The holidays were quite hectic, hence my lack of posting! However, there was still much joy to be found in the simple things; a warm fire, a good meal, and a stencil machine! My boyfriend recently borrowed this beautiful machine and we’ve been stenciling ever since!

I love the look and feel of this machine… the smooth and heavy movement of the wheel to select your letter/character and the powerful sound it makes as you lower the handle and punch through the paper. It thrills the Luddite in me!

May 2011 be a peaceful and prosperous year for all of us, filled with joy and inspiration…. and much more frequent blogging!

I just finished creating this project for Cafe Rouge Meat Market (and Restaurant). It couldn’t have been a more perfect project for this time of year… a Meat Roast-Timer! Marsha McBride the chef/owner of Cafe Rouge had found an old promotional piece (circa 1950′s) from Little City Meats, a traditional butcher shop in San Francisco, and wanted me to create something similar. I had so much fun creating the vintage inspired illustrations, lettering, and color palette… and the shocking/hilarious quote at the bottom of the Roast-Timer “Two Pounds of Meat a Day Will Help Prevent Disease and Insure Perfect Health from Infancy to Old Age” was truly printed on the Little City Meats promotional piece! So unbelievable that we had to include it, just for fun! Below is the front side of the Roast-Timer. It’s a great size to hang on your kitchen wall… hence the butcher twine. I learned a lot about eyelets and applying just enough pressure when setting them so that the wheel can still turn freely. Having all of the information line up correctly was a challenge as well, but so rewarding to have it all work out in the end.

And here is the backside… I loved creating the juggling cow, various meat cuts, and a fun 50′s style logo for myself… so playful.

These little babies just hit the shelves at Cafe Rouge Meat Market and are being sold, along with a meat thermometer if desired. Truly the perfect little gift for yourself, your kitchen, or a creative stocking stuffer for all the Meat Lovers in your life!

Okay, please forgive my enthusiastic sales pitch!
Wishing you a delicious and joyful Thanksgiving holiday! Happy Roasting!

I’m craving a little sunshine and warmth today so I thought I’d post about a wedding in Tuscany, Italy. Katie, the bride, had seen the “Amore” graphic on my website and asked if I could create a “Save the Date” using this typographic design…. of course, I was delighted. Both she and her fiance, Ben, really liked the rough textured background on my original design which I created by applying silkscreen ink to the paper with a rubber brayer. We decided to use this technique for the background of their cards. I mixed several different ink colors inspired by the sun-bleached walls that are so prevalent in Tuscany. By applying different layers of earth tone inks, each card had it’s own unique coloring and seemed to radiate sunshine!

Here is a photograph of Villa Catureglio where Katie and Ben are getting married next year. So beautiful!

Katie chose a soft warm gray envelope which complimented the “Tuscan Palette” beautifully.

Both my mother and grandmother studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris so I grew up with a deep appreciation for cooking…. and eating good food! I was raised on Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and remember watching her on television at a very young age. So when Alice Waters, the owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant, asked me to create a piece of art for Julia Child’s 90th birthday I was thrilled! I decided to design the piece to look like a page out of an old book. I have always dreamed of hand-lettering an entire children’s book, so, this project was right up my alley.

I have always wanted to tell the story behind my dear friend, Maria’s, wedding invitation design. The above image is the incredible reference/inspiration material that Maria first brought to me. She had found this invitation, from Mexico circa 1939, amongst her Grandmother’s things. The moment I saw it I knew I had died and gone to heaven! The design is so spectacular and unusual. The hand-lettering, as well, is so interesting… I had never really seen anything like it. I loved studying every detail and recreating the design for Maria and Darius.

Here is the invitation that I created. I hand-lettered the new text which remained written in Spanish. The translation of the wording is so beautiful, with both the parents of the groom (on the right) and the bride (on the left) inviting you to “witness the interlacing of their children”. Just the word “interlacing” conjures up such romantic emotion! The vine dangles symbolically, separating the bride’s and groom’s families until the mention of their wedding day, at which point, the vine ends and the text comes together to create a singular point. The initials at the top also create a “crossing over” with the groom’s initial on the bride’s side and vice-versa … such symbolism! I replaced the initials with an “M” and a “D”… for Maria and Darius.

Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán

I redrew the header illustration and decorative elements. Their wedding took place in Oaxaca, Mexico so we decided to have the header illustration feature a church that is very prominent there; Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

Here is the RSVP card. I love all the unique decorative symbols mixed into the wording.

I love how the return address design fit the flap of the envelope perfectly.

Here is the menu for their wedding day feast! I was so fortunate to attend this wedding, truly one of the most amazing weddings ever! Thank you Maria, love to you both.

If you didn’t get a chance to see the PBS 3-part documentary series on George P. Shultz, you should. It is very well done and gives some remarkable insight.
I was extremely fortunate to work with Charlotte Shultz (Mr. Shultz’ wife) on designing the menus, place cards and movie posters (shown above) for the release party. I thoroughly enjoyed having the chance to hand-letter all the wording in old “film poster styles” from the 50′s. The headline is playfully sensationalized in that “early film poster tone of voice”… and at the same time, accurate. After seeing the film, I think you’ll agree.

For the place cards, I created tent cards that were fashioned after old theater tickets.

The weather is so dreamy today… it seemed appropriate to post about this wedding invitation. The wedding took place on a beautiful ranch in Carmel Valley… almost one year ago to the day. I love how the illustration became a dreamy backdrop for the invitation wording, creating an inviting scene which draws you in, walks you through the trees and along the path to a magical event. Happy Anniversary Michelle and Peter!

I’m excited to announce my first printed feature in the September issue of
BRIDES magazine! I had so much fun creating this youthful wedding invitation.

I hand-lettered all of the text inspired by fonts I found in an old grammar book. The illustrations too, are from or inspired by my collection of school books from the 40′s and 50′s. I silkscreen printed the invitation and envelope in red and brown ink, using vintage school paper, old file folders (blue card stock), and manila envelopes. I love how the file folder is the perfect complimentary blue to the ruled lines in the paper. I mounted the paper onto the card stock using grommets and adorned with red and white twine.

Here is the front of the manila envelope. I am always a fan of hand-addressing envelopes but I thought using an old typewriter to address these was more appropriate and fun.
I loved using old labels and address stickers from my collection. This was also a great opportunity to hunt for unused vintage stamps. I found a whole variety of amazing stamps at the United States Stamp Company on Bush Street in San Francisco…
a highly recommended field trip if you get a chance.

And here is the back of the envelope, which is a piece of art in itself. Inspired by the sweetness of “young love” I thought it would be fun to play with that old school song that we all know so well “… then comes marriage”! I think this “School Theme” invitation is so special and adds a nostalgic playfulness to a wedding celebration.

Sometimes the most simple design can be so pleasing. That’s the way I feel about this wedding invitation that I created for my friends Mark & Melissa. They chose a beautiful pale blue paper and we silkscreen printed it together in hot red ink. I hand-lettered the text and created the silhouettes using reference from traditional papel picados.
Their wedding celebration was just as simple… and just as wonderful.
With a gathering of friends in a meadow, festive decorations, fresh flowers,
a taco truck serving delicious food and live Flamenco music!
Now that’s what I call a perfect way to celebrate!

I have always loved old botanical prints. I created this menu cover for a intimate wedding feast. I used a black and white image of tulips from an old book and hand-lettered the bride and groom’s names in the ribbon banner. There were a small number of guests attending this dinner so I was able to hand-paint the tulips on each menu.
The results were beautiful. Each guest receiving their own little painting.