Today we’re excited to share the inspiration behind Ikaty, Bella Figura’s December design of the month {the entire suite is on sale for 20% off through 12/31!}. We chatted with Kamal, the talented designer who created this fashion forward, fabric-inspired invitation, and she filled us in on the background of the gorgeous design that we just can’t get enough of.

The Inspiration Behind Ikaty

“Ikaty” is a modern tribute of my love and fascination for the IKAT pattern, the trend, and how it mirrors a promise of commitment. To see its progression in the past couple of years is compelling to me. It’s been a part of my home since childhood – on pillows, rugs and clothing growing up, but not on paper. “Ikat” is an Indonesian language word, which depending on context, can be the nouns: cord, thread, knot and the finished ikat fabric as well as the verbs “to tie” or “to bind”(ref: Wikpedia). Sounds a little like marriage…

…and I am. I also have 3 wonderful children and try to balance it out as a working mom. This process of dyes and interwoven, complex patterns reflects my work, my marriage, my kids and what’s to come. Each distinct weave can take you into a different path in your life, growing and multiplying until you have created a pattern, a routine, or hopefully a touch of surprise in your life.

Get inspired by winter, one of the most whimsical seasons of the year. Blankets of fresh white snow, cozy fires, creamy hot chocolate with whipped cream – it all is so romantic!  Bella’s Birch design, by Jessica Tierney, captures this feeling perfectly! Be sure to use colors directly from nature for your letterpress invitations to keep things soft and muted like a cold winter day. Your hearts will keep things hot enough!

birch customization = inks: sand + taupe | fonts: alouette + ollie | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: simple geometrics in cream | original design by jessica tierney | customized by in-house designer lindsy aragona
embellishment suggestions: edge painting in gold

Photography credits: Jenny Haas and Ashley Krogman Designs

Hues of rust and fading blue paint create a surprisingly beautiful palette for an edgy, urban wedding. To get this look, seek beauty in weathered bridges, tattered signage and run down city streets.

soho customization = inks: umber + espresso | fonts: impression + sans capitals | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | liner: antique geometrics pattern in gold | original design by Elizabeth and David Mandel | customized by in-house designer Lindsy Aragona
embellishment suggestions: pocketfold in steel blue

Photo Credits: Joey Kennedy Photography

by Lindsy Aragona, In-House Designer

We’re bundling up for the cold winter weather that’s starting to make its way to Central New York, but this wedding has us dreaming of warm summer days and fun celebrations. Candice & Sean included tons of festive design elements for their summertime wedding that made for amazing, cheerful photos filled with love and warmth. Candice gave us the scoop on what went into planning this colorful backyard bash (complete with intricate Papel Picado for decor!) and we’re in love with every last detail.

Can you share with us a bit about your wedding and your inspiration for the event?
We chose a church wedding in acknowledgement of our Catholic and Episcopal traditions and in accordance with our personal faith. We asked guests to come and celebrate our lives, our commitments, and our love. Our invitations requested that guests arrive in colorful attire, and all of the women were invited to walk Candice to the church. We had many people do small readings, and since everyone present was an old best friend or family member, we did not have attendants. Instead, all of the women who walked Candice to the church carried small roses. Our bible verse for the day, “This is my beloved and this is my friend” was a verse that framed all of our celebrations and much of our wedding planning.

Read the rest of this entry »

With another Syracuse winter sneaking up on us, this customization of Ben Whitla‘s Lumos design is feeling especially fitting for the season.  A combination of our charcoal and pool inks letterpress printed onto our snowy white 1-ply paper breathes a cool and modern breath into this popular design.  We owe the honor of printing this particular save the date to the ever-awesome gang downstate at Judy Paulen Designs Bloomingdales.

inks: charcoal + pool | paper: 1-ply white | save the date size: a6 |

This next real wedding united two Air Force members, so it seemed only fitting that we feature it on Veterans Day! Overflowing with glamorous details and thoughtful touches that reflect Brenna & Larry’s interests, it’s a celebration filled with timeless style. Brenna designed the stylish yet classic invitations and came to us for printing (we featured her beautiful invites on our blog back in March), and they really set the perfect tone for this 1930′s inspired wedding.

Can you share with us a bit about your wedding and your inspiration for the event?
The wedding was held at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. I was an art major in college, and my husband studied in Germany for his degree. The hotel is in an artful German hunting lodge style, so that was inspiring in itself. We both have a love for Art Deco style, and 1930′s music and movies.

A special performance by Brenna’s sister (a trained opera singer!) added a lovely personal touch to Brenna & Larry’s ceremony – she sang a solo from Handel’s “Messiah”.

What advice do you have for couples currently planning a wedding?
Pick something inspirational and plan the wedding around it. For us, it was Busby Berkeley Films. All the black and white contrast and lavish sets helped make all the decisions about design quickly. Keep your venue in mind, too, and work with the details therein.

How did you choose your invitation design & ink colors?
I made the design myself, and trusted it to Bella Figura to make it happen in the highest caliber. The rest of the wedding stationery matched the design, so it was easy to continue the theme. I wanted the invitation to show off the good design, so it was a cream and black letterpress; very classic and always in style.

Read the rest of this entry »

Featuring the gorgeous hand calligraphy of Debi Zeinert, Classic Calligraphy definitely tends to be one of our more, well, classic designs.  Throw some fresh Navy ink and vibrant Watermelon edge painting into the mix though, and you get a really great splash of bold contemporary style.  A brightly contrasting edge paint color is a wonderful way to make things fun and current without going too far overboard and loosing the vintage-inspired vibe of the overall set.  These invitations also feature a cute website card – an elegant and eco-friendly way to direct guests to your website for additional wedding details.

ink: navy | paper: 2-ply ivory | invite size: a7 | liner: antique geometrics pattern in navy | edge painting: watermelon | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

These Gracelyn Vintage (by Jessica Tierney) letterpress wedding invitations show that it’s refreshing to see a more bubbly color palette.  Especially when, typically for fall weddings you see hues of golden rod, espresso and mustard. We can’t get enough of the bold aubergine ink throughout the set.  This is a traditional text based invitation with a simple touch of elegance, but this design is anything but simplistic!  The European Formal envelope liner in aubergine ink gives that WOW factor to this invitation suite.

inks: aubergine| fonts: nysa + harlow| paper: 2-ply white | invitation size: f8 | liner: the european formal in aubergine ink | client coordinator: jessica hanaman | in-house designer: sarah walroth

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).

We think you’ll agree that these Flit (by Kamal) letterpress wedding invitations radiant true beauty!  This trendy and nature inspired set is so delicate in the most charming fashion. The color combination of amethyst and clover inks compliment each other so well.  We love the idea of offering your guests a sneak peak of what your big day will be filled with, and these contemporary invitations are spot-on.  The wedding was held at the Museum of Life and Science in North Carolina where there is an exhibit dedicated solely to butterflies.  Fly on beautiful darlings-fly on!

inks: amethyst + clover | fonts: moravia + bennington |  paper: ivory 1-ply cotton | invite size: a7 | client coordinator: jessica hanaman | in-house designer: lindsy aragona