Studio Tour: Robin Beth

Let me introduce you to my studio. Where all the letterpress fun gets done. It is a pretty decent sized space considering it is a home studio.


Here is my press. It is a 42 year old Vandercook SP-15. Lot of muscles have gotten quite toned up working at this press.

Here is a close up of the open closet storage. Stacks of card stocks and messy inks.

Ribbons galore. It is so much fun to play with all of these samples when creating a custom design.

My inspiration board. Actually, it is a French bulletin board that I made myself and it mostly has all the personal cards and other things that I have made for family and friends.

My main work table. The largest Ikea table top I could find with adjustable legs.

A miscellaneous area with a table, lamp and several displays that were used in my booth at last year's National Stationery Show. I wish my whole studio could be decorated as nicely as my booths have been, but I find it very difficult to keep it uncluttered for very long. It seems like I am constantly bringing more boxes of supplies and paper in this room and can never believe how I make it all fit. It was a challenge taking photographs that did show too much of the clutter. I hope you enjoyed this little tour.

Pattern Play

photo credit: shimmer studio

I love seeing pattern as the predominant design element so I thought I would do a post featuring stationery and some gift wraps that are all about pattern!

photo credit: fin + roe

The two notcards above are from fin + roe and are completely customizable! You can choose the colors and even the patterns! Lots of beautiful choices. The notecard on the left is the Monogram Notecard and can be customized and purchased here. The notecard on the right is the Rowan Notecard and can be completely customized including a name or a message and you can purchase that here.

photo credit: feterie

The two giftwrap designs above are by feterie and feature some fabulous patterns and are hand screenprinted. These will brighten up any gift and are perfect for spring or any occasion. The giftwrap on the left is called Lemon Vendome and can be purchased here. The giftwrap on the right is called Poppy Fleur and can be purchased here.

photo credit: Oslo Press

Above are two wedding suite designs by Oslo Press and they feature laser engraved wood invitations in combination with letterpress envelopes and reply cards. I love the combination of materials and techniques. The suite on the left is called Mod and was inspired by the bold graphics of the 1960's — learn more about Mod here. The suite on the right is called Scroll and you can learn more here.

– dana [shimmer studio]

Funny and Unique RSVPs

Even though wedding invitations tend to be more formal, the RSVP is one place you can have a little fun, particularly if your invitation is already infused with your personality. Here are some fun RSVPs that might peak your creativity!

From Lasso'd Moon Designs



Yes, that does save "evil pony" and yes, it was a real, biting pony (and a long-standing family joke)


From Brown Sugar Design:


I would have loved to see how that was filled out!

and from Robin Beth Designs:




This is great because it leaves space for the guests to write their own notes. I remember loving it when I was getting married and the guests wrote little notes about how excited they were to come. The notes will make a great keepsake.

Whatever your wedding style, don't be afraid to inject a little humor into it. It's a good way to show your guests how much fun they're going to have (or miss, due to biting evil ponies).

{Carey, Lasso'd Moon Designs}

Not quite baby, Not quite stationery

I know this blog is supposed to be all about stationery, but sometimes stationery designers create things that aren't just stationery.  When I was working on my new line of products this year, I wanted to try and do something different.  I kept thinking about my kids rooms, baby gifts and letterpress.  What would be a great way to combine all of those into one product?  Here is what I came up with.  Personalized letterpress art prints for babies and kids.  They are great for baby's rooms, but are also sophisticated enough for kids.  They are personalized, 11x14 inch framable artwork.  There will be four different designs with your choice of several typefaces and ink colors for the personalization.  They are truly unique one-of-a-kind pieces.  I will be launching them at the stationery show in May and will hopefully be in stores by June.  Here is a sneak peek.

Spring Fever!

The first day of spring upon us at long last (tomorrow- YAY!) so now is the perfect time to take a peek some lovely stationery that reflects this beautiful time of year.

1. Butterfly Garden Personalized Stationery from Rock Scissor Paper exclusively for Goods for Goodness' Sake.

2. Peekaboo Sunshine Personalized Folded Note Cards from Tulaloo
3. Blossom Stationery from Feterie.

4. Owl Hand Block Printed Note Card from Artful Sentiments exclusively for Goods for Goodness Sake.

5. Floral Collection Boxed Note Cards from Specialty Cards 4U.

6. You Don't Bring Me Flowers Note Cards from Lasso'd Moon Designs / Jitterbug Stationery .

7. Mandala Series Letterpress Stationery from Shimmer Studio.
8. Spring Note Cards from Jilly Jack Designs.

I hope you're now as inspired as I am to celebrate the coming of spring with some delightful new stationery!

Photos courtesy of their respective owners.

- Molly, Artful Sentiments

New Things

If you have seen any of my previous posts, you must know that my lines of invitations are quite expensive. Often, I have had stores and their customers tell me, "Your designs are beautiful, but they are not in my price range." Which I certainly understood when I created them. But in these shaky economic times, I knew that I wanted to give brides some additional options. I knew that I could create a line that still has that fabulous look, but at a more economical price. I actually started planning this line last May, way before the economic downturn was readily apparent. While it still may be beyond some budgets, I knew that it didn't take silk ribbons and five layers to have great design, so I went to work and tried to make sure that I had fabulous designs in a much lower price range than my current line. So while there aren't many layers, ribbons or embellishments, there is still beautiful letterpress printing on luxurious cotton cardstocks. Often in fabulous two color combinations. And these designs can be customized to make them very economical. Most of the designs can be printed in one color with your choice of several different sizes. I will be launching the new line at the National Stationery Show in May and they will be in stores soon after that. With that, I would like to give you a sneak peak at Robin Beth's "The New Classic" wedding invitation line.

Thanks for looking.  --Robin Beth

Staying Connected with Style

Play dates, swim classes, soccer games — oh, my! Being parents can lead to having a very busy social and activity schedule, which means keeping in contact with all of the other parents and their kiddos. As most 21st century families know, it's also a necessity to hand out your contact information as well with all the digits, emails and maybe even social application handles, like Facebook profiles. So, why not do it in style and add some personality — from whimsical and classic to lively and fun & colorful — there are a plethora of designs to choose from. Calling cards aren't just for adults and their mommies or daddies, it can also be a card for the entire family, too! Here is just a sampling of what's out there!

Enjoy the visual feast!
--Cathe (Feterie)


(Whimsical and modern, these personalized calling cards for Feterie can be purchased here)



(Modern and stylish, fin+roe calling cards for mommies and daddies can be found here)



(Fun and colorful, these calling cards from The Paper Menu are sure to brighten any day!)

A little luck of the Irish

It's that time of year again — St. Patrick's Day! Here is some lucky stationery to celebrate with!

Photo Credit: marzipan inc

The two handmade cards featured above are by marzipan inc and are blank on the inside and come with translucent vellum envelopes. Purchase the "best of luck!" card here and the "happy st. patrick's day!" here.

Photo Credit: Feterie

Send someone a little luck. The card above is by Feterie exclusively for Goods For Goodness' Sake and features a reusable magnet featuring the word "lucky" in a fun design. Purchase here.

Photo Credit: Just Another Day Designs

The wedding invitations above by Just Another Day Designs feature four leaf clovers in the design! They look great in the chartreuse green and the pool blue pictured above but you can customize the colors to coordinate with your wedding. For more information click here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day (which is March 17th in case you forgot)!

dana [shimmer studio]

Monograms: Why not brand your personal event?

Everyday corporate branding can be seen everywhere, so it's not a surprise to think about how to brand your own special event? Afterall, it'll tie everything together for a neat, well-thoughtout look and feel.

Wedding monograms have been en vogue for quite some time and it's wonderful to see how much fun can be added to the flavor of the event's stationery. From simple and modern to fun... there's definitely enough style to go around that will fit every nearlywed couple's dream day and it doesn't have to end when the wedding is over. You can even extend it to the morning after brunch as well and use it for the Thank You cards.

{Modern & Simple Monogram from Bride Design}



{Fun and Event-Inspired Monogram from Feterie}



{Ornate and Iconic Monograms from Lucky Designs}

2009 Hot Wedding Motifs- Birds and Trees

This year seems to be the year of birds and trees. Both designs are popular for garden and outdoor weddings, providing a casual and natural feel to your invitations. The birds are symbolic of love (and the old saying "love birds") and togetherness. Trees have different meanings depending on type, from the Oak, which means family, strength and loyalty, to the Palm Tree, standing for Unification, Warmth and Fertility.


Image Credits (going clockwise):
Bird with Berries, Blue Birds of Happiness and "Something Blue" (with tree): Lasso'd Moon Designs
Bottom rightLetterpress Tree:Paper Stories Letterpress
Ornate Bird graphic Blush Paperie

Trend: The Art of Lettering by Hand

Hand-lettering is a fresh trend with roots firmly planted in the art of calligraphy. The current lettering trend extends beyond the classic scrollwork calligraphy we've admired over the ages, and leans toward a free-form interpretation of the alphabet. The result is a whimsical and often playful reminder of our youth. So it's no surprise that this trend is currently enjoying the spotlight in mainstream design as people look for ways to lighten the overall mood of "the times".

On trend for baby & children, the hand-lettered alphabet makes learning about letters so much fun!

(1) Alphabet by Linzie Hunter (2) Geoff McFetridge for animalphabet.org (3) Mike Perry for animalphabet.org

When used on an announcement or invitation, an artful font speaks about the personality of the couple. Perfect for informal events.

(1) Calligraphy by Love, Jenna (2) Hand-lettering by Sarah Gardner (3) Save-the-date by Float Paperie (4) Wedding Invitation by Linda & Harriett

The hand-lettered notecard is perfectly suited to the hand-written note, which (nowadays) is a gift in itself to receive.

(1) Hello Notecards by Susy Jack (2) Chill Notecard by Artful Sentiments (3) Initial Notecard by baron*cards (4) Letterpress Birthday Notecard by Paper Stories

~ Lianne Tokey, baron*cards

Blue is for girls too!

We are seeing a lot of blue used in girls Bat Mitzvah invitations.  There are plenty of interesting colors that can can be combined with blue.  One of the most popular is blue and brown, like these from Robin Beth.  

And multiple color combinations is always a fabulous look, like these save the dates from Evy Jacob.

Have fun  and get creative with blue for girls.

Paper Treats for a Book-Themed Baby Shower

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said, "It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own." The family members that hosted a baby shower for me when I was pregnant with my first child couldn't have agreed with that sentiment more. As a result, they threw me a storybook celebration that I (nor my children) will ever forget. Each guest was asked to bring their favorite children's book unwrapped, as a gift for me and my new baby. In addition to the usual load of onesies and baby blankets, I also amassed a not-so-small library that my daughters still enjoy and benefit from today.


Of course, where there are books, there's usually paper! So here are a few designs that just might make an already unique book-themed baby shower, even more festive. Brightly colored bookplates, like these from Just Another Day Designs, are a great way for any reader to keep track of their beloved stories. The peel and stick plates are easy for guests to pop in their book and write a small message letting the family know why they chose it. When the book's new owner officially arrives, Mom can inscribe the child's name. Or she might choose to personalize the plate with the family's last name, since well-loved books are often passed on to new family members or generations over time.

Too many guests with the same favorites? Never fear. Multiple plates can be placed in one copy of the book, and duplicate copies can be donated to a school, children's hospital, or a community organization's library.


The perfect finish to your storybook baby fete? A cute favor that fits with the theme. Custom block-printed bookmarks and notepads like these from Artful Sentiments, will dress up your guests' books long after the party is over, and the pads are ideal for keeping that never-ending list of "must-reads."

~Erin, Bride Design

A "Good" way to shop!

With all the lovely stationery choices out there, it's sometimes difficult to make a decision what to purchase for yourself, or for that special little gift. Goods for Goodness' Sake can help you with that, by ensuring that you not only purchase beautiful products, but you also do a little good for someone else along the way. Goods for Goodness' Sake is a new online boutique that donates 100% of its profits to one of several charities that the shopper selects when they make a purchase. Now that's something we can all feel good about.

Owners Cathe of Feterie (and one of the stationery guides) and Lara of Tiny Tales have partnered with several stationery designers that they have come to know over their years running their own businesses to fill this new online boutique with delightful paper goods. The shop includes products from designers Artful Sentiments, Bride Design, Feterie, Hen & Barley Press, Loop, Marzipan, Paper Stories, PaperLuxe Studio, Rock Scissor Paper, Shimmer Studio, Three Wheels Design + Paper, and Tiny Tales, many of whom have created products exclusively for Goods for Goodness Sake.

Stop by the shop, won't you? It's a great place to buy some lovely stationery and do a little good at the same time.

Molly, Artful Sentiments

Girls' Night Out: Bachelorette Party Stationery

When planning a Bachelorette Party skip the tired mass email and set the tone right with one of the fun and fabulous Bachelorette Party invitations available today.

For Bachelorette Weekends in Las Vegas check out these custom invitations from Serendipity Beyond Design. Complete with poker chip accent, what a great way to set the stage for the naughty fun of Vegas Baby!




For celebrations closer to home, check out these handmade invitations from Social Circles Design. The vintage, hand-stamped victorian corset sets just the right tone for a classy, yet sassy, Girls' Night Out.



If you're the Bride, after the party don't forget to let your friends and bridesmaids know what a great time you had. Thank your hosts in style with this fun thank you card from Shakespeare's Bride

OUTSIDE
INSIDE



-Diane, Shakespeare's Bride

Photo Credits: Social Circles Design, Serendipity Beyond Design, and Shakespeare's Bride