Occasionally we get the opportunity to work on very unique projects.  After receiving their invitations from us over the summer, Drew and Britton contacted us with a special request.  They were in need of a ketubah to be used at their wedding ceremony and were hoping to keep with the wood theme.  Now, at first we were a bit hesitant as none of us here at Oslo Press have any experience with Hebrew, but we were willing to give it a go.  Thus began a very collaborative project that eventually turned their vision into a reality.

They first worked with their rabbi to create the wording for the ketubah.  Then came the tricky part – sending the Hebrew to us in a format that we were able to work with.   I know they dealt with several people on their end, and there was a lot of communication back and forth, but eventually we had something that we could work with.  We worked on the layout for them, incorporating the special logo that had been previously created for them even before they came to us about their invitations.  Once ready, it was time to prepare the wood and start the engraving.

They chose to stick with cherry, but since it would be a plaque they would keep and possibly hang on a wall, we used a solid piece of wood as opposed to the veneer we use for invitations.  Apparently it was a hit at the wedding, for as you can see in the photo, the rabbi took it upon himself to walk the ketubah down the aisle so that every guest could get a better view.  Gotta love that!

For those of you not familiar with the term, a ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract used during the wedding ceremony and kept as a special keepsake afterwards.  For more information check out the ketubah article on Wikipedia.

For quite some time now we have been planning to update the website with new designs.  However, we are very much behind schedule and here it is…  the middle of October already!  We really didn’t take into account that the summer would be jam-packed with working on clients’ jobs – leaving little time for anything else.  Fortunately though, just as the temperature outside is finally cooling down a bit, I think we can work in the time to update the website.  I won’t give any specific dates as we wouldn’t want to get any hopes up.  But soon… I promise!  Until then, I think another sneak peek is way overdue:

Here you can see a little envelope detail in action – teal ink on pearl white cotton paper with a combination of Lily Wang and Arabic typefaces.  Enjoy!

Just a little update to let you know we are back from a quick trip to the mountains.  When you start your own business, you quickly learn that free time can become non-existent.  And vacations?  Well, you really need to plan ahead in order to make sure they actually happen and things go smoothly.  So, even a short trip is better than no escape at all.

Overall our trip was great even though we encountered a few hitches along the way.  I think we returned home feeling like we need another break as soon as possible!

Oh, and all that worrying I did about the weather?  Well, as it turned out, yes, there was rain.  However, those days weren’t so bad as they scared away the tourists and there were views such as this:

and this:

And then…   when the rain really cleared up, it left us with this:

I think that made up for the rain and the minor hang-ups we encountered along the way.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that mistakes happen; and when it comes to weddings – the less mistakes the better.   The simple act of proofreading is one very important step in the creation of your invitations.  When done properly, it can save you from many headaches at the end of the day.  Unfortunately though, I think this is a step that is not always taken seriously.  As the designer, I may catch typos along the way, but I certainly won’t be able to tell if your mother’s name is spelled correctly or if the location of your venue is accurate.  Nope – making sure of all these tiny details is the responsibility of the client.  However, we certainly don’t want to leave you in the dark, so here is a bit of advice on the subject:

• Don’t go it alone:  Make sure to ask several other people to proofread for you.  They will often catch things that you might have overlooked.
• Have a hard copy in hand:  Make sure to print a copy out and take a break from the computer.
• Read it backwards:  This method keeps your brain from expecting to see what it has been used to looking at – in turn making it easier to catch mistakes.
• Read it out loud:  Yes, you heard me right.  Pretend you are back in school and reading to the class.  Again, this method will slow you down a bit and point out mistakes you may have otherwise overlooked.
• Take a break:  Sometimes it is best to leave something alone for a while.  Whether it’s for an hour or twenty-four hours – it should help you get a fresh perspective.
• Don’t depend on the spell-check feature:  Yes, use it.  Just realize it will not catch everything.  Will it realize that you accidentally listed your brother Mike as your sister?  Um… not so much.
• Beware of all-caps:  Look over text that is in all-caps more carefully as it may be harder to catch mistakes.
• Focus on specifics:  Proofread several times, each time focusing on a different thing such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.
• Be alert and minimize distractions:  Enough said.

Along with the above tips, here is a list of specific things you should double check while proofreading your invitations:

• Names:  Check the spelling of all names such as the Bride, Groom, Mothers, Fathers, Venues, etc.
• Times:  Check that all times are correctly listed and be sure the time is properly designated as a.m. or p.m.
• Dates:  Double check the date of the wedding, as well as the RSVP date.  Be sure the day of the week that is listed corresponds with the numerical date.
• Locations:  Again, check the spelling of the locations.  Also, be sure all directions and addresses are listed correctly.
• Abbreviations:  Make sure they are listed correctly and are followed by periods as needed.
• Consistency:  Pick a method and stick with it.  Be sure that all capitalization, punctuation, etc. is consistent throughout your invitation suite, or at least consistent on one item.
• Commonly confused words:  Be sure to check for these common mix-ups  – to/too, there/their/they’re, your/you’re, desert/dessert, etc.

For the record:

Number of typos discovered upon proofreading this entry: 7

Number of those typos discovered by spell-check:  3

Number of typos that will be discovered, and consequently edited after this entry is posted:  still to be determined

by reflective surfaces, hints of nature, and dusty, mellow hues:

I would like to start updating the blog more frequently and so I think this may require a few regular features on here.  First up – inspiration.  The images posted may have nothing at all to do with weddings.  There will just be something about them that I find inspiring.  Perhaps it is the item in the photo, or perhaps it will be the lighting or simply the mood evoked in an image.  I hope this will help me to catalog the things that catch my eye a bit better and perhaps someone else will find them useful as well.

Unfortunately you can not see the detail of the dress in the photo – but it has a lovely ever-so-delicate reflective pattern on it.  I think I’m in love.

and the credit goes to (clockwise from top left):  metallic rose madison gown from j. crew, mirror display as seen at crateandbarrel.com, smoky ice mirrored earrings from shysiren, “reflection” photograph from jkphotograph, antiqued silver flower earrings from shysiren, (center):  mercury glass votives from beach dwelling

Phew… long title but don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.  When a big event is around the corner, it is hard not to constantly check the weather.  In my case, it is not an approaching wedding.  Instead, we are just trying to take a short break and head out of town for a bit.  Over just a few days, the forecast has gone from it’s totally going to rain on you to just a slight chance of rain as of the last time I checked.  Between Weather.com (10-day forecasts available) and AccuWeather.com (15-day forecasts available), I’m feeling a bit stressed out.  I think I need to hold off on checking the weather for a while and just set my mind to the fact that we are leaving no matter what.

I will mention that Weather.com has some interesting features, such as a wedding planner section as well as a way to check the fall foilage across the country.  In case your wedding is still months away, you can always head on over to the Farmer’s Almanac as well.  But beware of checking too often and stressing yourself out, for as the Farmer’s Almanac so thoughtfully reminds it visitors, “It is obvious that neither we nor anyone else has as yet gained sufficient insight into the mysteries of the universe to predict weather long-range with anything resembling total accuracy.”  Hmm… I think that just said it all.

Just in case you are curious as to why I am currently obsessed with checking the weather, here is a glimpse of what we plan to be doing with our few days off.  No computers.  No internet connection.  No television.  No news.  And, brace yourself… all cellphones turned off.  (Notice to Glenwood:  this is company policy as of today, please take note.)

Do we have a backup plan?  Well, the parents don’t live too far away from where we will be staying…  so maybe I should give them a call.