Louella Court

old school journaling

{ posted by Brooke, designer }

In today's world of blogging and email, I feel like I hand write things less and less all the time. I type faster than I write, and I'm a messy lefty, so I will most always choose typing over writing. I used to keep hand-written journals when I was younger, but I would always get frustrated when my hand couldn't keep up with my rambling thoughts! I wish I had kept up with it, though — I always liked the idea that my future children and grandchildren could read these journals to gain some insight into the world of younger me (as I'm sure reading through old sent emails would be much less exciting); but alas, I haven't written in a journal for years.

This One Line a Day journal would be a perfect solution for me; I'd be limited to only a small space per day to write in, and it would be fun to read what I wrote on the same date in previous years. Plus, it's pretty. And I love any excuse to purchase any kind of pretty notebook.

{ Found via The SCOOP }

Sketchup something interesting...

{ posted by Jen, head production assistant }

One of my professors at the Art Institute of Philadelphia told me to check out this free download from Google called Sketchup. It is a program that allows you to create 3D forms and manipulate them in different types of settings.

As an interior design major, I have found this to be helpful in laying out and creating interesting spaces. Plus, you can’t beat the price!  You can get a whole different feel for a room when you see it three dimensionally versus two dimensionally on paper.

Newman B'Nai Mitzvah

{ posted by Nicole, director of sales }

The chill is in the air and the evening frost has arrived to remind us that fall is here. Little did you know that I have been in fall mode for the past several months while planning the Newman B'Nai Mitzvah.

Stephanie came to me with a very clear vision of what her room would be at the Four Seasons. She explained it to me as a cornucopia of fruit and harvest — or to reflect the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot. She wanted things to be extremely authentic, rustic and, of course, elegant for her twin boys' B'Nai Mitzvah. We were able to capture that vision by using actual leaves as place cards (pressed and dried) with gold calligraphy to elevate the look. For the table numbers we sourced actual flattened bark from birch trees and even went acorn picking on our front lawn. With the help of Lamsback Floral Decorators, the entire ballroom at the Four Seasons made you feel as if you were outside!   

The amazing footage below by DVideography captures the joy in Stephanie and David's faces as Max and Alex celebrate a "good night"!

jennifer & ben's invitations

{ posted by Maggie, senior designer } 

We've been bursting at the seams to talk about this invitation! Since the lovely couple said, "I do" this past weekend, we can now show you the super fun invitation to Jen and Ben's wedding.

All of the pieces were letterpress printed on white cotton paper with black and pink inks. We used coordinating pink envelopes and a black and white envelope liner for the invitation.

 

When Jennifer visited our studio, she was open to ideas, though she did mention loving the style of Philadelphia's Franklin Fountain. Say no more. We love it, too.

The bride and groom were open to fun wording on their non-traditional wedding stationery and we were happy to oblige!

 

This was such a great project to work on! Thanks to Jen and Ben for letting us do our thing. We're looking forward to seeing photos from the wedding... I'm sure it was a great event (I mean — there was a sundae bar — how could it not be fun?!) Congratulations, Jen and Ben!

magnetic moment.

{ posted by Terry, designer + print manager }

Coming soon to a fridge near me...

 

{ magnets via The Wistful Republic on Etsy }

seeing orange.

{ posted by Amanda, VP }

Fall is in the air! You can smell it. Don't you love the crisp air? It takes me a while to adjust to the fall because I LOVE summer... but once October hits I fall for the smells of harvest and I love decorating my home for Halloween. I use this time to experiment with new recipes and decorations. Pumpkins around the home add a vibrant burst of color and also smell great when you involve them in baking.

Here is a recipe I tried this past weekend for some guests that involved pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice and cream cheese frosting. Dee-lish! You can find it on www.realsimple.com.

Glazed, towered pumpkins are sure to let the ambiance begin before your guests even enter your home...

{ photo courtesy of www.censationalgirl.com }

For those of you that love entertaining like I do, this wine holder is a nice added touch for any fall gathering.

{ photo courtesy of www.perchedonawhim.com }

And nothing beats a good ol' carved pumpkin for Halloween night.

{ photo courtesy of www.dailyolive.com }

Happy Harvest!

a new perspective on paper art

{ posted by Chris, designer }

By simply folding and creasing single sheets of paper, Simon Schubert, an artist from Germany, created these awesome works of art. The pieces are so stunning because of the tiniest details that go into each fold and crease. One mistake and it's back to a blank sheet! 

 

 

 

 

Conveniently some of his work is displayed locally at the West Collection in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I need to get out there and see it in person... in the meantime I will have to settle on these great images.

{ all images via http://www.simonschubert.de/ }

social media is everywhere

{ posted by Brooke, designer }

Are you hooked on social media? Do you start to twitch if you haven't checked Facebook or Twitter in the last hour? Do you long to check your RSS feed every ten minutes to see what's new on the internet? If so, maybe these pillows are something you should considering buying...

 

{ pillows from Craftsquatch, found via Mashable }

farewell to some glossy favorites

{ posted by Brooke, designer }

I have always loved magazines — the glossy pages, the pretty pictures, the tangible quality — but admittedly I am more interested in blogs these days. With blogs, there is something new to discover every day and, well, they're free to read. I guess I'm not the only one who is reading less magazines, as Condé Nast announced yesterday that they'll be ceasing publication of four of their magazines: Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride.

While I didn't read Gourmet and Cookie (I barely know how to chop an onion and I don't have kids), I frequently read any bridal magazine I could get my hands on while I was planning my own wedding. Now there will be two less magazines on shelves for brides to choose from, and I'm sure the absence of Gourmet and Cookie will be felt amongst fans of those publications, as well. As a designer, I can't help but sympathize with the designers who are now without a layout to design, the printers who now have a huge portion of their workload cut from their production schedule, and so on...

I don't think print will ever be gone altogether, but the internet has certainly changed the face of print. It's hard to imagine a modern world without magazines, but it no longer seems inconceivable that they may, someday, be gone altogether. 

Do you prefer blogs over magazines now? Have any of your favorite magazines ceased publication? (Shout out to Blueprint... I miss you!)

alexa & jonas's invitations

{ posted by Brooke, designer } 

Big congratulations go out to Alexa and Jonas who got married this weekend at The Franklin! We had so much fun designing and printing their modern, letterpress invitations in deep purple and gold with an illustration of the Philadelphia skyline.

Congratulations, newlyweds!