The Wedding Tree

Earlier today I came across an amazingly beautiful wedding on Once Wed, shot by photographer, Jonas Peterson. I really love everything about this wedding, the stark and subtle beauty of the white gallery space, the stylish details and the cool relaxed vibe of the whole affair. Especially cute was the guestbook, or rather, The Wedding Tree. Guests were asked to ink up their thumbs and make their mark on a poster sized illustration of a leafless tree. By the end of the wedding, the tree was full of little thumb-printed leaves, each signed by their creators. Such an original and creative spin on the guestbook and a wonderful keepsake for the happy couple! Not to mention, a super fun activity for the guests! Be sure to check out the whole wedding here the photographs are absolutely stunning.

Of Masks and Men

(via Greenwala)

Upon first glance, these look like intricate, meticulously crafted masks. Well, they are, but they're meticulously crafted out of discarded toilet paper rolls. Yes, "whaaat?" was also my initial reaction. French artist Junior Fritz Jacquet sees art in what we see as trash. Using ninja-like origami skills and some amazing colors and lots of varnish, he turns them into mini works of art.

(via Greenwala)

I know what I'm doing if it rains this weekend! Why not give it a try yourself?

Juice from Sopocani

I recently came across 100% juice from Sopocani and enjoy the interesting packaging design. I am attracted to the embossed glass and diecut, handwritten label, designed by Peter Gregson Studio. The all natural and organic juice is made by the Sopoćani monastery in Serbia.



{image via Peter Gregson Blog}

100 Years of Style

This weekend was spent enjoying the sun and the sales (yes, the sales!). Most retailers inventory seasonally and August 1st often marks the transition into Fall. We've covered some of the fall colors in past posts here on eInvite's Insights, but here in New England we haven't had the best weather just yet, so the opportunity to get some summer designer duds in SS09 colors at a discount was too great to pass up. A lot of the seasonal trends from spring are holding on through fall and the economy will cause a lot of design conservatism in the fashion industry, so it's a great time to stretch your wardrobes a bit, for a lot less.

While I was cruising the boutiques for deals (I'm a believer in natural fibers, handmade garments, and fair trade practices, so independent clothiers are the way to go), I discovered a copy of On The Edge: 100 Years of Vogue at a used bookstore for next to nothing! It was in great condition, all pages and plates were clean, and really gave me an opportunity to get back into the photographic and design trends of each decade. One of the things that astounds me is the quality of commercial photography eighty years ago. There was plenty of extraordinary photography in the art world (such luminaries as Weston, Cunningham, Stieglitz) but when I was in school, we didn't cover much of the early commercial photographic work in our photo history course.

One of the masters of the period was Edward Steichen (whom is often associated with war photography). He left Condé Nast in 1937 but his practices of celebrity portraiture laid the groundwork for Avedon and the armies of fashion photographers that followed. Take a look at this image of Gloria Swanson and you'll no doubt immediately recognize the echos of the past in our now "modern" sense of style.

©Condé Nast, c/o The Smithsonian and Corbis Images

It will be interesting to see how current economic conditions affect our cultural sense of style and design. The last time economic troubles had this profound an impact on the psychology of our culture at large. That period marked the end of Art Noveau (which is seeing a bit of a renaissance now, sometimes fused with technology, a style colloquially called "Steampunk") and the beginning of Modernism. So keep your eyes open for more use of handwritten/handworked materials and design "flourishes", integrated with strong lines and muted, solid colors, offset with exotic, colorful highlights.

The perfect gift

I wanted to share a story about the perfect gift! Dave and Katie {our close friends} are a perfect couple with 2 perfect puppies! Dave has absolutely lived up to this reputation buy creating an extraordinary gift for his wife on their 3rd anniversary.
Dave got Katie the most amazing anniversary gift - he used a custom stamper from eInvite to create his own stamp, stamp and print several little note cards each stating why he loves her so much and then folded, stamped and stacked the cute little envelopes into a beautiful Tiffany’s crystal box. Every little note has beautiful words form his heart. If this is the 3rd anniversary gift, I can only imagine what’s in store for 5, 10, 25... years to come. Congrats guys!

Jill and Kevin

stART on the street

Congratulations to our own Scott Boilard of Worcester, MA. He has done it again. Bravo for winning another stART on the street logo contest for the annual hooplah of handmade goods here in Central Mass. This year's theme is stART in Motion. From paper goods, photography, jewelry, pottery, fine art, clothing...everything handmade!

From the stART site:
stART, an innovative arts celebration ‘on the street’ was the brainchild of an independent group of local artists and art lovers at it’s inception in 2002. stART on the Street is organized by a group of dedicated volunteers committed to changing the cultural scope of Worcester and Central Massachusetts. stART on the Street is the signature event; a day long arts, music, and cultural celebration on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA.

Initially held on Main Street in Worcester, the festival moved to Park Avenue in 2006, to overwhelming accolades and the largest attendance to date. The stART on the Street festival has hosted an increasing number of arts and crafts vendors each year, from 165 in 2006, 240 artists in 2007 and and anticipated 275 in 2008, all demonstrating and selling their handcrafted items. A main stage area hosts a variety of live bands from rock & roll, alternative country, jazz, world music and more. Street performers entertain on the street level; everything from Africa-Brazilian Capoeira demonstrations, a cappella groups, acoustic music, dance and many more genres of performance art. A Youth Activities area with local organizations hosting interactive art activities has been a popular attraction for families throughout the years.

As a cultural group dedicated to participating in the entire Central MA community, stART on the Street provides public art projects incorporating at-risk and special needs youth. Providing youth with an opportunity to experience collaborative community art has been a rewarding aspect for the group as a whole.

Scott has also been one of the first participating artists, since the inception of stART on the street, which has grown enormously in scope and attendance since 2002. Here is one of Scott's originals.

{Octo 72 by Scott Boilard}

stART on the Street Festival

Sunday, September 20, 2009
11am - 5pm
(rain date Sept 27)
Park Ave, between Highland and Pleasant Streets Worcester, MA

Color Inspiration

It is (finally!) summer weather in Massachusetts, but my mind is on fall and winter. Designing 1-2 seasons ahead, we must stay on top of color trends. The jewel tones in the Cynthia Vincent Fall 2009 collection are so inspiring!



{ images via Cynthia Vincent}

Scandinavian Minimalism

PLAYSAM of Sweden is a leading design company creating timeless wood collectible toys for the young and young at heart. The Streamliner Classic Car, pictured above, has been selected as Swedish Design Classic by the Swedish National Museum for its inventive style and sleek surface. I fell in love with this design immediately, having been an avid Matchbox and Hot Wheels collector as a child, because of the way they reduce the European car design down to its basic identifiable form.

In addition to the Streamliner, PLAYSAM offers many other fun designs, ranging from convertible cars and baby prams to jet planes and yo-yos. Fun minimalist design at its best.

{all images from www.playsam.com}

Extraordinary Architecture

Extraordinary is this hotel that plans a fall grand opening, another Middle Eastern architectural masterpiece. The Hyatt Capital Gate Tower, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates will be the most stunning building in my opinion. The lines and aesthetic are incomparable, even to the Burj Al Arab designed by Tom Wright in Dubai. Famous for it's sail like design, this hotel is also amazing.

Capital Gate has also been awarded the 2009 Cityscape Middle East Commercial and Retail Development 'Future' of the Year Award. Developed as a gateway to Abu Dhabi and representative of what the region has chosen to represent it's identity to the world.

"Capital Gate's distinctive 18-degree westward incline, was made possible through the use of an innovative 'slanting core' concept never before used in other developments. As construction continues, Adnec and RMJM architects have jointly submitted an application to the Guinness Book of World Records to be recognised as the 'World's Most Inclined Tower.' "

-via AMEinfo

One of our eInvite staffers has been to the Burj and raved about the view from the top floor that overlooks The Palm Jumeirah, The World artificial Island group and the spectacular Persian Gulf. I want to go. I want to go! {mmm, one day!}

{images of Capital Gate and the Burj via point click home}

Alejandro Paul Font Envy

I would love to own this collection of Alejandro Paul’s top five typefaces—Affair, Buffet Script, Burgues Script, Candy Script, and Ministry Script. Available through Veer.


{Affair, Buffet Script}

{Burgues Script}

{Candy Script, Ministry Script}

The Pen Story

Just came across this amazing stop-motion video via Samantha Hahn's blog, Maquette. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the PEN camera series, and was composed of 60,000 pictures shot, 9,600 prints developed, and more than 1,800 pictures shot again. No post production! Absolutely awe-inspiring and worth sharing!

Beautiful Illustration

love these fresh and edgy watercolors and sketches by illustrator
stina persson.

Celestial Canvas

{photo from www.nasa.gov}

Like a beautiful abstract painting the Carina Nebula, six to ten thousand light years from Earth, glows with luminous colors and textures revealing something new and wondrous with every viewing. Whether I am designing stationery or creating my own paintings I find inspiration from many sources, but it's in nature where the spark frequently comes.
Since the early nineties I, like many others, have been drawing influence from the stunning images, provided by the Hubble Telescope, of the far reaches of universe. I've always been interested in the scientific mysteries of the cosmos; and now, since countless images, like the one above have been available to the public, my artistic inspiration has flourished from its epic beauty.

Dreams of Sugarplums and Superheroes

The first thing most people ask when they find out someone is getting married is something along the lines of "when is the date?" or "what does the dress look like?". Not I. My question usually is "what's the cake like?". My fascination with cake is built into my genetic code - my father is known for going up for thirds of wedding cake and also occasionally eats a piece on the ride home.

Cakes seem like the perfect opportunity to express your individuality as a couple and really are a work of art. Hopefully my as yet undetermined husband to be loves cupcakes because the only detail about my wedding that I will not bend on is the red velvet cupcake tower that will be my wedding cake. I found some really awesome cakes below - the superheroes and The Nightmare Before Christmas are beautifully done, in my opinion.

What was your wedding cake like? Would you do something different?

{via Pink Cake Box}

{via RocknRoll Bride}

DIY Flowers

{images of flower bundles fresh from the Boston Flower Market via Sprout}

{images of wedding flowers via mint design blog photos by ellie snow}

Weddings cost a bundle, plain and simple. There are ways a creative couple can use their creativity or the creativity of their closest friends and family to not only save the beans, but to create flower arrangements and pieces of the wedding together. Many florists will be willing to purchase flowers for you to DIY...just ask.

Our friend Cathy Walsh from Sprout here in town just did her first DIY flower sale. Today, while on mint design blog , I came across these colorful beauties in mason jars and thought of how fun it would be to make these with friends. Cathy will even give you a crash course in arranging! I think this is a great solution to saving a bundle and having time with family and friends.

A few bottles of wine for the workers, a couple rolls of ribbon, a few cases of mason jars, and fresh blooms from your local. For the worker bees that pull their weight, offering a little cheese and some olives would be the polite thing to do. There you have a memorable gathering of spirited revelers preparing for the wedding together. Back to basics with beans to spare.

I hope Cathy posts some images from her DIY bride. We will be looking forward to seeing them!

A Relaxing Fourth of July

I have to admit, I don't have much to contribute today because it has been BEAUTIFUL here for the past two days and today is shaping up to beautiful as well. After a June that was quite literally a wash, even a few days of sun is welcome. I spent my weekend traveling about New England, just soaking up the sun. Here's Dublin, NH in the broad summer sun with Monadnock in the background. Thank goodness for sun!

I hope that the rest of the eInvite's Insights Team had similarly wonderful Fourth of July weekends (leave your stories in the comments!).

Boom Boom Pow

{image via flickr}

{image via flickr}

{image via flickr}

{image via flickr}

We live in the best place ever for 4th of July celebrations. Massachusetts. Famous fireworks are on display from Boston Harbor, where Keith Lockhart conducts the Boston Pops at the Esplanade to Falmouth Heights on Cape Cod. Towns compete and take pride in their unbelievable firework antics.

Travel and Leisure actually lists Boston and Falmouth in the top 10 places in America to see a fireworks on the 4th. John Adams is a founding father and responsible for initiating some pomp and circumstance for celebratory July 4ths. Looks like the Adams cousins are revolutionaries who had their party pants on. We all know what Sam is now famous for, although he wasn't back in his day.

Have a happy 4th of July and for everyone in the northeast, I hope the sunny skies prevail and the show goes on. I think it's been raining for months. Bring a little Sam with you!

The Tall Ships are also coming up the Massachusetts coast from the Cape to Gloucester and Boston. If you have never seen them, check out the schedule and take the children. They are absolutely stunning. Check them out here.

Kawaii Master

A style of art and design prominent in Japan since the 1970's, known as "kawaii" (Japanese for cuteness) has become hugely prevalent in Japanese culture in everything from advertising to clothing, furniture, even behavior. It is a style that has widely embraced by both the young and adult.

In art, probably the most famous of artists working in this style is Takashi Murakami. His paintings, done in a technique called "super-flat", can almost take on a digitally printed look, but are brush painted in acrylics often on a massive scale. Murakami's works show a surreal kawaii cuteness, but range from the cuddly to an ironic violence.

His work has attained world wide fame and has led his design company "KaiKai KiKi" to high profile collaborations such as handbag patterns for Louis Vuitton. In 2008 he was listed in Time Magazine's "100 most influential people".

I was lucky to see one of his giant paintings at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston and I was blown away by the beauty and boldness of the piece. I love Murakami's art for the endless variety of imagination it represents.

{top image is from www.artcess.wordpress.com, bottom image from www.arttattler.com}

Love

Thanks to Marc over at Wooster Collective, I came across this great video of Two Twelve, a graffiti artist based in Houston Texas, creating his piece titled Love. I'm always curious about the process of street art. It amazes me that these pieces are created spur-of-the-moment, in some of the hardest-to-get-to locations, at night sometimes, in the biggest cities in the world! I have a hard enough time completing a drawing in the privacy of my studio, at my leisure, never mind on the top of a water tower at 3am. CRAZY! And it's not like the work emanates this frenzied practice either, the pieces are often well thought-out, multi-dimensional, and showcase layers upon layers (never mind hours) of stencil-work and spray paint!

Just as impressive as the art itself, is the passion that artists, like Two Twelve, have for their craft! Graffiti artists around the world spend hours creating these stunning works, not knowing how long it will be before they get painted over, or covered up. It's definitely something to be admired. I really enjoyed watching this video...totally inspiring!

Love from two twelve on Vimeo.

Rain, Smiles and Realizations

By my count, this is the eleventy billionth day in a row that's been rainy and overcast. Not a great way to ring in July, but I'm getting my morning smiles from Sarah and Billy's answers about their "a-ha" moment with each other.

How long have you been together, and when was the moment you went "yep, this is it"?

Sarah:
Billy and I have been together for 2 years. We started dating June 7, 2007 after meeting through a mutual friend. For me I knew he was "the one" a little before our one year anniversary. There was a feeling of comfort that i had never felt before.

Billy:
We have been together for a little over 2 years, and it's hard to say when I knew that Sarah was going to be my wife. Right off the bat I saw things in her that were very rare. I think for a long time I thought there was no way I was this lucky and she was going to find something she didn't like about me. I finally realized that we were both lucky enough to find each other about a year ago, and that's when I started figured out how our lives were going to move forward together.

The perfect amount of love to brighten up any day! Then add in the love graffiti from Paris I found on one of my favorite sites and the rain (almost) doesn't matter.

(via thefrisky.com)