Three heads are better than one!

My vintage scarf inspired these little cuties. When wearing the scarf one day with red lipstick (as you do) my Dad remarked that I looked like a Russian Doll. One thing led to another and I started working on the design.

After some research I drew the image in Illustrator. I needed to keep it simple to suit the die-stamping process and the small image size when printed on a correspondence card.

An earlier version of the Illustrator Drawing

But, the illustration really came to life when die-stamped from an engraved die in my favourite colours - gold, red and blue. Available to buy from Mount Street Printers (£13.95 for a pack of 10 with tissue lined envelopes).

The finished correspondence cards with blue tissue lined envelopes

If you are big into the Russian Doll theme check out Hazel Nicholl's designs on her blog  http://hazelnicholls.blogspot.com/  She has prints and cotton totes printed with a Russian Doll - I love the wording that accompanies her doll "Its whats inside that counts".

Blood, Sweat and Golden Ink

As well as designing and typesetting, I spend part of my day advising clients on the technicalities and limitations of printing. Which, depending on the client or project, can sometimes get quite complex. Calligrapher, Paul Antonio’s projects usually gravitate towards the feat-of-engineering-spectrum of print. He never fails to surprise me with the crazy things he wants to get on paper.

The execution of the above invite was a collaborative effort between three companies. Paul Antonio (design and calligraphy), Cutture (intricate laser cutting) and Mount Street Printers (gold die-stamped text). Read more about the creative and technical processes from Paul’s perspective here.

Like all good invites, the party, hosted by Javier and Tony at By Appointment Only Design, lived up to everyone's expectations!


Read all about the party at Annabel Beeforth's wedding blog Love My Dress.