Not blue, not brown.

I have some new Bar/Bat Mitzvah invitation designs in the works for later on this year and have been really thinking about different color combinations for the boys.  I was thinking back to all the Bar Mitzvah invitations I have done recently and with a few exceptions, they all seem to have navy or brown in them, including my own son's invitation.  So I can't help thinking, what can we do to spice that up a little and get more creative.  Here are a few that I have done that do not have navy or brown.

Red, black and gold

Gray and silver

Black and gold

Here are a few more color combinations I am working on for the new designs.  Do you think they work for a boy?

This one is teal and gray.

This one is dark red and orange.

How else would you think outside the box for colors for a boy?

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.

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.

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

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

Letterpress Love

Many of you may be just starting your search for wedding stationery.  Taking a look at this site and other online alternatives is a natural first step.  One of the tough parts about an online search of letterpress is that it is very difficult to truly convey the luxurious texture and impression you get with letterpress printing.  But thanks to my talented photographer friend Liora Kuttler, I have some great photographs of the impression you get with letterpress invitations.  Hopefully, you can see why I have fallen in love with this ancient art.  So, without further ado, here are some great impressions.

birth announcements : beyond pink and blue

when it comes to choosing the right announcement for the arrival of your new bundle of joy, the options can be daunting. you're so excited to share the news with friends and family and want to make sure your announcement stands out. one way to do this is with an announcement that doesn't fit the stereotypical pink and blue theme. surprise them with bold burst of bright hues and it will be an announcement that's hard to forget.

the announcements below are from fin+roe. if you want yours to stand among all the other pastel pinks and baby blues, this is your answer! at fin+roe you choose your favorite design layout and then choose from 20 colors and 10 patterns to create your own customized design!


why not try a bright spring green on a baby girl announcement like the one below?


try a cheery orange for a little boy.


this bright red custom announcement from paper zest is a great color option if you're looking for a full-custom design. you can view a great selection of their previous work on their website.


this lovely orange option with pops of magenta comes from feterie. another nice touch: unlike most flat photo announcements, this one is a folded card.


i love the sophisticated and calming feeling that this chocolate brown announcement from paper stories letterpress exudes. brown is such a great color to tie into any color theme. it's gender neutral and is a softer option than black for a baby announcement.


if you're looking for a non-photo based announcement i thought these cards from InVita paper studio would be such a fun way to announce the arrival of a new baby. the colors are bright and cheerful and i love the text based design.

i hope this has given you a few ideas on how to escape the pastel pink and baby blue rut that so many people fall into. there are so many options out there. the possibilities are endless!

photos courtesy of their respective owners.

-lori [marzipan inc.]

Studio Tour - Paper Stories Letterpress

some tools of the trade - the table where i mix ink & keep some basic supplies

When choosing a printer or designer, people always seem to look at samples, their website or even their online shops. Seldom do they think about what goes on behind the scenes... in the printshop. Today I wanted to give you a little studio tour of the Paper Stories shop where all the letterpress magic happens. Hopefully other contributors will join me in sharing a little peek behind the curtain, if you will.

Since I print letterpress, I am tied to a 1200 pound beast of a press, lovingly named 'Miss Chandy P'. At the moment, my studio space is just cozy enough for the press, a few work tables, two paper cutters and a few other smaller presses (that I recently bought and are not in the pictures).
Most of these printing presses are rather old and often have little 'bugs' that need tinkering with from time to time. My press was made in 1926 and for the most part, works really well. She is a real workhorse that has never let me down. (knock on wood)
In any studio space, I think it is important to have personal touches. I have this vintage dresser mirror hanging up that is surrounded by all sorts of photographs and ephemera. Many of the pictures are from rock shows taken by my super talented photog friend, Jeff. When I am printing sometimes I like to take a break and having fun or memorable things to look at keeps me motivated and in a good mood. Standing at a press, all day hand-feeding sheet after sheet, can be very taxing on the body. Taking a little mental break now and then is essential.

I hope you have enjoyed this tiny tour. I think it is always interesting to see people's work spaces. If you aren't familiar with letterpress perhaps you enjoyed just seeing the massive equipment involved. Stay tuned in upcoming weeks as I will do a post about the different types of printing presses used. (Some are way bigger than mine even. Ouch).

~Kelly (all images courtesy of Kelly, Paper Stories)

Trends: Letterpress

letterpress card by Paper Stories

Within the last few years there has been a huge explosion in the popularity of all things letterpress. (Please see this previous post if you need a bit of info about what letterpress is.) I think there are several reasons for this. Letterpress is a very tactile art form which begs to be touched. You simply can't keep your hands off of it.

letterpress card by Paper Stories

Modern letterpress also appeals to people because it is a contemporary take on a centuries-old method of printing. In a day where the computer (and more specifically, email) rules, there is still the need to embrace the more traditional and old-fashioned methods of communication, where sending a letter in the mail has become a luxury.

letterpress card by Ephemera Press

With modern letterpress, there are a variety of styles available from elegant and traditional to bold and sassy. While the means of production may be antiquated, the approach to design is not.

letterpress card by Shimmer Studios

Kelly @ Paper Stories

Letterpress 102

While letterpress stationery is typically on the more expensive side, there are still many variables that go into determining the cost of letterpress printed items. Some of the factors that contribute to that cost are the type and quality of the paper, how may ink color are used, and what else goes into the design such as additional layers of paper, ribbons or other embellishments.



The paper
Most letterpress printers like to use 100% cotton paper, which gives it a soft, toothy feel and a deep impression. Also, many cotton papers come in a variety of thickneses, including some so thick they fell like cardboard. Cotton papers are on the more expensive side and obviously, the thinker the paper, the more expensive it is. Other papers can be used that are recycled or a combination of recycled and cotton. These tend to be less expensive, but also less thick and not as soft. On the really high end, there are handmade papers, which are all cotton or a combination of cotton and recycled materials. Because the process to make these papers are completely by hand, they are usually the most expensive, but also can be the most beautiful because they can include things like flower petals, recycled bits of catalogs and even scents.



The ink
Many printing presses are manually operated, like my Vandercook, where it is hand cranked and one piece of paper is fed through the machine at a time. A one color print job is going to be less expensive than a two color print job, usually by a significant amount. A two color print job is twice the labor because it requires twice the set up, feeding the paper through and clean up.



Embellishments
Many of my designs use several layers of paper, decorative papers and ribbons. These can take letterpress to a completely different look, but also a different price level.