Creating Charlotte’s Baptism Suite

Years before I had daughters, I discovered a painter online who had created her daughter’s baptism invitation suite. She painted the floral wreath by hand, designed the invitation, and letterpressed each piece in gold in her studio. I was deeply moved by the thought of a mother creating something so beautiful and meaningful for her child. Ever since, I dreamed of doing the same.

After several health scares earlier in the year, I set watercolor aside and drew a rose motif for Charlotte Rose’s baptism instead. I spent evenings in my studio sketching delicate roses and curling vines, rearranging them until the design felt feminine, organic, and full of life. Cinderella played in the living room while my girls watched, its music drifting down the hallway as I worked.

For the envelope liners, I chose Monet’s water lilies, weaving my love of art history into the suite. I calligraphed each envelope by hand in gold ink using a traditional dip pen. The quiet ritual of it became a soothing part of my recovery.

I pressed each invitation on a small tabletop machine using a process similar to letterpress. I mixed the metallic ink on a glass plate, rolled it onto the printing plate with a brayer, and carefully aligned and pressed each sheet by hand. I would love to own a traditional press one day, but this allowed every invitation to carry the subtle variations of something handmade.

I also designed a simple monogram crest to balance the winding roses and embossed each envelope with Charlotte’s name inside a floral wreath.

Creating this suite was a labor of love and a small dream fulfilled. It was such a blessing to celebrate our Charlotte Rose with something made especially for her, by her mother.

I also designed and letterpressed the menus for her event. I wanted to include Greek for our Greek relatives to make it a little more special, tying in our heritage.