color inspiration: dreamsicle

orange slices from c.zwerg, streamers via our labor of love, sodas via oh happy day

J and I decided to try out New Orleans SnoBall this weekend since we'd heard such great things about them. Side note, they completely live up to the hype. They were wonderful.While I played it safe with a nectar, peach, and strawberry concoction, J opted for the dreamsicle and it's been on my mind ever since. Bright, refreshing and rich- it tasted exactly like the frozen treat. Taking a cue from it's bright orange color and sweet creamy taste, I thought I'd create a board that featured the same characteristics. Although I tend to lean towards more muted colors, I love how refreshing and vibrant citrus colors are and how easily they all work together.

Color Inspiration: ballerina pink, Bordeaux crimson, and dove grey

flowers via 29 blackstreet dove grey shoes via this is glamorous, max wagner balloon photo via cup of jo

Colors ranging from ballerina pinks into deep Bordeaux crimson lend a dose of romanticism, while the dove grey brings in a touch of sophistication. I love how easy this color scheme is on the eyes, while still evoking a sense of drama to an event or space.

Color Inspiration: Pomegranate and Aqua

top photo styled by Lo Bjurulf for Ikea and Elle Decor, lamp photo via emerson merrick, flowers via saipua

I've had  the Lo Bjurulf image on my desktop for months trying to find the perfect images to match it with. There is just something so mystical about it- the aquas, the haze, the jewel like reds all intertwined with the slight glimmer from the glasses. (can you believe it was a collaboration for Elle Decor and Ikea?) It just feels as though I stumbled upon a party right out of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Color inspiration: Strawberry Lemonade and French Vanilla

vintage beach engagement photos via tim melido (found on green wedding shoes), bellini's via marthastewart, striped straws via oh happy day

Maybe it's the time spent at the beach, but I'm really loving the fuzzy vintage colors in these images. Everything kind of melds together and nothing is too vibrant or over powering. The reds aren't exactly red thanks to their orange-y tint (more of a strawberry lemonade/daiquiri color,) and the whites are more of a worn down cream (almost the exact color of homemade french vanilla ice cream.)

And can we please take a moment to admire Tim Melido's photo? Isn't it beautiful? (And p.s. her vintage bathing suit is amazing.)

berry red and robin's egg blue

Three Little Berries photo via LaneyButler's etsy, girl on car via a beautiful living, Eddie Ross's awesome light blue butler's pantry via eddie ross

It took me awhile to like this combination (and about 3 weeks to find the photos I liked for it)- mostly because outside of the stars and stripes, this combo has been attempted (and failed) many times before. What I think is key is to use muted, airy versions of red and blue with a lot of white. Nothing too saturated or it'll start looking like you just bought everything you saw at an after the 4th of July clearance sale (which unless you're going for a kitschy Independence Day theme, really isn't what you want.)

Color Inspiration: lemon, watermelon and lime sorbet

my kind of ferris wheel via moS.nap flickr, popsicles via oh happy day, and cotton candy via martha stewart

For the past few days it's been warm(er) in Atlanta and because of this I've been tricked into thinking spring is coming. (Keyword, tricked. "Oh! Look! It's 70 degrees today. Must be time to break out my sandals." No, Courtney. It's still February. Put away the cotton dresses and opt for jeans. Because while it's 70 right now, by 7pm tonight it's going to be cold and you will look ridiculous. This is hypothetical of course. I wasn't wearing a dress.)

Anyhow, even if I can't rotate my closet yet, I can dream about warmer, sunshine filled days. Hence the super cheery color inspiration today. And color names that revolve around sorbet; a treat most of us only eat when it's hot outside and we are in bikini's and therefore cannot justify eating the chocolate cake. How fun are these colors? (that was my attempt to not go on a "how much I dislike trying on bikini's" tangent.) Reminds me of what I always wished fairs were. Bright, retro pastel colors, crisp, fresh air, and yummy treats like tart Popsicles and sugary cotton candy. Unfortunately, fairs are not like this at all (hence why I don't go to fairs. Well that and the whole motion sickness thing.) Instead of being sweet nostalgic events, today fairs are normally smelly and filled with loud noises, jarring colors, and "treats" like deep fried oreos and other "please tell me people don't really eat that" options. Of course, those images do not make for a beautiful color inspiration board so I'll use my dream version instead (because it's better.)

color inspiration: fire, nylon, and other campfirey colors

tent photo via you are my fave, mason jar candle holders via east side bride, awesome red lamps via an apple a day

Hmm. Maybe I got a little too excited with the title today. Eh, whatever. Sounds better than red, blue, green and yellow, right?

So camping has been on our minds a lot lately (counting down/preparing for the road trip this summer) and as we wander around REI and peruse online gear sights I slowly found myself falling for the slightly kitschy, overly saturated colors of camping. You know the ones- the hunter greens, the navy blues, the marigolds, the deep reds. (If you're having a hard time imagining, just open an L.L. Bean catalog.) Combine those with the glowing embers of a campfire, the all encompassing darkness just outside of your lantern's reach, and the jewel like glow given off by a tent that's lit from within and I'm in love.

There's just something so peaceful and enchanting about being alone in the woods. (And by alone I mean with at least one other person, a car within 20 miles, and my kindle. I'm not trying to pull an into the wild* "die by myself because I wasn't prepared moment" here.)

color inspiration: tomato, turquoise, and retro yellow

clock photo via a beautiful living, dress photo via once wed, bike photo via ffffound

primary colors gone technicolor. I love how cheerful and bright these colors are together! And since they aren't the normal shades of red, blue and yellow the overall look exudes a nostalgic vintage feeling rather than that of an elementary school pencil box. (Though I do have a pretty awesome Ninja Turtle pencil box so I'm not judging here.)

Color Inspiration: Cherry and Gold

photo via lovely little things, martha stewart bar via ritzy bee, flags via solid frogs,

There is something incredibly luxurious about saturated colors. The depth of an emerald, the bright yellow of a freshly picked lemon, the creamy brown of fine leather- you only need a hint of a truly saturated pigment to make an impact. I think that's why I've had this photograph stuck in my mind for months now. The punch of cherry red from the shoes paired with the slight glimmer of the gold just hooked me.  On one hand the combination reminds me of old libraries, formal dining rooms and the opulence normally reserved only for palaces (or homes that wished to be palaces), but when used in small doses there can also be something very curated and elegant about it. Like adding the perfect red lipstick to a normally mundane jeans and t-shirt combo, or  seeing a red vintage bike propped up outside of an old faded cafe wall.  Either way though, I always love the vitality these colors bring with them.

Studio Sneak Peek: holiday party

copyright courtney khail stationery and design

Let's go ahead and not point out the fact that it's January 17th.. almost exactly one month AFTER this party took place and instead focus on the fact that it's red and white and therefore completely fits with the whole Valentine's Day theme. (Sounds a whole lot better than "Sorry I just got around to uploading this one, guys. I was snowed in all last week and instead of remembering I made mini snowmen like this one

(like the pipe cleaner? yea. me too.)

and watched a lot of bad tv. Speaking of which, is there really a show where brides compete for PLASTIC SURGERY?! What have we come to?! And if that wasn't bad enough, then the 4 brides compete for the "best wedding" show came on. It was about that time when I turned to magazines, only to be hit with "What was Prince Charles thinking when he gave his mother's ring to Kate?! Doesn't he know it's a symbol of a marriage filled with infidelity blah blah blah?" No people, I don't think that's what he was going for. Instead, I think he was thinking, "I want to marry this woman and I happen to also have this kick a** ring that not only is beautiful, but also is one of the only possessions I have left of my mom's. Because of all of that, I think the woman I love should wear it."* HONESTLY. The ring doesn't have to be a diamond to promise love and devotion and it's a little tacky to state in a magazine that it should be one.)

Anyhow, now that I've gotten that off of my chest back to the invitation.

Every year my sister throws a holiday party and this year I decided to help her out with invitations. We were under a tight time line (as in they needed to be designed, printed, assembled and mailed within 2 days) so hand painting was out and instead I tried to keep it as simple as possible.

Not sure my sister would agree that tying candy canes to each one was simple, but overall I think they came out great (despite a little discrepancy of colors between the string and the printing. Apparently no one else besides us noticed, but as I've said before, I'm a little neurotic when it comes to my work and therefore it kind of bugs me. But only a little or else I wouldn't share them.)

Hope you enjoy them!

Studio Sneak Peek: vernon and antoinette

It snowed something like 4-5" last night here in Atlanta (and I am not embarrassed to admit we went outside at 10p with the dog just to have a snowball fight) so every school-including J's- and pretty much everything else is closed. So in celebration of what will probably be our last "snow day" when it comes to school, we've decided to spend a nice relaxing day here at Casa Khail. Hot chocolate, a fire, lots of Netflix picks- it's going to be a good day! Before I sign off to do that though, I thought I would share a custom invitation I was working on for quite awhile. Vernon and Antoinette just celebrated their wedding this past Saturday (congratulations!!) so I figured today would be the best day to share. Hope you like them!

copyright courtney khail stationery and design