The Shop's Open!!!

I had been dragging my feet about opening a shop and putting myself out there as a professional when I got some great advice from the Fiance

"If you wait until you're ready, you'll never be ready"

So I took charge, and took advice from my very first post, and set up an Etsy Shop.  Thanks to my wonderful wedding photographer Kristen Weaver, She posted it on her Facebook account and within ten minutes someone contacted me about a quote!

Will they buy? who knows, but it felt great.  The quick response, the excitement over your skill, and the promise of starting a new career in something you love.

My 'Store Front'!



Go Visit and Thank you for your support!








- Inky Agnes

A Baby Shower for Bikers

A Friend and avid adventurer/bike rider is having a baby and I couldn't be more excited! we're throwing a baby shower for her and this is the simple, but colorful, and playful design I came up with!

This actually started out in a landscape orientation but I love it this way

a colorful 'bike wheel' border

This was actually the piece I liked the best and influenced the invitation design

- Inky Agnes

I Never Want To See Gold Ink Again

 Since I'm starting to hear that people have received their invites it's time to share!

I'm really happy with them, the only thing I might change is to do them in letterpress but you know...I'm poor...

Here is a list of the process it took for me to make them :

- Designed that amazing-ness

- Glued invitation to enclosure

-  Adhered all RSVP stamps

- Stuff all enclosures

- Wax-sealed all enclosures

- Glued all liners to envelopes

- Stuff all envelopes

- Calligraphed (not its not an actual word, stop worrying, syntactically it still works) all envelopes and return address/ some are stamped

- Adhered all vintage stamps to envelopes and sealed them all

What a CONVENIENT time for the fiance to be out-of-state....

Please excuse the bad iphone/instagram pics.

Anyways...Enjoy!

The complete invitation

My high-tech contraption to hold down enclosures for wax- sealing...the patent process has been started

Personalized stamps...please don't stalk my grandfather

Drying the stamps

All 98! so pretty I don't want to send!

Our FIRST rsvp!

PHEW!

- Inky Agnes

Seeing Spots

I have been working on a purple polka dot Suite this past week and I'm really happy with how its coming out.  The bride asked me to make it in purple (her wedding colors) but not too look too polka dotty, but more like champagne bubbles...I happen to fully support Champangne bubbles, so here she blows:

This is a great invite option for letterpress/foiling

RSVP

Another option for a Save The Date, postcard style.

The final suite will have awesomeness like purple envelopes and enclosures and will radiate awesomeness

-                      Inky Agnes

Ornamental Suite

A friend was starting the process of looking for Save the Dates, Invites, and etc.  that looked like her wedding website. 

So I asked if she would be interested in me making a sample to see if she liked it and if she did, 'cause she obviously has great taste...

Here are the results:

Invite

Save the Date...yes I realize these captions are obvious

RSVP as a folded card FRONT

Inside of the folded card

-Inky Agnes

Botanical Suite

This suite was created as a jumping off point for my very own wedding invitations. 

There were a few things that were on the check list:

1. Black and White friendly
1. I wanted something that looked chic being printed in black and white (no color, cause I be broke )
2. Whether you're doing flat print or letterpress I wanted the design to be able to work
2. Postcard RSVP
1. Saving money where I can, cause I got none 
3. Graphic look without being modern
4. Garden feel without being flouncy and super feminine

Invite...yes I made the names up...

Front side of RSVP postcard

Backside of RSVP postcard

Info Card

I think I accomplished everything I set out for and it looks awesome!

*everything is custom

-Inky Agnes

What I've Been Up To Lately

Here's a few images of what I've been up to lately...

Creating my own light table...

Working on my own invitation suite

Having a bridal shower...WITH AWESOME HATS...

And writing thank you notes to everyone who came...including the calligraphy....

OH!...

...and I decided to do calligraphy on all of the return addresses on our 100 wedding invites...becuase I like it when my hand freezes up in "the claw"...

-Inky Agnes

Verb Invite Suite

Here is the First invite suite "Verb Suite"

Everything is customizable!!
Bleeds are marked to cut off at edge of text

Invite

RSVP Card

Info Card

Envelope Label

- Inky Agnes

Do Work Always

There is a quote that has been going around now from Ira Glass. 

(from here)

This is an incredible and powerful quote and is something that is important to remind yourself amongst other things like measure twice and cut once, you’re really not that important, and brush your teeth twice a day.

The summer before my senior year of high school I attended a prestigious dance festival in North Carolina.    I took a class with the director of the festival on choreography, I had a senior project this coming year and this class was going to help make this performance EPIC.  She told me one day after I hated my work for the day that its ok to make bad work, just keep going.  I told her "I don't have time for that, it has to be great."  TRUE STORY.

Someone really should have told me it was dance camp....and stop being such an asshole teenager

So do work...always, bad work, excellent work...all of it is purposeful.

- Inky Agnes

At Dawn We Ride

"Go confidently in the directions of your reams, live the life you have imagined"

-H.D.thoreau

This girl is obviously kicking at going confidently in the directions of her dreams.  I've seen this picture all over, but I thought it relevant for this post.  If anyone knows where it originated...please share...that person needs A LOT of credit and praise...that kid does too.

 To the point... GO confidently in the direction of your dreams...or even...just go...stay moving towards what it is you wish to accomplish. It may not be confidently, it may be scared-out-of-your-mind....’ly’ in the direction of your dreams...just keep moving forward...this just be the year that I (We?) learn patience.  

  For A Year In Ink...it is to be a full fledged business with invitations, calligraphy and stationary (and maybe other items) by years end...and probably to have someone besides myself read this blog...that seems somewhat reasonable as well.

   -  Inky Agnes