When Molly of Lovely Ink Calligraphy reached out to me about creating custom letterpress invitations for her son’s baptism this spring, I couldn’t wait to get started! Molly was interested in including a silhouette of her son made by A Family Print Shop. She was looking for a timeless invitation with a neutral color palette that incorporated his silhouette. In short, a dream project and we got started right away!
In need of custom invitations for an upcoming event?! Contact Lou to get started!
The baptism was held at a beautiful Cathedral in Baltimore in the spring. The invitations maintained a certain level of formality for the event while keeping in mind the baby boy at the center of it. We decided on soft white paper with cool blue ink for the invitations. I brought the silhouette in as a wax seal to serve as the focal point of the invitation. It was important to incorporate her son's nickname on the invitation while still using his full formal name as well, so we used his nickname alongside the wax seal to open the invitation.
I letterpress printed the invitations on 100% cotton paper in natural white. The wax seal is in a soft white wax that matches the paper. The white seal on white paper keeps the invitation streamlined. At the same time, the relief of the wax seal and letterpress printing create dimension while the blue provides a nice pop of color.
Molly calligraphed the envelopes in classic black ink and curated vintage stamps that were representative of her family’s life in Maryland. The stamp collection featured equestrians, white oak trees (Maryland’s state tree), and a sailing stamp commemorating Maryland’s statehood. The calligraphy and vintage stamps were the perfect finishing touch for the invitations. It is always such a joy to bring together these personal touches for such a special family event.
In need of custom invitations for an upcoming event?! Contact Lou to get started!
