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Martha Stewart Weddings - Real Weddings special issue just hit stands. Julie’s custom work with JS Design gets a very nice feature! #marthastewart #Weddings #wedding #magazine #feature #letterpress #invitation #decor #custom #french #Colorado #Broadmoor #details

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WOOD VENEER INVITATIONS FOR HISTORY COLORADO CENTER OPENING

In April 2012 the History Colorado Center opened their doors at 12th and Broadway in Denver’s Golden Triangle Museum District.  This stunning and award-winning building is a treasure tourist destination even for Colorado natives like us!  The museum provides interactive and  thought-provoking experiences that are very impressive.  Do make a day of it when in Denver!

Our own JS Design who designs and produces invitations for events  had the honor to create invitations for one of the History Colorado Center’s opening events. The invitation marks historic for JS Design too as it was the first time we printed on thousands vs. hundreds of wood veneer for an invitation card.  That was a lot of sawdust in the letterpress shop!  Our 1930′s Chandler and Price letterpress built during the great depression, here name is “Hazel”, needed multiple ink changes and cleanings as you might imagine.

A silver and gold theme with the wood veneer was used to represent the gold and silver mining Colorado history is so famous for.

  closeup of the letterpress printed black on walnut wood veneer. Photo by Autumn Burke Photography

photo by Autumn Burke Photography

  the full event invitation suite. Photo by Autumn Burke Photography

wood veneer stacks, printing plate and used feeding table

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FUN IN THE SNOW LETTERPRESS CARD

JS Design has been so incredibly excited to share this card since we produced this for our client Sonja as her 2012 Christmas card.  As we yearn for snow in Denver I thought it would be a perfect time to share.  We had so much fun working in collaboration with Laura Esmond from Hannah Photography on this mixed media card of luxurious letterpress printing with fantastic photography by Laura.  Laura did a fun snowball fight photo shoot of Sonja and Venu’s twin boys Clark and Everest with super bright fun colors backed by the beautiful white snow.

The front of each kraft envelope featured a circular label printed with one of the boy’s holding a snowball.  The guest address was written in the center of the snowball.  A return address label was found in the corner of the design which wrapped to the back of the envelope with the two boys running in the snow and the wording “Follow your Bliss”.

When opened a bright colorful photograph of the boys was featured on the front of the card.  The back of the card focused on a 3-color letterpress design.  Each card was composed of white cotton Lettra letterpress printed with a blind deboss of white on white falling snowflakes which surrounded the entire card.  Sonja created a fun little play on words and messaging with a “Snow Ice Cream” recipe.  The ice cream recipe was 2-color letterpress printed in ice blue and chocolate-brown inks.  We finished each card by flush mounting and trimming the two sides together to create one solid piece.

The end result was a fun, colorful, unique design with beauty and style, very idea chic.  Thank you Sonja and Laura it was a pleasure working with both of you on this darling card!

All photographs of card provided by Hannah Photography.

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BEACH ISLAND WEDDING INVITATION

JS Design clients Sallie and Garrett were married last summer in a little beach camp style resort called The Bitter End Yacht Club - it is hailed as one of the top resorts in the world.  From seeing the photographs – it truly feels like a summer camp nestled in the middle of the British Virgin Islands.  Not a bad location for a wedding – huh?

We had a ton of fun designing this invitation and pulling in all of the various beach details into the design.  Sallie wanted the design to encompass a mix of these elements: Camp style, beach flair with traditional east coast inspiration from J Crew.

The invitation itself was composed of a natural beach grass paper.  It literally feels like a basket in a paper form.  This paper has so much texture and depth it feels amazing in your hands – hearty and natural.  The front of each invitation features a circular logo tag with the anchor rope motif which was carried throughout the design.  The invitation functioned like a gate fold with pockets featured on the right and left flaps when opened.  We custom glued a blue speckletone paper to the inside of the beach grass paper to give the design a tropical ocean feel.  The formal invitation card was found at the center of the design.  Two cards were enclosed inside each pocket.  Fun details were incorporated into the cards including a “packing list” for the guys and gals, old style travel stamps and a vintage map of the “Bitter End”.

  We had such a blast creating this super unique design!  Thank you to Autumn Burkefor the amazing photographs!

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PUZZLE INVITATION

JS Design loves when we have the opportunity to create amazing and unique invitation designs for our clients.  Last summer one of our wedding clients, Meagan wanted to create a super unique invitation for her Bridal Luncheon.  Meagan is a true paper lover and she adores unique paper details and design as much as we do.

We discussed the idea of a puzzle invitation with the overall concept being fun, bubbly, cute, unique and interactive.  We went with a modern circle design with a tangerine orange and bubble gum pink palette.  Each puzzle invitation was packaged inside of a cellophane bag with a tag topper printed with “You’re Invited” at the top of the design.  Each puzzle was mailed directly in a tangerine mailing box which was filled with Jelly Bellies.  An extra special treat when each box was opened.  Once the puzzle was assembled the invitation details are revealed.

The end result was a super cute, fun invitation with that WOW factor!  We loved the concept so much that we have created some heart puzzle greeting cards available for sale at our idea chic Etsy shop!  Super fun for that special someone.

Thank you to Heather Allen from Table 6 Productions for referring us to Meagan and toAutumn Burke Photography for these amazing images.

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LOVE TAKES FLIGHT

It is a rare occasion when you meet a couple that has the same life passion.  This past fall JS Design had the opportunity to work with an amazing couple who are both pilots!  When we met to discuss their design vision they wanted their story of being pilots and flying to be an integral part of their wedding design and overall vision.

We had a blast creating their “Love Takes Flight” book style invitation with ‘up in clouds’ swirl style graphics which incorporated their engagement photographs taken in an airplane hanger.

The day of wedding stationery pieces were also beyond unique!  We created and folded 130 custom paper airplanes.  Each was printed with the guest name(s) and table assignment on the wings of each plane which acted as escort cards.  This was a definite math equation to ensure the names would print correctly on the planes before they were folded!  They were displayed on flying purple ribbon bands as if they were taking flight.

Mini paper airplanes were also incorporated into the amazing centerpieces created by Amy at The Flower House.  The finishing touch was the table card which featured a vintage flyer from the invitation dragging each table number.

An amazing team of fabulous vendors to include:

Coordination – TC Decker / Muse Events

Floral and Decor – Amy Keating / The Flower House

Photography – Jamee Pierzchala / Jamee Photography

Venue – Sanctuary

Paper Products & Favors – Julie Sandusky / JS Design

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ED HARDY TATTOO INSPIRED INVITATION

JS Design loves the opportunity to create wedding invitations which are so incredibly unique and reflect the style of the couple down to the last detail.  This invitation was quite a mix of elements and super fun to design and create.

The overall invitation design was inspired by a ‘country glamour’ theme with the use of two peacocks on a rustic fence mixed with the hot pink and shades of purple palette.  The peacocks were also inspired by the groom’s nickname.  Both the bride and groom had several tattoos which created the concept for the custom crest.  The use of the damask pattern and bold orchid graphics set the stage for a unique, bold, beautiful, stunning design.

The production details… Each invitation was printed on a metallic ivory paper and turned like a book.  The front of the invitation featured a removable belly band with the wording “A Celebration of Love”.  When opened several pages were found inside of the book which included the custom crest, damask pattern and orchid graphics along with the invitation wording.  Each invitation was mailed in an ivory metallic envelope lined with the damask pattern.

Thank you to the amazing Autumn Burke Photography for capturing these fantastic images.

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CLASSIC AND TRADITIONAL WEDDING INVITATION

For a guest to receive a luxurious invitation like this in the mail you know it is a special occasion.  JS Design was honored to create and design this amazing invitation for Lindsey and Michael.  Lindsey and Michael were wed at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs back in May of this year.  The entire wedding design was very classic, traditional and elegant with a palette of ivory, champange and shades of pale pink.  The invitation incorporated this same palette and style.  Hilary from Dancing on Paper, who is an amazing artist, hand lettered a “master” copy of the invitation card, monogram, reception and response card.  We took Hilary’s work and digitized it which allowed us to print her hand lettering.

  The invitation card was a three-layered design which incorporated an ivory linen stock, backed with pale pink and champagne metallic stocks.  The entire invitation was tied with an ivory silk bow.  Each invitation was placed in an ivory cotton vellum box.  The top of the box featured the L&M die cut monogram tag on the top of the box.  The box was then wrapped with a metallic champagne paper band which were hand addressed by Hilary.  To protect the invitation box but still showcase the design each was placed in a clear box for mailing with custom stamps attached to the outside of the box.

We enjoyed so much designing and producing this amazing invitation in collaboration with Hilary from Dancing on Paper.  Thank you to Paige Eden Photography for these wonderful images and to the Maggie Moran from Celebrations by Maggie for her expert coordination of the wedding.

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A RUSTIC THROWBACK WITH MODERN TWISTS

It’s no secret that an invitation sets the tone for your entire event. They’re the first things your guests see, igniting their imaginations with visions of what you have in store for them and whether or not it’s worth attending.  So,when JS Design was asked to create an invitation for a Wedding Planner’s retreat in Estes Park, the wheels in Julie’s head started turning a little faster than normal.  Afterall, this was no ordinary retreat.  It was an opportunity to show the who’s who of wedding planning why JS Design Custom is THE place for custom wedding stationery.

Inspired by the event’s location, Della Terra Mountain Chateau, we threw out the traditional envelope, stepped into a time machine, and went back to the days of the Pony Express when fabric mailing bags were not so much chic as it was the norm.  Julie signs all of her emails, the details make all the difference, so even the stamps were no exception to this throwback piece.  In fact, when I showed this to my friends, they examined it and asked, “Are those real?”  Yes, yes they are.  As a finishing touch,Evette Goldstein addressed each invitation by hand.

Inside, guests found a very unconventional invitation that still kept the outdoor, rustic theme of Della Terra.  The front and back are pieces of wood veneer, and like the fabric mailing bag, was silk-screened in-house using a Japanese screen printer called a Print Gocco.

The invitation itself is folded like an accordion, and used flat printing which incorporates images of the surrounding scenery.

Special thanks to This Modern Life Photography for taking all of these amazing product pictures!

All of the credit for this invitation and the event goes to:

Invitation Design Concepting and Production: Julie Sandusky

Event Planning: Debbie Orwat, Save the Date Events

Calligraphy: Evette Goldstein, Artist and Calligrapher, PrettyWriting

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Welcome to JS Design on tumblr

JS Design has been designing and creating custom stationery and products for wedding and events for over 10 years.  We do full production in house to include flat and letterpress printing.  We LOVE working with unique materials and creating exclusive, one of a kind designs for our clients.  Our blog on tumblr is a place to showcase and share our work and inspiration.