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.

We asked, and you voted: our latest Design of the Month is Ikaty by Kamal! As our Design of the Month, all custom letterpress orders placed between now and December 31 will receive 20% off.  This 20% off applies to Ikaty save the dates, invitations, thank you cards, menus, coasters, place cards, programs, and any other piece that uses the Ikaty design. To get you inspired, our design team put together these stunning customizations — take a look!

(Please note, the Design of the Month promotion may not be used on purchases of other designs or in combination with any other promotion.)

We’re pretty excited about Election Day 2011 around here (it’s today! Tuesday, November 8), so we’ve decided to hold a vote of our own! From now through November 30, four of our letterpress invitation designs will be in the running to become the next Bella Figura Design of the Month. The winning design will go on sale for 20% off during the month of December, so be sure to vote! (And tell your friends to vote, too!) The 20% off applies to save the dates, thank you cards, coasters, place cards, menus, programs, invitations, and any other piece that uses the winning design.

Voting is easy: simply visit this page to view the nominated designs, then ‘like’ your favorite (you must be logged in to Facebook to do this). Already dreaming up ways to customize your favorite design? Check out these gorgeous customizations our in-house graphic design team dreamed up to get some extra inspiration.

Alice by Tara Hogan

Carte de Visite by Ben Whitla

Collection by Ellie Snow

Ikaty by Kamal

Which of these amazing designs will go on sale during the month of December?? It’s up to you – be sure to vote today!

(The small print: the Design of the Month promotion may not be used on purchases of other designs or in combination with any other promotion.)

Here at Bella Figura, we think voting is one of the most direct ways to impact this country and the world. So to encourage everybody to get out and vote this year, we’re offering a special promotion just for voters during the month of November, 2011: orders with 75 invitation sets or more will receive 25 free sets!

To take advantage of this promotion, all you need to do is supply a photo of yourself voting! Simply send in the photo with your order to receive the special by emailing order@bellafigura.com – if you plan to work with one of our retailers, just include their store name in your email. We’ll be featuring the photos on our blog and Facebook page in the upcoming weeks, so please let us know when submitting the photo if you don’t want your photograph shared!

Election day is November 8, 2011, so get out and vote! If you want to help spread the word on election day, let everyone know that you voted by uploading your photo to our Facebook page. Just click the ‘Share Photo’ option, and in the caption, tell us the state you’re voting in!

Excited about the vote? Keep the voting momentum going and click here to vote on the next design of the month! The design of the month will go on sale for 20% off during the month of December & 4 designs are in the running — be sure to check it out!

Today we’re exited to introduce our latest Design of the Month – Cecilia by Jamie Lea Bertsch. We love this design for its vintage textile inspiration and it’s understated romantic elegance. As our Design of the Month, all custom letterpress orders of our Cecilia design placed between now and April 29 will receive 20% off – don’t miss out! This 20% off applies to Cecilia save the dates, thank you cards, coasters, place cards, menus, programs, invitations, and any other piece that uses the Cecilia design. (Please note, the Design of the Month promotion may not be used on purchases of other designs or in combination with any other promotion.)

Meet the Designer – Jamie Lea Bertsch

What is the inspiration behind Cecilia?
Actually, these are the invitations we used for our wedding, so there was a lot of inspiration swirling around them. I named it after my grandmother – Cecilia. The lacy edging was from a handkerchief passed down to me for my wedding, and I paired that with some loose pattern illustrations from other textiles/fabrics in our home. I really wanted to fuse elegant and handmade, so I mixed fonts and rounded corners to keep it casual.

How did you get your start in art and design?
I’ve always enjoyed making things with my hands and the tactile experience. I decided to pursue art and design without any expectations. I didn’t want to anticipate or put pressure on myself to ‘figure it out’ right away. Instead, I eased into things, lightheartedly exploring design, printmaking, fibers, photography and ceramics. Some great opportunities came my way, and since college, I’ve just taken it day by day. Currently I’m pursuing my MFA in fibers, seeing where that leads me. I’ve always believed that things happen for a reason, so I try not to intervene too much with the natural progression of things.

Five art/design tools you couldn’t live without:
Needle/thread, Uni-ball fine tip pens, sketchbook, Sobo glue & scissors

What’s your morning routine like?
I’ve become a bit of an early bird lately, realizing how many things I can get done before noon if I wake up early! Our dog Olive usually sleeps in. (jealous!) I’ve been trying to lay off the coffee, trading it in with yogurt or kefir as a morning ritual. Though, I admit, sometimes you just need a good cup of coffee! I head to my studio in the early hours, and catch up on emails, art & design blogs, and of course whatever project I have going at the time. I usually turn on NPR or the Charlie Parker station on Pandora for my listening pleasure. I love a good, flow-y morning.

Good luck charm:
Definitely this little wooden heart that my husband carved for me back in college. It reminds me of e.e. cummings’ :

i carry your heart with me
i carry it in my heart
i am never without it

Always in your fridge:
We’re never too low on gorgonzola cheese! It’s been a staple of mine for a while now – sprinkling it on pizza, salad, or bruschetta are my favorites lately.

What fictional character do you most identify with?
hmmm… probably Pippi Longstocking! I would love to live in Villa Villekulla.

Best day job:
The best day job I ever had was being a carhop at a locally owned drive-in restaurant. I got to work outside serving custard, fries, and burgers, and the customers were always pretty fun. Definitely miss those tips!

Favorite PMS number:
621U

If you were flavor of ice cream, what would you be?
Alden’s Peanut Butter Chip! The best ice cream ever.

Now through March 2, 2011, take advantage of our annual Trendsetter sample sale, featuring sample packs curated by an exclusive group of style-driven wedding and design industry trendsetters. Our Trendsetters include wedding bloggers, stylists, designers and event planners with an incredible eye for design. Each Trendsetter’s sample pack includes their selection of five favorite invitations, currently on sale for just $5 (regularly $12) with 100% of each sample pack cost donated to an environmental nonprofit. Read all about the Trendsetters and check out their favorite Bella Figura letterpress wedding invitations and then purchase the sample pack you love best to help us help the world!

The fine print: Trendsetter sample pack purchases between 2/25/11 and 3/2/2011 will not be deducted from future orders.

Last month we launched our second annual Election Day Sale where we asked Bella Figura clients to get out and vote! Why? Because we like voting. And we think everyone should do it more often. (It’s amazing what happens when we all get involved. We really can change the world.) Of course, we sweetened the deal a bit. Clients who sent us a photo showing us they went out and voted received 25 free letterpress invitation sets. This year we were blown away by the response! Brides, grooms, moms, dads, and even pets got in on the voting action! Herewith, a handful of the awesome photos we received and just a sampling of the inspirational people we’re lucky enough to get to work with here at Bella Figura – you all rock!

Here at Bella Figura, we believe in the power of few to do good for the world. In honor of Election Day (which just so happens to be tomorrow, November 2!) we are once again offering a special limited time promotion for orders placed in November. Send us a photo of yourself going out to vote and you will get 25 free letterpress invitation sets when you purchase 75 or more! (It’s that easy!) Visit our promotions page for details.

This campaign season we’ve found ourselves personally inspired by Patagonia, another like-minded business intent on doing good for the world. Their Vote the Environment campaign encourages citizens to get out and vote noting, “Your vote affects the air you breathe, the energy you use, and the water you drink.” Whatever your affiliation, wherever you stand on the issues we too encourage you to get out there and change the world – vote!

Here at Bella Figura, we believe in the power of few to do good for the world. In honor of Election Day (which happens to be tomorrow, November 3!) we’re offering a special limited time promotion for orders placed in November – send us a photo of yourself going out to vote and you’ll get 25 free invitation sets when you order 75! Email press@bellafigura.com with your photo for details. We’ll be featuring participant photos in a post on our blog next month. Change the world. Vote!

(The small print: Orders must be placed no later than 5pm EST on Monday, November 30 so don’t forget to get out and vote…and take your camera! And make sure to tell us in your email if you don’t want your photo shared on our blog.)