invitation

Studio Sneak Peek: Sweet peas and Peonies

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"Sweet peas & Peonies" via courtney khail stationery and design (feel free to share, but please give me credit and link back to my site.)

This is week four of my new design intros and this week the featured design is "Sweet peas & Peonies."

Okay so technically it's a ranunculus crossed with a peony, but one of the best things about being an artist is creative license and "sweetpeas & ranunculus" just doesn't roll off the tongue as well. Either way, I wanted a really dominant and sturdy center flower that would be framed and layered with more delicate blooms. After approximately 10-15 different takes, this is the one I finally decided upon. I love how the little blooms peak around the bigger "peony" and how one single stem branches out behind it creating both depth and height. Because it has a slight wave like feeling, I wanted to juxtapose that with an angular, graphic layout for the wording. By using different sans serif fonts and tweaking the spacing, I was able to create a save the date where both the information and the painting stood out without either part over shadowing the other.

Studio Sneak Peek: Wild Peony

in ,

"Wild Peony" copyright courtney khail stationery and design (feel free to share, but please give credit and link back to my site)

This week's new design is the Wild Peony. Often I think people view peonies as a more luxurious, delicate flower (probably due to it's super short growing season and therefore they aren't locally available year round) but for this design I wanted to give it a more wild, "freshly picked from a garden" feeling. Kind of a mixed bouquet of sorts- with small delicate blooms combined with the lush peony and then juxtaposed against the hardness of the berries. I really enjoy seeing when different textures and unique pieces are combined in arrangements and decided to bring that into this design. (This is a common theme throughout my new designs so you may here that a lot over the new few weeks.) Not only does it bring visual interest, but it also creates more depth to the piece.

As for the invitation, one of my best friends got married at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina and I loved the entire feeling of the place. (There were gardens, tree lined drives, and huge green fields all on the water.) It had such a beautiful balance of the wild and the traditional so when I was designing thinking of where to take the invitation to showcase the "Wild Peony" design I knew I wanted to pull inspiration from that experience. Hope you enjoy it!

Will You be my Bridesmaid?

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I really wanted to do something cute to ask my close friends to be my bridesmaids. Maybe a dress shaped cookie or a super cute handmade card, but alas, my friends all pretty much knew they were my bridesmaids and just kind of jumped on the band wagon. I'll explain a little more.

I texted everyone right away once J and I got engaged (well after calling family etc.) We happened to be outside of Atlanta so we swung by and saw my sister to tell her the good news before J and I went to have a "we just got engaged!" dinner. We were driving back to Athens after dinner when I got a text from my sister. My one and only sister by the way.

"I'm your maid of honor, right?"

Well, yes, of course you are, but there goes the super cute card surprise :)

Then I talk to my bff, A (I know, third grade flash back, but seriously, we were born 4 days apart from each other and pretty much have been inseparable ever since) and she doesn't even ask. She starts planning :) "So, since I know I'm not your maid of honor and I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but I'm already starting to plan your bachelorette party." Just another reason I love A. She doesn't even care about the card. Honestly, she probably would have made fun of me and sent one back saying "I need to think about it."

That same night (I believe) I talked to my other super close friend (and sorority sister) A. (yep. same initials. Oh, and have I mentioned how all of my bridesmaids looked the same? 3 of the 4 had roughly the same hair cut too haha. Apparently I'm just not close with many blondes...) Anyhow, I knew I had to ask her quickly because she and her now husband (they got engaged the night before we did!) would be moving to Boston so he could go to Harvard law (yep. he's a smart one :)) and I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be too hard for them to fly back down.

(If you'recounting, there went card #3.)

Then there was my "little sister." While not blood related, she is the closest I will ever have to a little sister. L is the one I give advice to, get late night texts to talk from, and pretty much just love dearly. I decided I would put the "introducing J to her parents" and "asking her to be a bridesmaid" into one, and did that promptly a few days later when J and I went to my parents for Christmas. I figured sending a card would be redundant after that!

So all 4 bridesmaids had been asked and all without a cute card, or cookie, or anything else. I might send them all something special for Christmas (right after our anniversary) to thank them again. They were all awesome.

Anyhow, long story short, I saw those super cute cards on Once Wed today and wanted to share what "could have been!" If you'd like more, check it out here (which, you should. They are really really cool!)