays from fredflare.com. Pull out your old battleship game, pour yourself a gin and tonic, and enjoy!

I’ve long had a deep love for books, bookstores, libraries, book fairs (just ask my mom). A “quick” trip to the book store can easily take up half a day before I realize it.

I did a bit of browsing on amazon today and started compiling a wish list – there’s no way I can post all of the books out there that I’m coveting as there’s too many. But here are three…

brooklyn modern: architecture, interiors & design | diana lind

live/work: working at home, living at work | deborah k. dietsch

We recently bought a coffee table and while I’m usually arguing to keep it clear (Jonathan likes having stuff out on the table, I’m not a big fan of coffee table clutter) I think it could use a select coffee table book or two. I’ve been wanting this book for some time and think it would find a nice home on the newly-acquired table.

charley harper: an illustrated life | todd oldham