In a unique twist on Beth Ann Seal‘s classic Palmas design, this invitation set features the exquisitely personal Belle hand calligraphy of Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls in place of the design’s original fonts.  The calligraphy adds a distinct mark of human touch, which is reinforced by the deep, tactile impression of the artisan letterpress printing.  Ink-less blind deboss printing for the art-deco inspired border keeps things subtle, while a bright clover envelope liner adds a splash of excitement to this chic and natural looking invitation set.

ink: black + blind deboss | paper: 2-ply ivory | invite size: f8 | liner: classic color in clover | edge painting: chartreuse | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: sarah walroth

Part of what makes calligraphy letterpress invitations so amazing is that each one is always going to be a little different from every other one we’ve ever made before.  With each design being painstakingly written out by hand before being digitized and eventually turned into a printing plate for letterpress printing, there’s always bound to be subtle (and beautiful) variations.  But there’s unique, and then there’s unique.

Take for instance this design here, featuring the lavish hand calligraphy of the super-talented Sarah Hannah.  This design most closely resembles Sarah’s Magnolia design, but despite the family resemblance they’re clearly not the same animal.  The couple’s names on this invitation are much more elaborately embellished than usual and the ornate flourishes along the edges of the original design have been dropped entirely.  This look is exactly what the bride was going for, and it was completely doable since Sarah was able to understand what she was envisioning and translate it into beautiful calligraphy.

Printed in black ink on our 2-ply ivory paper and affixed to our opal colored pocketfolds – the end result is devastatingly elegant.

ink: black | calligraphy style: victoria | paper: ivory 2-ply | invite size: f8 | pocketfold: opal | edge painting: black | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

We can hardly believe that Bella Figura’s first Design Contest came and went so quickly. Congrats again to all of the winners! Now that the contest has ended, we thought you’d like to see the gorgeous contest winner plaques we sent to the stores that had the top ten designs! Our internal designer Lindsy Aragona created a stunning customization of our Maile design. These beauties are letterpressed in an exciting color combination of sherbet and spring green inks on our 2-ply white paper. Corner rounding adds an extra touch, highlighting the natural curves of the leaves in the design. The wonderful Sarah Hanna is responsible for the stunning calligraphy. The photography in this post features our winners (first place Gus & Ruby Letterpress, second place Social Graces, and third place Union Street Papery).

Our New Calligraphy design (by Debi Zeinert) is extremely popular and we are loving the colors in this letterpress wedding invitation set. The nature infused accents from a custom Vineyard design inspired envelope liner to our vine ink bring a real earthy feel. The metallic gold edge painting brings in some luxury making this an elegant combination.

ink: vine | calligraphy: revolution hand calligraphy, by debi zeinert style  | paper: 1-ply white  | invite size: f8 | liner: custom vineyard design inspired pattern in antique gold | edge painting: metallic gold | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

It’s always such a pleasure to work with our amazing clients and to craft their unique creative vision into letterpress reality (really it is).  Take for instance these extended horizontal thank you notes – they’re so different and cool that we just had to share them with everyone.  They feature Patricia Mumau‘s Harrison style hand calligraphy, and they’re printed in a stunning combination of espresso and ink-less blind deboss.  The champagne edge painting really stands out boldly on our 2-ply paper and we absolutely love the way no. 10 dimensions work for this piece.

inks: espresso + blind deboss | calligraphy style: harrison | paper: 2-ply white | size: no. 10 | edge painting: champagne | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: racheal decker

Take a look at these BEYOND GORGEOUS Dolce (by Amy Graham Stigler) letterpress wedding invitations.  The invitation features the Clermont style hand calligraphy penned by the absolutely one-of-a-kind Debi Zienert.  Hand calligraphy is a beautiful way to add a personal touch to your invitations.  We think you’ll agree that the marigold and prussian blue inks contrast beautifully against one another.  Paired with a stellar envelope lining adds yet another splash of color!  The bride says, “the invitations you helped us select perfectly captured our vision of a bright and colorful, yet elegant wedding.”  We couldn’t agree more-this set is sure fire hit!

inks: marigold + prussian blue | calligraphy style: clermont hand by debi zienert | font: utrecht |paper: 2-ply white  | invite size: a7  | liner: the european formal pattern in marigold ink | client coordinator: jessica hanaman| in-house designer: lindsy aragona

We love the classic, understated look of these recently printed String Calligraphy (by Patricia Mumau) letterpress wedding invitations. The entire set features harrison hand calligraphy which is one of Patricia Mumau’s most requested calligraphy hands- there is nothing quite like it! Letterpressed in prussian blue ink with edge painting and a solid envelope liner to match, these invitations are totally trendy.  This is a perfect combination for the cutting-edge and fantastic wedding venue.

ink: prussian blue | calligraphy style: harrison by patricia mumau | paper: 1-ply white  | invite size: f8  | liner: the classic color pattern in prussian blue ink | client coordinator: jessica hanaman | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

You really cannot get anymore romantic than this String Calligraphy letterpress wedding invitation customization submitted to us by Social Graces in Nashville, Tennessee. The whimsical style of Harrison hand calligraphy, by Patricia Mumau, looks weightless in pale gray and shell inks. It’s airy, sweet, and oh so lovely! The Bella Figura team fell in love with this design’s soft simplicity – so we just had to have it place second in our design contest.

Erin, from Social Graces, surprised us with STUNNING photos from this wedding (thank you, thank you) and we were all blown away! The invitation fit this bride’s vision perfectly! From the detailed lace dress to the luscious, monochromatic flowers, this wedding looked like a dream!

Alisha, the beautiful bride, fills us in on her and her husband’s perfect wedding day and how they chose the String Calligraphy Design:

“Picking out my wedding invitations and paper goods was one of my favorite parts of the wedding planning process! I’ve always been a sucker for art, crafts, and design, so choosing the perfect invitations for my wedding was a very fun experience. The look I had in mind for our wedding was something whimsical, rustic, organic and vintage. While searching for the perfect invitation to reflect our farm wedding, I fell in love with Bella Figura’s String Calligraphy and couldn’t settle for anything else! The invitation that I chose struck me because of simplicity, uniqueness, and whimsical feel. I loved the softness and romantic touch that the pale gray and shell color inks gave off. The colors reflected our wedding color scheme perfectly – a soft palette of pale pinks and grays.

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Working with Union Street Papery in San Francisco, California is always AMAZING!!! Stacey and her staff are the best people EVER! They are not only savvy business women, but are genuinely kind people – and they are all HILARIOUS. Love them! When you combine a wonderful dealer with a design like Vendage, from the utterly fabulous Kamal Patel, you are bound to create magic. The Vendage letterpress invitation customization features elegant hues of champagne and charcoal along with Debi Zeinert’s hand calligraphy accents in Spencerian. By eliminating the bird motif from the original design and using a vertical layout, this customization becomes romantic and sophisticated.

The beautiful bride, Emily, shared some words with us regarding her gorgeous suite!
“The design of the invitation was meant to evoke a summer garden party with a hint of modern design elements to make it current. Annadel Estate is a lovely winery located in Sonoma, but more than just a winery they have acres of rose gardens on the property. When I saw the floral print I knew it was perfect.”

… so perfect that our staff at Bella Figura chose Emily’s design as the third place winner!!!

A view inside Union Street Papery.

inks: champagne + charcoal | fonts: garamond | paper: 2-ply white | invite size: a-7 | calligraphy style: spencerian by Debi Zeinert | liner: the rustic crosshatch patter in charcoal

This design won third place in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

The Village Invites II has done it again! This Hendrix 2 (by Jessica Hische) letterpress wedding invitation takes the art of subtle beauty to a whole new level.

The color combination of Cream and Sand inks on our 1-ply ivory cotton paper really lets the unique nature of the paper shine through. The hand calligraphy accents only add to the understated elegance of the suite.

inks: cream + sand | fonts: sans capital | calligraphy: patricia mumau harrison hand | paper: ivory 1-ply cotton | invite size: a7

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.