The Patterns of Spring + An Extra Goodie

I love changes in season. Up here in Canada it's such sweet relief to tumble from the bitter cold of winter into the welcoming arms of spring (I'm so figuratively descriptive today I could puke with disgust) that we will literally start patio season the moment the mercury rises above 0 degrees (er, 32 degrees for my american friends). I adore everything about the spring -- the milder days, the sense of newness all around, the anticipation for summer. Everything just seems brighter, more cheerful, and more-spirited. This sense of fun often transfers itself over to fashion and design, and this spring is no different.

With every change in season I always get asked by brides I work with what's new and delicious in invitation designs ... and for this spring, all I can say is PATTERNS. Patterns, patterns, patterns! Gorgeous, whimsical, fun, flirty, and always fabulous patterns.

It takes serious chutzpa to put patterned paper on a wedding invitation. Many of us have just barely escaped the grasps of ye olde 1990s cream white invitation with the embossed image of 2 intertwined hearts on it ... as such, bright, funky patterned paper seems a ridiculously far step to take!

And yet ... and yet, patterned paper is anything but ridiculous. Depending on how it is used, it can add an air of inherant sophistication and modernity (is that a word?) to event invites, bringing with it both tastes of the past and hints at the future in its design. When creating patterned invitations for clients, I tend to look for papers that harken back to the old days in "new" ways ... unique colours such as lime greens and deep magentas add immediate pop to paisley, for example, or asian-inspired layouts enhance the image of flowers rather then making them look cheesy and over-done.

This week I was playing around with some patterned papers for a client of my invitation company, Epiphany Designs, and decided to create a few samples for your perusal. Here are three I came up with that will hopefully show you the beauty and uniqueness of using patterns on invitations.

Head down to your local invitation company and tell them "I would like to explore using patterns on my wedding invites, please". Or head over to your local scrapbooking store and simply let all the new designs and colors inspire your creativity (#1 fav thing to do on a Saturday!). You'll be surprised what you discover ...

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A little addition to my post that I thought would interest you ladies.

One of my minor healthy addictions (lets not even talk about my unhealthy ones!) is scanning the popculture and celebrity-watching sites each day. My absolute favorite, from-a-girl's-perspective blog is http://www.popsugar.com/ (check it out, honestly. Its addicting!). These incredible gals keep coming up with various off-shoots that are equally extraordinary: http://www.fitsugar/, http://www.lilsugar/, and http://www.yumsugar/, to name a few. And what a surprise, they've done it again! But this time its wedding-related. Yay!

IDoSugar is new, fun, savvy, and informative ... basically everything I'd like this little bloggie to be (damn). They update it constantly (damn again), and continue to stumble across the neat, the unique, and the ludicrous (check out their most recent post about engagement-usb sticks -- say whaaat?).

If you're looking to add to your wedding-blogroll, this is one to bookmark. And stay tuned for even more fabulous-ness from the ladies at PopSugar!

*all images courtesy of and copyrighted by Epiphany Designs 2008*