Stationery Show: Lights, Camera...

We're here at the New York Stationery Show and, as always, are jazzed and inspired by all the mad talent here! While lugging our camera to capture our highlights for the blog, we spotted these fab tributes to decades-gone-by photographic equipment - like this beautiful cast of a 1970's Polaroid camera by Yellow Owl Workshop. (Yes, it is for sale!)

And this darling 1960's Savoy camera, letterpress printed by Pie Bird Press.

Stay tuned for the "Action!" part of our coverage! (ha ha) We're just getting warmed up...

DIY paper flowers and pom poms

Lately we've been loving paper flowers and pom poms (both of which we used in Eunice's wedding to fabulous effect!) -- especially making them out of unexpected and ingenious household and vintage paper finds, like these sewing pattern flowers via Country Living's recent "Trash to Treasure" blog post.

These hanging paper flowers are made of out paper bags - yes, paper bags! Click here for simple how-to instructions.  These would be great strung together in a garland, too!

And how about these lovely dyed coffee filters garlands by  Pamela Garrison which we first spotted via Creature Comforts?  (For smaller ones, use colorful cupcake cups!)

These hanging paper flowers are made from old catalogues (may we suggest Anthropologie catalogues?) from Zakkia Life via Creature Comforts -- click here for super simple DIY instructions.

Eunice & Daniel's wedding

Eunice & Daniel's Tim Walker-inspired wedding was last weekend in a valley near Wilbur Hot Springs in Northern California! We're so excited we can barely contain ourselves - it was so amazing and wonderful!

We can't share more at the moment as will be featured in an upcoming issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, but stay tuned for behind-the-scenes blog posts on the Martha blog and look out for the article!

In the meantime, the happy couple is heading out to Europe on their honeymoon. Huzzah!

Jennifer Osner Vintage Ribbon

First of all, apologies to our readers for the infrequency of our posts of late! We've been busy preparing for Eunice's wedding (our amazingly talented creative director!), which takes place next week and is inspired by the photography of Tim Walker. Stay tuned for coverage in an upcoming issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and look for behind the scenes details of all the crazy crafting we've been up to on the Martha Stewart blog!

K, so now that's out the way, we have to share on our favorite new finds: Jennifer Osner!

Jennifer started out as a ribbon sales rep years ago and has been collecting gorgeous vintage ribbons and trims for years now (sometimes buying out entire warehouses that have gone out of business!). The other week we went to her home in San Francisco to pore over bankers' boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling in her garage, each one containing spools upon spools of gorgeous vintage ribbons (and that's just the tip of the iceberg - she has more in her warehouse(s))!

Love this black and white striped one!

And how 'bout this preppy yellow stripe?

Many of her ribbons are displayed in vintage sales books like this one - you can pick out your color and width and place an order from the book.

She has just about every color and texture imaginable!

She also has lots of gorgeous millinery bits, like these red velvet flowers (perfect as embellishments in a bouquet or boutonniere!)

And these gorgeous pieces of antique lace. Hello, ring pillow?!

Jennifer travels around the country selling her ribbons at craft fairs, but you can also purchase some of her items on her website. Or, make an appointment to see her next time you're in the Bay Area. Just be prepared to spend several hours -- there's a lot to see...

Wallpaper: DIY wedding invitation resource!

We found this fantastic book of wall paper samples at the flea a couple weeks ago - it's full of great patterns that would be perfect for making DIY wedding invitations and cards!

Sigh - love this gorgeous floral pattern!

And this pretty yellow rose and lacy stripes!

This tropical pattern would be great for a beach wedding invitation...

...and this pattern would be great for a modern wedding invitation!

We also found some great western patterns...

And this fabulous whimsical deer and wildlife pattern - perfect for a rustic wedding invitation!

And finally there's this adorable Scandanavian-inspired design!

How would you use these papers, you might ask? There are so many possibilities! The  photo above shows just a couple of examples:

- Double-pasting to the back of the invitation - we recommend mixing different patterns! - Belly bands - Envelope liners (get an easy DIY kit here)

Can't find enough of an unusual vintage pattern? If it's in the public domain, you can scan and reproduce it with a color printer. Or, just use the patterns as inspiration in designing your own wedding invitations.

Wallpaper can also be used for napkin rings, place mats, and to cover containers for your wedding reception!

Alice and Martin Provensen

 We've been recently obsessed with amazing husband and wife illustration team, Alice and Martin Provensen (found on Black•Eiffel and Book by it's Cover):

Love the vintage style (they worked for the Walter Lantz Studio - of Woody Woodpecker fame, illustrated several Little Golden Books, and did work for Disney, back in the day, when they were creating genius films like Alice in Wonderland (worked on by the equally brilliant Mary Blair, but that's another post!)

So cute and hilarious...

Love the color palettes too!

This chart of different types of eggs - so ridiculous!

Wouldn't this illustration make an amazing children's birthday invitation?  So fabulous....

Birds & Blooms Letterpress Art Prints

We just adore these new state bird & flower prints from fellow San Francisco letterpress studio, Dutch Door Press.  (Above, California!)

Illinois!

New York! These are just so lovely! They are petite (just 5 x 7") but for a petite price ($15). These would make such a lovely mother's day gift! Buy them here.

Wee Birdy = Queen of Craft!

Thanks to Wee Birdy, one of our favorite bloggers, who's been guest blogging over at Oola Moola, for sharing her amazing feat of crafting 35 cards in 1 day (and for only £20)!! Several of them were from our book, Handmade Hellos!

Check out the hilarious in-process shots of her Owl-y Friend card by Petra Boase...

...and the amazing results!!

Ms. Birdy also made the Paper Portrait card by La Familia Green.

Check it out! We love it, including the tiny nostrils!!

Birdy, you are a crafting queen! Welcome to the fold, grasshopper!

See more of Wee Birdy's feats of crafting endeavor here and here.

Butterfly Wedding Invitations & Details

We were recently featured in One Wed's butterfly inspiration board, and it reminded us of how these delicate critters can be such a sweet motif for a garden wedding or (when treated in a more graphic manner as shown above by Lushbella - imagine these as seating cards!) for a modern urban wedding.

These butterfly wedding invitation designs feature calla lilies, orchids (by Joel Dewberry for Hello!Lucky), and a vintage bouquet.

Organic cake by Sarah Magid.

Adorable butterfly purse from Etsy seller Unisac (for bridesmaids!)

Butterfly embellishments for lanterns and stir sticks from Martha Stewart.

Colorful butterfly cake via Brides.

Classic Dresden foil butterflies (and birds!) are the perfect embellishment for bouquets, centerpieces, or cakes. Gold butterflies and birds from Rock Candy Studios, and silver ones from Retro Cafe Art.

Butterfly seating cards with calligraphy by Hello!Lucky

DIY Butterfly lace and perched butterfly seating cards via Martha Stewart.

Rachelle D. Jewelry

We recently discovered Etsy seller Rachelle D's romantic creations - they'd be so perfect for bridesmaids, or for a party!

Love these festive reds and blues!

Shop for more of her beautiful pieces here.

Present & Correct

We just love all the vintage stationery supplies at London-based retailer Present & Correct. Among their impeccably curated collection are authetic vintage items like these old fashioned money bags -- perfect for gift certificates.

These post cards, made from vintage wall paper, are to die for!

They also carry a great collection of graphic design classics from the 1960s and 70s like The Red Balloon...

...The Apple and the Butterfly...

and Sparkle and Spin.

This beautifully designed rainbow pencil calendar is also fabulous! Check out all their goods here.

Orla Kiely Spring/Summer 2009

Orla Kiely's done it again! She's created an irresistible new collection featuring bold new prints. We want it all!

What's more, she's added bathing suits to her collection!

Love the ruffles on this one!

Her signature purses are as cute as ever - this would would be so perfect to wear around town or to the beach!

Love the textured handle on this one!

Ah, Orla!! How we love you! See the full collection here.

Collectibles = Seating Cards

The other weekend we watched Rachel Getting Married, and while the movie was a downer we were inspired by how they used eclectic collectibles as seating cards, each tagged with the guest's name. (Note: seating cards direct wedding guests to their tables, and are typically displayed on a table at the reception, creating the perfect opportunity to display a collection; they can also double as favors). This made us think of all the possibilities that could come from this idea! First off, miniature modern chairs, as in "please be seated" - available in different styles on eBay and via dollhouse miniature shops (photo via Chez Larsson's Flickr photostream)

We also love the idea of using glass figurines, arranged by color (with each color corresponding to a different table).

Pez dispensers would be so perfect, again arranged by color (both photos above via Chez Larsson).

Or how about tiny cakes and pastries from dollhouse supply shops (the ones above are from Small Portions)? Just about any small collectible item (from match boxes to match cars) could work, and make for a fabulous display.

Jenna Hein's Wedding

We have been excitedly watching 100 Layer Cake's coverage of calligrapher Jenna Hein's "Coney Island meets Marie Antoinette" wedding. Check out the amazing inspiration board above...

She also posted this fablous balloon escort card idea, based on a window display Jenna created for Anthropologie.  Check out the full post here!

Can't wait to see more of Jenna's wedding!!

In the studio with Jennifer Behr

The other week when we were in New York we had the privilege of spending several hours playing at the brilliantly talented Jennifer Behr's Fort Green studio. Jen is working on a headpiece for Eunice's upcoming wedding, and we probably spent about 3 hours trying on all manner of be-jeweled, be-feathered, be-ribboned hair accessories. It was so much fun! Here's Jen trying a piece on Eunice...

One of Jen's more over-the-top headpieces (she regularly makes one-of-a-kind pieces for Vogue, W, etc.)

Beautiful baubles were everywhere...

Her flat files are full of different pieces, like these beautiful rope creations...

Or these gorgeous fabric flowers...

Sometimes you come across a drawer full of treasures like this one...

Glittery copper leaves...

A collection of vintage millinery tools in her fireplace...

Here's Jen's main work table, where all the magic happens!

And her cozy kitchen. It's crafter's and a fashionista's paradise - can't wait to visit again next time we're in New York!

New Joel Dewberry & EIEIO designs!

After months of anticipation, the new Joel Dewberry and EIEIO designs are available for purchase on our website! The Sparrows wedding invitation design, above, based on Joel's Aviary collection is one of our favorites.

Joel's gorgeous fabrics can be found in all kinds of applications like this gorgeous tote bag from Ivan & Mary that we spotted on Style Me Pretty last fall. You can also buy his fabric by the yard here that you can use for crafting projects (think bridesmaid purses, fabric-covered  headbands, welcome bags, and table runners!).

 Shangri-la (show above) is another favorite.

EIEIO's  modern designs are sleek and refreshing. Meadow (shown above) is so perfect for an outdoor wedding, we can barely stand it! The subtle lines look gorgeous letterpress printed.

We're also loving Poppy Stripe in this red, gravel and pool colorway, inspired by many of EIEIO's beautiful paper designs (especially Flower Pop). Again, EIEIO's papers are perfect for crafting accessories -  napkin rings, wrapping favors, envelope liners, you name it!

All of the designs are available either letterpress or digitally printed; coordinating items such as menus, place cards, directions cards, programs, and thank you notes are available for order via phone/e-mail (contact us for more details). All colors can be customized, too!

Alex's baby shower

We got ready to welcome the latest Hello!Lucky baby into the world recently. The expectant mom: Alex, one of our stationery consultants! We threw a shower for her at our studio, the highlight of which was the fabulous hand-crafted items created by our staff! Here's an adorable elephant baby snapsuit by Haley.

It even has a cute heart on the butt!

Shauna knitted Alex these adorable booties and hat.

And Jessica embroidered this cute baby tee with a snail (it says "snail" in German).

Since Alex is German, this was a definite theme. The highlight of the tasty treats was a delicious German Potato Salad by James, complete with its own authentic signage.

Stay tuned for updates as the latest Hello!Lucky baby arrives!

Monogram & cross stitch love!

Heather Lee over at Brides Chicago  just emailed us with this adorable story on monograms (for which we contributed a cute cross-stitched monogram!). We love the idea of getting creative with monograms and are especially fond of the love birds by Paper + Cup and the cool showposter style one by Pica Press.

For anyone who's curious - here's the full cross stitch invitation suite we originally designed when we heard about this monogram story:

Cute, right? It's not available on our website yet, but can be purchased by e-mail or phone (available both letterpress and digital - pricing the same as the other items on our site!).

Jennifer Behr 2009 Spring Collection

We're completely in love with Jennifer Behr's Spring collection! We got to see it in person when we were in New York a couple weeks ago and we're telling you gals, it's gorgeous!

This is one of our faves - gorgeous crystals on delicate chiffon - so pretty!

Love this structured knot!

This little crystal wing clip is so cute! Sigh...long live the headband and bedazzled barrettes!  Shop for Jennifer's creations here.

Blanca Gomèz

We came across Blanca Gomèz, a designer and illustrator working in Madrid, on Rifle and Oh Joy and we just love her graphic and minimalist style - so sweet and with a touch of a retro vibe.  The words "cute!!" and "genius!!" (inclusive of double exclamation points) are bandied about our office a lot (perhaps a bit *too* much!) but we think they definitely apply in this case!

Love this series...

You can see more her work here and you can buy prints, buttons and other bits and bobs at her Etsy shop and at Velocity.