cooper grey

A friend of the hens, Cooper Grey, called us a while back in need of our design services. What started with a logo + cards eventually led to a new website, photoshoot, and blog launch. Hooray! It was great to work with someone who truly has a great eye. Ceri uses designer fabrics to create gorgeous pillows and all sorts of items. She had loads of ideas and inspiration, but we whittled it down to her key goals and came up with a modern, clean look with loads of personality… just like the designer.

She has since launched a handbag line and has all sorts of other ideas cookin' away. Be sure to check out the blog because there are recipes, decorating ideas, and even a little fashion thrown in - this girl does it all so look out everybody!

nashville library

Nashville is lucky to have an incredible Public Library downtown. Not only is the building beautiful, and a resource to the community, I've heard they have some especially great childrens programs.

Anyway, each year they thank their charitable supporters with a patrons party. We were thrilled when this years event planner approached us to design the invitation. Our minds immediately drifted off to library cards, shelves, bookmarks, words, card catalogs…oh my! Our design inspiration was imagery from the featured author, John McPhee's novels. What we came up with was a gatefold with a letterpressed card inside that perforated into a bookmark keepsake. And let's not forget the envelopes. Always a nice touch to make them feel special. Currier drew all the illustrations and continued the design on the front of the envelope, then Kitty Hobbs worked her magic touch with the calligraphy.

music city wedding

An old friend of mine is getting married this Fall…hooray…and came to Tenn Hens for some of her wedding materials. We sought to capture the feeling of downtown Nashville where most of the events are taking place. A lot of guests are coming from out of town so this was a chance to showcase the local vibe of the city. We wish the couple a very merry wedding.
The rehearsal dinner at Merchants is in a building which was once a pharmacy and later a hotel. Many notable Nashville legends stayed at the old Merchant’s Hotel, including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. The new owners have spiffed up the place, but kept the original marble counters and old tile. The chevron border we used on the invite mimics the motif used through the restaurant.
We also created these adorable bags + mason jars. Love all the Nashville imagery and hopefully out of towners got a real taste of the South.

only in nashville

Where else can you see the Avett Brothers rise from the crowd, Robert Plant swing his mic stand as he grooves, Lucinda Williams rock out, and Gregg Allman sing "Sweet Melissa"? Only in Nashville. This is our 5th year working with the Americana Music Association and we felt so proud to sit in the sold-out Awards Show last night. They've had quite a year… even Merriam-Webster announced the inclusion of the musical definition of the word Americana to its Dictionary. Good stuff.

We've been to the awards the last few years and again, they did not disappoint. It was an evening of celebration and appreciation for those in the field. We leaned in, feet tapping, heads nodding, and were lost in the music inside the "mother church".

chic eats & live beats

Turning 16 is a pretty big deal. All that freedom on the open road ahead. Well, last year we designed a very cool invitation for a birthday boy celebrating the big day. And this year his sister turned sweet sixteen so we had to come up with another design that was just as chic. We went with a silver + blue palette, with a punch of red. Our idea was for guests to open the envelope, revealing a baby envelope inside, and then pull out the tiny fold out invitation inside. Each piece revealing a detail of the party with the last being a "ticket" guests had to tear off for entrance into the club. And the calligraphy? Ridiculously good. We were happy with the whole shebang and hope all the partygoers live it up that evening!

don't mind us… just stuffing, gluing, and stamping away here at our work station thank ya!

hudson river valley

A sweet New York couple contacted us to design their rehearsal dinner invitations. The venue, the Stilling House, is a 300 year old home which gave us lots of good, rustic imagery to work with. We mapped out the Hudson River Valley and layered with wood texture to give it a vintage vibe. Chin-chin to the bride & groom!

cool blue : letterpress

Here's a look at a job we've been working on. 1 color letterpress metallic + black on this very subtle baby blue paper that feels like velvet.

baby girls

These are a couple beauties we recently whipped up for parties. One was for my little chickadee Miriam who turned one. My, how time flies! The other invitation was for a girly baby shower happening in town.

stitched fabric wedding invitaton - franklin, tn

It seems like spring jumped right into summer around here. Flowers popping up, the sun beating down, and wedding season in full bloom. Recently, we were lucky enough to work with Big Events on a beautiful farm wedding. The bride requested that fabric play a big role in the invitation suite. We found this wonderful fabric and it fit perfectly with her color palette. Then we sewed the invitation to the fabric backer. All the elements came together nicely to create a suite that felt boho and modern, just like the lovely couple.

{wood grain paper bellyband to tie everything together }

{the suite included invitation, rsvp, and rehearsal dinner invitation}

Pics from the wedding ©Goode Green Photography

 

upstate healthy living

We're excited to show off a new identity project that's been in the works. The company is called Upstate Healthy Living. They're launching healthy vending machines in Upstate (South Carolina) schools, offices, and hospitals. The machines are truly amazing. They even have LCD screens running with healthy tips and fun facts. Looks like Twinkies & Cokes are out and Clif bars and organic milk are in!

milestones

There's definitely something in the water lately, because there are babies at every turn. Baby showers, baby announcements, and baby birthdays. All fabulous reasons to bring on the pink & blue.

Here are just a couple of designs we've been working on for some friends. 

record store day

In support of our client, The Americana Music Association, we wanted to spread the word about Record Store Day. There aren't many great ones left, but luckily Nashville has Grimey's and Greenville has Horizon. Happy listening!

sneak peak

Our fingers were practically stuck together after a marathon afternoon of gluing. We spent the last 3 days assembling, trimming, stitching, stamping,stuffing, and wrapping… but we're not quite finished. We've been working on a wedding invitation that required a good bit of hand work. Luckily we got some incredible days outside that made the smell of spray glue tolerable. And all that work is always worth a happy bride in the end!