Friday Happy Hour

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a busy & fun week of designing pretty things, meeting with potential clients and quality checking invitation suites, but you better believe that we're aching for some R&R… and a little cocktail to celebrate a productive week! I'm not generally a fan of gin, but the blood orange flavor in this gin & tonic compliments the piney flavor oh so nicely! This recipe from White on Rice Couple is a MUST if you're looking for a spring time twist for your happy hour sipping!!

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Have a lovely weekend!

Mixing monochromatic patterns

We're undergoing a mini blog makeover right now and I'm sad to say we'll be taking a hiatus from Thuesday Purseday and Tuesday Shoesday! The good news is that we're planning to focus more on stationery, design and wedding related things, because let's be honest… that's what we do! :) I couldn't resist sneaking one more Purseday post however, since I'm dying over these gorgeously patterned bags from none other than Stella & Dot. If you know Paper Moss, you know that we LOVE mixing patterns and these designs are perfectly suited for the warmer weather headed our way!!!

Mercer Zip Wallet

Zippy Pouch Trio

The Jetset

What do you think? Don't you adore them?!

A preppy + sophisticated palette

We've been working away on one beautiful navy & soft gold letterpress suite. We wouldn't dare share pics of the pretty paper yet, as it hasn't even been sent out to the guests but as we're diving into designing day- of accessories for this client, we're flooding with inspiration from the beautiful palette! In all it's preppy, sophisticated glory… don't you love it?!

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In honor of Cinco de Mayo

To pay homage to this holiday that we love so much, we wanted to share a festive invitation for one fabulous birthday party that was recently held in Mexico...

Enjoy the holiday and have a safe celebration!!

Vendor Crush: Drywell

The other day we stumbled upon the most amazing, inspiration igniting company- Drywell Art. This California based artist creates the cutest hand drawn works, inspired by something we all love- food and drink. While it was so fun to peruse their website, I wanted to share two examples, in honor of the upcoming holidays...

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Adorable, aren't they?! And I'm obsessed with this cocktail tea towel- such a cute hostess gift!

Happy Friday, friends!!

In honor of the Derby Days

In case you didn't know, the Kentucky Derby is this weekend!! We've always had a little fascination with the event- the idea of wearing dresses, elaborately adorned hats and sipping on mint juleps is quite the contrast from the pacific northwest culture I grew up in. While I personally think there is little draw to the actual horse races {feel free to disagree}, there is something so sporty and charming about equestrian style. In honor of the Derby days ahead, we couldn't resist highlighting these fun items:

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Featured: Sarah & Mike

Sarah & Mike had quite the fairytale wedding. With the Ocean House setting the stage for their weekend of festivities, this adorable couple wed at the chapel across the street and had a tented reception on the lawn. Think crystal chandeliers and sheets of sheer white fabric hanging inside a sperry tent. Candlelight with black, white, gold, soft pinks and so on. Style Me Pretty just featured this amazing day, so please {pretty please} take a look! We promise you'll be inspired!!!

And because we can't help it, here are some GORGEOUS shots of just a few of Sarah & Mike's paper goods, snapped by the lovely, Leila Brewster:

And to further convince you to check out the full feature, here is a peek into the tent...

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Pretty, patterned & pointy

We think that pointy flats are a staple for every wardrobe. Whether you agree or disagree, I'm confident that you'll quickly fall in love with these pretty, patterned & bright sling backs from the beloved, Boden. Swoon away, friends….

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And be sure to check out the link above so you can see all of the options!

From the Designer's Desk: Coastal Treasures

As a native Southern Californian moving to New England, the coastline and vast ocean has always been a place for me to find solace and inspiration. Living in New England means a new landscape of shoreline, thousands of miles of beautiful coastline, with serene sandy beaches to precarious rocky necks.  The eastern coast has given me a new vision on the simplicity of found objects, informing my perspective and style when creating and designing. Glass broken and thrashed around to create velvet like gems; porcelain patterned shards from old shipwrecks becoming puzzle pieces to a past time; tiny pieces that easily get lost in the tide and the sandy shores.

Jennifer Booher, shop owner of Quercus Designs, works out of Bar Harbor, Maine. Collecting objects she finds along the tide lines to create stunning arrangements and portraits of her day. Her photography tells their history and breathes life back into the unique character. Her artwork of well organized and composed treasures have allowed me to breathe in the salt air and look more closely at the beauty that can be found buried in the sand or swimming in the waves. Her soft tones and unique textures remind me of the organic side of art and design, and my desire to bring that into my life and to just breathe.

Until  next time, from the designer's desk.

Xo

Caitlin

Sweeter than fiction

Hey friends! Are you getting geared up for the weekend? We sure are. Tomorrow we're collaborating with some fellow wedding professionals on a super fun inspiration shoot! Our fingers are crossed that we luck out with the weather for this seaside shoot! That's all we're going to reveal about the shoot at this point, but you better believe that we'll keep you posted! ;)

Whatever you have planned for your weekend, we hope it's every bit sweet!!

In the bucket

Leave it up to Blaire from Atlantic Pacific to make us crave a trend we'd otherwise be unsure of. Prime example? This bucket  bag by Mansur Gavriel...

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Gah, we love it!! What do you think of the bucket bag trend?

Honeymoon Hotspot: St. Lucia

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This one is a no-brainer for me and I'm definitely biased, as this was the hotspot where the Mr. and I spent our honeymoon last September! A man staying in the villa next to ours said it best between puffs on his cigar when he said, "this place is {insert colorful swear word} ecstasy!" Yes, that's the edited version. And crazy as that man was, he was RIGHT!

Here's an ariel shot of the grounds- the resort is nestled in between the Pitons {these mountains were formed by a volcano} and was once a sugar plantation.

The rooms were heavenly- all white with dark wood floors and dark wood accents. Each villa has it's own soaking pool, and ours had a view of the beach like his one…! Perfect for watching the sunset while taking a dip!!

And I can't fail to mention that the spa is a series of tree houses in the rainforest? My mind is STILL blown.

We thought that St. Lucia was a perfect spot to honeymoon with a balance of our secluded, romantic resort and countless options for exploring in surrounding towns. We toured Soufriere and took a volcanic mud bath, rinsed off in a nearby waterfall and explored the botanical gardens. AH what I'd give to go back!!! ;)

The power of choosing

Not only do we love the trend of bridesmaids all wearing different {yet still coordinating} dress styles, but we're huge fans of letting the ladies choose their own shoes. If they act wisely, giving the gals the power to choose their own shoes can keep their feet in prime condition for celebrating, dancing and not to mention… pampering the bride!!! This line up of soft pink & nude heels is such a fun wedding day photo!

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Photo courtesy of Shipra Panosian Photography.

Marathon musings

Today is Boston's infamous Marathon Monday. I can't help but to have a heavy heart with memories of last year's marathon and the way it shaped our city. Banding together, there is an air of excitement & empowerment for the thousands that have come to run and support their loved ones. Seeing the runners board busses and head to the starting line at the Common this morning, brought tears to my eyes with the thought of how challenging it's been to reconcile the evil that affected us so profoundly- and with that, the hard work of many to sort through grief, to forgive, to recover, to continue training despite the memories and to persevere. Yep, we're feeling incredibly inspired by our city today and we have every reason to be-BOSTON STRONG!

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Happy Easter

It's not just any old Friday- today is GOOD Friday! As we jump into the holiday weekend, the ladies of Paper Moss wanted to wish you a fabulous Easter!

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And if you're still looking for a fun, quick & super simple egg DIY, we're loving this one from Kristin Murphy's blog!

Toting Watercolor Art

Today is the perfect Purseday to share the Parlez-Vous Tote! Why, you ask? Ever since we laid eyes on this artful tote, the watercolor writing and complimentary pattern reminded us of springtime and of Easter! It's such a bright & cheerful addition to any casual ensemble, don't you think? Oh and it's ON SALE!!!!

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Featured: Brides Magazine

The long awaited April/ May 2014 issue is OUT! It's not that the masses have been pacing in excitement for it's release, but at Paper Moss, we sure have. We caught wind awhile back, that one of our couples' weddings was going to be featured on these pretty pages… and needless to say, WE'RE ECSTATIC!

Yep, this is the cover and here is a peek of Sabrina & Greg's beautiful wedding feature, including a shot of their menu we designed at the bottom!!

Thanks for sharing in our excitement! Happy Wedding Wednesday, lovelies!

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A walk in the garden

If you've ever slipped your feet into a pair of Jeffrey Campbell flats, you know they're super comfy and there's a good chance they're friggin adorable. We started swooning over the floral embellishment & beadwork on this sweet pair of white leather ballet flats and feeling extra springy with all the flowers around us blooming is making us love them EVEN MORE!

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Our opinion aside, what do you think- would you ever wear floral flats?!

Having hope

With the start of an insanely busy week, we wanted to share some inspiration that means the world to us. Everyone needs to feel hope- it gives us energy, motivation and purpose. Hope makes the tough times bearable and enhances even the best times. Yes, hope anchors the soul.

A big pill to swallow, but we love us some words of truth!! We're wishing you a week full of hope, especially as Easter is right around the corner… ;)

Blackberry Sage Martini

It's FRIDAY! We wanted to kick off the weekend with a little "happy hour" inspiration and share a recipe that we tried in the Paper Moss office last Friday. I'm not big on sweet cocktails but this had the perfect balance of flavorful black berries and sophisticated sage!

You'll need:
- fresh blackberries
- sage simple syrup {a super easy recipe is found here}
- Cointreau or Triple Sec
- vodka
- ice
- a muddler, cocktail shaker & strainer

Muddle about 8 blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Next, add 1.5 oz of vodka, .5 oz of cointreau and .5 oz of the sage simple syrup. You can add more simple syrup to taste, but as previously mentioned, we wanted to keep this smooth & not overly sweet. Add ice & shake all ingredients together! Pour into your drinking vessel of choice, garnish {if you so desire} and ENJOY!!!

 Happy sipping, friends! And HAPPY FRIDAY!