Love-letter wedding invitations

I stumbled across these fantastic love-letter inspired wedding invitations over at Oh So Beautiful Paper. They're designed by Ruby & Wil­low. In a world overrun with frilly, sappy, pinkish wedding invitations, the textures, colors, and layering of elements here really set them apart. I also appreciate their subtle masculinity-- sometimes we forget that weddings are just as much about men!

Love for New Belgium's "La Fleur, Misseur?"

I'm obsessed with New Belgium's (maker of Fat Tire and Skinny Dip) Lips of Faith series of craft ales... the beer is great, but those bottles! Serious swoon. You can see illustrations of all the Lips of Faith bottles (as well as their other beers) on their attractive site, along with some very sharp infographics describing the beers' flavor notes.

I'm thrilled to see brewers paying more attention to their bottles and packaging in a way the wine industry has always done. The recent craft beer explosion across the states has brought with it a much wider, diverse and more discerning group of consumers, and I'm excited to see that more creative packaging is part of the change.

As far as the beer itself, La Fleur Misseur is a light, interesting sweet, spicy, sour ale with some prominent brettanomyces pungency. A bit of an acquired taste, but quite enjoyable and drinkable. If you're wondering about the name, yes, it is intentionally misspelled, as a nod to a bit of New Belgium history.

New World Symphony Logomark

Just perfect. {Pentagram}

Japanese Graphic Design {Pink Tentacle}

Early 20th century Japanese graphic design, brimming with social tension and political passion, though still immensely beautiful in a way only the Japanese can accomplish so elegantly. I especially love the "Nippon" covers. Read and see (a lot) more over at Pink Tentacle.

Susanna Dai

Intricately extravagant jewelry by Susanna Dai. I was surprised to find her prices relatively moderate, considering her pieces' sheer visual opulence; most are in the $200-$400 range. Her collections are named for regions and dynasties, and each is introducing with a quote:

"The stars drop silently.  They seem large, yet they drop, and no gap is visible.  Nor do they send up fires where they fall Or any signal of distress or anxiousness.They are eaten immediately by the pines."

- "Stars Over the Dordogne," Sylvia Plath

Pictured:
Alexandria necklace
Paris necklace & cuff
Sedona necklace
Portofino necklace

Thursday's Textures: Softly Sparkling

Row 1 (L to R): Yuragi (Fluctuation), Akihiro Kaneko, 1961 (Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum) / Vanessa Bruno Feather-embellished shrug / Wonderful hand-embroidery work by Susie Cowie  Row 2: L'Agence Swarovski crystal-embellished silk-satin / Alexander McQueen Classic Skull diamanté-embellished box clutch / Carved sterling Doorstop, Anthropologie Row 3: "La Caravan du Caire" 1785–90 (Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum) / "Fashion in Pattern", illustration by Holly Maguire (Holly's work is really beautiful, check her out) / Twenty8Twelve by S. Miller, Miller asymmetric cotton dress

alternative organic wine

Breathtaking conceptual wine packaging by The Creative Method. Via The Die Line Wine.

laundry day

orange+neutrals

or, Sometimes Beige is OK. Aquascutum Fall 2011 RTW. Via Style.com

beachcombing {etsy find}

I'm currently obsessed with this series of Beachcombing photos by quercusdesign. Perhaps it's because they appeal to my spontaneous wanderer and obsessive-compulsive tendencies at the same time.

Currently knitting

I'm in love with these simple and cheerful knit hand warmers, designed by the lovely ladies at one of my favorite knitting blogs, the Purl Bee. I'm knitting them for a good friend, can't wait to see how they turn out.