oh. boy.

I've been ridiculously in love with calligraphy lately - not traditional styles, but calligraphy with personality! I gathered up a few of my favorites to share with you:

These great thank you cards are from Linda & Harriett, with calligraphy done by Jenna Hein.

I love this simple rendition of a more traditional script done by One Crafty Writer:

And this...THIS...well, this pretty much gives me chills I love it so much. Perfectly quirky, perfectly fancy. I suggest you go to Leigh Well's blog, Ink Wells, to see more of this:

I'm officially adding 'learn calligraphy' to my list of things to achieve in 2010.

green with envy

So I was poking around on Etsy while I was work (a whopping FIVE calls today!) and I came across this thing about people who quit their day jobs to have a shop on Etsy. I only got a chance to read about one because after that I got distracted by other things, but I am so inspired!!! I read on this girl's blog (where I left a totally creeper comment and told her I was going to go blog about her and her amazing success/life) that her stuff is in Anthropologie! ANTHROPOLOGIE!!!!!! Not only is her stuff in Anthropologie, she helped make Anthropologie party invitations! ANTHROPOLOGIE INVITATIONS!!!! I know, how lucky huh?

Stamped spoons by Monkeys Always Look.

She also makes paper stuff...like these super cute Alice hang tags from her other shop, Paper Victory:

Okay I'm going to go work on my new life as a card/stationery/invitation designer now. Love love.

letterpress lovelies

I met with the lucky ladies of The Mandate Press yesterday and got a tour of their letterpress studio. Awwwwesome! They gave me a ton of samples of their work, so here's some of my favorites...excuse the blurry photos.

Some awesome business cards. The far left is duplexed paper, not to mention a really cool, unique size for a business card. The middle is fluorescent ink, but the photo doesn't bring out how bright it really is. And the far right is thick stock with edge painting. So cute!

Light metallic inks on dark paper - one of my favorite things you can do with letterpress that you just can't do with digital printing.

And this is my absolute favorite!! A letterpressed photo! I've never seen anything like it, much less anything that looks as good as this.

you are the css to my html!

I found a new favorite shop through my always favorite blog, Beautiful Paper. With tons of feist and a bit o' wit, Pop + Shorty is a new shop (since June) with some way cute cards.

Annnd the BEST thing by FAR in their shop....

I told Mike this was what I wanted for Christmas and he told me it was the geekiest thing he's ever seen and refused to get it for me. I know what I'm getting myself for the holidays...:)

pure invitation insanity

Does this even qualify as a real invitation?? This is incredible: wedding invite by Ryan Masuga -

I can't imagine the hours spent on this, but obviously it was all worth it! He obviously had a ton of information he wanted to include in his invitation, and he put it together amazingly.

On another note, Salt Lake got it's first official snowfall of the season and I couldn't be happier. I love love love early snowfalls and this time of year. Everyone's getting excited for skiing and Christmas, I'm loving all the new projects I'm putting together for presents, and the snow is a very VERY welcome invitation to cuddle up with the pups/hubs and rest inside. Love it.