Blush Design Studio

Oh, ya noticed the new banner, did you?

2011-05-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Well my friends, the time has come to finally reveal to you what has been in the works for several months and will be coming to a news stand nearest you very very soon-- literally and figuratively.

First, let me say 'i'm sorry' because I haven't had to guts to tell you all this very critical information before. There is a lot going on and I just haven't had the words, let alone be able to put them on ~~paper~~ a blog.

Second, let me say, 'THANK YOU,' for every single one of you reading my blog, working with me, and expanding my horizons in this field to depths I will never be able to understand. It has been incredible building this art and learning more about myself, and the process of letterpress.

Okay, are you ready for part one of the big news? Really really ready? I'll let the following image illustrate it...

Yes folks, we're expecting a new little studio member! We're thrilled, excited, ecstatic, nervous, happy, and most importantly, already in love. We found out it's a little girl a few weeks ago and while we have a name picked out, we're keeping it under wraps until she gets here. I've been working on the most intense baby announcements I've ever seen- let alone designed- and yes, I'm going all out. It may or may not involve shipments of things from Japan {husband is 1/2 Japanese} and 3-4 different mediums. They will only be half as great as little baby B, for sure, but I sure hope she likes them. We can't wait to meet her, and I can't wait to introduce her to you all as our newest studio addition!

And as if THAT weren't quite enough news to rock your world, how about this little nugget?

Can anyone guess the significance of 'the peach state?' Well, not only is it one of my favorite colors {that shouldn't be a shock}, but it's also the state we're relocating to! I know, I know. A baby and a move, what are we, crazy? I guess if you put it that way, we are, but it's now or never and this is the right move for our family. We're headed back down south {remember this post about where we come from?} and only a few hours drive from my parents in NC-- which means Baby B can really get acquainted with her US family now {remember, hubby's parents live in the magical land of Singapore! Thankfully, they visit often, and I can't wait for us all to travel together!}

So what does that mean for us, you, and dear Blush Design Studio? Well, I'm taking this opportunity to ENJOY the pregnancy {we're at 22 weeks!}, pack up the house, studio, Mr. Gable & friends, and head on down to Georgia. It means I need go on a mini-hiatus for a better part of the summer starting this month and extend it into November 2011, but we'll be back. Oh, we'll be back. We'll be back to blow your socks off with the REST of the news to come...

Yes, you read that correctly, I'm not quite finished with surprising you, my dear readers. I have been working incredibly hard with a few fantastic folks to really build out this business and will return full force in November with not only our 2011 holiday line, but also some strategic business alterations that will really position me, Gable, and our other studio-mates {thinking of Beau- the other press, Savannah the cutter- which seems so appropriately named now..., and little Baby B} to work 100% on what we love most: letterpress printing. Well, Baby B will hopefully love to nap and be perfectly healthy, but i'm crossing all my fingers and toes that she lulls herself to sleep from the shwishing sound Gable makes every time the rubber rollers cross over the ink plate.

Phheww!! That's a load off. :)

For those interested, I am keeping the etsy shop OPEN and still accepting wholesale orders of my card sets, but weddings for 2011 are OFFICIALLY BOOKED. Please feel free to reach out to me via eMail if you are interested in wedding invitations for late 2011 and 2012 as I am quickly booking up {can you believe it?} for November-January.

I will still be updating the blog with our big adventures of moving into a new house, decorating/renovating, and welcoming a little baby in our lives-- as well as some stationery that is just itching to be debuted.

<3 you all!
Liz & Baby B
{Gable is waving his arms behind me to tell you all he loves you too}

It's officially spring time, right?

2011-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'm fortunate to have several windows in both my printing space, as well as my office space- and I love looking outside to see ~~the people walking by~~ the buds on the trees, flowers beginning to bloom, and leaves beginning to form. It's so refreshing after such a hard winter that Boston had-- although some would argue we always have really tough winters, I would like to throw my hat into 'super' hard winter camp. C'mon, 18inches of snow in 1 afternoon? Really? I'm done with you Winter!

I can't complain, it's a nice 62* outside and I THINK I saw the sun peek through this Monday afternoon. :) A perfect way to ring in the spring time.

So what do I have for you today? OH, it's a modern take on a vintage peony. Susan reached out to me a few months back to print her wedding stationery after we printed her save-the-dates last year {remember those? Gable and I single handily fell in love with everything about those Jasper Florals!}. She wanted a peony to be front and center and knew that it had to be a 'vintage' print. We toyed with the idea of having a vintage post card printed as a gift for the guests, but the more we thought about it, a wrap would work so much better. I'm trying to think outside of the box for my orders this year-- a way to challenge myself, if you will-- and this was the perfect project to explore a vellum wrapping for an invitation suite.

I printed everything on the wonderful 140lb Cotton Rag paper in the bone color in lavender, dark purple, and sage green inks. The vellum wrap you see there... one of my favorite parts about this invitation suite. That's a translucent vellum paper that I had professionally digital printed and cut to our exact dimensions {A7 invitation if you are the curious type}. Susan is one of those beautiful souls that wanted these to be over the top and memorable for all of her guests, so we went another step further and added a ribbon wrap with a letterpress printed tag of their names and wedding date. Swoon. We put everything into a Kraft inner envelope and completed the package with a lavender outer envelope.

Tell me you haven't falling in love with these modern peony invitations?!

Congratulations, Susan & Matt! Can't wait to see your beautiful wedding photos!

Holiday Weekend

2011-04-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

Source: snopes.com via Pinterest on Pinterest

Yay! It's a holiday weekend! It happens to be easter, and while I plan not to work, we have plenty to do around the house. This place is ALWAYS in need of some sort of cleaning, and Gable could always use a good oil.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

Circus Circus!

2011-04-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hi readers! Welcome to the newest edition of Blush Design Studio... and my lack of posting. Yikes, sorry for the long delays between posts folks, I have a lot to tell you, but as I sit at my desk chair, I find I just can't share the secret just yet. Mostly because I don't have any good photos to show you, but partly because I'm just not sure what kind of answers to give either. :) You'll all hear what it going on in my life soon enough. Gable is just fine, if you're wondering, and we've been printing together just about every day for the last 5-6 weeks. No joke, it's been that often.

Alright, so a little insight into my life outside of printing: I love to read. I bought a Nook from Barnes and Noble a few months back and it's been the best decision of my ENTIRE life. Kid you not, I feel lost without that thing. I am still firmly rooted in the camp of not wanting to give up my books for their fantastic aroma and texture, but there is something to handy about having 1 book shaped item in my Longchamp bag that I can read a Martha Stewart magazine AND my latest book from.

My latest passion on the Nook: Water for Elephants. Umm. Not really even sure how to explain how much I love this book. I read it a few years back it came out and fell all over myself in love with the story- the fascination, the love, in this novel. So, to commemorate the movie coming out this weekend, and the fact that I can NO LONGER hold these invitations back from you, let me please introduce you all to the wonder that is, Circus Circus!

... you all remember dear Meg, right? How could you forget her...Meg is the delight that brought to me the concept of a save-the-date ticket for her February wedding. Well, the wedding has long since past, but the photos are AMAZING and I must share with you all the wedding invitations that we created together. Feast your eyes upon this goodness:

and are you ready for what the invitations looked like... get ready to enter the tent...

Umm, yeah, you can't make up this kind of magic. I had SO much fun designing and printing these invitations that I'm almost sad to see the wedding over and my job officially completed, but I know that Gable nailed everything about these!

Everything was printed on the stupdenous and magnificent 140lb Cotton Rag in the bone color and printed in aqua and bright red inks. We used bakers twine to tie everything together, and envelopes are from Paper-Source.

THANK YOU Meg & Rich! Congratulations!!

wedding recap: a nautical affair

2011-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Oh boy blog readers-- I have another recap for you! How exciting to be apart of so many blogs and magazine articles as apart of my beautiful brides' weddings. I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have known each and every one of them {YOU if you're reading!}. It's been a silly busy kinds of few weeks for me and Gable-- between printing every night, including weekends, and designing with every waking minute there is, we are BUSY little bees.

... getting eMails like the one I got from Heather Parker, the magical photographer mastermind behind these wedding pics, never gets old, and I will never once utter a sigh of being too tired to see pretty wedding pics of my beautiful brides.

You all have to remember Alexa and Andrew. How could you know-- they were one of my very first projects with Gable, so they will always hold a special part of my heart. Heather Parker, as I mentioned above, is the mastermind behind the most beautiful photos ever and was kind enough to include Blush Design Studio in their photo wrap up for A Paper Proposal, a premier wedding blog that is chocked full of beautiful weddings and fantastic recommendations for brides to be.

Anyway-- just drool over the pretty pictures. Pay particular attention to every single detail that Alexa dreamt up in her beautiful head and excecuted flawlessly, and then tell me she isn't cut out for wedding planning. Go on, I dare ya.

Check out original blog post here. All photos by Heather Parker.

urban chic wedding

2011-04-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ohh my goodness. It's been a while since I've updated you, little blog. I'm sorry. Business around the studio has been wild, and coupled with a *few* other items in life, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day. Maybe I should make a casting call for a 'blogger' to attend to this site? Anyone interested? No? Okay...worth a try. :)

I had the incredible pleasure to work with Kathryn and Mike on their wedding suite earlier last year. If I had to put Kathryn into a word, I would choose adventurous. She is amazing. She regaled me with travels overseas for friend’s weddings and when we were able to meet face to face and discuss what she envisioned for wedding stationery, the word adventurous almost doesn't seem strong enough. She is amazing, and has an eye for design like I’ve never seen before from someone not in the stationery industry {btw folks, she’s a beautiful smarty-pants too...}. She told me 'urban' for the wedding theme...and we were off to the design gates.

Because Kathryn & Mike were to be wed in one of the coolest downtown areas, we really played with some character of major cities and I created a man hole cover that became our design mantra. I am in LOVE with these invitations! The man hole cover was used as a splash background for the invitation card and we used elements within those covers to create some structure for the reception and response cards. Not photographed {I didn't print enough!}, are bright yellow sheets of paper from Paper-Source {in the sunshine color} printed with the man-hole cover showcasing a beautiful monogram in grey ink. We used it as the envelope liner. Swoon.

Everything was printed on 140lb cotton rag paper in Bone- it has an amazing impression quality and really showcased the background printing- in grey and black ink. Did you notice all that beautiful text? It's by the fabulous Laura Hooper who I swear is a calligraphy goddess-- and not in the dirty Charlie Sheen way, I mean in the most magical way possible. This woman's hand creates the most perfect swirls and flourishes in a seemingly mundane text. I mean-- look at what she did for the word 'first' on the invitation card... love it!

THANK YOU Kathryn & Mike! This suite was as much fun to design and print as it was to ship them off to you-- I wish you both the very best at your wedding next month and a lifetime of happiness in your marriage together!

ps: I know, I still owe you some thank you cards.

Shut the front door, Gable...

2011-03-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

... we're going to be in theknot magazine!!!!!

And not just as a regular little ad or anything {that would be cool too, right?}, but as apart of a real wedding. I know, it's insane. I may or may not have just sat back when the eMail came in and smiled like a total fool. Thankfully only Atticus can see me.

Which wedding, you ask... oh, why let me enlighten you. The featured wedding will be that of Joyce & Andrew; remember them? I designed and printed their wedding invitations in August of last year and I could not BE MORE EXCITED FOR THEM and this amazing opportunity to show off all the hard planning and work that went into throwing a magnificent party at the Warren Center and Inn. I've already seen their wedding photos- and they're amazing. Like, I would pay all the money in the world to look as beautiful as Joyce is in that dress of hers.

I'll post a more complete update of this good news as it comes in, but for now, get your cars gassed up and wallets ready because the Fall/Winter 2011 issue hits stands this summer. Get. Ready. I'll be qizzing each of you to ensure you read the issue front to back. Maybe even offer a little giveaway to one lucky winner who can answer all 10 super crazy questions that I come up with. We'll see.

hugs to you all!

New Offering: Edge Painting

2011-03-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

Why, Hello there, readers! It is bright and sunny here in New England- and while it's still a little nippy outside, it feels great to look out the window and see the SUN. It's amazing really. I feel like for a few weeks during December and January we didn't even see the sun peek out once... now, it's like spring is on the way!

I wanted to let you all in on one of the first secrets of 2011- a change for the business. I am now offering edge painting! Take a gander at the beautiful photos below. I know, I know, these are holiday cards for the BEAUTIFUL Nix family, but it was a perfect example of how edge painting can make a design REALLY pop.

These 6.75x6.75in cards were printed on 220lb Crane Lettra stock in Pearl While with a VERY specific Pantone color {109 to be exact-- which is a grey with a SMIDGE of red in it to tie into the envelopes, a specific request from the client. How beautiful that she thought of that, no? Woman after my own heart I tell ya...}. I printed the return address in a tonal red which is literally the same shade as the envelope so that when it hits the paper, it's exactly 1 shade darker. I love that look. It's perfect for any colored envelopes. And... for the grand finale... the edge painting. I wont lie, it's an art that took a lot of practice to master. I'm still not great at it, and will keep practicing the art. I color matched the envelopes to the ink I edged in and I am in LOVE with the results. Look how the paper just pops against itself.

Brides: this is a GREAT way to introduce another color to your wedding suite. I realize letterpress printing can be expensive {it's an incredibly time, resource, and labor intensive process!}, so printing in 1 color with a side of edge painting can create the illusion of grandeur for pennies each. How can you say no to that?

Personal Stationery- make it YOU!

2011-02-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

As a stationer, it's hard to sit here and say this: I don't really have any personal stationery.

I know, it sounds silly. I have a TON of stationery for the business and stationery that I've created for others, but when it comes to Mrs. B's personal stationery... I've come up short. I need to change that. I think it's important to have a little bit of paper with a touch of 'you' for correspondence. Mostly because written correspondence is so hard to come by these days, but also because people enjoy getting those types of pieces in the mail. Who wants to open up bills and notices all the time? Not I! I love sifting through my mail every day for something- anything- that resembles a personal note. It's so exciting to open those up and read about someone else's day, a thank you, or barbecue dinner invitation!

I created this personal stationery for a good friend, Jess, who knew this bright, loud, and fun girl named Lindsey. I used the Jasper florals you've all seen countless times on this blog {they are kind of a big deal to me I guess... I love them!} and printed them on a folded 140lb cotton rag card in bright yellow with a peach accent to really make this a fun personal correspondence. Lindsey got these as a birthday-gift, and I'm so thrilled to have worked on them!!

Thanks Jess, I miss you girl!!

For me, I'm off to print more wedding invitations. I have another 4 before I'm finished for the week {is it really only MONDAY?}, and I have another 3 weddings going into the printing que. Wedding season is FULLY HERE and I officially out of business cards. Like... i'm writting my information on little printed cards and taping it onto the packages I send out, kind of officially out of business cards.

ps: all the beautiful photography is from Shannon Sorenson. Umm. Readers. She is a total doll and I LOVE her work. You'll be seeing more of her on here... about the B's... and generally all around me... for a very long time to come. Enjoy her website, and def. make it a point to check out her blog for amazing photos and inspiration. Gahh. I would love to steal little Loki and cuddle with him and Atticus in bed. :)

Vendor Love: Grace Edmands

2011-02-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness. I have had a girl crush on Grace Edmands for a very long time. I've talked about her continuously on this blog- as do alot of folks in the wedding industry. She is, how do I say: Kind of a big deal? Actually, no question mark required. She just is. I got a BEAUTIFUL valentines day card from her in the mail a few weeks back- in her beautiful hand, of course- and I just kind of fell all over myself in love with her again. I remembered that she and I bartered her skills sometime last year: I needed a few words for me & my Husbands' 1-year anniversary photo shoot with a Vow Poster last year, and she needed some new stationery. It's a perfect pairing, no?

Check out Grace's work here, or just about anywhere on the internet related to beautiful stationery- she is that well connected. I will continue to work with her till the day she shuts her eMail off. :)

Winter Wedding

2011-02-23T11:14:00.001-08:00

We're still in winter, right? I wish it were spring, but if I really meant that, I would have missed out on the beautiful wedding of Caitlin & Sam. I'm talking stunning, folks.

We worked on their wedding stationery a few months back and I wanted to share with you our results. They wanted to work with a classic pallet-- just black and silver-- mixed with a bit of blind impression. They wanted something organic, beautiful, and full of calligraphy. Umm- yes please.

Caitlin worked with Grace Edmands on select wording for the wedding stationery, and we incorporated a classic serif-font to bind the pieces together. I custom created a monogram for them too with the help of Christine- the brides Mother- who provided a perfect little sketch for me to start with.

{btw, for the record, those are tree branch shadows in these pics, haha! They are right outside by office window and needed to be trimmed apparently!}

The invitation elements were all printed on the super thick 220lb Crane Lettra stock in Pearl White and printed in black ink- the invitation cards were also printed with a blind impression in a wood-grain pattern. The menus were printed in silver & black ink on the beautiful 140lb cotton rag. When wedding guests are going to be fiddling with papers at the wedding or reception, it's best to really wow their pants off-- and this paper certainly does that with it's incredible impression. The coasters were printed with the couple's new monogram on super thick coaster stock in silver metallic ink. I just love how everything turned out!

They have been married for a few months now, but since spring is well on it's way {it's so sunny outside!! I love it!}, I thought it best to share these with you all. :) Congratulations, Caitlin & Sam!

Classic black & blush wedding invitations

2011-02-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Well isn't this just a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in New England? Yes, I think it is. I wanted to share with you all a beautiful invitation suite printed in a classic black and blush pink pallet. The bride, Marcie, is such a doll, and after designing and printing her save-the-dates, we knew we had to do something just as romantic. Enter: the bella florals. I've used these ALOT for all kinds of prints-- personal stationery, bridal & baby shower invitations, weddings... you name it, it's been printed, and I just fall deeper in love every single time I see them printed. They take an impression on Gable like you wouldn't believe.

Everything was printed on Crane Lettra Pearl White stock- the invitation was printed on the super-thick 220lb and the response card on the 110lb stock. It's a good way to save some $$ on the wedding invitation budget since you end up getting those cards back anyway. Don't you just love that they asked for a personal message from their guests? I really want to add this option to every response card I print...

Aren't they stunning? I am so happy for you, Marcie & David! Congrats on the wedding and I can't wait to see your gorgeous photos!!

Save-the-Date: Romantic Wedding

2011-02-17T07:06:00.001-08:00

Oh spring, you creep up on us all, and amidst the really cold weather and melting snow/ice peaks we have everywhere, I can't help but wonder what has been germinating under the ground this whole winter in preparation for warmer weather.

Readers, it is 50* outside, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky right now. It's beautiful out here! I've had my little sugar-free vanilla pudding cup and a cup of hot tea, and Gable is getting his morning 'warming' treatment--- I use a space heater on top of a bar stool to get the ink plate nice and toasty in the winter time, helps the ink glide for printing. I have 3 wedding suites to print this week and weekend, and I am so excited for each and every one of them!

Today, I wanted to show you another edition of the Jasper florals. I've shown you all this design before, but I just love and have to share it again in this beautiful bluey-aqua color. Meaghan & Matt are an ADORABLE couple marrying this June in Boston. We're currently in design of their wedding stationery suite, and Meaghan's bridal shower invitations and I promise, they won't disappoint. Everything is just beautiful!

Congrats Meaghan & Matt!

Thats the Ticket!

2011-02-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

I have some super adorable save-the-dates to show you all today. Ms. Meg came into my life from Etsy {I love that place}, and asked me for some out of the box wedding stationery-- a save-the-date for her beautiful wedding in the form of a carnival ticket. She basically gave me free range on just about everything and let me go at it... so I did.

We had a great time designing these together-- and even created the wedding invitations shortly after {pics of those to come soon!}. To complete the look, I created littled elephant tags that inspired me from Meg's Blog where she spray painted toy elephants gold to match with the wedding decor-- they are adorable! btw, I highly suggest keeping that blog on your radar since I just love everything she posts when it comes to decor and cute dresses.

We used the super thick Crane Lettra 220lb stock in Pearl White and printed in pool & warm red inks. The envelopes are from Paper-Source in the best shade of pool/aqua I've ever seen. I printed the envelopes in a metallic gold ink with a fun vintage print of a high-wire-guy... and since I needed a place for those ropes to go on the other side of the envelope, I found this awesome image of a man climbing rope. C'mon-- how perfect are these?! :)

I can't wait to show you what we came up with for the invitations!!! Meg-- the time is almost here, and I am SO excited for you and Rich!! Btw, readers, I haven't mentioned this in many of my posts, but Meg showed me some of her carnival inspired engagement photos-- this is an ADORABLE couple. I can't wait to see their wedding pics; they are so beautiful together! :)

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well hello there readers!!

I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I? Well, it will come, I promise. What will also come is about a million and a half blog entries of my latest-- some some not so latest-- work that I've done and seriously neglected to show you all. Oscar the Nikon's battery is charging {!!} for a big session today. I hope to have a few good ones to show you all before the Hubs gets home from work and we officially kick off Valentines Day with our ceremonious take out food and a good movie {or Soprano's Season 5 DVD, whichever is fine by us}.

I wanted to take a moment to let you all know something: I miss you. :) It's wedding season for us letterpress artists, and we're all {I'm doing a solid and speaking for all the printers out there...} trying to get our beautiful brides-to-be finished up with their designs and printing. Though blog posting has been light- thats an understatement- please know that I've been thinking about every day, and sometimes several times a day. Every single time I gear up Gable for a print, or submit designs for platemaking, I'm thinking about you all.

I have a few announcements to share with you-- in due time. For now, lets celebrate today.

Today, is just Monday. Today, is just February 14th. Today, is Valentines Day. I could enlighten you all with the story of St. Valentine, but I know you all have heard something about the martyred man who died and left behind a note before his death to the Jailer's Daughter, signed-- ' From Your Valentine.' It's a bittersweet story, really. Today, we all know it as a time to be with loved ones and exchange gifts {purchased or otherwise}, but I say:

Lets make today filled with joy. Do something happy for yourself. Maybe it's a 5 minute break to grab some tea and cuddle with a chapter of your favorite book, or a walk around the neighborhood with your Pup {Atticus will love this later today}; whatever it is, make today filled with joy.

xoxo to you all... and be the on the lookout for pretty things soon.

image via crooked tooth

WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award- 2011

2011-01-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Readers!!!! I can't even tell you how excited I am today! Amidst the HUGE amount of design files and paper I'm staring at today, I opened my eMail to an eMail from WeddingWire this morning announcing an award for WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award for 2011!

A press release from their website:

*******

Boston, MA – January 25, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Blush Design studio has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Invitations- Letterpress.

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Blush Design Studio stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Blush Design studio for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Blush Design Studio is among the very best Wedding Invitations- Letterpress within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today. For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

**********

Pretty nifty, hu? :) Okay, back to printing for me!

Hey there 2011!

2011-01-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

image via Mary Ruffle
It's January 10th, and I'm just coming up from water to say hello to you, oh glorious 2011. How YOU doin'?

Here on the Blush front, we're doing just fine, perpetually slammed against the 4 walls of the studio to get orders out just in time for their fabulous owners to celebrate weddings, births, parties, or just plain, 'hellos'. It's hard to believe that in just 12 months time, I've come so far.

I mean...
1) I learned how to letterpress print. Seriously, yall. I did. I knew the basics going into this {and before accepting anyone's hard earned money!}, but I never knew there were so many tricks, special moves, or techniques to try out.

2) I learned how to bank- like at an actual institution.

3) I learned how to ask for help- thanks Tax Lady Sheryl!

4) I learned that no matter HOW busy I am printing 5 orders in 1 weekend, I need to sit back, relax, and make sure to double/triple/quadruple check my sanity before going forward. It's in the best interest of us all, I promise.

It's taken me until the 10th of January to put together my 'list' of things I want to accomplish in 2011-- and some of them are hidden secrets that I want to reveal later in the year, but heres my go at the top 8 most important goals for me {both personally and professionally}:

1) Learn to sit back and relax, for at least 30 min a day. {It's going to be hard}

2) Love more. Take Atticus for a longer walk, or find a new recipe to cook for dinner one night.

3) Cook more. Maybe I can finally learn how not to burn things?

4) Give yoga a better try, at least twice a week.

5) Proof READ!

6) Read more.

7) To save more pennies for a new home.

8) To answer eMails in 24 hours {this one will be hard too...}

Here's to 2011! I have a TON TON TON of goodies to show you all as a roundup from 2010. You know how slow I am about posting new stationery pics. :) Bear with me... it's my unofficial #9 goal.

Vacation!

2010-12-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

cmon, let it all hang out.Hey everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! Did I not give you all a blog post on Friday about the impending vacation time for me and Gable? oh no? I didn't, I'm sorry. :)

Blush Design Studio is officially on vacation from printing. We all plan to be as happy as that great dane in the photo above. We'll be back after the first of the year. If you want to send a note, I'm still on eMail and designing all kinds of fun goodies for new blank stationery as well as a ton of REALLY fun wedding invitations, and the etsy shop will remain open no matter what, I just won't be able to ship goodies out until December 29th.

Oh, whats that? You still need some presents? Well let me help those readers out:

Use code: Holiday10 at checkout to get 30% off your ENTIRE order. Remember, the discount ends at 7pm on Wednesday, so get your orders in before then! Everything will go out 2-day priority mail via USPS, and assuming all the postal workers are on their game, your goodies should arrive before xmas!

Go, have fun, drink some nog, cuddle with some stationery, and have a FABULOUS holiday!

What I love right now...

2010-12-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

Mason Jars.

The Husband and I have been considering a move to a larger home in 2011- kind of our resolution for the year: move into a larger home that we can actually afford and cut Husband's commute to work by at least half {right now, it's about and hour each way!}. Listen, he works some crazy hours {we're talking like he LEAVES for work at 6am and comes home around 8-9pm}, so the more time I can spend with him before he eats and falls asleep on the couch, the better.

Given that resolution, I've been dreaming of our next home and what it should look like; almost always going back to a white New England colonial with black shutters and off rooms off the sides of other rooms for fun things like a breakfast nook or mud room. Man, I would love a mud room- especially with Atticus. His only requirements are that it have at least a 2 car garage, and enough property to house a few more cars {he's an enthusiast...}.

I envision all sorts of fun things: lighting fixtures, window plantings, farmers porches... and I must have mason jars. Everywhere. I love them as that little touch of 'vintage' for any room, and stick a few fresh cut flowers in one of those, and its the easiest centerpeice in the world.

A few other photos that i'm lusting over:

Images: Budget Wise Home, Design*Sponge, and Zimbio.

A little nose action

2010-12-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

Everytime I come home from anywhere- whether it was an 8 hour long trip, or a 5 min long trip, I walk from the driveway, to the house, across the dining room windows, and see THIS face staring at me. Little Atticus likes to put his nose on the window and kind of 'walk' with me to the front door- all while his nose is still attached to the window. It's pretty adorable if you ask me.

Once I walk inside, it's even MORE adorable- he happilly throws his whole head into my body and just rubs his face on my belly, legs, or arms. He's a pretty happy guy to see us, and I love him for that.

This is also the, "Mom, stop printing and take me for a run," face.

Framingham Holiday Marketplace

2010-12-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! Sarah and I had a GREAT time at the Framingham Holiday Marketplace over the weekend, and I'm back with a few pics of the booth to show you all! Thanks to everyone who stopped by, and some of the new friends I was able to meet!

Okay, here is the point in this post where I need to share my experiences, both good and bad, about what happened on Saturday:

1) Always pack the night before, not the morning of. You'll forget critical things, like the babies breath garland you spent 4 hours creating and put at the front of the fridge because you 'know you can't forget it if it's THERE.'

2) Don't forget to bring a strong person- my husband in this case- to do the hard stuff, like drilling holes for the table legs. I know, I could have easily done it, but I also decided to wear a dress, and that just ain't ladylike.

3) If you DO decide to wear a dress, make sure that when you bend over, the cowl-neck isn't giving unsuspecting onlookers a free show. This may or may not have happened from experience...

4) Bring a GREAT friend to help you with the math. Generally, a calculator is best, but when in need, make sure your partner in crime can add the math for you. I'm still not sure what 3 times $8 is, and I may or may not have had my hand under the tables counting my little piggies for a total.

5) For the love of everything holy, just rent a table. Okay, so this one I did to myself BEFORE the show, but I thought it would work out. Apparently 8ft long booths are larger than they seem, and my little dinky 6ft natural wood table from Ikea with the most amazing legs in the world just didn't cut it. We 'rented' one from the event coordinators before the shindig began to help out-- we just DIDN'T have enough space to display stationery.

6) Bring business cards. I know, it sounds obvious, and thankfully I brought plenty, but I know alot of folks didn't {I wandered around for a few moments in between the show}.

7) Bring lunch. Gross hotdogs and coke won't keep you going for very long.

8) Help people feel comfortable. Sarah had a great idea to display one card of every pack out on the table for people to 'feel.' It was the best decision I ever made. Sure, I had to put a pack of cards out of misery to do it, but it was a great conversation starter for people lurking around the tables: "go on, don't be afraid... cuddle with it, give the card a big hug, you'll love the texture." It was a big help. I had to remember that alot of folks haven't ever experienced letterpress printing before; it could be watercolor printing for all they know. I think this helped ALOT with sales...

9) Most important tip of the day: just have fun! The event was open to the public from 10am-4pm, with set up from 7-10am. I was TIRED to say the least after printing and packing till around 2am the night before, but everytime I got tired or kind of worn out during the show, I just remembered to put on a happy face, and enjoy the fact that, 'hey, people might actually like to buy from a happy person.' I know I do. It also helped that Sarah ran for coffee and treats midway through the show... I LOVE sushi. THANKS SARAH!

Okay, so the show was a resounding success-- not for any money made, or products pushed, but because I was able to meet with people I had never met before, enjoy some time with a really good friend of mine {folks, she lives like an hour away, AND STILL met me out there at 8am in the freezing cold... how amazing is THAT? I know, a keeper.}, and tell people about letterpress.

Next time: I want to have photos of Gable and Beux {and general studio goodness}, MORE plain stationery {it was a best seller, I would say}, and access to a credit card thingy {I really think this would have helped boost sales just a bit...}.

Okay, so here is a little update in the studio: I'm busy as hell. I wish I could say that another way without it sounding crass, but I can't. I am. I was so overwhelmed with what I have to print in the next few weeks before xmas, that I didn't print anything last night. Nothing. And you know what, it was the best decision ever. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say. I'm better today, and hopefully Gable is cooperating enough to allow me the pleasure of printing this evening. We have a TON TON TON of personalized holiday cards to get out the door this week {I am SO excited to show you those photos!!!}.

xoxo

BTW: you may have noticed that there is some garland on those tables? I've got some good news: they are for sale in the etsy shop now! I've created 'Happy New Year' and 'Merry Christmas' letterpress garlands! Whats a mantle to do without some garland draped on it? Head on over to the etsy store to get your pack!

Join me Tomorrow!

2010-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hey readers! Happy Friday! Man... I've wanted to say 'Happy Friday' since it turned Monday. This full week of work & business is for the birds...

It's been a WILD week in the studio as I prepare for my first little craft show, so I'm signing off with my normal Blush Design duties in a few moments and getting everything set up to have my FIRST BOOTH EVER AT A CRAFT SHOW. I have no expectations going into this show, and I will be joined by my VERY fantastic partner in crime, Sarah, to help wo-man the gaggles of people the show is hoping to draw in. Last year, over 1500 people attended the Framingham High School Holiday Marketplace, and I'm hoping this year will be another great success for the school! All proceeds {like our vendor fees and tickets-- only $2 a person!} go to support the schools' sports programs. We have several young men and women in our neighborhood that attend FHS, so I was honored when I was able to support them and their sports teams. Go Flyers!

If you have some time tomorrow- stop by and see us! Sarah and I will be the ladies inside the 'vintage living room' designed booth, full of paper, garland, lights, and everything else you can POSSIBLY think of!-- did I just reveal my plans too soon? I must have had a lapse in judgement...

Some details about the show:
*********info here on WickedLocal*****************
Location: 115 A Street, Framingham, MA, 01701; look for signs, but we're in the gymnasium
Phone of the High School {in case you're lost...}: 508-877-1934
Dates: Sat from 12/4/10 - 12/4/10
Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Ages: Kids, Adults, sorry- no pets. Atticus will have sit this one out, but he'll be there in spirit.
Cost: $2. c'mon, it's JUST $2, and it goes to a great cause!

Hope to see some of you there!
xoxo

{photo credit: Erin Vey}

Couple new cards in the etsy shop this week

2010-12-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

Why hello there, readers! I hope you are all starting to work off the extra poundage from the Thanksgiving treats {I know I wish I were...}!

I've got a couple new stationery items in the etsy shop this week. If you want to have any customization {names, monogram, etc} done for these, let me know asap! I can turn them around for you in about a week {ish...} and certainly in time for xmas!

Be well everyone!!
xoxo

Thanksgiving at the B house

2010-11-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Our family has departed, the house is left empty, but our bellies & fridge are FULL of goodness from this Thanksgiving holiday! My brother, his wife, and my Husband's brother came to visit with us this holiday weekend and I can't tell you how amazing it was to see everyone. I think it was the first official 'vacation' from Blush Design Studio that I've ever taken {like really taken-- as in not even looking for my blackberry a single time to make sure I didn't miss a client eMail} and I won't fool you: it was amazing.

I thought I would share pics from our table. I've ommited the photos of actual people {sometimes thats creepy...} but you can drool with me as I remember all that yummy food just waiting to be pounced on. I gained no less than 5lbs over the 4day vacation and I am A-OK with that.

Over the months this year {I can't believe it's Thanksgiving already-- NOVEMBER?}, I've been reminded that as fun and exhilerating as going a million miles an hour with printing is, it really leaves the 'little things' behind. It's going to be a New Years Resolution for 2011 for me, thats certain, but I wanted to take a brief moment to let you, my readers, know what I am most thankful for:

1) My husband. It's a given. This man has put up with ALOT from me, and he still sticks around {silly man}. He is my life, he is my lover, and I am grateful to come home to him every single night. Thank you, K!

2) My family. Another given, but it's important to recognize how important it is to have people in your life that truely care about you and your wellbeing. 'Family' can mean your closest {or not} kin, bestest friends, or even neighbors-- but those that genuinely care about you-- those are the ones I'm most thankful for.

3) You. My readers. Starting this business, I had NO idea what to expect, I mean zilch. I'm still learning how best to do things, but it's all of you, and your amazing comments that keep me chugging along-- thank you!

I hope you all had a fabulous, safe, and filling holiday!! I'll be putting up a few new stationery sets in the Etsy shop this week-- keep checking back!!

Vacation Laziness

2010-11-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

This is my handsome man, Atticus. He is the LAZIEST dog I know...

I full intend to do NOTHING {except cook & clean, can't escape those two...} for the next 4 days as I'm officially shutting down Blush Design Studio starting today to celebrate birthdays and the holidays-- I will back in the studio on Monday!

Thanks everyone- have a great turkey day!!

xoxo,

Liz & Gable

you can find me under the tiny Citgo sign...

2010-11-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

I'll take any excuse I can to print more about Boston, and these save-the-dates are no exception. Amanda & Matt are to be wed in the city next May and with so many out-of-towners, we needed to inject a wee little bit of Boston to help get everyone acclimated.

I printed the cards on 110lb Crane Lettra paper in Pearl White with matching envelopes in blush pink & silver inks and can't wait to start working on their wedding invitations very very soon!

Holiday Sale: 10% off Customization...

2010-11-15T11:47:00.001-08:00

From now through Thanksgiving weekend {ending on Sunday 11/29}, I'll be offering 10% off holiday card customization which includes 1-color printing of up to 3 lines of text inside the card and return address printed on the flap of the envelopes. Minumum order of 30 cards. Customization starts at $45 and if you order now, you'll get 10% off!

Head on over to the etsy shop to pick out your favorite card and contact me for your order details!

"You print wedding stuff, right?"

2010-11-15T11:19:00.001-08:00

... Thats what my neighbor said to me this morning as I was collecting the trash barrels that had been rolling around in the middle of the street for god knows how long. Yeah, we're THAT repeat-offender neighbor who has their barrels rolling around the entire city because I refuse to wake up early to collect them. Just another Monday morning here. :p Actually, I think he made the comment because he saw the studio light on well past midnight last night as I was finishing up orders and getting ready for the influx of custom holiday orders. Oddly enough- I love staying up late and printing! I even caught an episode of The Walking Dead, my new favorite zombie show. {btw, in case those out there also follow the show, hit that weblink I just shared to take your 'Zombie Survival Quiz." You'll be happy to know that I ranked as a natural leader, which is a big joke to me, haha.}

Alright, enough zombie mention for one post. I want to show you all one of my favorite wedding invitations ever created {i'm biased}. Lynn was SUCH a doll to work with, and had the most amazing personality. Everything was printed in mustard yellow and bark brown inks and both the invitation & reception card were put on 220lb Crane Lettra stock in pearl white; the response card on 110lb Crane Lettra--she wanted an extra 'punch' to the invitation and reception cards and putting anything on the 220lb stock is the perfect way to do it! It's literally indestructable!

That little heavenly floral 'hug,' I mean bellyband, is one of my favorite elements; with several items in an invitation suite, I think it's important to 'wrap them up' somehow as opposed to letting them fly all inside of the envelope.

Congrats Lynn and Theo!

2010: Holiday Stationery :: UPDATED!

2010-11-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

Cu-Cumber! {say it like Leonard in Ugly Americans, you know you want to...}

I have 1- JUST ONE- holiday card to finish up on the press this evening, so I don't have photos of that lone ranger {it's the Joy Ride... my favorite so far so I HAD to leave it for last...} but the rest are going to be in the etsy shop before the end of today.

Okay, so I'm a bit late on the holiday stuff this year. Where did the time go? It's November 9th. NOVEMBER 9th! My birthday is just a few short weeks away, Thanksgiving right after, then... gulp, Christmas. Then... double-gulp... new years. THEN, as if life couldn't be moving more quickly, that means 2011 is just around the corner.

I'm: shocked. excited. scared. happy. Kind of a big ball of anxiety about it actually. I want 2011 to be different. To be more enjoyable. Not to say that 2010 has been UN-enjoyable, but I want to be able to stand in the middle of the afternoon and say, "life is good," a bit more often than I do. That's my goal for the rest of this year and all of next.

Enough talking, more pretty pictures, right? {disclosure- sorry, not so pretty pictures, the real-deal is so much more heavenly, ha}.

available in packs of 5 or 10 tags

available as a single A6 card & envelope

available in pack of 10 cards & envelopes

vintage postage for 10 44c envelopes- I only have 30 packs for sale!

Holiday Coaster 4 Packs: Vintage Holiday {first set} and Holiday Party {second set}

Breaking News: I < 3 this Blog.

2010-11-09T06:55:00.001-08:00

Photo by Erin Vey- my FAVORITE pet photographer ever. This is Memphis. I have a girl crush on him too. Atticus will always be my number one, though.

It has absolutely nothing to do with stationery. I've given you fair warning. It has nothing to do with letterpress, or pretty colors, or anything related to paper at all.

... and I can't pull myself away from Liz, who is the mastermind behind Flourish In Progress. She is a recently turned 30 year old who has put her foot down to change her life in 1 year with, you're going to love this, eliminating needless shopping from her repertoire of daily activities.

I think I have a girl crush on her- and not just because we share the same name.

Anyway, I wanted to interrupt this {poorly} scheduled post to present to you: a woman, who is so true to herself and what she believes AND is chronicling it for our viewing pleasure. Go. Enjoy her with me. I seriously just scowled at the new handbag I bought over the weekend...

2010 Holiday Sneak Preview Pt. 2

2010-11-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here it is folks, what I have been working SO hard in the studio just about every night to complete. I am nearly finished with the final touches on a few of the cards and will have 'actual' photographs of the printed goodies before the week is out!

Be on the lookout for all of these and more in the etsy shop soon!

2011 Calendar- Available Soon!

2010-11-01T19:24:00.001-07:00

Thats right! I have 2 colors printed of this hanging, A7 {5x7in}, limited edition calendar and can't wait to show you all the photos of the actual print! Stay tuned for when it drops in the etsy shop later this week!

...in the meantime, be sure to come back this evening because the first of the 2010 Holiday Card sets, coasters, & garland will be up for sale AND a fantastic giveaway to announce to you all!!

And then there were two...

2010-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

...just two little presses sitting in a studio, wondering which one gets to play with Mommy today.

... folks....

stop the presses.

Gable is not only a brother to Savannah the cutter, but also to Beau the letterpress, and I could not BE more happy to announce that news!

Gable, as you remember, is a 60 year old, 8x12 Chandler & Price platen press and I felt so comfortable working on a machine like that, I knew I needed to find another one-- a bigger one this time. Enter Vicki and her amazing presses. One of them went to my dear friend Elecia of The Dancing Pen Calligraphy {congrats Elecia!}, and the other, the 10x15 Chandler & Price, is now apart of our little family.

Logistically, I have no idea where it will fit, or how in the WORLD to scrub off 20 years of dirt and grime {it hasn't been run in at least that much time...}, but I'm up for the task. It will likely take me months to get this machine up and running to really assist in any of my printing, but you have to start somewhere!

I also want to stop for a moment and dedicate a little something to my Husband, who has so lovingly offered his assistance in MOVING this animal from Rhode Island to Massachusetts. Readers, this is NO small feat, and at 1700lbs, Beau is a terror that you never want to reckon with. We'll be using his company's portable storage unit to do the transporting and housing it in their warehouse until we can find alternative quarters. Thank you, sweety!

Beau, you had me at 'creak, creak.'

Yeah... this is a horrible blackberry photo. He's being smothered by a TON of old and discarded machinery and I was playing monkey just to be able to get a closeup!

GORGEOUS Ipswich Wedding... and SMP!

2010-10-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, readers!!

I am back quickly to tell you some amazing news: I'm looking at a new press tonight! Can't be sure if I'll be the proud new mommy yet, but I'm hopeful!

In the meantime, check out this amazing wedding featured on Style Me Pretty today! I had worked with Alexa and Andrew last year to help create their wedding stationery- and I LOVE every detail of their special day. How darling are those pinwheels? I mean, really. This day looks too perfect for words. :)

Enjoy for now- I'll keep you all updated on the press!

xoxo

Studio Sneak Peak: Holiday 2010

2010-10-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

{sorry for the terrible photos, this is what 2am on a Sunday morning looks like in the studio}

These photos are... not sexy. Not in the least. It's been crazy getting orders out the door {thanks USPS man, I know you hate me!} and trying to finish my holiday creations, but all will be finished real soon!

... May I mention that these aren't even HALF of whats to come? Yeah...

Crunchy Leaves

2010-10-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

I really REALLY love summer, and I'm sad to see it go, but I really REALLY covet my time with New England's fall weather, too. Since I went to school and lived at the beach for 4+ years, I've grown accustomed to kicking it at class/work all day, then heading over to the beach for a little bit of liquid courage {in many senses} and being with friends.

It's been 5 years since I've lived at the beach. Five. Since then, my life has kind of taken a total 180* twist--all for the good, I assure you. I no longer work then drink, or drink THEN work {har har}, but instead, I enjoy every second I can with my boys, teaching myself how to cook, and contemplating new house projects {which reminds me, we lost a stair railing in the front of our house to a larger than life UPS man... anyone have any recommendations of how not to spend $1000 replacing the entire stairway?}.

I titled this post something that I remince about all year after fall: crunchy leaves. I love them. We have this crazy huge oak tree on our front property that takes up the whole lot to the left of us {thankfully, we own it...} and it deposites these beautiful rusty colored leaves every year that make the most desirable 'crunch' when you romp on them. Since Atticus has taken amusement in using his 'shovels' to destroy every last blade of grass in our backyard, we're playing with him in the front yard till it recoups a bit of life-- and he and I run around in circles around this massive tree crunching every last leaf we can find. It's fun. :)

I've printed nearly 8,000 prints for my holiday creations {so far, I have another 4,000 prints to go!} that I'm about to unveil, but I wanted to take this brief moment to just remind you, dear readers, to not forget the little things in life. Now go outside and crunch some leaves. :) A few photos from our end of summer/early fall in the yard...

Big man Tucker is doing well

Atticus's skin literally moves in a dozen directions when he moves-- he is THAT big...

What we enjoy working on... every time we take it out:

What not to teach your Great Dane to do {the husband is 6'5'' btw}:

And here is why...

I < 3 Calligraphy

2010-10-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, do I love me some calligraphy. According to Wikipedia {yes, I know, It's widely considered an inaccurate place for information, but I like it, and I learn a lot of fun facts from there...}, calligraphy is considered more an artform, than an actual writing style. It makes sense- just about every calligrapher I know has several 'styles' in their goody-bag of artwork. Letterpress, on the same hand, is now also considered an art form, more than an actual style of printing, and for that, I think the two are paired together well. {Actually, if we're being honest with each other, letterpress is still very much more considered a style of printing AND an art form with the recent resurange of what I like to call 'box breakers,' those that push the limits of the style and create some really artistically beautiful and different items. Check out this book for what I'm talking about: The Little Book of Letterpress. It's a whole book dedicated 'box breakers.'}

I've been working quite a bit with Grace Edmands of Grace Edmands Calligraphy and have fallen in love not just with her work {which... lets be real, is beautiful!}, but her as well. She is one of the sweetest vendors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and pumps out her masterpeices in record time. I've collaborated on 2 wedding suites thus far, and I know it won't end there!

Katie had reached out to me many months ago {uhh, yeah....I'm trying to catch myself back up to speed with all of these posts...} to help create her classic & simple wedding invitations. With the help of Grace, we were able to utilize a classic serif font with some very artistically written phrases.

Everything was printed on the uber-lush 220lb Crane Lettra stock in Pearl White to give us a maximum impression.

Allow me an aside quickly; Crane Lettra comes in 3 very beautiful, and very different colors: Ecru for the nature lover in you, Pearl White for classic part of life, and Bright White for the rising rebel. All of the colors are quite popular {being that there is only 3, it would make sense...} but I've definitely noticed a seasonal pattern with each one. Right now, the color is Pearl White- and everyone seems to chose that one. Trending towards the end of the summer, most folks were selecting Ecru, and I've often noticed that around the holidays and early spring, folks are looking for the bright white to help put a pep into their step. All very interesting if you ask me, and I try to stock my paper in the studio accordingly. Pheww, okay, business statistics over, back to the beautiful paper.

Katie also decided on a post card response card- if brides are out there looking to save some dough on their wedding invitation postage, consider a post card! Ultimately, I letterpress printed the one side, and Katie had screen printed some fun florals and text on the other side to help keep the budget in order. We added a fun frame for her to put a stamp inside, and I can't be more thrilled with the results!

I have a few other projects in the works that I've been working on with the help of Grace's handiwork, and you readers are going to be WOWed by the results. Seriously, I'm drooling over these and I haven't even ordered plates yet.

xoxo-Liz

ps: I know it's VERY late, but I have a slew of fun Halloween things to show you all! I'm working on the press most of today and into tomorrow {we had a little bit of a temper tantrum last night, didn't we Mr. Gable?!}, but I'll be back up and running by tomorrow evening to show you the results. All the gooey, drippy, gruesome goodies will be available for free 2-day shipping via the Etsy shop before the week is out.

Oh, Hey there...

2010-10-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

{hands in pockets, kicking a pebble with right shoe, looking down...} Oh, Hey there, readers. So I... um... have no excuse. I've been a real bad blogger, and I'm sorry.

I'm going to remove my hands from their cozy pockets of safety and look at you sheepishly to say, I've been super busy in the studio lately, but I haven't forgotten about any of you. Please forgive me!

It's already OCTOBER, which means I'm 2 weeks behind on my holiday printing, and still have a slew of wedding invitations to finish up. That's, of course, on top of surviving my life that seems to be rapidly out of control these days. I can't believe I left you all hanging from the anniversary photo shoot too. Check out the AMAZING photos by Rachel Kate Photography here {I'll plug her for the rest of my life, she turned the most uncomfortable HOT and sweaty day into something magical for me and my husband}.

There is also some other AMAZING news to share, you will all start seeing some pretty fantabulous photography grace the blog by Shannon Sorensen, and as I start to build my new online shop, you'll also see her work on my etsy page for a short while. She has an eye for artistic beauty like I have never seen before, and I am SO excited to start showing her off to you all! {btw, she does weddings and all kinds of other photography, if you're in the market for a fun, fresh, and vibrant photographer for your next event- CHECK HER OUT!}

Alrightydokaly, this post was primarily to tell you all that I am a} still alive, b}miss you all terribly, and c}will at least try very very hard not to do this radio-silence thing again.

This weekend: 2 wedding invitation suites and starting the holiday stationery fun!

xoxo,
Liz, Atticus, Tucker, Gable, & Savannah {pheww}.

Happy Weekend + Well Wishes to my Husband

2010-09-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Photograph by Rachel Kate Photography

It's already Friday. I haven't kept up with my promise to blog twice a week, but for good reason!! I've been printing up a storm and preparing for this weekend--Me and my Husband's first year anniversary is on Sunday!

So many new things are in the works, readers, and I wish I could spill all my cookies and tell you, but I'm going to make you wait and beg for the goodies to grace your presence over the next few weeks.

Oh, alright, I'll give a few hints: I've gained an amazing friend- absolutley beautiful in every single way- and she's going to be helping me with the photography for the blog, the new online shop {coming soon}, website {yikes, more on that to come too!}, and possible brick-n-mortar location. Just too many details to share now, but needless to say, I'm excited as all getout, and I can't wait to share information in due time.

For now, though- I want to send some well wishes to my Husband. On Sunday, it will be 1 full year since our wedding day. 1 full year since we said our vows to each other in front of our family and friends, and 1 full year since we made the promise to each other that we will love each other unconditionally for the rest of our lives...

Kent, I love. You've aided me in the search for who I am, who I will be become, and above all, have allowed me to be apart of your life. Here's to many more years of spontanously dancing when Frank Sinatra or Elvis {his slow songs} comes on the TV or radio, to saying "yeah... I saw that going differently when I started the recipe," to arguing over something stupid and laughing later, to coming home to a Husband and pups that just missed you, to waking up on Sunday morning and realizing you have absolutely nothing more important that you need to be doing, to gardening together, to everything else this life holds. To- pure and simple- many more to come. I love you.

TGIF!

2010-09-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Wow readers- this week has snuck up on me!

I've had the VERY amazing pleasure of meeting some new people this week, connecting with bridal-friends, and even being apart of a giveaway- my first ever!

I have a light weekend of printing this weekend- which is GREAT since I'm technically still 'styling' the anniversary shoot scheduled for next weekend. On that note, I CAN'T BELIEVE how quickly this month is flying by. I haven't even STARTED to think about holiday goodies and I'm already months behind on that. Whoops! I've got a few designs that are nearly ready to go to print soon, so the etsy shop will be exploding VERY soon!

So... I have a bit of printing and a lot of relaxation planned for this weekend. I can't wait for the TrueBlood season finale on Sunday, and the chance to clean our house a bit- don't laugh, it's really exciting to me to have a clean home. For now, however, I want to leave you with a little bit of fun that I uncovered this afternoon while on my normal blog-parade:

Erin Vey. I feel like her name as a sentence would be suffice, but she is my favorite FAVORITE pet photographers ever. She has a Dane named Gracie, and lives in Seattle. I would die for her to come and take photos of the boys {Atticus & Tucker} since I possess absolutely NO skills for photography whatsoever. Check out her website and galleries-- they'll make you want to run to your nearest adoption facility and pick out a new bestie {not that you wouldn't want to already... but you know, peer pressure.}

Happy Weekend!

~* Lovely Blossoms *~

2010-09-08T16:01:00.001-07:00

Oh dear. Yes, I'm late in getting these beauties out to you, but no doubt, these were worth the wait.

I've FINALLY finished printing all 50 limited-edition packs of my new Lovely-Blossom card set! Each pack is lovingly wrapped in a cellophane bag {for protection} but not before being hugged by an adorable bellyband. I love bellybands. They go hand in hand with those 'cuteness' tags I mentioned a few posts back. Everything should have a bellyband around it.

Each pack includes 3 note cards printed with my signature florals {using vintage imagery} in blush, blossom, and peach inks and kraft envelopes with a little-birdy letterpressed liner {already inside and ready to go!} in blossom ink.

Pick them up today in my Etsy shop!

Hi Wednesday, I wasn't expecting you yet

2010-09-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG few days in the B household and I'm completely shocked to learn it's already Wednesday. I'm even MORE shocked to learn that today is September 1. Really?

Mr B and I have just 18 short days to prepare for our 'photo shoot' and I haven't done anything to begin preparing the letterpress vow poster, OR gotten my wedding dress out to try back on {okay, that last one...I'm just plain too nervous to do yet}, or get his tuxedo out to the drycleaners {yes, he owns one...}, or, or, or.

Many many "or's" can follow that last paragraph.

This week I am working on some beautiful Boston skyline wedding save-the-dates, and finishing up some *amazing* calligraphy wedding invitations.

I am admitting this once again: I am incredibly backed up here on the blog. Like, 15-22 posts. I can't believe it kind of spirals out of control every once in a while, but it does! I am asking formally if there is anyone reading {are you out there?} that can take photos of my work for the purpose of the blog. The time it takes to take the photos, upload, edit, and upload into flickr makes me cringe and I'm just not that great at it anyway. haha. Anyone?

Happy Weekend!

2010-08-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

It's been such a long week. I have alot of printing left to do to round out some of the fall weddings I've been working on, and a TON of printing left for my stationery cards, Flora & Fauna, and Lovely Blossoms. The good news is that most of the heavy lifting is finished and now I'm putting the final touches on everything before they hit the etsy shop. I know, I know- I told you all you could see them this week... but next will have to do.

I have been working on our wedding vow poster that I'll be printing next month in anticipation of our anniversary photoshoot {yay!}...I'm going to printing a ton of these and picking the best one for the photo shoot- so it means I'm going to have ALOT left over. I plan on about 50. It's going to be full of tough registration and with 6 colors, I'm going to have some errors. Maybe I can give them away as prizes to people? We'll see what the husband thinks.

I wish you all a GREAT weekend! Mr. B and I will be recovering... we caught the worst of all colds this week and the two of us are dying. Yuck. Hopefully we'll be back up and ready to enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather upon us. I can't wait!

Till next week, readers!

Bella Florals & Amazing Calligraphy

2010-08-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

I hope Miss Brenna is reading this blog post today, because she has turned my world upside-down when she asked me to create some personal stationery for her!!

Miss Brenna and I met during college in North Carolina--what seems like a million years ago now {but not...}--and together with our VABEL {inside joke} entourage, we tore up the little sleepy town of Wilmington, NC. Things are a bit different now, some of us married off, some of us moved away, and some of us are still in Wilmington, NC living the dream. Miss Brenna is living that dream- that perfectly beautiful, wake up to a beach sunset every day, and heading to the water whenever the moment strikes. I miss that.

When I first talked about the Bella Floral stationery line, Brenna was all over it! I knew we would be creating something in her future. I had known for a while that Brenna was also an accomplished calligrapher- really specializing in more modern calligraphy & strokes. It's kind of fun, kind of grungy, and whole lot of unique. I had her write out her favorite quotes {and she sent ALOT} along with names, address, and all the important stuff when considering stationery. It was really hard for me to pick out my favorite quotes from her beautiful handwriting, but ultimately, we decided on one by Jack Kerouac, "Live, Travel, Adventure, Bless, and don't be sorry." I LOVE it- it was perfect for an envelope that will likely travel the world when she is writing her regards to friends she has met throughout her life. When considering where to put it on the envelope-- It had to be something unique and I tied it right into her return address with a fun frame to match the stationery. I had never printed anything like this before, and I'm honestly surprised it came out so well. Really. haha.

Because Miss Brenna prefers the cooler spectrum of colors, we decided on light aqua florals and a bit darker celery green-- the address was printed in a 'tonal' color to the envelope to ensure it would show up, but also blend right into the envelope. Everything was printed on Crane Lettra 110lb paper in Pearl White.

After working on this project together, I've asked Brenna's help in creating some unique posters and will be displaying them in the Etsy shop for the holidays! I am SO excited about them. Right now, the plan looks to be about 8 poster creations, but we'll see how many I can get into the printing process before the holidays are upon us. I can't believe I already need to start printing for the holidays!

If you are interested in personal stationery that is reminiscent of this one, let me know! We can create something custom just for you!

Fiddlehead Wedding

2010-08-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

Can you feel it? Can you? It's the weather starting to change! I can't believe the summer is coming to an end, and I actually turned the heat on in my car yesterday. THE HEAT! I have a slew of summer wedding invitations I need to post in this blog before the weather gets the best of me, ha!

I have been waiting for today for a good long while. When Joyce first reached out to me a few months back about printing her wedding invitations, we had talked about many different design ideas-- all of which were centered around fiddle heads, a fern that she would be incorporating in her all of her wedding. I love fiddle heads, but goodness they are hard to design around! She also loved frames, so in Blush Design tradition, we gave her exactly what she wanted!

Everything was printed on the most beautiful and plushy 140lb cotton rag in a creamy white with a textured medium grey envelope. The invitation was printed in 3 colors for maximum pop: jewel toned purple, granny apple green, and cloud grey. We played with a few different elements, but that response card is by far one of my most favorites ever. You all know I love vertically oriented response cards! ;) I really went overboard with the fiddle heads and put them on the return envelope too-- I just love love love those.

We also printed place card tents and little 'cuteness' tags with website information that can be wrapped up in bakers twine that I got from Divine Twine {highly recommended, I LOVE their twine colors}.

I have to publicly declare something here-- this was a tough invitation suite for me to design, mostly because it required me thinking outside of the frame {ha, get it?} and I am SO incredibly fortunate that Joyce stuck with me through the entire thing. She was a GEM when I sent over countless proof of something that just wasn't perfect. When we found the design, I think we both knew it. These are so fun and playful-- and perfect for their wedding setting. To Joyce: You are a rockstar, and THANK you for being so patient!

To Joyce & Andrew: Congratulations!!!! I can't wait to see wedding pics!

Beautiful Wedding- Will Travel

2010-08-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

It brings me SO much joy to be able to show you all this travel themed wedding suite I printed a few weeks back. I had been working with Katie for a few weeks to nail the design just perfect, and I can't believe how in LOVE I am with these!

I tried something I've never done before-- full on printing of a large sheet of paper. Initially, I was really worried about the impression quality {platen presses tend to have more impression 'strength' towards the bottom end since that's where it pivots from...}, but knew that if I stepped up the paper to my most favorite 140lb cotton rag, I wouldn't have an issue-- and I didn't! Katie had requested a 'travel theme' to her wedding suite, since that is how she and Jason initially met and fell in love, and we found a vintage map of Europe to create the backdrop of our A6 folded passport booklet printed on the 'antique' colored stock and in gold ink.

As an aside quickly-- these images were not taken of the copy I typically keep for myself, these photos were taken of the suite that Katie had sent me after dolling everything up with the most beautiful applications of lace and ribbon. The invite is HEAVENLY, and I would be SO happy to receive one of these as a guest!

Back to the paper: The invitation was printed on a slightly smaller paper than the A6 folder {so that it could be affixed on the inside} and in gold and a peachy/blush ink. That image towards the bottom left is actually a representation of Katie and Jason's wedding venue, created by one of her amazing designer friends! The response card was printed on a 4bar size (3.5x4.875in) and really tested Gable's ability to print in super small text size! We had alot of information to fit on that little card, and Katie particularly liked the idea of the guests being able to 'tear' away information to keep with website information. I LOVED this idea... almost as much as the 'kids' menu image which is actually a Snuffle Bear by Gund--something that Katie & Jason had used throughout their save-the-date theme. When I talk about testing the limits of text size... I mean it, because I had designed the 'K, I, D' blocks with fear that they wouldn't show up in print... they took me by surprise and were PERFECT when it came time to print!

I had too much fun designing & printing these. To Katie & Jason: Congratulations!!!

Waving goodby for the weekend

2010-08-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the glorious weekend is upon us all. THANK YOU!!

I will be printing a bit and relaxing alot. Maybe not quite like Atticus up there- which by the way, is how I found him when I got back from the grocery store this morning.

I've been busy busy busy uploading all kinds of pics for the blog, etsy, and website {to come!} so I'll start leaking those pics as soon as possible. For now- check out the etsy shop with a WHOLE BUNCH of new stationery up for grabs!

... I have 2 lines to introduce next week, and my-oh-my am I excited. Really, Atticus would even get up for these! "Lovely Blossoms" and "Flora & Fauna" will be launched on Tuesday & Wednesday so be sure to come on back to the blog to check them out!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

1 month from today...

2010-08-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

In exactly 1 month from this very moment- My husband and I will be celebrating our 1 year married together. I almost can't believe it's already been a FULL year...

...of starting this letterpress business, of working 19 hour days and still laughing over who wants to clean up dinner, of painting the distastefully red shutters of our house black, of eating on china as opposed to just dishes, of watching Entourage and saying 'oh goodness, he's really going downhill now...," of playing with our boys outside, of giving little Tucker steak every night for his final year with us, of gleaming at our wedding rings together in bed and striking pure smiles, of being with family on vacations and wondering when ours will soon grace us, of house hunting, of record keeping, of pure and simple life.

It's been a great, almost, first year.

We still have 30 days till the big day, and because I work with brides every day of my life, it's time I said: ME TOO. Again! Mr. B and I will be having a photoshoot to kill all photoshoots on the the 19th of September. Location is tbd, but we're scounting out big fields with lots of open grassy areas and some trees nestled in. That inspiration board above was something I put together as I am styling the event {ask and I will deliver the location I found all these!}-- and we can't forget the wedding garb we'll be in-- only this time, Mr. B will in a bow-tie tuxedo {yum}. I have ordered enough flowers to alert the pollen authorities, and have more tricks up my sleeve to kill a magician.

What you don't see in that inspiration board is paper- and since you read this blog, I hope you all know me better than that. Year 1 is the paper-anniversary, and I will be printing the vows we read to each other on our wedding day as a poster in 6 colors {yes, you read that correctly, 6} and having it photographed to DEATH. Death I say. I've reached out Grace Edmands to help with some calligraphy and incorporating it into the process. To say I'm excited {about the poster, but really everything...} is an understatement. Can't wait to show you all the final results!

Stay Tuned!!

I die...

2010-08-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

No, not really. But I DID have a quick moment where my heart beating slowed to a crawl after seeing some of these pics from an engagement photoshoot:

I found these pics on the Lucky Luxe blog and honestly can't get enough of them! Here is secret confession #4359 to you, my dear readers:

I am in love with the book, The Notebook. It has been a favorite for a VERY long time, and much longer than the movie-- because Nicholas Sparks, the man who wrote the book, had me at 'for sale.' When I first saw the book for sale, a million years ago, it was fate that it would turn into my favorite love story. When my husband & I were kids, dating in highschool, we saw the movie together when it first came out-- and I think we watched it another 3 or 4 times together-- at the theater...

When we got married last year {which by the way, is coming around the corner, and I can't WAIT to show you what we've got up our sleeves!}, we had the piano theme {click for youtube song} from The Notebook-movie playing when the guests walked in, and used it again at the reception while folks ate. It was PERFECT.

I wish I had remembered The Notebook when we were planning our engagement shoot way back when...

I thought today would be relaxing...

2010-08-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

{Style me Pretty} + {Lexi Photography}

And it has been, for the most part-- Until I got a note from a client with a link to Style Me Pretty featuring the most gorgeous wedding I have EVER in my life seen... and a shout out to Blush Design Studio for creating the wedding stationery!!! I guess we're kind of a big deal*. Liz is one of the most beautiful people I know, and her wedding looked like a TON of fun complete with a full service candy bar. Yummy! Click the link above for more amazing photos!!

{*Thats a joke, but for today, please let me believe it.}

just hanging out...

2010-08-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Wow-o-wow am I tired. After 5 invitation suites, 3 personal stationery orders, and 1 baby shower order printed in just the past 4 days, I'm spent. Really spent. Like too spent to walk with Atticus-- and thats bad. I'm usually always up for him walking me.

I have a 'mini-break' in my orders for the rest of this week, so I'll be catching up on the designing and dreaded administrative end of the business-- as a side note: I wish I could pay someone to do this for me, the administrative stuff, that is to say.

Etsy Shop Update

2010-08-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have really left you all hanging about that etsy shop, hu? Whoopsy!

I'll be adding more and more things to the shop this weekend, so be sure to keep checking back!

Whats that I hear? Some of you want to know what amazing things are to come? Oh, you don't say? Well, I'm VERY excited to launch my new stationery line in the coming week that {cross fingers...} will be going to local stationery shops throughout the east coast soon! I call the line "Flora & Fauna"... you'll see why.

And now... a gratuitous Dane photo I found on google-images. I could use one of Atticus, but he's not as photogenic these days since he's taken a liking to mauling Oscar the Nikon...
I have 5 {count that... F I V E} wedding invitations to print over the weekend, so I won't be looking nearly as comfy as that dane is on the couch... but you can be sure I'll look like that when I'm finished on Sunday night!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

decidedly different fall wedding

2010-08-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Welll.... why stop at my last post when I'm just TOO excited about this one. Mostly because it's a similar design to my last wedding invitation, but still perfectly unique and one of my favorites!

When I tell you that Renee stole the light from the sky and placed it in her, I mean it-- she is most adorable person I've ever met, and every time we met during the design and printing process, I just lit up with a smile!

She and David are having a fall wedding, but she WAS not the type of bride to have autumn leaves floating all around the page or browns or any sort. Their venue, the Wachusett Village Inn, has just recently gone through a renovation in the ballroom they will be using, and has THE MOST BEAUTIFUL exposed beams, chandeliers... oh goodness. I'm in love. We needed a design that spoke to that beauty, and this damask pattern was ohsoperfect.

Her colors were black and ranges of reds, burgandys, and crandberrys with a pop of silver. We printed everything on my most favorite 140lb cotton rag stock in the 'bone' color and honestly, you have to feel this... LOVE it!

To Renee & David-- CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I wish you both the very best, and thank you for letting me be apart of your special day!

Romance in Connecticut

2010-08-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Oh hi there!!

Yes, it's Thursday morning {about 6am, actually}, and I'm just starting my posting for the week, sorry loyal followers! It's been a VERY busy few weeks at the B-household, and while it's all been interesting and good... it's certainly been exhausting too. Little Tucker continues to do well with his fat&happy treatment plan, and we've had to start buying steaks in bulk at BJs since he loves it ohsomuch. Atticus likes this treatment too, since he always sneaks in for a meal; hey, he's a growing boy too!

We've recently returned from our vacation-weekend in Wilmington, NC; where, as you remember from the moving announcement post, I went to college. It was a real short trip {REAL short}, but it was great to see some of my girlfriends if even for a few moments. The weekend was planned for my father, who is turning the ripe ol' age of {I won't tell, neither will he...}. When I'm his age, I want a month long party too. We showered him with gifts that were from the heart, and after that man has done SO much for us in our lives, it was time to pay it forward. He was given a hand-made cigar humidor made from 30yr old wood that was lying around at my aunt and uncles house, a really amazing crystal decanter for his 'mad men' evenings of needing a stiff drink, and of course, a box of personalized stationery printed by yours truly. I'll be sharing photos of those real soon.

Okay—what you’re ALL here to see is stationery, and I certainly hope these romantic wedding invitations for Liya and Chris don’t disappoint, because they are one my favorites to date! Liya had wanted something unique, while at the same time, traditional, and after working on her save-the-dates together, we went full force for her wedding invitations. She had loved a ‘wrap around’ look and I was able to get my Cricut out to help me die-cut those little tags with their names and date. It really brought the whole suite together! The invitation was designed to ‘peek’ out of the floral wrap around {which was digitally printed on kraft paper}. The response card and directions card were on the same card and perforated, so guests could remove their responses and retain their directions card. I highly recommend this route if brides are considering how to package up their #10 size invitations since this method will help reduce ‘bulk’ in one place inside the envelope.

This suite was printed on 110lb Crane Lettra paper in Ecru using chocolate brown, plum, and sagey-green ink custom mixed in the studio to match some of the ribbon Liya had sent me. I just love how everything turned out!! Congratulations Liya & Chris!

Packaging 101

2010-07-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

{sometimes I forget how many I've ACTUALLY packed and write + or -; gotta pick your battles!}

I've had a couple of requests to know how I package my goodies for shipment... its a good question. How in the world do I protect the paper that I spend so many hours trying to perfect and print? Well... let me tell you:

It's a long process, probably longer than it needs to be, but I'm a nervous nelly when it comes to shipping, so I don't skimp.

First, I count everything in the pile i'm packing {say, 156 wedding invitations, or 152 response cards} and write it on a little tag that I printed off- that gets placed on last, but it's a good habit to get into first since I often wrap up everything and 'forget' how many were in there later. Ooops.

Second, I wrap everything pretty thoroughly in clear shrink wrap to protect against moisture and am obsessive about those corners-- I try to make sure those are the most protected since they are the most likely to get destroyed first; you know how UPS and the USPS like to bang their boxes around during their kick-boxing-classes...

Third, I like to wrap everything up in kraft paper. Generally speaking, kraft paper is a pretty thick wrapping paper. Often times, my supply orders come wrapped in kraft paper and I reuse that about as often as I can before breaking into the regular rolls of it. It's good for the environment people! I also kind of love how everything is like a little xmas present just begging to be torn open-- I think brides like that too...

Fourthly, I wrap everything in brown bakers twine that I purchased from Fort & Field- Jessica has amazing stuff for sale at her etsy shop, so be sure to check it all out! They're cones of bakers twine have 3,000 yards of twine for 18 bucks-- deal. deal. deal. The bakers twine helps hold the kraft paper in place since tape doesn't often stick to it well. I also kind of have an obsession with bakers twine...

Lastly, I smack that sticker I had written the quantity on right in the middle of it. Its helpful when unwrapping to know how many is in each pile, and if there are multiples of things-- like 2 packs of invitations or 3 packs of envelopes. Since I'm a letterpress printer, I thought about letterpress printing those little tags but it's a huge undertaking to be printing that many... you can see from these photos that several were used for this ONE order, just about all my orders are like this one!

In terms of packing them in boxes, I try my hardest to utilize the flat-rate-shipping boxes via the USPS. Believe it or not, these photos represent about 16lbs of invitation 'stuff' between everything and that's HEAVY folks. Their large flat rate boxes are like $15, and a steal at that. Because they come pre-badged for 'flat rate shipping' I usually just print off a really sexy label right from the USPS website and then litter the mess out of the box with 'fragile' tags that I printed off on the office laser printer right onto sticky paper. I think it's helped... but I got an eMail from one client the other week that mentioned an entire corner was missing from her box. Not good. Luckily, I had packed the invitations away in their little safety-wrapping-of- love and they were unscathed. It's still heartbreaking, though. OH- and as if I hadn't recycled enough already-- I use packing peanuts from all my supply orders to pack up all the invitations in their boxes nice and tight. I think it helps protect the corners if everything isn't shifting around inside. It makes sense in my head anyway.

... so there ya have it. Wrapping 101 with a neurotic printer. I'm going to be having some strong words with USPS if they keep destroying these packages since it takes me about 45 min to pack everything up after I'm finished printing....

Savannah: our newest edition

2010-07-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well hello there, friends! It's been a wonderful weekend at the 'B household-- lots of qt time with Mr. Tuckerbean and equally fun time with Atticus and the husband. How is it that weekends are just never long enough? We should file a complaint.

As promised, here is Ms. Savannah. Ain't she beautiful? I'm sure of nothing with this cutter except that it's a guillotine cutter with a 23in blade and weighs about 500ish lbs. No brand, year of manufacture, nothing-- and I kind of dig that.

I was able to cut down a whole bunch of paper last night that would literally have taken me a full year to do on my dinky rotary cutter {thanks Fiskars!} and learned a few things in the process: (a) it can really only cut about an inch-inch and a half of paper (b) oil is messy, avoid it... (c) the clamp is no joke, and plan on using cardboard for the rest of your life-- above, and below-- to protect the paper in the middle, and most importantly (d), don't get your finger the way when loading the paper, that blade is 'surgically sharp.' Not to worry, I didn't lose anything in the process last night, but I was damn close!

I think she's beautiful-- and even though I generally keep her dressed in random scraps of paper, or my cup of water {with a coaster!} while I print, she's been a GREAT addition to the studio. I DO wish she wasn't quite so large so I could fit another press in there, BUT, it just means I may need to start looking for studio space at some point!

... for those who read the blog, I had promised to provide an update on little tuckerbean: he is doing quite well this week, and we've been pumping him full of medication, steak, and roasted chicken. He eats better than we do. He's starting to need more and more medication to remain pain free {we think, he's kind of the suffer in silence type of dog...}, but he was able to 'sort of' climb the stairs the other night which is a good sign. We still carry him up and down for the most part, but it's good that he wants to try and do it himself sometimes-- of course we're right there next to him just in case anything happens-- so far, he's doing pretty well!

{thank you weekend...}

2010-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

{He hated me for this pic, this dog hates water!!...}

...for showing up when I needed you most. It's been a WILD week, folks. Between hearing some bad news about our boy, Tucker, a very minor car accident courtesy of my stellar driving abilities, and Mrs. Berry {aka: my blackberry} taking the deepest plunge towards useless-electronics-world ever, I'm thankful the weekend is upon us.

... You'll notice that there is no update on our beautiful new cutter, Savannah; it will come, I promise. In the meantime, I want to dedicate this post to our loving little boy, Tucker, who I introduced you all to a few weeks back as our Boxer baby. He doesn't like to stay in the studio with me {it's much too noisy with the machinery running for his sensitive little ears}, but he's always apart of me. He and Atticus are 'velcro' dogs-- they are stuck with me wherever I go. After a few hours full of printing, I often need a glass of water... sure enough, the both of them follow... the whole 10 feet to the kitchen is twice as hard with two giant dogs at my hip, but I love it anyway. Makes me feel special.

Tucker-bean has not been himself these past 6 or so weeks, and gradually stopped using his right hind leg which now, at this point, is atrophied beyond repair. Thinking that was the worst of our problems (maybe real bad athritis or something...), we took him into the vet yesterday morning for an xRay of his hind quarters and the results were really not good. I don't know the specifics of anything here {in advance of reading this, know that I was far too emotional on the phone with the vet to hardly understand the 'technical terms' she was using...}, but it turns out that Mr. Tucker-bean has a bone-tumor quickly growing in his right knee. It's not something thats curable, and is likely to have spread to his chest bones/other parts of his nearby bones. It's operable-- if you consider taking his leg entirely away and relying on chemo for the rest of his 4-6months 'operable.'

So readers, it's with great sadness that I bring up this post to you, but I want each and every one of you to know that this week has been difficult and I will be focusing on my family (dogs included) for a few more days here. With the exception of one order (THANK YOU for understanding, Renee!), I am all finished up for this week/weekend, and will begin business-as-usual after this weekend. Tucker bean will remain on a strict treatment plan of 'fat & happy' as per the decision of me and my husband until further decisions need to be made. He's pretty excited to be back home anyway-- no matter what his face says when Atticus romps into the room. I'll leave you with a few memorable pics that I'll remind Mr. Tuckerbean of next time he's getting agitated and grumpy. I'll keep you all updated!

... In the meantime, sorry for the sadness overload, and I hope that you all have a WONDERFUL weekend-- remember, hug your pets, it's an order.

Update: etsy changes & personal promise

2010-07-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

{this is not me, or my dane, I just love this photo}

It's been a real busy couple of weeks. Most of you who know me personally (thanks for reading loyal friends and family!) know that Blush Design Studio is not only my passion, it's part of my life. I work long hours at several jobs (one of which is a 'personal shopper' to Atticus) and really *try* to give it 150%, sometimes at the expense of other jobs like cooking dinner or doing the laundry (ugh). Blogging has, regrettably, not been on my list of job 'achievements' and I'm sorry for that.

It's really hard to blog!! You have to photograph everything, photoshop out the dog hair (that gets on EVERYTHING), upload pics, write funny, witty and meaningful posts to go along with everything... it's the hardest job I have! I know, I KNOW I keep saying I'll be better at it-- which is maybe why I'm starting this post. I promise (and please hold me to this) to blog at least twice a week. It's going to be hard, but I fully expect eMails from you all about my lack of updates. At the very least, you can verify I'm still alive after playing with Gable & Savannah (the newest cutter in the family-- a formal photoshoot to follow this week!). I have PLENTY to be showing you all and I just can't figure out why I haven't been better at it.

Moving on...

I also wanted to let you all know about something REALLY exciting: I'm revamping etsy. Gable and I have been slaving over new coaster packs, stationery sets, and my newest endeavor: envelope liners (which, by themselves, don't sound all that amazing-- just you wait, folks-- just you wait). I probably shouldn't have revealed that so soon, but I'm just too excited about it. You'll notice that my etsy shop is currently closed, really, it's a good thing. I'll reopen it later this week/weekend for business of the newest goodies really soon, I promise!!

... up next will be a feature of Savannah! Till then!

a summer wedding update

2010-07-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

...yumm. I just couldn't help myself...

I SHOULD be finalizing my ridiculously huge plate orders to go out this afternoon, but I've been getting eMails from my brides about their fabulous wedding stationery being professionally photographed from their weddings and I just can't help myself!

I got an eMail last night from one my favorite brides with a link to her favorite professional photographs of her wedding. When I tell you that life after death is possible, it's true-- because I clicked the link, scrolled through the photos of their entire wedding, died, and came back to life to finish them. Everything was SO beautiful, and the most perfect bride of all time, Nicole, looked STUNNING on her wedding day!! I was happily surprised to see a photo of her wedding invitations that we printed a few months back, too!!

I really love it when brides include me in things like this after we've worked together; we work hard and for a long time to perfect some pretty important elements of a VERY big day, so I feel like I'm apart of each and every one of their lives going forward and I'm blessed, I tell you, truly blessed to know every couple, person, company, and friend that I have the pleasure of working with.

Congrats again, Nicole & Daniel, your wedding was BEAUTIFUL!!!!
All Photographs © Dorie Lynn Photography

Quick Update

2010-07-13T09:15:00.001-07:00

Why hello there readers!! My my my, it's been a while since I've updated this bad-girl-blog! Gable and I have been taking some vacation time, as well as been designing about a million (okay 13) wedding invitation and personal stationery suites for our customers-- all of which will be revealed in due time.

I just wanted to send a quick update over the airwaves to let you all know that we're still here, still printing, and that our eMail has been blowing up with requests; I promise to get to each and every one of you in the next 24 hours!!

I have some pretty exciting things outside of our custom printing to show you all too, but for now, I'll just give you some quick teasers: 2 new coaster packs- my favorite to print and personal stationery packs with some VERY cool letterpressed envelope liners (!!!). Very excited to start showing you all everything we've been working on!

Till then, readers!!

xoxo,
Liz, Gable & Savannah (the cutter).

we bid you good weekend!

2010-06-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Atticus, Gable, and I bid you all good weekend! We'll be doing some SERIOUS design work all weekend (as well as printing 2 absolutely beautiful invitation suites that I am dying to show you all--I promise to learn how to take decent pics. Oscar, the new camera, is getting angry with me for not properly setting up my photographs...) and finishing the studio after the painting and remodeling this past week. Next weekend is the first official vacation for the family this year and we can't go without finishing up all this work! Who are we kidding, I'll still be working... it's what blackberries were designed for, right?

In other news: We are welcoming a new bundle of joy to the studio! I can't wait to show you pics of Gable's new roommate (whos name is to be determined-any ideas? Send them over!). Oh, would you like to meet the new addition? A quick phone-pic from the seller-it's an antique paper cutter! We pick him up on Sunday- can't wait to take more pics!
I think it's safe to assume at this point that Blush Design Studio is here to stay. We have 1ton of machinery that say so...

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!

knot save-the-date

2010-06-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

I feel fortunate, very fortunate, that I get the incredible pleasure of making people happy with paper. I mean, if you really sit down and think about it, paper is just another resource in this world and it's literally everywhere we go. Post-it notes adorn walls of offices, checks enable us to pay our bills (most of us use the online banking, but your utilities are still getting paper checks cut from the bank...), name tags at a silly convention that read: "Hello, my name is Stupid, I'm with Her..,;" it's truly amazing what paper can do once you manipulate it. I mean, with 1 silly piece of recycled and tinted cotton, we can have a piece of paper worth $1000.

Letterpress takes the manipulation of paper one step further with the indentation it leaves behind, and the results are simply stunning- I'm biased, but I think some of you will agree...

I've been playing around with new printing methods, printing front-to-back, patterns, flooding, etc. and I'll always be amazed at the results-- mostly because the paper is really what dictates what you can and can't create! It's like a dance...step too far to the right and you're liable to step on your partners toes, and like letterpress, if you step too far in, you're liable to end up too far in the backyard of the paper (i.e. the other side).

These save-the-date post cards are a perfect example of that careful dance. Kathryn and Mike are just amazing people; I was able to meet with the both of them while they were visiting family in Boston (they live elsewhere-- and I was fortunate enough that they wanted to meet with little ol' me on THEIR VACATION!). Once they described to me their color scheme of a golden-bright yellow and clover green for their wedding, the save-the-date's fate was sealed. ;)

Knots are just adorable, so we ran with them, and since they wanted a post card to be sent out, we printed everything on pearl white 220lb Crane Lettra duplex stock. We can typically get away with printing small designs front and back on the 110lb stock (or 140lb cotton rag), but with such large forms as this one-specifically the knots, we needed to kick it up a notch. I am IN LOVE with the impression Gable was able to get on the yellow knots both on the front, and back, of these cards. I wish they made 3-d computers (because really, what isn't already in 3-d these days...) so you all could really see the impression for all it's glory.

We'll be printing their wedding invitation very soon, so stay tuned!! Thanks Kathryn & Mike!

Bespoke Press- Letterpress shop in Australia

2010-06-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Bespoke Letterpress Boutique from Bespoke Letterpress on Vimeo.

Wow readers-- this is a pretty cool video I found on Bespoke Press's blog this morning- it's a video tour of their studio and I LOVE it! I hope to come up with a video for Blush's studio soon! In the meantime, enjoy this!

HEY GUESS WHAT: the first press in the video is exactly what Gable is!! Gable just has a few modern editions like a motor and shiney black paint. We're actually having the studio repainted today (FINALLY!), so maybe we'll shoot some video this weekend? Only if you all eat your veggies. We'll be watching. Don't dissapoint.

pompom flower baby shower invitation

2010-06-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well isn't this a streak for blogging this afternoon? :) I'm trying to catch up.

Up next we have a beautiful baby shower invitation for sweet Jill- hosted by her amazing mother and sister (who lives in Belgium!). The sex of the baby isn't known, but Carissa (Jill's sister) knew that she wanted to use tissue poms in the decorations. We came up with a flower that was reminiscent of those those beautiful poofs and added some fun colors to accent everything!

Everything was printed on 140lb cotton rag paper in bone (a soft white) and letterpressed in 3 inks (I think the first order I'm presenting here on the blog!)- a light golden yellow, a fun summer grass-green, and a beautiful dk. aqua/turquoise to match the envelopes.

Oh whats that? Is that a little flower on the envelope? Why yes it is!! It's my new favorite thing to do-- printing on the front of the envelopes, that is! the impression of this little bud blew my mind. Thanks, Gable.

... I may or may not already be attempting to press a little flower or bud on all 600 envelopes I have for my personal and business stationery. Yikes. ;)

jasper: save the dates

2010-06-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sweet Jasper makes yet another appearance!! He'll be here all week folks- 2 shows a week. Really.

These are a different take on the 'Peony Save The Dates' I designed using the ever-popular Jasper florals for Susan and Matt who are due to tie the knot in June of 2011! We'll be designing and printing their wedding stationery suite too, so stay tuned!

These A6 save-the-dates were printed on Crane Lettra 220lb duplex paper in pearl white. The two colors, light purple, and a jewel-toned darker purple popped against their textured grey envelopes (not pictured-- I sent them all to Susan!!!)! I just love purples and greys together, so romantic.

romantic rose

2010-06-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

Oh the joy. The JOY of a new week! :) I had a particularly good weekend here in Boston with my husband, 2 boys, and our new 'roommate,' Scott. Scott is actually my husband's brother and just as adorable as my husband- just on a younger scale. You may remember from a previous post that the Husband's parents and brother, Super-Baby Bardwell, lived in Moscow. Well, Super-Baby Bardwell isn't so 'baby' anymore, and will be joining the prestigious gathering of Boston University in the fall. In the meantime, he will be staying with us, in our most humble abode. Folks, this kid cleans. And REALLY cleans well. It's amazing; like he and the magic eraser were separated at birth, so it's an absolute pleasure to have him with us for the summer!

Unfortunately, the WHOLE weekend wasn't as amazing- I managed to fall in a completely open street on Saturday evening and give myself the most incredible road rash all all over my right knee that I'm not sure I can even stand today. Really. I feel like a wimp, but this HURTS! I'm a burn victim in better clothing. I'm a Neosporin-addict. I'm an idiot. I fall ALL the time, often just from random walking, and shoes or not, make no difference. I fell about 2 years ago at a train station in DC and managed to fracture my right ankle. At this particular time, I'm thankful to have Gable on a motor so I don't have to foot treadle my next few print orders.... there has to be something about my right leg that my body is trying to abort. Moving on...

Today I have the most amazing pleasure of showing you the 'Romantic Rose' invitation suite that I designed for Laura and her Fiance Jeff. Laura is one of those souls in this world that you can't help but want to hug and smile around-- and I've only had the pleasure of chatting with her via eMail. She had purchased some stationery for her wedding (placecards) that she adored, but wanted a more 'personal' experience with her actual invitation stationery. She had a theme of 'roses' around the wedding, and colors of navy and gold (one of my absolute favorite color-combos) so we went to town on vintage roses and dotted frames. I've spoken about what letterpress is best at (it's best at a lot of things), but small-ish line art, details, etc are spectacular in print.

Everything was printed on 140lb cotton rag paper in an antique ivory and paired with navy and antique gold envelopes (which I was able to match the gold ink on the outer envelope- the return address to). I may have a new camera, but there is no picture in the world to replace you being able to FEEL what these roses do to the paper when it's printed, it's beautiful!!

I can't thank you enough, Laura and Jeff!! Congratulations!!

new and improved personal/business stationery!

2010-06-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, my goodness, I am a jerk. I meant to write this SUPER meaningful post to go along with these photos (taken with the new Nikon-- be nice, I'm still learning how to use all 7 million features on this thing... most importantly, how to play with lighting!).

You've all seen some of this photos before, hopfully in better quality this time, ha!, but I wanted to point out something REALLY magical on those wrap around personal labels of mine-- Mrs. Elecia Fogg of the Dancing Pen wrote out my new name in her stunning calligraphy-hand. Listen, I don't pretend to have good handwritting (I'll be lucky if banks can read my numbers...), so the idea of someone having such PERFECT handwritting that it evokes feelings of ancient times of princesses writing to their prince charmings on parchment paper in gooey ink-- blows. my. mind.

If you're looking for calligraphy, Elecia has been a doll to work with and I really value her as a friend (she's just gotten into letterpress too!!). Check out her blog HERE or her etsy store HERE. THANK YOU, Elecia!!

apologies are in order...

2010-06-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

to ALL of my friends, family, and followers. This website, while AWESOME (thanks, Erica!), has some of the worst photography I have ever seen. Yeah- it's pretty horrible.

Never fear folks, I've just purchased a new Nikon dSLR camera!! It should arrive sometime today/tomorrow (we'll see how FedEx comes through for us...) and will be re-photographing just about everything here to re post on the blogsite. Get ready!!

The tyranny of terrible pics is almost at an end. I may actually shed a tear. Of joy.

Fort & Field- Moving Announcements Blogged!

2010-06-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

My favorite little moving announcements were blogged by Fort & Field!

I was randomly searching Etsy the other day when I found Jessica's cone of brown&white bakers twine-- which I immediatly purchased up to accompany my new packaging (pictures to come soon!!!). Fort & Field has a TON of great stuff for sale on their etsy page-- everything from perfectly striped straws to adorable little cupcake/muffin liners. C'mon!

Anyway, check out Jessica's Etsy page!!

Romantic Wedding in Chicago

2010-06-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness-- what can I say about these invitations that hasn't already been thought of by just LOOKING at them? Miss Agata reached out to me looking for an invitation suite for her and Bob's romantic Chicago wedding-- not only were they on a tight timeline in terms of sending out their invitations, but they also weren't sure what they were looking for in terms of any graphical designs. They presented to me one of my printed pieces-- a rehearsal dinner invitation from McKenzie and Peyton's wedding a few months back-- and were looking for something typographically heavy as opposed to graphically heavy; I couldn't WAIT to design something around that! I mean, just think-- how many FONTS we get to choose from!!

The ever popular Bickham font was my ally here, and pair that with the 220lb Crane Lettra Duplex paper and you have magic folks, pure and simple. Okay, Gable and I helped a little. Agata and Bob's colors were neutrals (how PERFECT?!, that's how I would describe romance, too!!) and we decided on opalescent metallic champagne envelopes with a mocha colored ink for everything. We went a little different on the reply card and made it an A2 size (4.25x5.5in). I would say that the majority of wedding invitation suites present the response cards in the traditional 4bar size (3.5x5in); they're cute, they fit into any design, and easy enough to side in an envelope. Since we were working with a very lush, romantic design, we couldn't just stop with fun fonts, we went 'lush' on the size of the response card too. I love the end result! Bytheway, I call that little 'website card' a cuteness tag. Future clients, listen up-- those are too much for me to print, and can seriously display things like websites, names/dates, or just little graphics to help punch up a wedding suite really easily. I may or may not be suggesting that with every single print order from here on out. ;)

These were so much fun to print, and I can't wish more luck to Agata and Bob who have already stolen my heart with their wedding invitations!! All the best, you two!

perfectly sweet moving announcements

2010-06-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

Oh hi there!! Horrible, terrible, no good, awful blogger I am. Just terrible. What that really means is that I'm spending most of my time designing, ordering/cutting paper, or actually printing, so I can keep all of your attention on this new-fangled blog here. ;) It's all for you.

This weekend went by too quickly!! Mostly because I was excited as all get out about the TrueBlood premier on Sunday night (hello, Bill Compton, you may come in...), and that one of my best girlfriends from NY drove up to be with me. The boys, well, just the Husband and his brother, were visiting friends in NC-- when was the last time I had a whole weekend to be a girl and do my own thing? I can't even remember. Of COURSE I scheduled 4 orders to print over the weekend. Of course I did. I got through about 3.5 of the 4, and still drooled over Eric Northman, so I'm fine with it. ;)

Anyway-- I have been meaning to show you all the FINAL RESULTS of the moving announcement for my dear pal Alison!! I am so pleased with how these turned out. I've been learning more and more about printing throughout the course of my 'expedition' with Blush Design Studio-- printing back and front, for example, is no easy feat. Impression depth is diminished with a larger form (like this A6 sized card-- the larger the impression, the less the impression, so you need to add in more 'packing').

We also used the same color stationery items as I now carry full time for my personal and business stationery-- a delightful salmon/peachy color. It's really beautiful! We lined each envelope with a metallic cappuccino colored paper and everything was printed on Crane Lettra 220lb duplex paper in fluorescent white. In the spirit of 'learning' about new printing methods, I attempted some wrap around labels- which were printed in 2-colors on 80lb text weight Crane Lettra paper. Those were... difficult. The paper is so thin (it's really NOT that thin, but compared to my normal 110lb or even the 220lb, it's like a grain of salt kind of thin), it's hard to get them to stay put with Gable opening and closing so fast (the air would get under them and move them around!), but as you can see from this post, It CAN work well! I ran each of them through the xyron machine to make them sticky on the back-- and I just LOVE the effect of the letterpressed paper against the envelope. It's like a little present!

Enough talking by me-- enjoy. ;)

Stationery Line: Bella Florals

2010-06-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Now presenting- Bella Florals!

A modern twist on the traditional business envelope, this letterpress stationery is available in 2 options, one with a hummingbird (the 'Aviary'), and the other with just a whole bunch of flowers (the 'Classic Bella'); both designs are available with customizable text (names, poems, whatever you can think of!).

Available on etsy now in packs of 30 with kraft envelopes included for $40 + shipping.

Personal & Business Stationery

2010-06-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness, this has been a long time coming. With the new redesign of the blog-site (Thanks, Erica!), I knew I needed to change my image. My favorite color is, and will always be, a peachy-salmon pink/peach-- what better than to design my personal & business stationery around that and my new hummingbird logo??

I just love how everything turned out. For the most part, I left the 'cards' empty of my company name/logo or personal name so that I can interchangeably use them both whenever I need to-- either business or personally related.

My little hummingbird... I can't tell you how well he printed. I took a regular, ordinary design of a hummingbird and utilized florals to punch it up a notch. I was worried that I had made a rookie-design mistake of making them too intricate for letterpress, but thankfully, it all worked out-- and perfectly, I might add!!

Everything was printed on the most lovely 140lb cotton rag-- it is a fantastic stock, and I will be carrying it full time now as well as the Crane Lettra. If you're looking for an impression without breaking the bank, take a look at this 140lb cotton rag, it is phenomenal!

Blogged: Stephanie Mosher Photography!

2010-06-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

Before I show you the yummy pics (with my TERRIBLE photography skills), I thought I would do a sneak-peak reveal of one of my newest invitation suites for the sweetest client I have ever worked with; Nina & Chris were SUCH a pleasure to work for, and when they sent a wedding invitation to Stephanie (as a guest) in Virginia, she just had to blog them. I could not be more excited!!! Visit the rest of the pro pics here!

THANK YOU Stephanie, Nina, and Chris! More photos to come shortly!

My Mascot: Atticus

2010-05-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's no surprise how much I love all of my boys: Husband, Tucker & Atticus, but only one of my three loves will actually sleep in the studio with me while I print.
Atticus (who I lovingly refer to as Little-A; it's like calling Yao Ming, 'Tiny') loves to print with me and Gable. Tucker goes off in search of more peaceful grounds, and the Husband is wrapped up in his car projects while not working at his big-boy-job.

With the recent remodel of the studio, the new bamboo floors have taken a beating from his shovel sized paws and nails the size of carrotts so I've been searching around for items to make his stay more...comfortable...and my floors in less dire need of replacement in just 1 years time.

(please excuse the costume-- I was an eskimo and my husband was a penguin... he has no photos...just me...looking like an idiot).

Anyway-- I've been looking everywhere for cute 'dog where' and went to the ever popular Etsy to help me out. Check out this dog bed from BowWowBeds, for $49 (A STEAL), I can have an xxl dog bed custom made AND monogrammed. Sold. AND it has a picture of dane just like Little-A!

And look at these adorable collars I found! Little-A is about to become the classiest print compadre this side of crazy...

Lets hope this saves the studio!!!

Peony: Save-The-Date

2010-05-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, readers, I am on a roll with the blog posts this week!! I'm hoping this makes up for the fact that I was MIA working on all of these beautiful creations- maybe not. I'll be better, I promise. ;)

Gable and I have been incredibly busy these last few months. I can't believe we just started working together as a business in January! With the motor fiasco out of the way, I am able to print wedding invitations in record time-- and we all know that leaves more time to enjoy little Atticus, Tucker, and my hubby, oh right: and to blog the pretty paper, ha! And to oil Gable. Okay, it doesn't leave too much time...

Because of this, I officially took 'vacation' on Saturday and didn't print, go into my office, or do anything 'work' related; it was SO beautiful here in New England that I couldn't resist hanging out with the boys in my life and taking down a few cold brews. Ahh, life is grand. I'm back into the saddle and ready to present to you one of my FAVORITE new save-the-dates!

Marcie reached out to me a few weeks back to help design her black-tie wedding invitation suite after seeing the Peony suite I designed for Miss Amanda who is getting married this October at Haystack rock. Love. For a short while, I actually designed the business logo around this peony image, so it wasn't a stretch to want to use it in other elements as well.

For this save-the-date, we went playful and used a childhood poem that I simply love: 'Marcie and David, sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G, first comes LOVE, then comes MARRIAGE.' C'mon- its perfect. While we were looking for a formal approach to these (the wedding will be Black-Tie), it's hard to keep that poem in the same tone, so we played up it's whimsical notes with really scripty 'kissing' element. I LOVE how they turned out!

We printed front and back on the 220lb Crane Lettra duplex weight stock. I highly recommend using the 220lb stock when printing front and back of anything- you get a fantastic impression on both sides of the paper without worrying about 'show through' of impressions. Because this save-the-date was heavy text, it was a perfect pairing. For those that are new to letterpress, there are a few (well, they're are many) things that letterpressing excels in; one of them being text. It is amazing at the clean lines and flourishes of fonts these days and these did not dissapoint.

Blush Design Studio will also be printing Marcie and David's wedding invitations- so keep checking back!

Sweet Jasper

2010-05-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

It's no surprise how much I love to print florals-- and these are my FAVORITE ones of the bunch! I've named this suite, Jasper. I think in total, I've printed 12 different orders using various colors, fonts, and layouts- and I love each and every one of them.

I'll be designing an entire wedding suite around these flowers including save-the-dates, invitations, response cards, menus, programs-- everything! Stay tuned!

Whimsical & Nautical

2010-05-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I would mix it up a bit and show you all something that I HAVEN'T letterpressed but am equally as happy with the turnout!

Brendan and Liz are getting married in Rhode Island this summer and reached out to me to design some 'ticket' style invitations. They were getting married near the water and this project was a perfect opportunity to play around with fonts, designs, flourishes, and digital printing!!

Everything was digitally printed by HPG in Waltham, MA (thanks, Joan!) on true white speckletone 100lb cover which I found on the ever popular French Paper. Brendan and Liz wanted a recycled paper that had some 'fleck' to it, and the speckletone did not disappoint! For the response envelope, we used a recycled paper similar to the speckletone and wrapped everything up in a citron pocketfold. My favorite element was the kraft envelope we used-- it was PERFECT.

So there you have it folks, I'm not just a letterpresser! These will remain one of my favorite digitally printed wedding invitations ever! Congratulations Brendan & Liz!

ps: that incredible map? It was designed by Brendan himself... in powerpoint. AMAZING!

pss: is anyone else taking note that this is my 3rd wedding invitation this summer for The Glen Manor House? This is so exciting!

Floral Stationery

2010-05-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

... yes, these are from 3 different people's personal stationery that I printed, but I thought it would be neat to showcase them all together. As you can tell, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to print florals. I love designing them, drawing them, smelling them, playing with them, photographing them, everything. I love flowers. ;)

Just in case you weren't tired of it by now, the last photo up there is of my personal favorite- the floral monogram and has been featured on more invitations I print than I care to mention- but lookout, because it's going to be incorporated into a full line of 'stationery for purchase' on my etsy store sometime next week!

All images were printed on the 140lb Cotton Rag (that is my FAVORITE new paper to print on-- the impression quality is AMAZING) in the bone color. Please excuse the incredibly amateur photography skills.

Arizona in August

2010-05-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell, I'm on a post bonanza. I will try to catch you all up to speed with what I've been working on, and you can hopefully forgive me for dropping off the face of the earth for a few weeks while I was getting myself back into the swing of things. Actually, this is all pretty new to me- the business that is to say- to bear with me as I try to continue posting pretty pictures and keeping my sanity!

Today, I have the VERY immense pleasure of presenting to you an invitation suite that has been sitting on my plate for a very long time. Jenni reached out to me sometime last year to work on her wedding invitations and told me that her theme was a particular rock formation in the Grand Canyon where her wedding to Dirk would take place. HOW BEAUTIFUL! I created a vector design of the formation and we used a decidedly perfect color pallet to tie everything together.

I tried something a little different with the invitation piece- which was printed on the 220lb duplex weight, Ecru, Crane Lettra stock- essentially, to get a solid image of the rocks, I had to flood a significant portion of the paper with ink. I've never tried flooding before! Traditionally speaking, flooding is taking up the whole page with ink; baby steps, folks, baby steps. I was careful on my ink mixtures to not have too much (you don’t want too much anyway) when printing the text over the rocks—overall, I think they came out beautifully!!
The reception and response cards were both letterpressed on ecru 110lb Crane Lettra paper and paired with metallic pink and wine colored envelopes.

Want more on Miss Jenni—oh right, of course. She is amazing. She also hosts a blog of her own Arizona adventures here and almost always has a link to a contest or promotion going on at way cool stores. Listen up, she has won a TON of stuff with these, so get in on that action!

Oh, in case you were wondering how in the world a letterpress machine works, I should mention that I have videos of the printing process!! I took a myriad of photos and even videos of our little Gable going to town on these invitations. I just need to crop out the big wet nose of Atticus…such a lush for attention.

Congratulations Jenni & Dirk!

Pierre Deux Promo Coasters

2010-05-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Remember that motor we just had installed? It was because of THIS order. I can't believe how quickly I was able to print these 2000 coasters and 500 belly bands!

Pierre Deux reached out to me via etsy to help them print 500 promotional packs of coasters for some upcoming design events. I am SO excited to say that I not only survived, but I am so pleased with how everything turned out!

Each pack was assembled with 4 coasters: 1 red balloon (from one of their famous fabric prints), 1 green logo, 1 red logo, and 1 green sunflower designed from several pieces of their work, I found it used here on drinking glasses. I may or may not want several drinks after finishing these...). Each pack of 4 coasters had a bellybands wrapped around with their logo in a shade of blue to match their site, and put inside a clear poly bag.

I feel I owe it to you all to show you these next two photos:

Note a few things:

A) Big A was there with me the WHOLE time I was wrapping these

B) Yes, that IS RedBull- and not the sugar free kind. We needed the full rounds of ammo for this order.

C) The old motor for Gable IS still in the house (anyone know what to do with those?)

D) That remote right there indicates that I was cooped up in the living room watching the ENTIRE season 1 of TrueBlood. Admittedly, that wasn't terrible since I love that show (for those of you that DON'T know, I'm a huge TrueBlood fan, and yes, I will be wearing my Merlotte's t-shirt on it's June 13th season premier drinking none-other than the elusive bottle of TrueBlood Orange drink my Husband got for me...)

All in all, the process of printing was VERY manageable, but only because of the motor. I would have been dead and in the ground had I printed these coasters with the foot treadle. The assembly- that's what took the longest. It was, however, the best for the coasters since they'll be dropped into promo bags later.

THANK YOU, PIERRE DEUX!! I would love this duvet set now, kthanks. ;)

Gable: In all his glory...

2010-05-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

Kevin- the Friendly Electrician...and 3000 coasters just WAITING to be printed

Gable- the last time he will see the treadle for a LONG LONG time...

I can't possibly believe this day has come. Gable is motorized!!

I won't fib to you all- it was touch and go there for a hot min. Between lying to the Grainger store that we actually had an 'account' there to purchase motors and having to return 3 (!!) in 3 days, I'm done talking about electricity and any kind of motor. My husband put on his amazing hat a few weeks back and was determined to help me put a motor on Mr. Gable.

It started innocent enough; Hubs bought a new motor when he saw how long I was in the studio printing- tirelessly with my foot treadle (which wasn't terrible, and I have amazing leg muscles... on the right side only)- and wanted to spend more time with me on our precious weekends. Pause for the 'awww' moment...what a keeper!!

When we bought Gable from his refurbed-beauty-parlor back in 2009, a motor was placed on him, but it didn't want to turn over once it was delivered and plugged in at the studio. Awesome. It probably didn't help that the motor was 100 years OLDER than Gable, but hey, it was probably pretty good in its early years. Hubs bought the exact 'newer' model of the same motor from Grainger and we dutifully had Phil the Electrician wire it all up. Hours later, the motor was turned on and SLOW turning of the back flywheel commenced. Like so slow I could read a chapter of twilight between prints. Listen, I may love that book, but I've got prints to pump out on this thing!

Okay, so we spent all day (on an hourly-paid electrician) on a motor that just wasn't right. I promptly exchanged it with a larger horsepower motor and decided to kicked it up a notch to include not one, but two electricians (can you see the $$ floating across my mind... I did). Another 6 hours of work later, the newest motor was installed. I'm not going to lie, I was excited. I was (still am...) days behind on some print orders and needed this to end in a victory for team Blush. The moment we turned it on, the motor was sluggish. oh no. We gave it a little help starting by turning the fly wheel (the large one on the left) and it started right up! YES!! A few seconds later, we noticed that it was INCREDIBLY fast and no matter how much we 'dialed' down the little switch, it was still in 'Kill Liz Mode.' Whatever, it was motorized, and I was happy. Phil and his buddy left me with the violent motor and I thought I could get a few orders out that evening.

I'm not sure if anyone reading has ever been in a near death experience- I sure hadn't before that evening- but Gable and I came dangerously close to sealing our fates together as one INSIDE of his platen (the part that opens and closes in the middle). It was downright vicious. I removed the newly installed motor instantly and put my poor treadle back on. Okay, back to square one.

Thousands of dollars later (yeah...) I decided it was time to call on the professionals of Briarpress (the most amazing online resource for letterpressers and printers) and found that not only were we using the wrong motor, we had the wrong switch AND it was going in the wrong direction. Whoops! Off to Grainger bright and early the next morning, Hubs returned home with a less expensive motor (woohoo!) and a little blue box (an on/off switch and speed regulator, essentially) from Japan that I swear could maneuver the space shuttles single handily. Phil spent less than hour putting everything back together- and knock me over with a feather, it WORKED!

Not to knock Grainger, but they only give you what you ask for, so words of wisdom: make sure you know what you need BEFORE you walk in there and start dropping barrels of cash.

Gable is officially motorized. I can't believe it! We just finished printing 2000 coasters and 500 belly bands for an order I can't WAIT to show you all!!

THIS is letterpress

2010-05-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Letterpress Coasters from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

Some days, printing just isn't nearly this fun- especially if things aren't going your way- but this video captures what it feels like to have it ALL go right. THIS is letterpress; Michael Dacey of Repeat Press recounts a particularly good day in the printing studio-- and not just because he got to enjoy a drink after all the hard work was complete...

A special thanks to Rachel from Pistachio Press for putting this up on her blog earlier this year.

Garden Wedding in Maryland

2010-05-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Just in case you hadn't noticed, the new blog/site it up and running!! Thanks to one of my best friends, Erica, Blush Design Studio has been entirely transformed. I am so excited to present this to you all!

Between designing on my new logo, teaching Gable to play nice with a motor, and working with brides, it's been a very busy couple of weeks; I can't wait to show you what I've been working on!

I am so pleased to present to you, the wedding of Cari and Bryan. Cari is one of those brides that you can immediately relate with, and throughout the course of our eMails back and forth, she mentioned to me that she and Bryan met doing field research on Damselflies. She was looking for an invitation that was inspired by vintage and natural elements and also tie into their tented garden estate wedding in Maryland.

We letterpress printed the invitation and post card on 140lb cotton rag paper in an antique color and used a vintage shade of green and charcoal grey with matching envelope. The little damselfly is my favorite part!

You'll notice we did a few fun things on that envelope- first, we didn't letterpress them! They are actually gocco screenprinted in silver and a matching green ink. Something about the textured grey envelopes just screamed for me to play with them. I just love how it all came out!

Congratulations, Cari & Bryan!

Personalized Moving Announcements

2010-05-01T11:59:00.001-07:00

OH HI!! Am I excited about these OR WHAT? One of my best girl friends just recently moved to the most killer apartment in downtown Richmond, VA and I basically forced her to let me create some personalized moving announcements. I couldn't help myself.

See, little Ali and I met while in college in NC-- what feels like a million years ago-- and she is the sweetest lady IN the world. She's also little-- as in barely over 5ft tall. You could fold her up and put her in your pocket she's so cute and adorable. We were fortunate that where we went to school was also located right smack dab next to one of my favorite beaches in the whole wide world: Wrightsville Beach-- and what could possibly be the BEST thing to have at the beach?

Yeah, thats right: it's a beach cruiser. Complete with a little wooden basket (to throw your heels in after hitting the beach bars hard) and MAYBE pegs on the back to ensure passenger safety. Little Ali had the best beach cruiser in the world.

When a big girl job presented itself, little Ali jumped on it and migrated back to Richmond, VA where she's originally from. She left her fabulous beach cruiser in hopes of greener pastures and has recently moved into one of THE MOST FABULOUS apartments I have ever seen-- and I've only had the pleasure of drooling over photos. Folks, she has double doors leading to her bedroom, C'MON!!

Killer apartment aside, her favorite colors are in the coral family and taking just a little bit of inspiration from the most amazing beach cruiser in the world, I created these for her. You're probably wondering 'why I don't have fabulous photos of the letterpressed glory,' right?

I literally got so excited about this design that I had to share these with you now- installment 1 of 2. We're going to print these on bright white Crane Lettra 220lb duplex paper (this stuff is seriously thick!) in light coral/peach and light taupe colors with matching envelopes. Oh yeah, and we're going to gocco screen-print the white beach cruiser-- AND... just for kicks, I'm ALSO going to edge paint the cards in a metallic cappuchino/taupe color.

You'll notice the card has a pattern on the back? Oh yes--this is a perfect time for us to chat because I want to introduce my newest and to-date most lucrative idea: My very own stationery line!! I will be designing a set of 15 cards and patterns that can be personalized any which way you like for any situation/event out there! I can't WAIT to show you all what I've been working on!

If you are interested in this pattern for your next event- reach out to me! I would love to customize this for you!

Stay tuned for pics of these beauties in all their letterpress goodness!

Letterpress Week at Oh, Hello, Friend!

2010-04-27T11:10:00.001-07:00

Hello there!! I have to apologize for falling into the dark black hole that is 'no blogging' for the last few weeks. It's been incredible (in a good way!) the amount of orders I've been getting! I know, I know, I'm a bad stationer. I'll be better. What an to know why?

I did it. I realized that outsourcing is easier. Perhaps not cheaper, but 100% easier than doing it myself-- and the project I've chosen to revamp is the blog. Yes folks, I know it's been 'redone' a few times already (sorry loyal followers!), but I've managed to goo this one up to no repair and it must be done. I've contacted a professional to help me.

I thought long and hard before deciding to get help-- I was kind of a hypocrite by NOT asking for help. I mean, every day I get requests of brides and stationery lovers for help on their projects because they can't/don't want to do it themselves-- why was I so different? Yeah: I'm not.

Anyway- there are lots of new changes to come and i'm trying to hold back the massize amount of blog posts (I can't WAIT to show you some of these invitations and stationery items!) until the site is redone. In the meantime, I want to give you some letterpress goodness to persuse and introduce you (late, of course) to Letterpress Week at Oh, Hello, friend! I just love this blog- it collects the most imspiring elements in the creative world and makes them come alive.

letterpress week at oh,hello friend!
image by: slimjim

Till next time!!

Summer Wedding in MA

2010-04-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Now THESE invitations, I have been waiting to show you for a very special post; a very special post that I can honestly say without wavering: had I known about this design in my head about a year ago- these would have been MY wedding invitations. Everything from the dotted border frame, to the floral monogram used at the top (ahem… from the last post we revealed by new last name to be Bardwell. C’mon!), to the punchy, bright, and summery colors- right down to the font used in everything.

I. Am. In love.

When Jillian and I were initially chatting about her vision, she was looking for a simple, modern, and somewhat whimsical-flourish monogram, and strict, scripted fonts- all in black ink. Well, that just wasn’t Jillian and Bobby. The more we were designing around that scheme, the more we were ALL realizing it just didn’t fit their tented shin-dig to be hosted in June. What DID fit, however, was as soon as she described her color scheme (such as her bridesmaids wearing black dresses and carrying hot pink/fuchsia and orange flowers with a tiny bit of bright green thrown in there), I knew it was decided: we needed color.

Of course, Mr. Bobby put both Jillian and I under a strict gag order not to use the color pink. Boo.

Fortunately, Jillian was able to wear him down and we ended up with a light pink on all those beautiful reception cards (Ok, if you really want to know, Jillian and I decided that since the pink isn’t used for the MAIN invitation, nor is it on the response cards they will be getting back, that Bobby wouldn’t really know it was there, right? RIGHT?). Well, the girls won this battle, and we even squeaked by with a beautiful blush pink response envelope for our decidedly perfect response cards. I just don’t see enough vertical response cards out there! I matched the green ink for the invitations with the green outer envelopes we had chosen together and I just LOVE the end result!! Jillian and Bobby: It was SUCH a pleasure working with you two, and I can’t wish you both enough happiness for the future to come! Congratulations on the wedding and THANK YOU!!!!

Back Where I Come From

2010-04-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

I could sit here and pontificate about the mulch sitting on my driveway, or the fact that, YES, Atticus is still dragging around that really poorly looked after Fuji apple tree, but I’m not going to enter the hilarity that is my daily life today. Instead, I’ve decided to explore the ‘Back Where do I Come From' story of my life. It would help if you read this while thinking of that perfect Kenny Chesney song...

Lets start with my Husband's family. I thought I would reveal a few nuggets about their life- as I am now a part of it, and can add my OWN elements to the recipe. My husband’s family is perhaps one of the most eclectic mixes of folks I have ever met—his Mother was born and raised in Kochi, Japan (my Husband was also born there), and met her Husband (of nearly 26 years!) at a school in Japan. You see, Papa Bardwell (we’ll call him for all intensive purpose) is the tallest fair skinned man from Wisconsin I’ve ever met; we’re talking like nearly 6’5 here and met his Wife, Mama Bardwell while teaching Japanese students English. First, how amazing is that? Second, what an adorable story! Baby Bardwell (my husband) was born a few years later in Japan—and you should see some of the baby pictures. At the risk of him divorcing me, I’ll keep them private, but suffice to say that he in a little swaddle next to his VERY beautiful Mama Bardwell is precious. They all lived pretty happily in Japan for a few years before moving to Ithaca, NY (where Papa Bardwell finished his excellent studies at the University), and was acquired by an international agriculture company (we’ll keep the specifics private, ya strangers) that would proceed to bounce him and the family from Moline, IL (where Super-Baby Bardwell, a little brother, was born), to Cary, NC.

My family also has an interesting story- and though not nearly as culturally exhilarating, I am a healthy mix of Papa Seidl (German and Irish), and Mama Franco (Cuban). Mama Franco came to the US from Cuba when she was very young, and her family relocated to Maryland- where she was able to meet Papa Seidl (born and raised in Maryland) through his sister. A few years later, Baby Seidl was born—and just a few short 11 months after, Super-Baby Seidl (my brother) was born. A few interesting years occurred in between, and at the ripe age of 3, I was introduced to Mama Seidl—yes, she is my step-mother for all intensive purposes, but I’ve come to know her as another aspect of me, a Mother, if you will—and even attribute some ‘genetic’ features to her and her family; the ‘tissue in the bra’ is a classic example, and might I add, a very handy place to keep a tissue; you never know when you may need one! I digress, but suffice to say, there was quite a bit of moving around in my household, and Papa, Mama, and Baby Seidl ended up in Cary, North Carolina in the year 2000.

Baby Bardwell and Baby Seidl were nearly the same age (about 2 weeks apart, I, of course, being the older—perhaps not as wise—of the two) and met Baby Bardwell at the neighborhood pool while Papa and Mama Seidl unpacked all the boxes in the new house… you see…My family moved into the same neighborhood- about 8 houses apart from the Bardwell’s. I can’t tell you if I believe in fate or not (I’m not sure it’s something tangible that I can grasp yet), but I can tell you that I believe in coincidence- from there, the rest is history, but if coincidence brought us together, then fate keeps us together and while there were a few years of WTF in between, we have been happily together ever since.

We were married in September 2009- as many of you may remember from my VERY first post here to the blog. Baby Bardwell really KNOWS me- probably more than anyone has ever really been able to claim. He already knows my expressions; my ‘ugh’s’ when I see the kitchen is a mess from dinner 2 nights before (yes, we’re that couple sometimes, although getting better) and offers to roll up his sleeves and wash if I dry (told you he was a keeper).

Photo by Rachel K. Buckley

Anyway, I write this post mostly for myself; maybe to keep my ‘stardate log’ up to date for when I need a review of where I come from, or maybe to understand why in the world we felt the need to acquire a Great Dane and test the structural limits of a very tiny cape house in Massachusetts. It couldn’t possibly be to reminisce on the fact that, as mentioned above, I may not believe in fate, but it seems to be guiding me through all that I do. (?) I have to believe there is a little bit of ‘fate,’ or whatever you want to call it, playing out. It’s just not possible for me to go to school and be heads down in Marketing and Business and NOT be an artist and letterpresser, right? Or to meet my future husband 8 houses down from me? Or to have the pleasure of knowing family in literally every corner of the world.

Okay, now scroll up (and down) to see more pretty pictures of paper.

Romantic Calligraphy Wedding

2010-04-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ladies, Gents, and Fuzzy Animals- WE are in wedding season. I apologize to everyone for my lack of blog postings; it has been incredibly busy here at Blush Design Studio! Gable and I are having the VERY distinct pleasure of working with some of the greatest minds this world has to offer, and I love each and every one of my clients. ‘Clients’ is the wrong word—I think of them all as friends before a person who just pays me for beautiful paper, and I strive to maintain that relationship with absolutely everyone I work with. Sure, it takes more time, but I really feel it gives that extra ‘touch’ with everything I print and design.

I would like to introduce you all to Michelle and Chris, and their BEAUTIFULLY calligraphed wedding invitations. Calligraphy Katrina (recently launching her debut stationery shop, Maison Du Papier) used her incredibly impressive calligraphy talent for the entire suite and I was given the absolute pleasure of letterpressing them.

When I first spoke with Michelle, she mentioned wanting a sleek, sophisticated, and simple invitation with some ‘class.’ I think these do it! The invitation was printed on Crane Lettra 220lb duplex stock (folks, this stuff is THICK), and took the careful lines of the calligraphy so well it’s like the duplex weight was designed for this calligraphy. The reception and response cards were printed on the 110lb weight and came through just as beautiful. Everything was printed in a classic black ink, and matching Crane Inner and Outer envelopes tied the whole package together—everything is perfectly suited for their June wedding in Florida.

I just love everything about this invitation suite, and can’t thank you enough, Michelle and Chris. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this experience with you! CONGRATULATIONS!

Rehearsal Dinner in Richmond

2010-04-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I wish you were here in New England with me right now, because this is the most beautiful weather I have EVER seen; and as I sit here at my desk with my coffee in hand (c’mon, it’s the good stuff from Dunkin’s) and look out the window to our backyard, I’m reminded what it means to just be really really crazy happy. I am so fortunate that I have a Husband who understands my passion to be creative (and gives me 2 whole rooms in the tiniest little cape house we own to actually play with that creative passion!). I love that my work actually goes to helping someone make THEIR day as crazy happy as this day is for me today.

I’m also reminded that I have 5 cubic feet of mulch being delivered next week and that I had better start limbering up for the task ahead. Oh, and that I need to replant the fuji apple tree my Husband and I rescued from the ‘clearance rack’ of Lowes Hardware last year because Atticus has once again dug up the entire 40lb tree and is now dragging it around by its roots around the back yard. Okay, so I’m happy with my Husband, this beautiful day, a rambunctious Great Dane named Atticus, and my sleepy compadre, Tucker- our 10 year old Boxer taking a nap by my chair. (Shh, I think Tucker actually TELLS Atticus to be bad sometimes to make him look SO good).

While I am here pondering life, I thought about little MCK again—and all her wedding goodies that I’ve created for her thus far. Well, I’m not done yet! I present to you, her rehearsal dinner invitations!

She’s in the tail end of getting her wedding planning wrapped up (and I’m fortunate to have a secret ally in the camp that feeds me all the AMAZING design elements she’s incorporating—this wedding is going to be BEAUTIFUL!) and reached out to me for help with her rehearsal dinner. Now, generally speaking, most brides have a specific idea, or vision they want me to run with—but I am INCREDIBLY fortunate to know MCK and she trusts (for better or worse) my design judgments and let me run the gamete on these invitations. Everything was letterpressed onto Crane Lettra 110lb Pearl White paper in true blue, and my new favorite bright chartreuse color. She already had her wedding invitations made (and my goodness they are gorgeous), but upon looking at the damask florals that were used, I chose a font that had similar ‘flourishes, shwooshes (very technical term), and would lend the same feel. Enter in “Celebrate” and “RSVP.” How fun are THEY?

This certainly isn’t the last item I’ll be printing for the MCK and Peyton wedding, and I am so HONOURED to be asked to help with this wedding!! Thank you, AGAIN AND AGAIN, MCK!

Bridal Luncheon in Richmond

2010-04-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

I told you all you were going to see my personal stationery come front and center with some of these posts!! I just LOVE these Bridal Luncheon invitations!! Traditionally, a bridal luncheon was a lunch hosted by the bride for her beautiful and caring bridesmaids the day before the wedding. Most recently, the tradition has morphed into a luncheon hosted by a family member in honor of the bride and her lovely bridesmaids. Enter: Janet.

She is by far one of the most caring women on this planet, and loves our little bride-to-be, MCK. When she reached out to me to print these invitations, I knew that a luncheon needed a floral-touch. What’s more perfect than flowers at lunch anyway?! J We wanted these to POP so I printed the floral monogram (with M, instead of B, this time) in a bright bright pink to match our envelopes, and the text in the brightest shade of chartreuse green I could get without going into the yellow palette. I figured it needing some ooph, and bright colors were the perfect way to bring out the fun and festive feel of this event.

Congratulations MCK!!!

Summer Wedding

2010-04-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

Ladies, Gents, Friends, and Family—let me start this post by officially stating that I LOVE spring time. I LOVE that it’s 80* today, and I LOVE that we no longer have water in our basement. It’s been a wild couple of weeks, both personally (with the flooding), and professionally (with Blush and printing) and I have some BEAUTIFUL items to show you over the next few posts. I’m quite personally attached to the newest pieces that I’ve printed; mostly because they all contain trace elements that I’ve designed for myself- as personal stationery- morphed into what could work for wedding invitations, luncheon invitations, and the like.

I realized the other week that I literally have NO personal stationery. None. And I’m a stationer. I got to thinking what my favorite elements on paper were; of course there was no surprise to hear that florals made up the entire list. There is something so calming about walking outside on a bright sunny day and seeing that little wild flower (that most would call a weed) have the most sparkling violet-blue petals peering out of (very) poorly manicured grass. I just described our front yard, much to my husband’s dismay; I love our little weeds with blue flowers.

Without further ado, I would love to introduce you to Nicole and Dan’s wedding invitations! Nicole had reached out to me a few weeks ago to help design her wedding invitations for her June 26th wedding. Yes—that’s June 26th folks—just a few months out. Her reply date of May 28th is actually what scared me the most since I knew that 4 weeks before THAT date was MY deadline. They presented me with THE most beautiful inspiration board (really, It’s a dream to have this inspiration board—there are SO many elements we could have chosen!) full of birds, bright yellows, and just lovely lovely paper!! We ran full steam ahead with a floral and bird motif and incorporated swallows for the post card RSVP and my personal ‘thank you card’ florals for the invitation. I was able to also morph the florals into a monogram (thankfully we all shared the letter ‘B’ in our last name!) for the ‘additional information’ card.

All items were letterpressed by me and Gable (c’mon, we all know Gable by now…) on Crane Lettra and a lovely new Cotton Rag that I now carry (and takes and impression like you WOULD. NOT. BELIEVE.) full time-I love it that much.

Nicole and Dan: I had SO much fun printing these invitations, and I just adore you two! Thank you so much for letting me apart of this day with you—I wish you both all the best!!

Spring is Here!

2010-03-20T16:24:00.001-07:00

My goodness. It's been a WILD winter, no? Wait-- did we have winter, or was it just one million gallons of water, I can't remember?

Well folks. It's been a week or so since I've updated anything, and I really missed updating the blog! I'm so sorry I went away! I have a TON of new and fun things to update you all on, but I thought I would start with something VERY close to my heart: Spring!

Today is officially the first day of spring---I love spring. Everything about it. I love the rain (yes, I know, I HATE that our basement flooded with 5 inches of rain on Monday afternoon- but the rain gives way to better and brighter things, which leads me to my next item...). I LOVE the flowers. C'mon, you've heard it-- 'April showers brings May flowers.' Well, we get flowers in March, too. I walked outside of the house today, greeted by the 71* air, and looked down at my 'landscaping.' Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I have a black-thumb when it comes to flower raising, but I kid you not, I was taken aback when I saw these beautiful little purple flowers fighting their way through my poorly distributed mulch. I have no idea what they're called- and really, they are neighbors I didn't even expect to be popping up (I don't think...), but they looked at me with their 5 little petals of beautiful lavender and yellow centers and said: "we love you." They did, I swear.

I think they're weeds. Whatever, I haven't seen a real 'flower' in New England in 6 months-- they're staying; even if they bring the plague with them, ha!

To mark their glorious arrival, I've decided to launch my 'Spring Fling' limited edition coaster packs! I've created 8 different flowers--- you've all seen them, they're inspired by ALL of my invitation sets--- in 8 fun and springy colors. I can't get enough of them!! I have 30 packs for sale at my etsy shop, and have a few packs of individual flowers too (i.e. the packs are 8 of the same color and flower) available as well.

These, my friends, followers, and family, are my greatest creation. Sure, the wedding invitations and stationery are fun beautiful (I'm biased)-- but these, are 'me.' So JOIN me in celebrating SPRING!!

a bright sunny day with yellow everywhere!

2010-03-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

The yellow wedding is back! This time with rehearsal dinner invitations!

Last I left you in the Hello, Yellow! post, the beautiful bride to be, Stef, was diligently scoring and folding those belly bands getting them ready for their departure-- it turns out, that the groom wanted to add another activity to their to-do list with these invitations: sniffing and molesting the paper. Yes, it's true, letterpress is a black art that creeps into the brain and makes you do unconscious actions- like caressing and molesting paper. I prefer to use the word cuddling, but when I read in an eMail what was happening to the invitations since I had shipped them off to the bride and groom, I couldn't stop laughing- for a while!

The bride is such a doll (and good sport after this blog... ha!), she even reached out to me to help design and print their rehearsal dinner invitations too! We had the best time coming up with wording- it's really hard to find that happy medium of fun and playful, with serious and 'please show up here for a good time,' but Stef and Jon were up to the task. I only had two requirements from them: 1) there had to be yellow (of course, next...) and 2) there had to be silhouettes. Done. Sold.

I LOVE the silhouette look in stationery. It's so crisp, clean, and beautiful-- ohyesplease. We custom created the two little characters to match Stef and Jon. I must say, Jon looks like he should be surfing in this photo- it's a little California-esq, haha.

Congrats, you two!!

Michelle is a blushing bride!

2010-03-07T09:54:00.001-08:00

What a weekend!! It has been absolutely beautiful here in Boston this weekend, and it couldn't have been a more perfect start to March! The studio is full of windows, and each were bright, airy, and OPEN as I was printing these beautiful pieces.

Michelle Palik has some of the sweetest family members I've ever met; Janet reached out to me after receiving one of Mckenzie's bridal shower invitations that I printed a few weeks back and said Michelle needed just the same treatment. Since Michelle and her Fiance are marrying in Carolla Beach, North Carolina, we decided to do a more 'ocean' theme with the colors and paired the navy text with a Caribbean blue for the florals. Remember those? I hope you're not tired of them yet- I'm sure not!

I designed matching wrap around labels for these, but of course, didn't save any extras. I need to write that concept down- always save a copy!

Michelle, congratulations on your coming wedding, and I hope you have a GREAT time at your bridal shower!

Miss Alison is a Bride!

2010-03-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

Oh yes- it's going to happen. We are going into super-charged floral-land... but the story behind these is just too good to pass up...

Katherine reached out to me via my Etsy page on February 23 and wanted to have floral bridal shower invitations made for her friend of a million years (I'm exaggerating), Alison. On a tight timeframe due to a trip a trip overseas, Katherine requested that these beauties be printed and in her hand before her March 7 shove-off to a far-away-land.

Oh goodness. At first, I was skeptical that it could even get done, but I knew in the end that Gable (and my platemaker!) would come through. Both did fabulously. You see, each design I create requires its own plate; and similarly, each color also warrants it's own plate. These bridal shower invitations required the use of two plates: the florals, and the text. Since I've been printing enough of the florals to litterally start growing them out my ears, I already had the plate ready to go, and printed the chartreuse florals as I ordered the plates for Katherine's text. A couple overnight deliveries later, and the invitations arrived to their destination ready to surprise the bride-- and with 1 day to spare. Pheeww!!

To Katherine- you were amazing to work with! Thank you for burning the midnight-oil with me to get the design ready to go so quickly, have fun on your adventure!! To Alison- CONGRATULATIONS on your wedding, and have a GREAT time at your shower!

Save The Date: A Nautical Wedding

2010-03-06T15:20:00.001-08:00

Hello, Purple. You're my new favorite color. What a pleasant surprise to be able to print my favorite colors this weekend! With the bright sun dancing across Gable and I as we printed, I couldn't help but wonder, "is this what heaven is like?"

Okay, I jest, but it was really such a wonderful weekend here in Boston that it made printing such a joy, I almost don't want to stop (lets not play games, I'm in the middle of finishing up the 'Spring Fling' coaster set about to launch on etsy, and I love every min. of this 50* weather!), but know that my legs will give out at some point after my 40 hours of printing this weekend.

Liz reached out to me after I launched my 'tie the knot' invitations on etsy. She, and her Fiance, Nathan, are exchanging their vows this November at the early-American Nautical Art room in the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA- umm, hello perfect. If I had any rope lying around, I would have formed it into a smiley face next to these invitations as I was photographing them. I love anything and everything nautical, especially on stationery. (If you are interested in this design, check out my etsy shop!) I actually bought a nautical-type bell for the studio. Why? It was pretty. No other reason than that. I actually ding it when I'm finished with an order now; because I can, ha.

Back to Liz and Nathan- Congratulations! I found a tip on google for your wedding: Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage. So there ya have it, throw wine onto a random boat in November as you exchange vows, and you're sure to have a long and lucky voyage together! No go! Set Sail! (I'm having tooo much fun with this!).

Romantic Floral Wedding in Boston

2010-02-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

You would think that I grew up living in a garden working with as many florals as I do. Truth is, I didn't, and couldn't keep a plant alive to save my life, but they are quite literally one my most favorite elements to work with- in any capacity. Flowers- especially when they are at the MOST full of their bloom are one of the most beautiful elements on this earth. Those and diamonds. I love when they sparkle in the sun! I could look at flowers and diamonds every single day for my entire life (along with my husband, and pups Atticus and Tucker) and be the happiest person ever.

Hillary and I go way back- well, from last year at least. It all started with some silver menu stands, the little usps that could (not), and a hope. You see, I was just starting Blush Design Studio when Hillary and I exchanged a few notes about Gable at the tail end of last year, and when she reached back out to me at the start of this year- well, I was sold when she mentioned florals; it was over. It was like a necessity for me to design something using the signature florals that you all have seen time and time again on the blog (I'll never get tired of showing them, they brighten my day). When I finally met with Hillary and Richie, they came armed with ideas, colors, and even fabric swatches to help me match ink. Excellent! That almost makes a designers job TOO easy-- and that isn't a complaint, ha!

The romantic flowers cascade the top of the invitation printed in a deep purple and gold ink (mixed to match the antique gold envelopes!) and we carried several flower elements into the accommodations and response cards as well. Everything was printed on 110lb Crane Lettra Ecru paper. There will be belly bands to hold everything nice and tight together and envelope liners as apart of this suite; I can't wait to show photos once they are created!

To Hillary and Richie: Congratulations!!

Wedding in Vermont

2010-02-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

When Lauren first reached out to me to help her print her wedding stationery, I nearly fainted as she was describing her vision; I NEEDED to work with someone like this. Maybe to have some of it rub off on me? ha.

Ready for this: candlelight, soft colors (no stark black and white), and romance. Her vision for the wedding decor (this is where I knew it was love, and HAD to work with Lauren for this project) was to have whatever color we used, be suggestive of the 'hundreds of candles' they will be using in lieu of flowers for their decor as well as the snow that will surely be on the ground by December in Vermont. Oh c'mon. You can't get much more beautiful than that!

Kate Hoehlein (Lauren's sister) is an up and coming designer, and crafted this beautiful save-the-date for us. Such talent! If you look real close in the photos, you'll see the flourish design on the sides of the card-- they are my absolute favorite element. That and the font. If you are interested in working with Kate, be sure to eMail her at: k.hoehlein@gmail.com!

In line with Lauren's vision, the save-the-dates were printed on pearl white 110lb Lettra paper with a dark pewter-charcoal ink. You may not be able to tell from these photos, but there is a subtle shimmer in there that coordinates with the silver envelopes perfectly! Blush Design Studio will also be printing the wedding stationery, so stick around for future updates!

Thank you, Lauren and Steve! I look forward to working with you again very soon!!

Wedding at Haystack Rock

2010-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hello there!! I am SO happy to show you all these beautiful invitations. SO happy as in I wish I could show you more, but you only have so long during the day to read through blogs. I get it. It's still not going to stop me from showing you one of my most favorite creations! You all may remember that large peony on the invitation-- I've basically modeled my entire business designs and customer creations by it. It's big, beautiful, and my goodness does it letterpress well.

Amanda reached out to me after speaking with Mayra (remember her invitations?). She was looking for just a few prints, as she is marrying the love of her life with a limited guest list of 25. With venue names like Haystack Rock, and McMenamin's Sand Trap, you can't get much more creative here. How perfect would this be to custom create some thing that she and her guests will cherish forever? It took seconds for me to reach out to Amanda and ask if I could have the guest's names for me to custom print each and every response card, and thankfully she agreed!! These response cards NEEDED that special touch for each of her guests!

In letterpress, to have a new 'thing' printed, you need to physically remove the 20lb 'chase,' alter the image (i.e. put a new plate down inside of the chase), and put it back into the press-- then you can print with it. (here is a photo to help you visualize it.) Imagine me doing that 30+ times. I think I see some noticeable definition in my upper arms from this order, ha, and the results were 150% worth it.

The invitations were printed on 110lb fluorescent white Crane Lettra in blush pink and bright silver; the envelopes are a beautiful soft pink stardream and silver. As a matter of fact, the grand-calligrapher Katrina Centeno will be calligraphing every envelope- and I can't wait to update the blog with her BEAUTIFUL work!

To Amanda and Craig: I can't thank you enough for allowing me to be apart of this special day for you two. THANK YOU! Not only have you pulled my heart strings with the peony, but I have a special place in my heart for intimate weddings such as yours.

Congratulations, Amanda and Craig!!