Ephemera Obsession

Watercolor Calligraphy Invitation Wedding Berry Fern Purple Pigment & Parchment

Here's a suite I'm sending off to Utah for a styled shoot this week. First off, I have to say I am not a purple person. 

Of all the colors it has always been my least favorite. For some reason though, when I was looking at Amber Michelle Event's mood board for the photo shoot I was really drawn to the berries & their colors.

I just leaned into it, even though it's not my usual palette choice. I even had to run to Paper Source since I didn't have anything in purple in my studio! I had snippets of every other color but no violet hues. 

I am so happy I went against my own grain this time. The abstract watercolor berries in blue violet & red violet swirling together is my favorite part of the stationery suite. Well, that and the stamps...

The love affair I have with paper ephemera started when I was young. I used to hoard packaging, labels, stationery from traveling and my prized collection of Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball & Judy Garland stamps.

Watercolor Calligraphy Invitation Wedding Berry Fern Purple Pigment & Parchment

Watercolor Calligraphy Invitation Wedding Berry Fern Purple Pigment & Parchment

Watercolor Calligraphy Invitation Wedding Berry Fern Purple Pigment & Parchment

Fast forward to preparing my own wedding invitations in 2013 & I became obsessed with vintage stamps overnight. Once I realized I could find old stamps online that were still usable to mail my own invites it was game on.

It was just a bonus that it wouldn't cost too much more than the standard stamps at the post office. Some even cost less than their face value if you search long enough! The main thing you have to do is make sure to search for 'unused' stamps. They can't have any markings on them for the post office to still accept them. 

Also, a good rule of thumb for mailing wedding invitations is to go into the post office and have them weigh one.

They'll let you know exactly how much postage is necessary for the weight. I normally even pad it to  just to be safe. No one wants returned invitations, plus you can never have enough mini art pieces decorating your envelope!

The way I see it, you pour all this energy into making beautiful invitations with all the bells & whistles so why not apply the same attention to detail with art on the outside of the envelope too! 

*I speak from a place of stationery art-loving nerd. If paper isn't your way of showing your love & style, don't spend money on it. Don't spend money on any aspects of your wedding if you don't really care about it. Celebrate your love in whatever ways that are most meaningful to you both. No wedding industrial complex pressuring here... Ew. 

Watercolor Calligraphy Invitation Wedding Berry Fern Purple Pigment & Parchment

However, if you're wanting to use vintage stamps to just make envelopes look pretty for styled photos- save a bunch & buy used stamps! I love the look of the postal markings!
You can really dive into depths of Etsy & Ebay if you want to find specifically themed stamps. Ebay has better deals, but you'll have to do more sifting. Examples of themed stamps I've purchased are: dinosaur, geode, fruit, films, travel posters, cacti, musicians, lighthouses, berries like the ones you see here, & the list goes on & on. 

Stamp lots are perfect if you're wanting to save some money & are okay getting whatever you get from all over the world. What I do now though is get lots of 500 used stamps from Stamps for Crafts. When they arrive, I turn on some Netflix and start sorting through them by color. Once they're all separated out in about 20 piles, I store them in little envelopes with their color name on front. 

Then when I'm ready to pretty up an envelope, I just grab the envelope with the color I'm looking for & my stationery suite is complete within a minute or two!

For the most part, I have to use double sided tape on really old stamps since their glue isn't in the best condition anymore. 

I hope this was helpful if you've been eyeing vintage stamps but don't know where to start! 

Watercolor Calligraphy Invitation Wedding Berry Fern Purple Pigment & Parchment

Forest Bohemian Wedding

I am so excited to finally share this shoot with you. It was such a dream to be a part of. We've all been sitting on these stunning photos for almost a year... & anyone in my inner circle KNOWS I hate keeping happy surprises a secret. I'll do it. But, I'll hate it. 

So, without further ado, here I present to you a labor of love put together with so much enthusiasm & joy by Erica at Tin Roof Farmhouse & Katie of Katie White Photography. Their inspiration came in all shapes and forms, but the primary driving forces were nature & la vie bohème... two of my all time favorites. Katie's photography captured the natural beauty of the environment perfectly.

We were so excited to shoot on site at Inn Town Campground- especially since they aren't even open to the public yet! Something tells me it won't be long before they're booked solid. I mean, gorgeous right?! Their cabin tents are full of rustic charm that doesn't feel forced, which I adore.

I had so much fun doing the calligraphy and illustrations for this stationery suite- and I itched to set up camp and stay at the shoot all night long!

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Nevada City Ceremony

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Nevada City Groom Ring

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Signature Cocktail Pomegranate Cinnamon Bar Sign

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Nevada City Champagne Signature Cocktail Bride and Groom

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Nevada City Ceremony Ferns Little Boy Flowers Bouquet

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Table Setting Dinner Nature Outdoors

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Table Number Deer Antlers Watercolor Taper Candles

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Mason Jar Candle Chandelier Dahlia Chair Back

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Place Card Hanging Flower Chandelier Lace Calligraphy

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Menu Feather Pomegranate Place Setting Table Place Card

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Sliders Appetizers Food Signage Calligraphy

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Table Number Squirrel Painting

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Dinner Chair Backs Place Setting Nature Taper Centerpieces Persimmons

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Hippie Tee Pee Lace Vintage

Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California Boutineer Groom Kiss Bride Tee Pee

Tee Pee Lace Bride Groom Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

Glamping Tent Honeymoon Inntown Campground Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

Bouquet Little Boy Flowers Ferns Dahlias Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

Honeymoon Glampint Suite Inntown Campground Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

Vintage Globe Romantic Brush Hand Lettering Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

Smores Bar Signage Watercolor Dessert Sign Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

Smores Bride & Groom Fire Pit Boho Bohemian Forest Wedding Pigment & Parchment Northern California

 

This shoot was a dream for my wanderlust hippie heart. Watercolor painting images of feathers, critters, leaves and branches were like taking a mini vacation in my art studio. This was the most glamorous camping I've ever seen, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen a more beautifully simple tee pee. I can't believe they whipped it out of logs and lace that morning! 

Little Boy Flower Farm and Floral Design grew & designed some glorious flowers, with persimmons & pomegranates spilling out of every surface. I especially loved the persimmons! They're so colorful & unexpected. 

My favorite hair & makeup artist, Angela Nunnink, worked her natural beauty wizardry once again. I was so honored to have her do me up for my head shots and photos for this website. Seriously you guys, she's a beauty wizard. 

The clothes were provided by Aquarian Dawn Vintage Apparel,  food provided by Farm to Table Catering & rentals were from Tin Roof Farmhouse's lovely eclectic collection!