bride | faunus letterpress invitation | cake

We’re pleased to announce the grand prize winner of our 3rd annual Do Good Contest: Jocelyn Smith! Jocelyn volunteers every week with an amazing organization called God’s Love We Deliver, which provides 4,600 meals daily to folks suffering from life-altering illnesses in the New York City area. In addition to nutritious, home-delivered meals, the organization also provides groceries, nutrition counseling and more. Visit their website to read about the organization’s history and to learn how you can get involved today!

Check out some of the other entries from this year’s contest! Thanks to everyone who took the time to submit an entry!

We welcomed illustrator Courtney Jentzen to the Bella Figura family last year and boy are we glad we did – her fun, whimsical style has been a welcome addition to our lineup of designs. Courtney’s Bright Lights invitation design is an ode to all things New York, featuring hand-illustrated landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island Ferry and a Brooklyn brownstone – seen here on the letterpress invitations for Jocelyn’s big city graduation celebration.

letterpress ink: black | fonts: declan + streamline | paper: bella cotton 1-ply white | customization #22346 | Sweet Paper

We loved seeing Denise and Giampiero’s chic real wedding on Carats and Cake recently! The couple set the tone for their Malibu celebration with custom wedding invitations in a cool combination of pewter, charcoal and black inks, with a fun pop of papaya for their envelope liners. The celebration was held at Saddlerock Ranch, complete with twinkling lights, romantic flower arrangements and an amazing dessert table. Head over to Carats & Cake to see more photos!

Invitations: Bella Figura via Urbanic Paper | Photography: Heather Kincaid | Venue: Saddlerock Ranch | Florist: Krista Jon | Event Planning: Gather Events | Hair & Makeup: Fiore Beauty | Attire: J.Crew | Bakery: Sweet and Saucy Cake Shop | Catering: Whoa Nelly Catering | Videographer: Tower Films

Our Sweet Lorna letterpress invitations really capture the beauty of letterpress printing with a modern rendition of a traditional herringbone pattern. Shown here in the monochromatic hues of pale gray and charcoal, its a fresh yet sophisticated invitation for a bridesmaids luncheon.

letterpress inks: pale gray + charcoal | fonts: marilyn + streamline | paper: bella cotton 1-ply white | customization #23414 | Jenny’s Paper, Ink

Chelsea Petaja’s invitation inspiration behind her chic Rustic Thicket design includes natural earthy elements, lush greenery and modern flowy dresses. Hand calligraphy accents from Maybelle add an extra element of personalization to this new design from Chelsea – which is on sale (along with the rest of her collection) through the end of July!

Emogene and Kai came to us to print the invitation suite for their Minneapolis Jazz club wedding. The bold, modern fonts, symmetrical layout and shiny gold foil capture the architectural inspiration typical of art deco design.

letterpress inks: vine + black | foil stamping: gold shine | paper: bella cotton 1-ply white | envelope: bella cotton white | pocketfold: black | envelope liner: metallic gold leaf | customization #22046

bride | roosevelt letterpress invitation | classic car 

This contemporary customization of Modern Swash is as eye catching as they come. It’s the perfect invitation to set the mood for any art loving couple’s hip, stylish soiree. Love this design? All of designer Chelsea Petaja’s inspired designs are on sale through July 31st!

modern swash customization | letterpress ink: charcoal | foil stamping: copper shine | fonts: chloe + danube | paper: white | invite size: S-8 | liner: classic color pattern in charcoal | original design by Chelsea Petaja |customization by in-house designer Jessica Tierney

dress and cake | groom

We’re back with another round of our designer travels series. This week Bella Figura calligrapher Sarah Hanna is sharing her photos and stories from a recent, impromptu trip to Marrakech, Morocco. We’ll let Sarah take it from here!

Hand-made lanterns in Morocco One of the great things about Europe is how easy it is to country-hop. In the US, you might treat yourself to a weekend trip to New York, or tailgate two states over. Similarly, if you are in France, you could hop over to Marrakech, Morocco for the weekend. A carry-on and an hour and a half later, you could be strolling through a spice market….

….or watching artisans make leather bags, or carve stone in the traditional way that has been passed down for generations. Patterns abound. And the calligraphic influence in the stonework is something to behold.

Scenes from the streets of Marrakech. 

Coffee break at the YSL gardens in Morocco The gardens of Yves Saint Laurent are in Marrakech. A perfect rest from the bustle of the city and place to be inspired by nature and YSL’s own artwork. 

 

Little sorority girl tip: Nail polish remover can take anything off. 

 

Climbing a waterfall…in flip flops. The trip was a surprise. I did not know where we were going until we arrived at the airport. I packed for Italy. Oops. C’est la vie!

A restaurant built into a mountain in Marrakech 

bride | parker wedding invitation | martini

The folksy sweetness of our Juniper envelope liner pattern transitions from season to season depending on the (up to) 4 ink colors you chose. Here the summertime inspiration of Garden, Sherbet, Papaya and Cream inks compliment our Handdrawn wedding invitation sent by Aileen and Sam for their summer celebration in Italy.

letterpress inks: pewter + papaya | paper: bella cotton 2-ply white | foil edging: copper shine | envelope: bella cotton white | envelope liner: juniper pattern in garden + sherbet + papaya + cream | customization #17449