Sumer where have you gone? September is officially here and with it comes one of my favorite craft shows! I have been working hard on new designs and refining the old ones. Can't wait for you to see the new cards- look for them in the shop next week. Yay!
Portfolio: Nursery Calligraphy Art
I loved getting to work on this set of verses for Mama-to-be, Kara, for her nursery. They were both 18" x 18" squares with a matte gold ink. I loved how they turned out and hope they will bless this new family for years to come.
Portfolio: VanSoelen Baby Shower
Another one of my sweet Sister-in-laws is expecting and this will make my seventh niece or nephew! To celebrate my mother-in-law threw a "Time" themed baby shower, complete with "It's Baby Time!" invites.
I loved working on the illustrations for this one and thinking of all the sweet things new Baby V will be getting and doing in the near future. The invite included a "time of day card" to let the guests know which part of the day their gift should be the centered around such as "Bath Time", "Nap Time", "Play Time", ect. So clever and a fun way to involve the guests in the theme.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to celebrate that day with family as we were out of town, but I'm so excited to welcome the little one and celebrate with the wonderful parents to be this fall!
Portfolio: Olson Bridal Shower
Watercolor flowers done by Angie Makes
A few months ago I had the delight to work on these fun, oversized bridal shower invites. The party theme was a garden tea and the client was looking for something subtle but with a nod to the brides wedding colors. After a few different designs, we both settled on these graceful, watercolor flower invites. I really love how they turned out!
New Spring Prints in the Shop
Springtime is officially here in the Midwest and I couldn't be more happier with the sunshine! Plus my new Spring Print collection is now in the shop! Winter was long and cold, and I dreamt about the sunnier things to come. Inspired by a few favorite things, my 2015 print collection is full of simple color and whimsy.
Check the entire collection out now in my store: Linalulu Paperie and lookout for the spring stationery collection coming at the end of the month!
Welcome March & Desktop Wallpaper
March is here and the countdown to the first day of spring is on - March 21st can't come soon enough! Though the snow is pretty when it is falling - I'm ready for bright colors, sock free feet in flats, and little flowers popping up all around. Thank goodness Shamrock shakes are already here!
To celebrate the coming of the Spring I have created three different desktop and phone wall papers for you all! From a lovely quote by Longfellow, to a sweet reminder of His peace from the book of Micah, and then for the more orderly in the group a simple calendar.
Download one or rotate through all three!
Springtime Splendor : Desktop WallPaper | Phone Background
March Calendar : Desktop WallPaper | Phone Background
Micah : Desktop WallPaper | Phone Background
To download: click on the link above to the one you want, the image will open in its own window, and Save As or simply drag the image to your desktop. Then select system preferences and then desktop/screensaver.
Portfolio: Daisy Print
I love flowers, and growing up I had a sweet spot for daisies. Not quite what Kathleen Kelly said in the film, You've Got Mail, but I have to still agree daisies are the happiest and friendliest flowers out there. I hope spring comes sooner than later around here...
Portfolio: Emily Dickinson Quote
A friend approached me to do a few prints, and among them a quote by Emily Dickinson. I learned that the quote would be a gift for her mother who had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The quote had brought me to tears, and with the circumstance we agreed on a softer and cooler color palette.
I loved how the piece turned out, and often pull out my sketches and "mess ups" to look over the sweet words. I hope they both feel comfort when they reread these words, and even more comfort knowing where true hope is found.
Portfolio: New York Print
When I think of my favorite films growing up the 1998 classic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie, You've Got Mail, instantly comes to mind. I remember when my parents took us to see it in theaters. Many lines from this film have seemed to become go-to's for me.
F-O-X.That is amazing, you can spell "fox"! Can you spell "dog"? F-O-X.
It is a gem of a film, and I mean how much more classic than you can get than Tom and Meg? From the also quotable Sleepless in Seattle to the lesser known Joe vs the Valcano - they were a dream team of the late eighties and nineties romance comedies .
I recently created this print based on one of the opening lines from the movie, (cue "Dreams" by The Cranberries please!). The illustration was fun to pull together from pictures of the movie set and New York city itself. I haven't experience New York in the Fall, but with the quote dancing along in my head I think a trip might be in order in the months ahead.
Portfolio: VandenBranden Bridal Shower
I did these lovely invites to honor a family friend back in the late summer. Set with a a color palette of purple, cream, and grey - I knew I wanted to keep the invite itself airy, feminine, and bright. I had been admiring the Saint Agnes font for sometime and knew that these sweet invites would be a perfect use for the elegant, but whimsical font. The combination of it all created a beautiful outcome, don't you think?
Saint Agnes is a part of the foundry Great Lake Lettering started by Molly Jacques and Dathan Boardman.
Portfolio: Heirloom Creations
I have a handful of projects I would love to show you guys - starting with these cute business cards! Lynne, a very talented crocheter, approached me to help her take her sweet creations to the next level. She has been creating and selling beautiful crocheted baby gowns, dresses, and booties for some time to friends and family, and recently stared creating adorable barretts and hair-clips.
When we sat down to go over her business cards, she knew exactly what she wanted - orange and teal that could look vintage with a whimsical nod. She told me what she liked, brought me samples of her work, and told me what she didn't want to see. I loved her clear vision and voice which made creating a few samples of cards a breeze. After tweaking things here and there, we had our fun, final product!
These cards also have a double function. Lynne will punch holes on the orange polka dot block when an order is placed for hair clips. This way she can clip them on to the card. A simple way to have all the information next to the product for reorders. So fun!
I know Lynne loved them just as much as I do! She is currently working on opening an Etsy shop to sell her beautiful, baby goods. I can't wait to see all her beautiful goods to come!
Portfolio: All Creatures Great and Small
This past summer we celebrated the coming birth of my sweet cousin Laura's third baby and third little boy - Crosby Thomas. We found out she was decorating the nursery in a Noah's Ark theme and then asked if she had a quote, verse, or lyrics she wanted framed.
This project was so fun for me to work on! I loved combining my illustrations of all the happy creatures (great and small) with calligraphy. I used a premixed ink and regulated the pressure and amount of ink on the nib to give the letters an ocean feel of dark and light blue. As well, I added a little more swashes then I usually would for a "masculine" print to help give it that moving water look.
I loved working on this piece and I love that sweet Crosby and his brothers will see it everyday reminding them of all the great things our Lord has created.
Portfolio: Hand Done Type
A few friends recently put together a weekly, collaborative type challenge called Type Club 2014. They passed the link on to a handful of creatives they know, and the results have been really beautiful to see.
The premise: Each week a new quote is posted. You can interpret this quote any way you like, using any medium you like. There is a time "constraint" of one week. This "constraint" creates a deadline and a push for you to share the "final" piece with everyone else with out belaboring your work through social media.
It's a great exercise, and fun to see the interpretations and beautiful design from everyone.
Original art by Caroline Hutchison for Linalulu Paperie
Portfolio: Baby Berge Shower
A few weeks ago a group of ladies and myself threw a sweet baby shower for our friend and mama-to-be, Heather! This is Heather and husband, Daniel, first baby - and they are waiting to find out the sex of the child! SO brave but very fun!
We picked up on their nursery theme, Jungle Animals, and chose gender neutral colors of yellow and mint to compliment the fun animals. Heather is only a week away from her due date and we all can't wait to meet this newest little one!
See more of Heather's invite in our gallery.
Portfolio: Longyne/Smies Wedding
A few months back I had the pleasure of illustrating a beautiful, city inspired wedding suite for Cindy, and husband-to-be, Tyler. You can see the mini moodboard here I created when beginning this project.
I loved hearing the passion that Cindy and Tyler have for the city of Grand Rapids, MI and how it has played a role in their relationship - and now in their wedding! We went with dark green and a grey metallic inks to bring out the scheme of their wedding. I love how the metallic ink shimmers and makes the city feel alive in the background.
Best of luck you two - I know the Lord has much in-store for you in marriage!
Portfolio: Forever Young Print
When my sister-in-law, Lindsay, was still pregnant we had talked about doing a calligraphy print for the nursery for baby to be. She brought up the song "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan. A personal favorite of mine, and such a sweet sentiment to hang in a nursery. Fast forward to February, and baby to be is the beautiful Olivia Mae!
My favorite line in the song reads "May you build a ladder to the stars | and climb on every rung", and thus I chose the night sky theme. (Plus it gives me an excuse to work in gold ink). I love how it turned out, and love that these words will bless Olivia for years to come!
Portfolio: Bridal Shower Invitations
Do you remember a few weeks back I posted these mooboards? I'm excited to share with you one of the finished projects!
I learned from the client that the shower would be an afternoon tea, and the bride had chosen the color palette of black and creme with gold accents for their wedding. This time I stayed on the side elegance and a little bit sophisticated - but couldn't resist choosing a slightly whimsical font to be the centerpiece.
After sending the client three choices, they chose a combination of two. I blended them together and Voila! - we have the beautiful finished product.
Portfolio: Lindsay's Baby Shower
To celebrate my sister-in-law, mommy to be Lindsay and baby, my mother-in-law hosted an adorable baby shower in their honor! I was so excited to add my calligraphy to the (already) wonderful decor and joyous celebration.
Beth out did herself with her theme "She's about to Pop!" by including all things "pop" worthy including cake pops, blow pop champagne "poppers", poppyseed muffins and so many other delicious treats!
Portfolio: Aagaard Wedding | Invitation Suite
The bride was inspired by the mix of antique finds of her own and the bold mix of patterns seen at such stores like Anthropologie and J.Crew. With this in mind, we created a pattern and monogram that was repeated through out the suite.
The finish product was a sweet mix of hand-done elements - like the screen printed booklet cover, and the engraved invitation- with an elegant simplicity to allow the importance of the text to shine through. The mix of the subtle but bold nature of the pattern on each piece gave a modern feel to this classic style of invite.
Portfolio: Aagaard Wedding | Sketches
A few weeks back I shared this mood board with you from the lovely Aggaard wedding. You can see how the Mood board dictated the inspiration for the three comps I ended up showing the client. With details of a muted palette and a vintage but classic feel to the suits to match the rustic wedding she was planning, each suite captured a different mood we had talked about. The first having a contemporary look and a splash of watercolor to create color; the second being more straight cut classic, with modern vibes, and the third being a clean pallet of grey and white with a mix of patterns and vintage fonts. In the end we mixed and matched pieces from each set to create the final suite she had envisioned from the beginning. I can't wait to show you how it ended up!