Employee Spotlight: Lia

Lia is our next lovely employee under the spotlight! She knows all there is to know about putting together a stellar wedding suite. If you are looking for something custom, Lia has the answers to your questions. We love Lia because of her graciousness when working with brides, and for her extraordinary ability to find the best items at local thrift shops. Plus, she occasionally brings our favorite furry friend Charlie to the office for a visit! We asked her a few questions:

My role at Hello!Lucky is....

To oversee the little elves that keep our brides and grooms happy!

I can't get through the day without....

Pandora Hip Hop radio in the morning and a box of Lemon-Head & Friends in the afternoon.

My ideal weekend activities include....

Thrift shopping, reading books, eating snacks and training my puppy to behave like a person (standing on hind legs, sitting in chairs, closing doors and the like).

Most memorable bride-zilla moment you've encountered....

Bride-zilla? Never heard of it ; )

Secret insider info you might not know about Hello!Lucky.....

We have a very attractive water delivery man.

What's your best advice for brides? Or what do you wish you could tell all brides?

Be organized, plan ahead but also accept that something will always go awry and the most awkward bloopers can become the best memories.  And if all else fails, make sure to serve strong cocktails at the reception.

Renegade Craft Fair

Hooray! This weekend marks the 5th annual Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco! This year from 11am - 7pm at Fort Mason you can indulge yourself with handmade excellence from over 250 artists and taste some fine San Francisco foods. And they're back across the Atlantic for the second annual London Renegade Craft Fair! This years dates are September 15th and 16th so be sure to mark your calendars.

Sabrina's Weekend Snapshots

This weekend we enjoyed the sunshine by spending lots of time outside. The Yerba Buena Gardens are a delightful place to hang out on a sunny day. There's tons of fun things to do with kids or adults, but one of our favorites is to ride the Charles Looff Carousel.

 We went to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building on Saturday and picked up some of our favorite snacks - peas!

 The market was bustling with visitors and bursting with fresh produce and fruit. I loved how the colors of these carrots blended together so I had to snap a picture.

After the market we rode the ferry to Sausalito. It was the perfect way to wind down after such a busy morning and the boys loved being on board the big boat.

Hope you all had a nice weekend!

 

Real Wedding: Kendel and Brian

These wedding photos have been long awaited! Last October we created a stunning wedding suite, for just as stunning of an event. Kendel and Brian said their "I do's" under the most spectacular greenery in Cavallo Point in Sausalito. With just a peek of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, it couldn't be any more beautiful. Their theme of modern camp ground and summer recreation carried on throughout the day with rustic accents and navy and papaya striped paper goods. Just check out that view!

To go along with their camp theme, we custom designed and letterpress printed their invitations on smooth wood veneer. The matching pieces incorporated bold patterns and color combinations, along with a custom map of their wedding events. We felt so attached to this wedding suite we decided to offer it as a standard design on our website!

The suite, called Hearts and Arrows, is available now!

With fabulous event design by our friends Alison Events, this wedding was surely a dazzling sight.

Congratulations Kendel and Brian! If you're looking for a great deal on wedding stationery, head to our website now! We're offering 20% off all wedding paper products. Use the code SummerSpecial at checkout!

Photos by Jesse Leake Photography

Cake Toppers by Madeline Trait

We're really enjoying the new trend of stylish cake toppers, especially when they're made by local artists. The multi-talented Madeline Trait not only carries these one-of-a-kind laser cut cake toppers on her Etsy site, she also runs a successful business in event and floral design in San Francisco. The toppers are all designed by Madeline in a gorgeous wood veneer and come in all shapes and sizes. We love that you can paint them to match your wedding or event details, but Madeline also has custom painted cake toppers for your convenience!

To view the entire Etsy collection, click here!

Lab Partners Show at Super 7

Hey all you San Franciscans! If you're free tonight you should head over to Super 7 for a show by our friends the Lab Partners! They will be exhibiting a bunch of new prints like the ones shown here. We love supporting local artists so you bet we'll be there! The event, titled Next Stop: San Francisco starts at 6pm. Super 7 is located at 1427 Haight ST. See you there!

Employee Spotlight: Kelly

Kelly is next in our employee spotlight series and we are so excited to share a little bit about her. Kelly has been with Hello!Lucky since the very beginning. She has done just about every job here from working with brides to shipping and folding greeting cards. These days she helps keep our website running like a well-oiled machine, while graciously allowing us to use her son's photo in almost all of our sample birth announcements. We love Kelly for her sense of humor, effortless style, and the stories she can tell about the early days at Hello!Lucky!

My role at Hello!Lucky is...

To help keep things chugging along.  I am focused on operations and our website right now.

I can't get through the day without...

Drinking copious amounts of water and eating snacks on a regular basis.  I'm a tad cranky when hungry.

My ideal weekend activities include...

Having no plans whatsoever, movies, good food, good company, and daytime cocktails.  Now that I have a 1-year-old?  Precious and elusive sleep... and daytime cocktails.

My favorite Hello!Lucky memory is...

Calling the studio with ideas for the Barbecue Parade card while on the bus. I got more than a few glances when I suggested that the card needed an ear of corn shucking itself.

Secret insider info you might not know about Hello!Lucky.....

The head honchos are former fashion models. I've seen pictorial proof.

Edyta Szyszlo Photography

This post has been long overdue and we couldn't be more proud to share our love and gratitude for Edyta Szyszlo Photography. You've seen her name mentioned in posts before but today we're revealing her true art. Edyta started collaborating with us last summer before the release of our guest designer holiday collection. From the moment she stepped foot in our studio we were certain we couldn't lose her. Her fun-loving personality makes work seem like play and if you're the one in front of the lens - there's nothing to fear - Edyta will make you shine!

Some of our particular favorites are Edyta's engagement photo sessions. She's pursued the most eclectic San Francisco neighborhood backdrops and traveled far-and-wide for the perfect pictures.

You may recognize these images from a Michelle and Jacob's Real Wedding last year. Edyta's photo made the cover of their Just Married card and it sparked a whole new trend here at Hello!Lucky. Her commercial photography is just as outstanding as her wedding images, and you can tell we love it because our website is basically an Edyta shrine!

Glitter, stripes and a whole blend of colors. This is the reason we love Edyta! Many many thanks to our friend for making our products look amazing and for always bringing a smile to our faces! Visit Edyta Szyszlo Photography to book your next session today!

Hello!Lucky Open Studio

We're just loving these photos by Rikki Ward Photography taken of our open studio event on SFMade Day! She captured the day perfectly - from the letterpress printing tutorials to our furry little visitors. If you missed out on the fun, on May 12th we opened our doors on a sunny Saturday to all of our San Francisco friends and offered first hand printing techniques, discounts on our cards and gifts, and even invited super stylish Leslie Yang - owner and designer of Feistyelle - to come and sell her killer accessories. We had such a good time that we are already planning the next event!

The original Vandercook press.

Handmade accessories by Feistyelle.

The spread!

We're thankful for such an amazing turnout.

Here's James giving a lesson about letterpress printing.

Even our curious customers got a chance to crank the press and make their own birthday card!

Leslie Yang looking fabulous.

Our favorite customer! Sending a big thanks to everyone who came and supported us. If you missed out last time don't be sad - we're planning on opening our studio for days like this more often, so stay tuned for details!

Photos by Rikki Ward Photography

Sweet San Francisco Wedding + Video

Our friend Greg recently married his darling Mel on a windy day underneath the Bay Bridge. Complete with their closest family and friends and a bunch of bicycles, their wedding didn't need anything more.  The couple loves cycling so much they're on a tour de Europe on their very own bikes. What a terrific way to see the sights while doing what you love!

Oh how we love our home. This lovely video by Tony Benna emphasizes all the things about San Francisco we couldn't live without. The bay breeze, the gorgeous cityscape, the incredible food (including a cake from Miette!) and so much more. And, we're giving huge props to Mel for biking in those heels. Enjoy!

Photography by Traci Griffin Photography

Open Studio Success!

Thanks so much to all of you who came out on Saturday. It was a sunny day and we know you had a lot of options on how to spend your day.

We'll be posting some photos from the event (taken by the lovely Rikki Ward) soon, but here's a couple of shots in the mean time. We had so much fun opening our doors we're thinking of doing it every couple of months.

Let us know what you think and if you would prefer an open studios in the evening or a weekend afternoon again.

Studio Shapshot: New Window Display

It's a beautiful day for a new window display! We decided to get crafty and enlarge our San Francisco Skyline into full-sized window art. Throughout the process we learned first hand that paper cutting is a true test of patience and craftsmanship. First, we drew the skyline on 3 full sheets of pool colored text weight paper. Then with a ruler and craft knife, carefully followed the lines revealing our cityscape.

The bridges were definitely the most difficult, but they are the most iconic!

Double-sided tape did the trick - we hung the skyline so it greets the passers-by on Howard Street.

The final product! What do you think? We had so much fun paper cutting this skyline we also made an SFMade sign which Jon is holding here. Can you tell we're getting excited for our big event tomorrow?

Shop Local on SFMade Day

Did you know this week is SFMade Week? All week long the city will be celebrating locally made products and manufacturing with events, warehouse tours, and parties. We're joining in on the fun this Saturday, May 12th when our studios will be open from 11am until 5pm. We'll have the presses running, gifts and cards on sale, and local artist FeistyElle selling her beautiful jewelry in the studio. Tell us if you can make it here.

Our address is 977 Howard Street (btw 5th & 6th streets) in San Francisco.

Hope to see you all Saturday!

Inspired by Chloe Fleury

As artisan printers and paper enthusiasts we feel an instant connection with artists who share similar interests. The incredibly talented paper aficionado Chloe Fleury has literally blown us away with her paper constructions. Recently featured in Anthology Magazine, the French born and now San Francisco based artist creates one of a kind paper sculptures. If you haven't visited her website by now, you must.

She even created a stop animation video trailer for issue no. 6, highlighting up-close details about each paper piece. Check it out here.

Her San Francisco neighborhood posters are definitely a favorite.

La Boutique in San Francisco is hosting a solo exhibition of Chloe's work! If your're in SF be sure to stop by the gallery and check it out, it's located at 414 Jackson Street, Suite 101.

To see more of Chloe's work, click here!

Featured: Brides Magazine

We always feel honored whenever our name is featured throughout the growing realm of wedding magazines, blogs, and resource websites. We also love to cater to our community by offering one-on-one consultations with brides when making the big decision to buy wedding stationery. It truly is a joy to be listed in Brides Magazine as one of the "people and places you need to know to plan a wedding in San Francisco!"

The issue highlights all of the places throughout the city that offer helpful advice and inspiration for your wedding. Our beloved Faye even made her way into the spotlight!

The current issue of Brides Magazine is available now!

Real Wedding: Christine and Eugene

The San Francisco ferry building is one of our favorite historical destinations in this city. During the week and weekends the ferry building is bustling with locals and tourists alike, all gallivanting throughout the markets and shops. But when the crowds clear out and an intimate wedding is arranged, it transforms into one of the most beautiful indoor venues we know. Christine and Eugene said their "I do's" last October underneath the shimmering arches of lights, and their photos reveal the quintessential San Francisco we call home.

The couple chose to use our San Francisco Skyline invitation in a beautiful charcoal and curry combination. Plus, the customizable address labels gave guests a sneak peek at the venue.

 For their day-of stationery, bright curry colored escort cards guided guests to the most elegant table arrangements...

...and the bright yellow tulips and yellow linens brightened up the dimly-lit room.

Oh, how we adore a classic San Francisco wedding. To view more photos of the event, visit Elizabeth Anne Designs. Congratulations Christine and Eugene!

Photography by Julie Mikos

SFCB Earth Day Extravaganza

The San Francisco Center for the Book is hosting an awesome Earth Day Extravaganza in celebration of this year's Earth Day! On Saturday April 21st you can try your own hand at printmaking, bookbinding, and lots of other fun activities. The best part is that it's totally FREE! Bring your friends, families and kids and be a part of something great.

The SFCB is located at 300 De Haro Street Suite 334, San Francisco, CA, 94103 (The entrance is on the 16th Street side of the building, under the red awning in the bright blue building).

Field Trip to The Ice Cream Bar

We're lucky to live in one of the most food-focused cities in the US and it's safe to say that all of us here at Hello!Lucky appreciate checking out the many culinary treats San Francisco has to offer. This past Friday we closed the studio a little early and headed to The Ice Cream Bar in Cole Valley.

The sweet ice cream and artisanal soda shop opened just a few months ago and we fell in love with the old time aesthetic of the place as soon as we walked through the doors.

The fixtures, furniture, and signs transported us right back to the 1930s and we can vouch for their delicious sundaes and soda drinks.

If you're in the Bay Area or planning a visit anytime soon we highly recommend a visit to The Ice Cream Bar. Psst! We hear it gets pretty packed on the weekends so it might be best to make the trip on a weekday afternoon.

The Ice Cream Bar - 815 Cole Street @ Carl