It's Monday morning and I'm greeted by a featured post of my work on Oh So Beautiful Paper! That's a perfect way to start a week! You can view the featured post here!

Design House of Moira | Oh So Beautiful Paper

Working with Marina from Bustle Events, we designed this suite for an elopement celebration, using the phrase “we fell in love, so we ran away” as the theme. We really wanted to embrace the destination aspect of the celebration, tying in natural edges and shades of blue. The invitation itself announces their elopement and invites guests to join them at the bride’s parents home upon their return home. We really loved the idea of using paper with a raw edge and choose to go with handmade 100% cotton rag paper from Fabulous Fancy Pants. We paired the handmade paper with slooping brush lettering, and paired it with a formal serif font.

I also hand painted a large piece of artwork for the bride in monochromatic blues, and used that artwork to be printed as their envelope liners. Each invitation suite was wrapped in hand dyed, hand frayed silk ribbon and tucked into a crisp white cotton envelope. The cocktail menus were printed on the same 100% cotton rag paper and featured a “his & hers” signature cocktail. We also created a larger scale artwork piece of the quote we used in the suite featuring the couple’s wax seal.

Design House of Moira | Cotton Rag Paper | Oh So Beautiful Paper

Design, printing and production: Design House of Moira
Ring box: Lang Antiques
Paper: Fabulous Fancy Pants

Photography: Design House of Moira

calligraphy, custom wedding invitationVictoria RothwellJune 20, 2016featured, calligraphy, brush calligraphy, hand made paper, custom invitation, destination weddingComment

Bespoke | Veronica & Charles

Design House of Moira | Summer Watercolor Invitation

These invitations were created for the Oh So Inspired Retreat held in Sonoma, California last fall. We wanted to create something fun, bright, bold and playful with touches of rose gold and shades of peaches and pinks.

The invitations were kept on the simple side, with bold lettering gracing the front. Behind the lettering, I did a pale watercolor wash of pale pink and dropped in just a touch of rose gold. The backs of the invitations were printed in the bold pattern, adding interest and color to the simple invitation design.

I completely love the envelope design with the envelopes lined in the bold print. Each envelope was addressed in the same bold, heavy brush lettering. The carefully selected stamps are reprints of vintage seed packets and the colors were perfect! The small reply card was printed with the couple's address with their initials in the same bold brush style.

Design House of Moira | Summer Watercolor Invitation | Envelope Liners

Design House of Moira | Custom Artwork Floral Wedding Invitation

artwork, weddingVictoria RothwellMay 5, 2016artwork, somoma wedding, floral, floral invitation, artwork invitation, custom invitation, brush calligraphyComment

Bespoke | Italian Destination

When you run away and get married in Italy trailing your entire family and group of friends with you, you might as well go big. We created these invitations to reflect the amazing venue, complete with cypress trees, old masonry and yellow shutters.

Design House of Moira | Artwork Wedding Invitation | Italian Wedding

custom wedding invitation, illustrationVictoria RothwellMay 3, 2016illustrations, italy wedding, destination wedding, bespoke invitationComment

Bespoke | Elopement

"we fell in love so we ran away"

Design House of Moira | Elopement | Custom Wedding Invitations

Two people fell in love, eloped and got married! To announce their marriage, we created a main piece with the date they tied the knot, paired with a reception card announcing a celebration thrown by the brides parents. I created the suite with handwritten, contemporary brush calligraphy and printed the entire suite on handmade cotton rag paper. The envelopes were both lined with monochromatic indigo florals, and addressed in the same looping indigo lettering. The entire suite was wrapped in hand dyed silk ribbon.

custom wedding invitationVictoria RothwellApril 28, 2016bespoke invitation, destination wedding, calligraphy, indigo, brush calligraphy, silk ribbon, cotton rag paperComment

Featured | Style me Pretty

One of my favorite clients (I say 'favorite' but all my clients are pretty fricken awesome!), Miss Jess Galfo, fashion blogger of Dressed by Jess and blogger bride at Style Me Pretty met up with her completely fab event designer to have a sit down recently to chat about style, paper, and all details weddings! Paige from Gilded Lily Events is working with Jess on her wedding design, and I have the pleasure of creating her paper pieces for her. They cozied up in Paige's darling office to pour over paper options, printing methods and wedding details. The lovely afternoon was then shot by Love & Light Photography and was featured on Style Me Pretty today! Jess turned the tables a bit and put on her hat as blogger and picked Paige's brain a bit about owning a wedding design company and working with clients. Check out her full interview the rest of the gallery

Design House of Moira | Style Me Pretty | Gilded Lily Events

From Paige:

There are plenty of ways to showcase your personality on your wedding day, but what elements are the most important?

I truly believe that love is in the details. However, couples can easily get weighed down by all of these “little” things. I like to remind brides-to-be that it is important to really zoom in on the areas that will make the most impact. If you think back on a picture of a wedding that you loved, you probably didn’t notice everything that was going on around it. Focus on what is the most important and highlight it. For an overall beautiful, cohesive look, I believe the flowers and paper goods are the most important elements. They carry the wedding day story and are usually the first and last thing that your guests will take note of.

Invitations are the guests’ first peek at the formality of the wedding along with the type of event being thrown. How can brides keep them creative, yet cohesive?

Save the Dates and invitations are the first connections that your guests will have with your wedding and it sets the tone for what to expect for your day. Before you send out your invitations, make sure you have a good idea of the color palette and key design elements that you are going to use throughout your wedding day. Custom invitations are the way to go and are not just a luxury item. Be clear with your graphic designer or artist of what you want and how they can work within your budget to make your invitation dreams come true.

artwork, calligraphyVictoria RothwellFebruary 23, 2016featured, bespoke invitation, artworkComment

Modern Calligraphy Summit | Final Registration

This has been such a long time coming!! The Modern Calligraphy Summit begins at the end of the month and I'm so excited to get started!!

Before we can begin, we have one more round of open registration before we close the doors! Registration will run through the end of the week, so don't delay.

Lets review what we're talking about here:

The Modern Calligraphy Summit is an intense calligraphy workshop taught by nine of the best calligraphers from around the world. So often interested students miss out because an instructor isn't in their area or they cant get to the workshop for scheduling reasons. We've solved those problems! The summit is entirely online and we have students joining us from 38 countries (and counting!)

The summit will run for two weeks, adding a new video each day. Classes will range frombasic lettering, to brush lettering, developing your style, brush lettering, flourishing, envelope layout and so much more! We'll also be hosting two live webinars at the end of the summit to address business and pricing questions as well as studio/work space questions. Our private Facebook group for all attendees has also proven a wonderful platform for encouragement, Q&A and interaction with professionals. You'll have lifetime access to the summit videos to check back in and watch them again and again.

This summit is the first of its kind and I'm thrilled to be part of it! This is such a great way to kick start your calligraphy business, further your hobby, or pick up a new one!

Want to get signed up before it's too late? Click here!

Modern Calligraph Summit | Design House of Moira

calligraphy, workshopsVictoria RothwellFebruary 9, 2016calligraphy, calligraphy workshop, Modern Calligraphy Summit Comments

Original Artwork | Monochormatic

I've been playing around with painting in a single color, adjusting tones and shadows to give depth and contrast. I recently did two pieces in shades of grey and black (and apparently blue. I'm not actually sure where the blue came from, I can only think that there was a tiny bit mixed in the palette with the black - it wasn't noticeable until it had dried!)

I finished these two commissioned pieces last week - they measure 15x11 and are painted on Arches cold press watercolor paper and will be finished with a deckled edge before being shipped off to their new owners!

You can also see a bit of Paige's invitation artwork below the black and white.

artworkVictoria RothwellJanuary 29, 2016artwork, original pieces, commissionedComment

Bespoke | Samantha & Stuart

I've been pretty obsessed with marbling lately, and this suite is nothing short of all sorts of marbled goodness.

Gold engraved lettering, pale silk ribbon, and marbling in shades of grey, it just doesn't get any better!

The entire suite was topped off with a gold wax seal, bringing in formality and tradition.

calligraphy, custom wedding invitationVictoria RothwellJanuary 27, 2016calligraphy, bespoke invitation, goldComment

Featured | Engaged! Magazine | Ireland Nuptuals

A destination affair with Strawberry Milk Events, Laura Gordon and Engaged! Magazine in the Emerald Aisle produced some really dreamy images! I had the pleasure of collaborating with these lovely ladies on a gorgeous invitation suite, featuring lots of calligraphy, gold and teal foil printing, custom wine bottle labels and tags, and vintage postage. Check out the full magazine feature here!

calligraphyVictoria RothwellJanuary 14, 2016destination wedding, ireland wedding, calligraphy, bespoke invitationComment

Letters for Love | Working with Fig. 2 Design

Letters for Love | Design House of Moira

I've worked with Claudia of Fig.2 Designs (@fig2design) in the past, and it was my absolute pleasure to team up with her again on her Letters for Love project, supporting Sweaters and Sustenance (@sweatersandsustenance) who provides warmth in the form of coats and sweaters but also in the form of care and a helping hand.

Myself, along with 7 other calligraphers, have teamed up with Claudia and her amazing design and printing team to create a collection of love cards in support of this cause. Lettering from:

Me! Design House of Moira @designhouseofmoira

Molly Jacques @mollyjacques

Laura Hooper Calligraphy @lhcalligraphy

Graceline Art - Jenny Sanders @jenny_sanders_

M M Ink Studio - Moya Minns @mminkstudio

Fleur Calligraphy - Kathryn Christenbury @fleurdeletters

Paperfelt - Brenny Giovis @paperfelt

Poppy & Scooter - Jessica McSweeney @poppyandscooter

Claudia has us each write "love" or a love quote and features it on the front of the notecards. This years theme of pink and navy is just darling! My card this year features the verse, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" from Jeremiah 31:3. If you're in the market for Valentines Day cards, hit up the Fig.2 shop and help us support this amazing cause!

calligraphyVictoria RothwellJanuary 14, 2016collaboration, calligraphyComment

Announcement | Original Artwork

About a month or two ago, I started doing something that may seem pretty straight forward, but I had never thought of before (it was a bit of a 'duh' moment). I started creating artwork for no other reason than creation and practice. As an artist, it's actually a bit of a conundrum. I personally know that I have a hard time sitting down and just creating something without any guidelines or parameters. I never know what to paint - or to paint at all. I could sketch, but what would I sketch??

So a began letting color be my parameters and not worrying too much about what I actually painted. I also started letting the watercolor behave as watercolor should, and not worrying so much about it being "perfect". I allowed the paints to bleed together, the reds play into the greens and the blush into blue.

A funny thing happened - the more I practiced, the better I saw my work getting. Shocking, right? Who knew that practice improved one's skills!

Another unexpected thing happened - when I started posting my latest work on social media, I received much higher praise/likes/accolades than normal! My most liked post on instagram EVER was a bronze gouache leaf painting! I was somewhat (totally. I was totally) blown away!

So every other day or so I sit down to create something for the fun of it, but now I have a whole pile of gorgeous watercolor artwork. What will I do with all this artwork?

Well, after several requests, I've decided to sell it! They're my babies, but my walls are full and they need to go to good homes.

Check out my shop to pick up your favorite piece!

So as we welcome 2016, I have launched the first round of artwork for sale. Each piece is unique and original, so if there's a piece you love, snap it up before someone else does! And don't forget to check back for new pieces to be added!

To celebrate the launch, I've also added a free printable to celebrate 2016! Find it in the shop, download and don't forget to share how you use it with #moiraart

Design Hous of Moira | Original Artwork | Free Printable

artworkVictoria RothwellJanuary 12, 2016artwork, floral, watercolorComment

Featured | Engaged! Magazine | Ireland Nuptuals

So I'm a little behind in showcasing some of the features I've had the pleasure of working with. Ok, a lot behind. Later this week, I have the full feature from Engaged! Magazine featuring this invitation suite, but for now we'll take a look at some of the paper details!

Design House of Moira | Calligraphy Wedding Invitations | Ireland

The suite is foil printed in a pale antique gold and teal on cotton paper with deckled edges. We alternated the colors on each piece, keeping the overall look balanced. The final suite was stacked up and topped with a thin piece of velum with an illustrated angel, a statue featured at the castle. The whole thing was then wrapped with a thin piece of parchment reading "from this day forward." I also created tags for the guest welcome baskets and custom wine labels to follow the same design. The place cards also featured deckled edges and gold ink. Stay tuned this week to see the whole feature from the magazine!

First photo from the lovely Laura Gordon.

calligraphyVictoria RothwellJanuary 11, 2016calligraphy, bespoke invitation, ireland wedding, destination weddingComment

2016 Philadlephia Workshops

Design House of Moira | Creative Workshops

2016 has brought some really exciting new things for me so far, and we're only a week into it! I have a really awesome second announcement in a few days that doesn't even have anything to do with workshops!

I've taught calligraphy workshops in the past both in hosting them myself and teaching at Paper Source for several years. I love teaching and being able to share my passions and obsessions with others, but I've really strayed away from it for a while now and I miss it! I have so many passions and loves, and anyone who knows me personally know that those passions tend to overflow into all other aspects of my life. There are so many hobbies I've collected over the years, experiences I've learned from, and business mistakes and successes and I want to share that!

That all being said, I've decided to teach a series of workshops throughout the coming year to touch on all sorts of things. My current obsession and the focus of my attention is how to make money as a creative; creating a solid and consistent brand, and using that brand to target your ideal client and learning how to turn that into a money making business. I'm obsessed with studying it and can't wait to share it!

Many of the workshops will be geared towards creative businesses (experienced or inexperienced!), but don't fret! There will be plenty for the hobbyist as well!

2016 brings another big change in my life. I'll (FINGERS CROSSED) be moving soon (yet again. This will make five major moves in two years, in addition to another 6 moves in and out of storage units and a 3,000 mile cross country move). Johnathan and I are house hunting for our forever home and are getting our currenthouse ready to sell. Something that is in the forefront of my mind as we house hunt is finding a home that has a large enough space or studio that I can host workshops in my own home (I mean, how awesome would that be!!). It would make set up a breeze and I would be able to host anything from an intimate class of just a handful all the way up to a full sized class.

Being from California where everything is so spread out, I love how (relatively) close together everything on the east coast is! I would love to also be able to host traveling attendees who are driving in from other cities to attend (Hello, DC and NYC, I'm talking to you girls!).

Right now, I'm asking for anyone who is interested to get signed up so I can see which classes are the most requested and who's interested, that way when I have some dates solidified, I'll be able to let you know.

Head over here to get signed up!

calligraphy, artwork, workshopsVictoria RothwellJanuary 8, 2016workshop, calligraphy workshop, creative workshopComment

Paper Talk | Why choose custom

Design House of Moira | Illustrated Wedding Invitations

Working with a bride and groom to create something this unique and reflective of their wedding day is such a pleasure. Being able to bring in that fine art aspect as well as hand lettering and calligraphy just brings a look and feel so different from anything you can find in the pre-designed realm.

Working with a designer on a custom piece is like watching a dream come to life. Around here, we begin with a sketch to show our ideas of how the artwork with work and play from one piece to another and to help our clients see our vision. I keep every sketch I've ever done - I love being able to flip back trough them! We work together selecting the printing method, paper, assembly detail, calligraphy style and artwork that go into each design, all based on the couple's person story and their style.

One of my main goals is to make this process as painless as possible! All of our clients also have access to our full stamping and stuffing services - meaning, we assemble, stuff, stamp, address, and seal your invitations, so all you need to do is mail them! That's just one of the perks of working with a custom designer. You will also get a bit more guidance on all the little details - like what printing is good for you (how would you know, you've never done this before!) how much your final pieces will weigh for postage, or what wording etiquette should you use - we'll take care of all those details for you and take as much off your plate as we can.

Design House of Moira | Custom Illustrated Invitations

Why choose custom, you ask? Let's talk about it! There are so many options out there for your wedding initiations; they come in all shapes, sized and price points. So how do you decide? Should you print at home? Order a pre-fab design from a reputable website? Go with something you aren't so thrilled about? Take the leap and go for something you love? Dig yourself into the DIY hole? Go crazy and pull out all your hair just trying to decide?

Custom is a really fun option, but it isn't always for everyone. Trust me, you're talking to the queen of DIY - it's how I got into this business in the first place..."puh, this whole graphic design thing cant be that hard, I can totally do this!" I would ALWAYS rather do it myself and figure out the process than have someone else do it, so if you're a DIYer, I feel ya! However, DIY or pre-fab isn't for everyone either.

A few years ago, I had the epiphany that I wanted to limit myself to custom only designs, and I wanted to restrict myself and not offer the "I have something for absolutely everyone" mentality. I had done the graphics approach for about 3 years at that point, and I just wasn't loving it. I wanted to offer something totally unique to myself and my company, so I began offering artwork based designs only. You do see this approach more frequently now, but when I first started playing with the idea about four and a half years ago, there really wasn't anything like it in the market (except Julie Song, who's work makes me swoon!)

Design House of Moira | Illustrated Calligraphy Wedding Invitations

A couple who chooes a custom deign usually has a few things about them: They know exactly what they like! They're usually confident in themselves and know that they wants the details of their wedding to totally reflect their personal style. They may be looking for flexibility or something a bit more fun than the invitations they've seen in the past, or wish to have original artwork of their venue created for them. Sometimes it may be that they've never seen something they just love, but know the work of the artist and are confident in building something together.

Give us a shout if you're interested in finding out more about creating a custom design for your wedding!

artwork, custom wedding invitationVictoria RothwellJanuary 7, 2016Paper talk, custom invitationComment

Bespoke | Indigo

From our amazing photographer on the project, Cadence Kennedy, "As an artist and photographer, I am constantly inspired by color, light and art. I started dreaming of an "indigo" inspired styled shoot after learning of "Cyanotypes" a few years back. Cyanotypes are deep blue photographic prints which originated during the 1800's. They are created by laying botanicals or objects on top of light sensitive paper, exposed to the sun, then developed."

Moira Design Studio | Design House of Moira

Photography: Cadence Kennedy // Florals: Aurora Botanica // Styling: L 'atelier Vert // Calligraphy: Design House of Moira // Curation: Orchard + Broome // Dresses: Stone Fox Bride // Backdrop: Starling On Bond // Hair: Hair by Tiffany Hayden // Makeup: Jillian Cleary

artwork, calligraphyVictoria RothwellJanuary 4, 2016bespoke, bespoke invitation, moira design studioComment

Modern Calligraphy Summit - Holiday Registration is now OPEN!

Enrollment is now open for the Modern Calligraphy Summit!! Prices go up after this FIVE DAY holiday promo period! You can enroll here!

Victoria RothwellNovember 27, 2015Comment

Featured | 100 layer cake - dutch masters

A bit earlier this year, a project I collaborated was featured on 100 Layer Cake! It was a pleasure to collaborate with Emily Wren on this moody project.

The invitations were a gorgeous, deep aubergine, watercolor washed plum and featured coordinating hand marbled paper as the envelope liners. The over the top flourished calligraphy was printed in white foil and then addressed in matching calligraphy.

Design House of Moira | Watercolor Wedding Invitations | Victoria Rothwell

Design House of Moira | Watercolor Calligraphy Wedding Invitations

Photographer: Emily Wren Photography / Location: Power Plant Productions / Event Design: Confetti & Co. / Floral Design: Kate Farley Design / Hair & Makeup: True Beauty Marks / Calligraphy: Design House of Moira / Desserts: Cake Life Bake Shop / Catering: Birchtree Catering / Rentals: Maggpie Vintage Rentals / Dress: Carol Hannah from Lovely Bride Philadelphia / Jewelry: Egan Day / Models: Gina (owner of True Beauty Marks) & Mike

artwork, calligraphy, custom wedding invitationVictoria RothwellOctober 7, 2015collaboration, watercolor, bespoke, featured Comment

Modern Calligraphy Summit - Registration is OPEN!

The time has finally arrived!! Registration for our Modern Calligraphy Summit this upcoming Spring 2016 is finally OPEN!! We have put together a really great video that talks more about the summit and what to expect.

We are offering an early bird special through August 18th, and the rate will go up after that so make sure to register soon!

We have brought together 9 amazing and unique calligraphers from around the world to share, lead and guide you through this incredible calligraphy summit. We all have different styles to share and cant wait to share them with you!

Follow my direct link to be eligible for a special treat from me (just a hint, I think it will include a new print of my favorite art quote "I art, therefore I bullshit" hehe. I'll include a second print that has a bit more of a romantic air to it.).

Register HERE!!

Modern Calligraphy Summit - Moira Design Studio - Victoria Rothwell

calligraphy, modern calligraphy summitVictoria RothwellAugust 14, 2015Modern Calligraphy Summit, workshopComment

Modern Calligraphy Summit | 30 Minute Video!

Good morning and happy Monday! The 9 instructors of the upcoming Modern Calligraphy Summit have a special treat for you today! We sat down with Ashley Lurcott, the host of our Summit, and chatted about our favorite tools and why we love them! Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a 30 minute video, get to know us a bit, and kick start your week!

(Post Script: I'm a total dork on camera)

If you singed up yesterday, you'll have a link in your email. If not, sign up here and join in the fun!

Modern Calligraphy Summit | Victoria Rothwell | Moira Design Studio

calligraphy, modern calligraphy summitVictoria RothwellAugust 10, 2015Modern Calligraphy Summit, modern calligraphy, calligraphy workshopComment

Announcement - Modern Calligraphy Summit!

I am so thrilled and excited to be teaching in the upcoming Modern Calligraphy Summit!! Myself, along with 8 other incredibly talented ladies from around the world will be teaching this upcoming February. The Summit will be an entirely online conference, so anyone can join in, no matter where you're located! I'll be teaching a course on flourishing. Follow the ink below to get our FREE cheat sheet, Top Tools for Calligraphers - a list of all our favorite tools of our trade! Stay tuned, early bird enrollment opens soon! #moderncalligraphysummit

Follow the link for our Top Tools sheet!

Modern Calligraphy Summit - Victoria Rothwell

Victoria RothwellAugust 8, 2015 Comments