New nautical note cards from Concertina Press

I added some new blank notecards to my line by popular request - you can find them on my website, or possibly in a store near you (check the list posted over to the right under "can I buy cards locally?"). The lighthouse illustration came from a chapter page in a victorian novel, and the striped bass came from an engraving in the dictionary. I think either of these note card sets would make a great nautical gift!

- Lighthouse Note Card Set -

- Striped Bass Note Card Set - 

Nautical Chart Gift Wrap

I love wrapping things up - right now I have an excessive amount of vintage nautical charts - the pieces that I don't use in my handmade books I've been using to wrap up orders, and paired with a little red and white striped baker's twine and a pretty tag it makes a lovely wrapping paper! This order came through my etsy shop as a gift, and so I was happy to wrap it up

I just made a new beach wedding treasury! Instead of going toward the more obvious blues (which you know I love) I thought I'd focus on the stone and sand on the beach! you can see the treasury here in all of its clickable glory.

New Nautical Wedding Invitations!

  

Top to bottom:

Seahorse Wedding Invitation Sample - $3.99
Sea Turtle Wedding Invitation Sample - $3.99

Spiral Seashell Wedding Invitation Sample - $3.99

I just got back from a lovely two week vacation to Florida, where most of my extended family lives. I love the ocean, and the shore there is a lot different than the New England beaches I'm used to. LOTS of sand, interesting shorebirds, jellyfish (including Portugese Man O'Wars - yikes!) and colorful shells. 

We went to one beach where every object in the sand that I assumed was a rock was actually a shell! I found a beautiful little conch shell that I kept for my dashboard shell collection. Needless to say it I've been coming up with lots of new nautical wedding invitation designs ever since. You can see them in my newly upgraded Concertina Press website.

Cuttlefish - Chameleons of the Sea!

Concertina Press - Cuttlefish Wedding Invitation

These Cuttlefish Invitations are one of the most popular items in my Etsy shop which I think is great because when I created themI wasn't sure if other folks would share my enthusiasm for a cephalopod-themed wedding invite. However - when you see a video like this one, you can see why Cuttlefish are one of the coolest creatures in the ocean!

Why are cuttlefish so cool? because they can more quickly camoflauge themselves than any other animal known - it is so amazing watching this little guy EXACTLY match the ocean floor - it looks like a trick or some CG animation - did you see that little guy turn into a rock?!

Concertina Press  -  Cuttlefish Wedding Invitation with Coral RSVP

Here's another video of an even bigger one - I gotta admit that I probably wouldn't want to encounter this one in the ocean - he goes from being brown and spotty to blue in an eyeblink (or maybe white, and it just looks blue because of the ocean)

Neat! Have you ever seen one in real life?

Nautical Bags I'm Coveting

So I'm a sucker for navy and white stripes - maybe it's my close proximity to the ocean (although I have to admit that on a day like today, the sky and ocean are all shades of gray!)

Here are some great navy and white bags I'm loving on etsy:

from top to bottom:

The Stockholm by ikabags

The Ripton Clutch by  ShelterProtectsYou

The Sailor Tote Bag by BayanHippo

Jellyfish Hand Pulled Screenprint

Look at this gorgeous slikscreen print by artist Amanda James - I have a thing for extremely detailed artwork like this lovely jelly. I think it's because I love the look, but it's in no way something that I could "just make myself" because I'd run out of patience after about five minutes!

Compass Rose Menus & Invites

I was contacted through my Etsy shop by a woman named Sandy who was interested in my Compass Rose invitations:

But, she said her rehearsal dinner theme was red and purple - could I change the colors to reflect that?

Of course I could! So I created these gorgeous invites, and Sandy was my inspiration to come up with a coordinating menu for this suite, handy for brides who are looking for a full wedding stationery set (now I just need to get on the programs and placecards!) Check it out!

Instead of lining them, I printed them on lovely thick 100% cotton SAVOY stock that is tree free, archival, recyclable, biodegradable and elemental chlorine free (phew!) with coordinating French Paper envelopes in Wild Cherry. French Paper Co. is a family owned mill in Niles, Michigan that has been using renewable hydroelectric power for over 85 years. Neat!