Ben and I have been daydreaming of visiting Italy for so long now. Earlier this year we were planning a trip there for this fall, but I fell ill, had surgery, and our great Italian adventure was shelved. Designing this invitation suite for Renate and Jad was like a lovely little consolation prize that gave me a small connection to coastal Italy—which we fully intend to visit, maybe next year. I even got carried away making a Bella Italia wedding inspiration board on the Lucky Luxe Pinterest. Can you imagine what a resplendent celebration this will be? Renate chose letterpress in bright blush pink paired with gold foil  on our double thick Crane Lettra paper with gold edging. I would just love to be a guest for their beautiful wedding weekend! Do you think we should add this design to our Collection?

Back in January I was getting the feeling that it was time for something new. That’s thing about being an artist for a living—once you begin to feel like your work is stagnant, it’s maddening. I started obsessing over it. What could be the next thing? I made notes throughout my days. Sauce and I had an hour long conversation one morning discussing this watercolor trend, the copycatters trying to get on Anna Bond’s genius quirky floral Rifle Paper wagon, the suddenly oversaturated art deco market with designs popping up in every stationery shop. We threw around the idea of a design with a rainbow roll, but that’s being done more and more. I designed Toile, and felt so excited about it, but it still didn’t feel like the ‘EUREKA!’ idea we’ve been trying so hard to create. The hankies put us on the map back in 2009, and the copycatters followed suit. What could we do that hasn’t been done? Something like the hankies? I felt so discouraged after weeks of brainstorming. One Sunday afternoon, I snuggled down into my bed for a nap in hopes it would clear my mind.

Out of the blue, the idea came to me. I love this duvet. It’s so soft and cozy. I love linen. The way it looks like an old French grain sack.

And the seeds for Market were planted. I subscribe to Country Living magazine. I see so many houses that, like mine, are filled with comfortable French-inspired textures.

I jumped out of the bed and rushed to the studio to get busy designing. By midnight, the design for Market was complete and production was in motion. And now, I’m so very excited to introduce it to y’all. If I could marry Ben all over again, this is the invitation I would’ve designed for us. I hope you’ll love it, too. You can also click here to see our Pinterest board inspired by Market!