Holiday Photo Cards

I hope your Cyber Monday shopping is going well! Last month I shared a few of my favorite holiday cards and today I wanted to share eInvite.com's fabulous holiday photo cards. These fun cards below, from Checkerboard, are available at 10% off through 11/30. Happy shopping!



{L to R from the top: Delicate Frame; Hot Pink Holiday; Calligraphic Greetings; Moments; Regalia; Ornamental Greetings}

Deck the Halls

{holiday decor via hgtv}

Advent calendars are so much fun. The anticipation of opening one hidden treat every day, made morning so much fun, especially if you could break the law and enjoy a piece of candy! I also found this really fun paper chain. I know what we will be doing next weekend!

Holiday Craft Fun!

Hello everybody!

Now that the holiday season seems to be in full swing, I thought it would be fun to pass along a DIY ornament! Just a few simple steps for assembly. After printing out the image above, cut around the perimeter of the triangular shapes and (including the tabs). Then, with a craft knife, gently (and carefully) score the lines between each triangle, and where each tab abuts a triangle.

For the string to hang the ornament, first poke holes in the two white dots with a needle or thumbtack. Use a ballpoint pen to widen the holes, and then place each end of your string through one of the holes, tying a knot on the back side of the printout.

Apply glue or tape to each tab, and then fold up to reveal a wondrous winter octahedron ornament!

Party Perfect!

Looking to throw a great party in the near future? Well, whether it be a holiday party, a new Year’s eve party, or maybe just an excuse to have a party, eInvite has some really fun designs available for any such occasion. We just recently released a new line of party invitations that feature, playful die-cuts, whimsical graphics and beautifully applied ribbons and crystals. Above, I’ve shown just a few of my favorites, but be sure to check out the full selection here…happy browsing!!

Objectified

{poster for objectified by swiss dots}

Shown first at SXSW earlier this year, Objectified directed by Gary Hustwit and created by his gang at Swiss Dots of London. The piece is a documentary about industrial design that may have you sitting in your chair a little differently. You may recall, Swiss Dots of Helvetica. Looking at objects, there is the chance you may perhaps get on all fours to get a good perspective, or stand on the other side of the room and compare two of your favorites. As a consumer, you will start thinking about the inside world of the manufacturing of objects, about their simplicity v. complexity, their ease of use v. their uselessness, their value v. their waste of space. As a designer, you will be taken on a journey into the minds of brilliant aesthetic thinkers. You may never brush your teeth or use a MacBook the same again! See the trailer here.

We have been lucky enough to have Adoniram, our in-house photographer set up a monthly film series here at the office. Objectified was our last inspiration. {I am waiting for Urbanized...hint, hint!}

Faux or Real?

{images L to R: my Hipstamatic experiments, tricycle from Eggleston Artistic Trust, farm house from The J. Paul Getty Trust , sprocket photography from Mark Edwards , TTV Lincoln from Flickr , my candle/hands photograph}

I hope you don't mind if I wax poetic or--perhaps--photographic for today.

I have a confession, I love my Hipstamatic. For those of you unfamiliar, Hipstamatic is a camera phone application which lets users digitally simulate a variety vintage lenses and films--replete with many traditional imperfections of analog photography--over and underexposure, light leaks, vignetting, flares, and dust and scratches.

As somebody who cringes (hopefully not too snobbishly) seeing photographs processed with an excess of digital effects, I feel a but hypocritical that I'm so enthused with the completely faux vintage flavor of the Hipstamatic's images. To get a feel for the application, I started taking images of overhead power lines. For a reason I'm still unsure of, seeing those ordinary power lines altered through the Hipstamatic's digital alchemy gave the photos an attractive quality totally absent from a traditional, run-of-the-mill, point-and-shoot cell phone camera's images.

Imagine that--in a world in which we have practically every conceivable image altering ability at our fingertips--we gravitate towards those which can satiate our longing for the imperfections of (in the realm of technological time) ancient analog processes.

I don't know why I was so accepting of the Hipstamatic's product; perhaps it's the fact that the effects were pre-produced, instead of slathered on in post-processing, which seemed more in line with what one would expect with actual analog imperfections. So instead of being willfully doctored after the fact, the application's images were shot and developed "as is" without any further manipulation.

But still, why was I enamored with the images?

I immediately thought of William Eggleston, one of the most celebrated modern photographers. The charm of his images are two fold; first they expertly capture the curiosity that banal everyday objects or scenes can retain, but they are also reinforced (or symbiotically operate) with a richness born from the limitations of the--at then--still relatively nascent field of color photography. I find his work to be a perfect fusion of form and composition paired with the comfort (for lack of a better term) that his saturated colors convey. They simply produce a feeling.

For instance, his image of a tricycle is equal parts perfect low-angle framing, as well as the saturated colors his media affords. Similarly, his image of a farm perfectly marries form and the ochre tinge of the analog photographic process. What I find striking is that the feelings of nostalgia are produced equally from the clearly dated objects in the photographs, but also the fact that they also look like what we imagine an "old photograph" to look like.

Now, is this comfort simply derived from a sense of nostalgia decades removed from when the image was shot? I'm really not sure, but it brings up another point; I'm often dogged by doubts about my own artistic authenticity. Today, if I shot an image which perfectly mimicked the visual analog DNA of, say, an Eggleston print, ­­­­would that vintage feeling be lasting? In essence, can possessing the style, but not necessarily the substance of an image be satisfying? Is that satisfaction sustainable? Or at some point do we--crestfallen--have a revelation that the machine should take more credit than the operator?

This begs another question: is then form, and the exacting eye of the artist (instead facets constructed solely through technological artifacts), inherently as well as indelibly entangled with any true sense of an image evoking a feeling? I'm not completely certain of the answer, but it also got me thinking about schools of contemporary practice that also attempt, to some extent, to marry the proliferation of digital equipment with analog image making techniques.

For instance, Holga cameras are experiencing a resurgence in popularity; they are inexpensive, plastic-lensed film cameras which are earnestly known for their less than sturdy construction. Thus, light leaks and soft-focused images are expected from their use. However, some photographers have taken this fact one step further. By hacking the camera to accept common 35mm film instead of its larger native format, a Holga is capable of exposing 35mm film all the way to its sprocket holes, thus making the technology become more readily evident in the image itself. In this case the look and feel of the image is altered to deliberately display its creative process.

Another practice is TTV--or through-the-viewfinder--photography, which employs the simultaneous use of two cameras. Using vintage twin-lens reflex cameras to frame a shot, one then takes (either digitally or with film) an image of the first camera's viewfinder; the result is a slightly distorted and vignetted image, complete with whatever grime and dust is present on the TLR camera.

Trying out processes meld analog and digital techniques are surprisingly easy to experiment with. For example, I wanted to find a way to create an analog version of blur and vignetting. Using a spare UV filter on the lens of my digital camera, I coated the filter with a ring of petroleum jelly. The effect was a surprisingly effective analog vignetting.

I suppose the moral of this story is if you're feeling a drought of creativity with the artistic processes you are familiar with, try experimenting and augmenting what you do know in order to unlock future ways to work!

Art of the Americas

(image courtesy of http://www.mfa.org/)

It's finally here! After many years of construction The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston opens the Art of the Americas addition. Fifty three galleries showcasing works from the pre-Columbian era up through most of the 20th century.

I have watched the progress over the past few years and am excited to finally see the new galleries, to see my favorite works that have been archived during construction, and to see their new acquisitions.

(image courtesy of www.mfa.org)

Butterfly Bat Mitzvah!

{Images L to R: eInvite, Linzi Events, Hostess with the Mostess, Pink Cake Box and The Knot.}

Hello and Happy Friday folks! I’m excited to share with you one of my favorite Bat Mitzvah invitations that is new on eInvite. The design, Spirited Flight, features colorful hand-layered papers and raised printed thermography. I just love the charming pair of butterflies and the vibrant combination of hot pink and chocolate wood grain. In general, I think butterflies make for such a fun Bat Mitzvah theme. Not only are they beautiful, but they’re whimsical and suggestive of nature, which makes them perfect for any size celebration - whether it be a casual affair, or an extravagant blow-out. Are you or your daughter considering a butterfly theme for her Bat Mitzvah, or perhaps know someone who is? Well here are just a few ideas to get you started…Enjoy! Not interested in a butterfly theme? Then be sure to check out our full collection of Bar and Bat invitations here…happy shopping!

"Kickoff" by Checkerboard, Ltd.

Decked Out in Sequins

I normally put sequins firmly into the category of "New Year's Eve", but the new Michael Kors catalog I received in the mail this weekend is prompting me to break out the sparkle a bit earlier this year. How fun would a holiday party be decked out in sequins?



{L to R from the top: West Elm, Starry-Night Pillow Cover; West Elm, Chunky Sequin Stocking; JCrew, Sequin Mesh Bell Skirt; Meri Meri, Party Silhouette on eInvite.com; Michael Kors, Sequin Tee; Potterybarn, German Glitter Bird Vase Filler; Potterybarn, Noel Sign; Shopbop.com, Zilla Reversed Sequin Pumps; Michael Kors, Sequin Belt, Coin Purse & Wrislet}

Sweet New Holiday Photo Cards by eInvite!

{ Images via eInvite's new holiday collection, Crate and Barrel and Martha Stewart }

Past & Present Photography

(images from Springfield Rewind)

Rephotography is a fascinating art form—it is the practice of recapturing the content of historical photographs in present day. The seemingly simple nature of the activity belies the fact that a certain bit of research and exploration is needed to recreate images of decades past.

One of the best examples I’ve found of this endeavor is Springfield Rewind, a database created by the Look Back Springfield project, which documents the history of Springfield, Illinois. The precision in which the photographs match one another is impressive, especially considering that the gap between historical photo and contemporary recreation spans, in many instances, upwards of 80 years.

However, even in examples which are only 30 years removed from one another, it is very easy to see the manner in which the environment (both physically & culturally) paradoxically changes greatly while also steadfastly remaining the same. While stone hewn buildings remain seemingly static, in contrast trees canopy once barren thoroughfares, and monolithic automobiles give way to their more agile contemporary counterparts.

From both an aesthetic and cultural standpoint, I’m always enamored by the large typographic signage of yesteryear. It often seems that large environmental—and slightly quirky—typography is missing from our contemporary landscape.

The encouraging facet of this art form is that one need only possess a camera and the will to scour their environments, so go and explore!

A Steampunk Future

{image from offbeatbride.com}

"Steampunk" is an aesthetic, growing in popularity, that presents the future from the imagined view of the Victorian age. Steampunk gets its inspiration from a combination of Jules Verne and H.G.Wells to contemporary retro futuristic sci-fi films such as "The City of Lost Children" and "Hellboy". It is a mix of 19th century industrialism with exposed steam pipes, greasy etched gears and Victorian style varnished dark woods, ornamental brass fittings, velvet, tin, with the added utilitarian beauty of worn leather and glowing electrical vacuum tubes.

{image from offbeatbride.com}

This antique vision of the fantastic has shown its influence in areas ranging from fashion, modifications to laptops, televisions and phones to collectible re imaginings of historical figures and even "Star Wars" in the form of action figures. Now it has even made it way into weddings; grooms decked out in long coats and vintage vests and top hats accented with antique goggles, riveted brass and other factory style garments. Brides gowns move away from traditional white to darker tones with Victorian flourishes, lace, fingerless gloves and industrial style jewelry. Even wedding cakes are getting the fondant sculpted treatment.

{image from technabob.com}

Vera Wang and Unveiled by Checkerboard

{image: vera wang gown, via verawang.com}

{sneak peek image of checkerboard's unveiled invitation, presidio: suite no. 1}


The accent of black is so elegant. I love Vera Wang's line of wedding gowns that feature long silky sashes of jet and these gloves in the image above paired with the industrial elegance of the neckpiece screams personal style and edgy elegance. These stunning gowns perfectly coordinate with this invitation suite.

Checkerboard has come out with an innovative line of wedding invitations coming soon to eInvite.com. This elegant item featured is Suite No. 1 called Presidio. It features a custom Geneva diecut envelope and printed liner, a Jet invitation with a diecut pocket on the back that echos the same shape of the envelope and reveals your response set and direction card. Checkerboard has also added a number of imported Italian liners to the collection. This suite features the fashion forward, Donatella liner. If you are looking for something that brings out your personalities, text that embodies your spirit as a couple in celebration with your family, these invitation suites are sure to excite. Do you want to share your story to your guests instead of just telling them the time and place? Create the most exciting prelude with Unveiled by Checkerboard. Stay tuned...we can't wait to share more!

The Embellished Bride

{Images via Project Wedding, Style Me Pretty, Flights of Fancy and Martha Stewart Weddings }

If you’ve been to eInvite.com recently, you’ve probably noticed that we have a new and exciting line of invitations called the Embellished Collection; featuring Swarovski crystals, hand-tied ribbons and layered papers. One of my favorite designs from the collection is this Serene Scrolled Border invitation, showcasing an elegant pattern of flourishes and scrolls in soft pewter gray, and adorned with a hand-tied, contemporary, black ribbon. The clean look and classic colors complement any style, and the soft green accents add a punch of color, that is both refreshing and fun. Be sure to check out the full collection here and peruse the many beautiful designs available...Enjoy and happy shopping!

Cards!

Talking about cards is one of our favorite pastimes here at eInvite's Insights. However, I recently came across a fantastic archive which offers another genre of cards: playing cards.The Yale University Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library is home to the Cary Playing Card Database, an archive freely available through this link.

While one may never have thought to look to something as simple and ubiquitous as playing cards for visual inspiration, the contents of the database are rich with examples of bold patterns and detailed ornamentation. What I find interesting is the contrast of said bold and detailed patterns with others in the collection; there are plenty of examples of equally visually striking patterns, though wrought from nothing more than lines of various weights.

Have a look!

Holiday Cards

Happy Nov 1! Whether you are already in the holiday mood, or not, there is no stopping the fact that it is slowly creeping up. This is one of my favorite times of year, and I am kicking off this season by choosing holiday cards. Working at a stationery company (and especially in the art department), sets a expectation for my cards, so I always have such a hard time deciding. This year seems tougher than ever! Below are a few of my favorites, but you can find all our photo, non-photo and business holiday cards (plus fun accessories) here.



{L to R from top: Tree of Expressions w/ Crystal, eInvite.com; Selfless Santa, Carlson Craft; Blitzen, Paper Orchid; Reaching Up, Carlson Craft; Triangle Trees with Ribbon & Button, Meri Meri; Under the Mistletoe Flat Card, Stacy Claire Boyd; Western Joy Foldover, eInvite.com; Penguins, Crane & Co.}