true courage

the wonderful wizard of oz is one of my favorite books (and movies) and has been since i was a kid. here’s one of the best quotes from the book:

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

this calendar is dedicated to all my  friends who have demonstrated true courage this year whether they were battling cancer, volunteering at refugee camps in greece/macedonia, or just trying to raise an awesome kid. you all inspire me to live fully and be better.

drawing of the week: tiger swallowtail

did you know that virginia has a designated state insect? i stumbled upon this beautiful butterfly and was captivated by its color and pattern. after doing a little research, i discovered that it was the tiger swallowtail and was indeed designated as a virginia state symbol along with the cardinal, dogwood, and foxhound.

best news is, this giclee print is going up for a raffle at our town’s local holiday craft fair coming up in less than 2 weeks! hope to see you there!

sneak peak: some little dude is turning one

here’s a little peak at what’s going in the mail today…a very special baby bear is almost one. how did that happen so quickly?

classic and timeless

we are continuously drawn the timeless aesthetic found in classic designs. the clean lines and ‘simplicity’ create a seemingly effortless beauty…think about all those mid century modern pieces of furniture. but the simplest things are often the hardest to create because your eyes are not distracted by a bunch of fluff and the details really matter. last fall, i had the opportunity to work with siobhan and raleigh (2 of more nearest and dearest friends) to create a complete suite that tied into their virginia vineyard wedding.

siobhan and raleigh wanted to create a feeling of elegance with a touch of fun. they wanted to be able to look back at the paper suite on their 50th anniversary and still love every part of it. imagine our parents’ generation looking through wedding photos today laughing at permed hair, baby blue tuxes, and billowing/poufy (long) sleeves…one of a wedding couples biggest fears. and yes, my parents had all of the above in their wedding album.

the invitations were simple without too much ornament or fuss. i worked with bon and raleigh to choose complimentary fonts that would embody their elegant yet fun personalities. we included their wreath/seal ‘monogram’ on the reply card (and also many day of materials) and added the spunk on the illustrated map.

photo credit: kate mcgee photography

i was so thrilled to be a part of their big day and am just sorry it’s taken me so long to finally create this blog post!

tintner family tree

is it just me, or is there a new baby or expectant family everywhere you turn…strolling downtown, seated at dinner next to you, on facebook/instagram…the list goes on. well we’ve had several friends have new additions to the family, and we’ve doubled our niece/nephew count with 3 new little ones this year! and i know it’s not the same, but we even brought home a new 4 legged baby to our home this summer…

okay, but enough about our dog(s)…back to juliana’s announcements.

my sister asked me to create a birth announcement for juliana that was just as special and fun as maddie’s were (remember these, way way way back when?) since juliana is named after her paternal grandfather, julius, it was fitting to incorporate a family tree. i loved the idea of also tying together the forest animals that i’ve been so fond of for my sister…maddie’s announcements had an owl and her birthday party invites sported the party animals.  so i went to my sketchbook and drew a woodland scene focused around a ‘family tree’ where juliana is cradled on one branch and big sister maddie is swinging from another. doesn’t this remind you of the scene from sleeping beauty where aurora is singing to all her forest friends?

photo by natalie franke photography

under the sea

it’s no secret that i love everything about the ocean, lakes, rivers, even pools. i personally love splashing around in the water, but it’s the multitude of creatures and life in the water that is really intriguing…i know, i’m a nerd.

you’ve already seen me explore my love for marine animals in these drawings here and here. and below is the most recent product of my love for all things ‘under the sea.’

an old friend of mine, dory from the doyle dispatch, is having twins (she’s due any time now) and she has a nautical themed nursery. these cards are perfect, right? and with all of the love these babies are going to get from family, friends, and neighbors, the doyles can send these out as thank yous, notes ‘from the babies,’ or whatever else they’re in the mood for.

 

happy wedding nicole + jake!

A big congrats to Nicole and Jake on their wedding this past Saturday! This one was especially near and dear to me because Nicole and I grew up right down the street from each other…remember, she’ll always be Baby Brackett to me? AND, a mid october wedding (ahem, Oct 15, TEN15…you know the story) is really special to me. Fall in Virginia is so beautiful and it really is the perfect time to get married. I may be a little biased, but I can’t help it.

Nicole and Jake chose to continue the willow tree theme from their save the dates into their wedding invitations. They also got married with a willow tree as a backdrop to their altar, so everything tied together really nicely. I’m so happy for Nicole and Jake and am proud to share an anniversary weekend with them!

maya and bryan’s wedding gallery

check out mary stafford’s blog featuring maya + bryan’s wedding day! she documented their wedding with such stunning photography that from the big moments to to small details.

this was the first time i saw everything come together from what maya and bryan described about themselves and their wedding. it really is even more beautiful that words could have described…it’s a good thing mary did such a wonderful job capturing those moments with each click of her camera. and just to jog your memories, here are their save the dates, invites, and day of materials!

here’s a sneak peak of one of the photos, but head over to mary’s blog to see the whole day.

mary stafford photography

mary stafford photography

calendar save the dates

Sophie and Shane are getting married this fall out in California. I have always dreamt of living in California, so it was fun to hear little snippets of their wedding details. Their venue is the cutest combination of the rustic industrial and the very picturesque California wine country.

Sophie described her style as modern, classic, and effortless–think J. Crew. The save the dates reflect this style with a simple calendar graphic on the front with their date highlighted with a bright and bold orange circle. This is paired with a modern and fun calligraphy script for their names and all the other pertinent info in a classic block font.

I can’t wait to hear more about their upcoming wedding as I’m sure it’ll be absolutely amazing!

modern meets romantic

Remember Maya and Bryan (their save the dates and wedding suite)? They got married back in July and I was thrilled to work on their day of materials to complete their wedding stationery.

Their wedding invitations had a very modern feel with the blind debossed abstract motif of fly lines + water. For their day of materials, Maya really wanted to add more color and create a more romantic atmosphere…but still flow with the invitations. I kept a continuity of fonts and colors (pink + grays) from the invitations to the day of materials. And then I added a watercolor sketch of some flowers that softened the pieces.

The programs and menus had the flowers framing the corners while the table numbers and escort cards carried the wavy lines from the invites.

Wow…doesn’t that menu sound so delicious? It definitely made my mouth water while I was designing it.

I loved how everything turned out and I’m so glad that I got to work with people like Maya, Bryan, and their families!