Wedding Invitation for Janelle and Jeffery

I've mentioned before that designing wedding invitations are some of my favorite projects. They feel more like fun than work! I'm especially honored when a past bride and groom recommend me to their friends. This was the case with Janelle and Jeffery. They were looking for a classic elegant invitation and response card to compliment their wine-colored October wedding, and were open to my ideas.

I presented three different designs and they selected the one focusing on their names with a hand-written style script font and elegant lines. This was fun for me, because I've been wanting to design an invitation like this.

The ink is burgundy and brown, printed on ivory paper with matching envelopes. Sometimes simple elegance is best.

 

Congratulations Janelle and Jeffery! I hope your wedding day was just perfect and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness! It was a pleasure working with you.

ExNatura Makeup Remover

IMG: © D'Angelo Photo

It is such a compliment and an honor when I gain a new client from another client’s referral. Especially when it’s a new startup business in my hometown of Rochester, New York. I began working with the owner and creator of ExNatura Products earlier this year, to design a logo and packaging for the first in a new line of plant-based cosmetic products.

As a designer, I was excited to work on this project, because the beauty and cosmetic industry has always appealed to me. I'm also a makeup consumer and part of the target audience for this powerful new remover. I couldn’t wait to try ExNatura for myself! 100% plant-based ingredients make this makeup remover safe and gentle, and best of all, it’s effective, without any parabens, carcinogens, toxins or fragrances. How great is that? Perfect for people with allergies and sensitive skin. 

IMG: © D'Angelo Photo

 
I'm thrilled with the logo and packaging and I also helped select the bottle. The look communicates a product that is upscale, on-trend, pure, clean, effective and free from harmful ingredients. 

IMG: © D'Angelo Photo 

ExNatura officially launched this week and is currently available for purchase online at ExNaturaProducts.com You can also look for ExNatura Products on Facebook an Instagram.

Since web design with e-commerce isn’t currently within my wheelhouse, we teamed up with Matt D’Angelo, the creative force behind D’Angelo design. He provided strategy, creative direction, photography, web and social media design, to beautifully showcase and launch ExNatura into the marketplace. 

If you would like to learn more about ExNatura Makeup Remover or to purchase, visit ExNaturaProducts.com

Autumn Leaves Wedding Invitation Set

My friend and former co-worker got married last weekend, on a beautiful fall day, with a fall themed wedding and invitations to match. I was honored that Terry asked me to design her invitations. When she sent me her beautiful (and very organized) mood board/PowerPoint Presentation, I knew we would work well together!

I really like that they wanted to incorporate fall colors and autumn leaves, which printed beautifully on ivory paper. I also designed their ceremony program, place cards and custom chocolate bar wrapper.

The chocolate bar wrapper, in the theme "Love is Sweet", complete with true love ingredients and nutrition facts on the back, was simply adorable. And fun to work on! 

Using traditional and elegant fonts, with a few playful embellishments, creates a modern yet timeless style. 

Photo Credit: Scratch Bakery
I caught a glimpse of their wedding cake on Facebook, which happens to be from one of my favorite bakeries, and I totally swooned over it. Isn't it gorgeous?! I love the leaves and flowers and the natural fall feel it has. And I'm certain it tasted as good as it looks! It completely compliments their theme. If you're craving some gorgeous desserts Scratch Bakery is where it's at. They also have gluten free cupcakes and French macarons which are amazing. Becuase I want to eat all the macarons.

Congratulations, Terry and Ryan! Thank you so much for including me in the details of your special day.

I Like Gold...Invitations

I had the fun and privilege of designing a wedding invitation suite, using gold foil printing, for a couple in Texas. The sister of the bride contacted me three years ago, via my Etsy shop, to design her wedding invitations, so I was thrilled when I was contacted again. The wedding is today - happy wedding day! 

We started with a save the date earlier this year. The requested style and colors were hot pink and gold with a "love always" theme. Such a fun combination to work with! I incorporated a whimsical script font, a watercolor background and heart, with gold dots and a playful arrangement of wedding details. 

To correspond with the save the date, I designed an invitation, RSVP card, thank you card, and favor tags. (The above photos were wrapped in plastic, ready for shipping, which is why they appear so glossy)

This (unwrapped) thank you card really shows the sheen of the metallic gold foil. I love it! 

This project was one of the most exciting and challenging wedding invitations I've worked on. Thankfully, I have a skilled and very patient printer, who worked with me every step of the way, to get it perfect - even when we had to make multiple adjustments (more times than I'd like to admit!). The complexity of printing with gold foil, is having to set up multiple files for each piece. The example above shows the separate layers required to print gold foil with traditional ink. The intended finished product composite (left), the regular ink (center), and the gold foil (right). The type has to match up perfectly and be thick enough to avoid any gaps in the overlay.

The end result is beautiful, and worth the close attention to detail and the additional cost involved in achieving such an elevated look. Now that I've achieved success printing with gold foil, it's not as daunting as it used to be and I look forward to working with it again.

Congratulations to the bride and groom!

5 Simple Ways to Add Fall Style to Your Home

When it comes to seasonal home decor, I usually don't change too much, but I really like the feeling of cozying things up when the weather starts getting cooler. How perfect does relaxing on your sofa with a nice blanket and a good movie sound right now?

Here are five simple ways that you can incorporate fall style into your home and enjoy autumn, indoors. 

1. New statement piece
Maybe you've had your eye on a gorgeous metallic mirror, clock or other piece of wall art. A new statement piece can easily change up the feel of any room. It doesn't have to be expensive, either. You can DIY an existing piece with gold spray paint or score a vintage find at a second hand store. 

2. Throw blanket
Who doesn't love snuggling up with a warm blanket in your favorite chair? I can never seem to have enough throw blankets. Pick one up in a warm burnt orange hue, mocha or neutral gray. Maybe even get two so you don't have to share! 

3. Accent pillows
Pillows are one of the quickest and simplest ways to change up the furniture in a living room. You can go a little outside of your comfort zone and select a seasonal color palette or bold patterns. I really like the pillows I've been seeing in stores with words like "thankful", "grateful", and cute quotes. They help personalize a space and add some fun. 

4. Candles 
I don't think I'll ever get tired of candles. They add so much light, warmth, and delicious aromas. I like using tealights on different surfaces, especially in versatile votive holders, like mercury glass. So pretty! When it comes to making my house smell amazing, I'm a sucker for those powerhouse 3-wick candles from you-know-where. "Leaves" is one of my very favorite scents. Along with anything apple, pumpkin or caramel. 

5. Bring nature indoors
Pumpkins are the obvious choice for decorating the exterior of your home, but there's a lot of other elements in nature that you can decorate with, inside - right from your own backyard! Pine cones, acorns, leaves, sticks, corn kernels. I like to fill glass vases with pine cones and acorns and surrounded them with a few tealights to make beautiful centerpieces. 

What are some ways that you like to decorate for the fall season?