After 5 years together, from Ottawa to Brooklyn to Sudbury and then starting a letterpress stationery company together, it was finally time for me to propose to Chantal.

So, on January 1st I gave Chantal an old Collier’s Cyclopedia from 1883. Inside the book I included 22 illustrations to accompany a story I wrote for her, and on the last page she opened a small flap to reveal a 100 year old brass ring with a detailed Art Nouveau red coral setting, hidden inside the book. It was a lot of fun to put this proposal together, and a little tricky with Chantal’s drafting table right next to mine.

Thankfully it all worked out though, and we’re now in the midst of planning our own wedding and designing our invitation set (letterpress, of course!).

The proposal is featured on the great blog Design*Sponge today. You can also read more about the proposal on my illustration blog.

Thanks to everyone who’s sent along their best wishes, we really appreciate it!