OsloPress

Every now and then we get the opportunity to work on projects that are completely non-wedding related. If you look at our current website, you may assume that weddings are all we do; but please don’t let it fool you! We will gladly take on projects for non-wedding related events.

Below are photos from such a project that we worked on last fall. The ABC store in Banner Elk, North Carolina was recently expanded and remodeled. To celebrate the occasion, a ribbon cutting ceremony was planned. We were happy to take on the invitation project which soon turned into a full custom design job. Even the logo was especially created for the event. As a nod to the moonshining roots that exist in the region, an old fashioned still was incorporated into the logo along with some blue peaks in the background to represent the Blue Ridge Mountains. It may be difficult to see in the photos, but this was actually a three color job. Two shades of chocolate along with blue were letterpress printed on ecru cotton paper to give a warm, rustic feel.

Below are some photos of the ABC store following the renovation project.  If you’ve ever had the pleasure of entering a typical North Carolina ABC store then you will definitely know how dramatic the change was!

Photo Credits - All images of the ABC store courtesy of the High Country Municipal ABC Store of Banner Elk, NC

I thought it would be fun to share this photo of an engraved wood favor tag we created for a couple last year. We’ve created tags in both paper and wood before, but these were meant to serve double duty. The whole point of making them out of wood was so that each family at the wedding could take one home and hopefully use it as an ornament later on. In this photo you see only the date of the wedding. We created a few in this style, but all of the others were personalized with the last name of each family or individual  invited to the wedding. I think this is a great alternative to using the names or monogram of the couple getting married – especially if you hope your guests will put the tags to use in the future. As you can see, these were attached to gifts for the guests using a ribbon. However, you could certainly skip additional favors, and use these as keepsake place cards instead!

Photo Credit – real wedding photo by Francesco Mastalia

A common question around here is whether or not we offer wood table cards. Of course we do! We custom make all of our wood table cards to order. They can be engraved with a number or name, as well as a motif. As with any of our products, you can choose from the designs in our collection or request a full custom design.  Various styles and stands are available, so please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

By the way, we also offer table cards in paper that are letterpress printed with  a motif – leaving room for the numbers or names to be written by hand.  They’re a great way to show off some lovely calligraphy!

A few things to think about in regards to table cards:

• Be sure to place the cards so that they are easily spotted on the table.  If raised, make sure that they don’t block the view across the table.
• Table cards should be large enough to read from a distance.  Keep in mind that large numbers are more easily recognized from a distance, as opposed to small words.
• Using numbers is very common, though it is also popular to label tables using things such as song titles, names of significant locations, or movie titles.  As mentioned above, just make sure the words are large enough for your guests to read them from a distance.  If using long titles, you may want to consider giving the table a number as well.
• If you think that assigning individual seats is too time-consuming, you may want to consider assigning your guests to tables only. This will enable you to group together certain guests while still allowing them a little choice in the matter. It will also get everyone to their general location quickly so that when it is time to eat – everyone should already be seated.

Photo Credits – Clockwise from the top: small table number in walnut – real wedding photograph by Brandon Scott Photography / close-up of  a table number in cherry by me /  large table number in walnut – real wedding photograph by Cappy Hotchkiss

Last summer, we had  a couple come to us and request that their invitations reflect the scenery of their wedding location by including a single large pine tree.  Always happy to take on the challenge of a custom job, I was eager to accommodate their wishes.  Honestly, I was a bit surprised that this was the first time a pine tree had been requested by a client (you know, given all that wood you see on our website!).

Before I began working on the new illustration, I searched around a little bit online in order to study photos of actual pine trees.  It wasn’t long before I realized I didn’t have to look very hard at all though.  Here in North Carolina, there never seems to be a lack of pine trees.  Just a quick glance out of a window around here will reveal quite a few nearby.  Really, they are everywhere and so are their needles; but it’s okay because their silhouettes against the setting sun are quite a lovely sight.

To further enhance the woodsy feel of the invitation set, the couple chose to use walnut wood for the invite.  A warm chocolate brown ink was used for the text and a pop of color was added by the use of olive ink.  To wrap it all up and create a cohesive feel,  ecru cotton paper was  selected for the paper elements.

Curious about our custom design process? Just send us an e-mail or visit our process page for more details.

Just thought I would share a peak at some custom invites that we recently finished and shipped off.  At the request of the bride, I created this illustration for her upcoming fall wedding.  This project actually began with save the dates – where a smaller but similar leaf illustration made an appearance.  I then developed the idea further once it was time to work on the invites.   A little later on I will be able to share more, but for now, here are some closeups:

Apparently, I have had my fill of the summer heat because this warm combination of colors is making me more than ready for fall.

What you see:  laser engraved walnut veneer,  letterpress on ecru paper

Just thought I would share a little peak into my process when working on a new illustration.  First, I tend to do some quick sketching followed by research.  By research I mean I usually gather some inspiring photos and colors, as well as look through some of my old sketches and not so neatly place them around my drawing board.  Following this stage, I do more quick sketching until I start feeling the direction I want to go in.  Then, depending on my mood and the style I am going for, I either create some cleaner drawings by hand which I then clean up using the computer, or I create the illustration directly on the computer.

Here are a few images as well as initial sketches and ideas from a recent custom design project.  I’m really excited about the finished illustration, so I will try and post some photos of the finished project in the future.

and the credit goes to:  top left image of the yummy crinkly taffeta gown by Nicole Miller (via Brides.com), all other images by me

Just a little peek at a custom job we created for a couple during the fall of last year.  The bride came to us already knowing she wanted to use a particular typeface – Shelley Allegro.  She was also interested in a monogram but thought she would possibly like to incorporate some other details.  Well, several ideas were tossed around, but at the end of the day, they decided to keep it sweet and simple:

In the top photo you can see a portion of the reply card, followed by the envelope flaps in the second photo.  Not in need of a return address, they chose to use only their initials and wedding date on the outer envelope.  Each paper item in the set was letterpress printed in chocolate ink on ecru cotton paper, creating a rich warm feel.

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.

If you were to look out of our studio window right now and spot all of the green leaves on the trees, you would never guess it is officially fall.  It has been a hot and sticky summer here, but it seems to finally be cooling down a bit.  Let’s hope those pretty fall colors will be on their way soon.

Until then, this photo above will just have to hold me over.  At the request of a recent couple I was working with, I created this motif based on aspen trees for their invitations.  Also incorporated throughout the set, were the pair of aspen leaves that can be seen in the background.  Perfect for fall, they chose to combine copper ink and ecru cotton paper.  Not seen in this photo are the actual invitations, which were made out of walnut. In addition to the invitations, we also created some table cards and place cards – all out of walnut as well.

Nicole and Taylor were recently married in Aspen, Colorado – so congratulations to the happy couple!