Hello!Lucky
Letterpress greeting cards, thank you notes, DIY projects, free printables and craft inspiration.
As summer comes to a close, we can't help but reflect on all the adventures that have filled our days for the past few months. In that spirit of adventure, we decided to put some old maps to good use and make envelope liners. Liners are a great way to utilize old magazine pages, scraps of gift wrap or calendars that have served their time.
DIY Envelope Liners (Check out our handy how-to video!)
Supplies needed:
Envelopes Paper Templates Scissors Glue stick Bone folder
For this installment of our Local Love series we headed to Valencia street and visited one of our favorite new stores, Little Paper Planes + Owl Cave books. Little Paper Planes opened earlier this year in May and it's such a great addition to the bustling Mission neighborhood.
Little Paper Planes is owned and operated by Kelly Lynn Jones, who ran LPP as an online shop for years before launching this brick and mortar version of her store. Kelly is joined by Viniita Moran who brought her online bookstore Owl Cave Books into the shop. Owl Cave Books has a wonderfully curated selection of hard to find art books and magazines.
One of our favorite things about the shop is the space, which was transformed with fixtures and hand built pieces created by Kate Pruitt.
The shop also has a print gallery which features a new artist every month and a residency program which can be found in the back of the store. The residency program offers space to artists, makers and curators.
If you're visiting the bay area or if you're a local who hasn't been to LPP + Owl Cave Books yet definitely make a trip there. They have such a great selection of goods and they're so well curated and displayed, you'll definitely leave feeling inspired and hopefully with something fun you didn't have before.
Little Paper Planes + Owl Cave
We're having such a fun time reading all of the entries you guys are writing in for our Pen Pal Giveaway. It's especially fun to see the photos people are tagging on instagram as part of the contest -- to enter to win on instagram simply tag your letter themed photo #LetterpressMailLove. We had to share some of these super fun photos. To enter the contest we asked you to comment on who your dream pen pal would be, living or dead. We love @tomehope's hand calligraphed envelope to J.D. Salinger. How beautiful is that?
And how gorgeous is this vintage Navy air mail stationery from instagrammer @redonthehead? Who ever she sends that to is one lucky pen pal!
There's nothing like a stack of postcards and hand drawn envelopes ready to get shipped off. Makes us happy inside! This one below is from @adelbethanny.
For details on how to enter to win our big pen pal giveaway head to this blog post. Happy letter writing friends!
Remember how good it feels to write and receive letters.To make new friends at summer camp and stay pen pals through out the year? Nothing beats the feeling of finding a handwritten letter in the mailbox. To celebrate our new partnership with Egg Press and remind everyone how awesome it is to send and receive mail we decided to throw a fun little giveaway that revolves around one of our favorite things --- snail mail! We've been sending letters back and forth all summer with Egg Press and it has been such a treat to find sweet packages alongside our bills and junk mail.
Here's how it works! To enter to win simply comment on this blog post or Egg Press's blog post about this contest and tell us your dream pen pal. It can be anyone, living or dead. Jack Kérouac, your Grandma, a Buddhist monk. For an additional entry, post a mail-themed photo on Instagram tagging us at @helloluckycards and @eggpress and using hashtag #LetterpressMailLove.
We'll have three lucky winners for this giveaway, below is what they'll receive.
Grand Prize: Hello!Lucky and Egg Press will be your pen pal for a year. You'll receive fun mail every other month which might include things like cards (big surprise, right?), recipes, chocolates, pens, seeds and more! There’s no obligation to write back, but we would love to get to know you better.
Second Prize: A years worth of cards from Egg Press and Hello!Lucky, 24 cards total!
Third Prize: 4-5 of our founder's favorite pens. And believe me, these ladies know pens!
You have until August 29th to enter to win, we'll announce all the winners on our blog. Happy letter writing!
We can not wait to get our hands on Rebecca Thus's new book, Paper to Petal. Rebecca's book features 75 projects to create with paper flowers. There are craft recipes for everything you can imagine from party decorations, bouquets, to floral centerpieces. Even if you've made paper flowers before -- as we have many times, this books looks like it has some sweet new takes on turning ordinary paper into gorgeous flowers.
Buy Paper to Petal here.
Head to Rebecca's blog for constant inspiration.
We know the NSS ended a few weeks ago but we have some many more photos to share with you from the show! We'll try to get through all of them this week. Above and below some shots from the shiniest, most colorful booth at the show The Great Lakes. We loved their hand painted ornaments, bright colors, witty cards and blinged out booth.
No surprise that the Rifle Paper Co. booth was expansive and lovely. We're big fans of their recipe boxes, calendars, and new cards. Photos from their beautiful booth below.
We also had a great time checking out Banquet Atelier & Workshop's booth. We liked how their posters and cards popped off the dark walls of their booth - and how great are those big bold prints? We're coveting that whale print.
Stay tuned for more photos from the show coming soon!
Mother's Day is right around the corner and we're so excited to share these free printables designed by our creative director and co-founder, Eunice Moyle. All you need to do is click the links below and print at home. We recommend printing the wine label on sticker paper if possible, but printing on regular paper and glueing or taping to the bottle should work just fine.
Mother's Day Wine Labels
As always we love seeing our printables in action – so send us pics or leave your URL in the comments below if you post any photos of these printables on your blog.
And don't forget you can still receive 20% off all cards on our site with the code DearMom.
Happy Mother’s Day!
We're big fans of the San Francisco Center for the Book so we were excited to hear that they recently moved into a new and bigger space. This Friday, April 26th, from 6 - 9pm they will be celebrating in their new home on 375 Rhode Island Street. Head to their blog to see the great list of events they have planned for the evening which include printing and binding demos. The event is free and open to the public, just be sure to RSVP here . You can also view the event on Facebook.
The talented folks over at creativebug put together a great short video showcasing the new space. Be sure to check it out here.
Congrats on your new home SFCB!
Photos by creativebug
We are so thrilled to pick up our store features again. This time we're kicking off with a great shop we love in the UK called Postmark. Postmark has two shops, one of which is located in Balham, just a little south of our offices in London Bridge. When Postmark in Balham opened their doors they added greatly to to the the area's increasing reputation for being a shopping destination for those seeking out a more individual retail experience. We chatted a bit with the owners to give you a little more insight into this great independent boutique.
We are a small family run company based in South London. Run by a team of passionate card lovers with over 25 years experience, we pride ourselves on our hand picked selection of cards. We mainly deal with small independent publishers with over 95% of them based, designing and producing in the UK.
Our Balham store first opened it's door in 2004 and soon became a neighbourhood favourite. We won the title of 'Best Independent Card Retailer - London' in 2008 and the buzz and excitement this created was the catalyst for us opening our East Dulwich store in December 2008. In 2009 we then became the first company to retain and win this award twice. This award is the industry 'Oscars' and rewards and recognises excellence in the greeting card industry.
We pride ourselves on customer service and are always looking for new and exciting ways to stand out from the rest. In both our stores, you can use the first of it's kind, in house postal service. Each store has an in store postal service, enabling customers to send their cards and parcels to anywhere in the world without even leaving the shops. Just pop in, pick a card, write it and we will do the rest! We have been finalists in 2007,2010 and 2011 for 'Best Retail Initiative' for our fresh and intuitive retail ideas. From our 'Golden ticket' campaign to our most recent 'Beat the postal price increase' campaign starting in November 2012.
While Hello!Lucky is one of our favourites we also stock cards from Caroline Gardner, Urban Graphic, Simon Drew, Noi Publishing, Almanac Gallery, Rachel Ellen, Pigment Productions, The Art File, ArtPress, Stop The Clock to name just a few as well as numerous small up and coming publishers who we feel could be the next big thing!
We're still swooning over all the beautiful details of Izzy and Harry's UK wedding last December. Their save the date cards and invitations were only a fraction of the fun paper products displayed throughout their big day, so when Izzy sent us these beautiful photos by Sven Arnstein we had to share.
Custom wedding signage was created for almost every table along with matchbox favors, wild-flower seed packets, a wishing tree and a delightful 'thumb-print tree', and they all matched perfectly with the Hot Air Balloon save the date.
The couple really went above and beyond to create a whimsical space. We always love a winter wedding...
To view more photos, visit Hello! Magazine! Thanks Izzy for sharing the beautiful photos.
Last Friday a few of us were lucky enough to visit Chloé Fleury in her studio in San Francisco's Mission District. Chloé's studio is in her apartment and we found inspiration in every corner of her home. Her space was full of light, colorful, and modern. We could have stayed there for hours and all left feeling inspired to go home and work on art projects.
(everything in this photo except the bear mask is made from paper)
If you aren't already familiar with Chloé's work this will be a fun look into her world. She creates amazing sculptures and illustrations with paper and it was so much fun to see her work scattered throughout her home. We snapped quite a few photos so you can see the loveliness yourself. Enjoy!
(a shot from Chloe's living room)
(we were even inspired by her chairs and pillows)
(paper lady with fox mask & an ice cream truck made from paper)
Chloé moved to San Francisco from France and told us she didn't start making her paper sculptures until she arrived here four years ago. One of her main inspirations? San Francisco's color and architecture. This piece is from her first show which was at the (recently closed) Curiosity Shoppe.
(Chloé's workspace)
(amazing paper guitar sculpture)
(one of Chloé's iconic paper bunny heads)
(paper bikes and a look at Chloe's library)
(there was beautiful paper every where we turned)
(Eunice & Chloe)
Thank you so much for letting us visit your studio & your home Chloé! We're still feeling inspired from the visit.
See more of Chloé's work in her Etsy shop and follow along with her daily inspiration on her blog.
Our employees love to get together after hours for holiday craft nights, especially if they benefit a good cause. Meals on Wheels has been providing meals to seniors since 1940 and has evolved into an extraordinary foundation for fighting hunger. For holidays the good people like to deliver cards to the seniors as a gift of love, and this year we decided to join in. All of our cards were handmade with love for the people supported by Meals on Wheels, and to know they were going to a good home was a beautiful thought.
As stationers, paper is our primary medium, so coming up with materials was a cinch. We try to save as many scraps as we can, knowing that they could come in handy for a card-making craft night.
Our team is the best at coming up with witty one-liners. We loved this "I a door you" card.
To support the Meals on Wheels Association of America, visit their website!
We are overwhelmed at the amount of responses to our Monthly Card Subscription giveaway. Never have we seen so many people participate in a giveaway and it gives us hope that more and more people appreciate the power of a hand written note. Our fans mean the world to us and we couldn't be more excited that you want to try out a new product. Though we wish we could offer each of you your own subscription, we had to pick a winner. We mentioned that liking us on Facebook would provide an extra bonus, and for that we're giving one lucky Facebook liker a two-month subscription. Congratulations to......drum roll......
Tree! Winner of a one-year subscription!
and Miranda Bialk! Winner of a two-month subscription!
We'll be in touch with you both soon. Thanks again to everyone who participated! Stay tuned on our blog for more awesome giveaways.
Love, the H!L team
Attention all card lovers! You have a chance to win the letterpress lottery. We're giving one lucky reader a monthly card subscription for one whole year! Yes that's right. Three letterpress cards, every month, for a year. You can send them as a gift or keep them for yourself. Make a new year's resolution to send more cards to your loved ones. The best part? All the cards are pre-stamped, so you can just sign, seal, and deliver. To enter to win, simply comment below telling us who would receive the first card and why. You can get bonus points by liking us on Facebook, too!
We're choosing a winner next Wednesday, January 30th, so leave your comments soon and like us on Facebook to double your chances.
Entries are no longer being accepted and a winner has been chosen. Thanks for participating!!
Last year we released our first free printable Valentine's Day cards on the blog and they were a huge hit! Lots of readers downloaded the cards and we were really feeling the love. This year we're vamping things up with our newer designs, just for you! Simply visit the free printable page on our website and click each product to download. There you will also have access to last year's cards, so there are plenty to choose from.
Each download is formatted to fit four cards on an 8.5 x 11" paper, so simply print on a home computer, cut, sign, and send! We recommend using a thicker card stock for a more durable card. They're great for classrooms, coworkers, or even sending a little love to your honey.
When Valentine's Day comes you'll be well prepared to spread your love with these witty wonders. To download all cards, click here!
When Lisa Congdon agreed to do a line of cards with us for 2013 we were beyond thrilled. We love Lisa's colorful illustrations, hand lettering, and imaginative renderings of nature and animals. We think her cards are perfect for any occasion but we're especially excited to launch the line just in time for Valentine's Day. Check out these images of her studio (Taken by Victoria Smith of SF Girl by Bay). No wonder her designs are so bright and cheerful, her space is an inspiration in itself!
We asked Lisa a few questions about her process and what she has in store for 2013:
What is your process like? Does it change with every project?
It does depend. Sometimes I draw things straight from my brain, especially if I am making a simple drawing without much nuance. The cards I did for Hello!Lucky were all things I drew that just came from my imagination. When I paint or draw something more realistic or complex, I find images (photographs) to use as reference, so I can get the proportions and lighting right. Typically, especially in my commissioned illustration work, I make sketches first. And then I move to making the final artwork.
I always start by drawing things by hand. Always. None of my work starts as digital work, even if it ends up as digital work. In the case of the card line for Hello Lucky, I drew the designs in pen on paper, then scanned them and turned them into vector so they could be reproduced as plates for letterpress printing.
What was your inspiration for this line?
I remember I got really simple, straightforward art direction for this line: create designs in your own style around the theme of love. So I brainstormed different sayings that would lend themselves easily to colorful illustration: things like You are My Sunshine, You are my Queen, You Light up My Life. It was really as simple as that! I really enjoyed it!
Do you have a favorite in the collection or do you love them all equally?
I think You Light Up My Life is my favorite! But I like them all.
(My Sunshine, Sailboat Love, Falling for You, Lighthouse)
We loved your 365 days of hand lettering project you did for 2012. Is there a favorite quote/motto you have from that project?
One of my favorites is: "Leap and the net will appear," which John Burroughs is quoted as saying. It's the motto for many things in my life.
What are you currently working on or what's your latest release? Is there a 365 day project for 2013?
I just launched a weekly project for 2013 with Maria Popova of Brain Pickings called The Reconstructionists. It's a a yearlong celebration of remarkable women who have changed the way we see the world. Every Monday in 2013, we'll publish an illustrated portrait (by me) of one trailblazing woman (artist, scientist, writer), along with a hand-lettered quote that captures her spirit and a short micro-essay (by Maria) about her life and legacy. I'm pretty excited about it!
Thank you Lisa for being such an inspiration and so much fun to work with! Visit Lisa's website for more lovely illustrations and follow along with her blog here. Shop Lisa's new collection for H!L here!
Product Photos by Edyta Szyszlo Photography
Portrait of Lisa by Leslie Sophia Lindell Photography
Interested in learning about letterpress? Want to try your hand at printing on a vintage Vandercook press? The San Francisco Center for the Book is the best place to start. Their talented team has come up with a great lineup of 2013 workshops and they are available for registry now! As owners of a Vandercook and letterpress lovers, we know how fun it is to crank your own prints.
Visit the SFCB online for a list of workshops, or stop by their NEW location at 375 Rhode Island Street (between 16th and 17th Streets) in San Francisco.
After the holidays wind down and we return to our regular routine, we welcome 2013 with open arms. There are many events to look forward to this year, many resolutions to keep and many achievements to reach. As we look forward we always like to start off right with an organized, refreshed state of mind. We picked a few of our favorite 2013 wall and desk calendars from around the web to share with all of you. We're noticing a geometric theme in our calendars so expect to see a new trend! Happy New Year!
1. Linda and Harriett Quilt Calendar 2. Kin of Kin Lunar Calendar 3. Darling Clementine Harvest Calendar 4. Frankie Press Calendar 5. Julia Kostreva Prisms Calendar 6. Leah Duncan Shapes Calendar
Didn't get a chance to send holiday cards yet? There's no need to worry! Seasonal cards and New Years cards are the perfect way to send friends and family some holiday cheer, and there's no deadline! Lots of our cards were made to mail at any time - so even after Christmas has passed you can still strike those holiday cards off your to-do list.
Some are old, some are new. Some are pink, and some are blue! We've got cards in every style and for every taste.
Shop all phoho New Year's cards here, and letterpress holiday cards here. Enter code LUCKY2012 at checkout for 15% off your order of holiday photo cards through 1/6/13.
Shown above: Good Cheer Amazing New Year, New Year's Eve Parade, Happy New Year
Photographs by Edyta Szyszlo
Christmas is literally almost here but there's still time to spread some cheer around your home! We're big fans of decorating with items already found around the house, and since we're paper geeks, this DIY is dear to our hearts. Looking back at 2012 it was definitely the year of neon. Remember the boys' second birthday party? And our new neon kids birthday party invitations? We thought we'd spend one last time this year indulging in our neon fix before another fabulous trend comes in 2013. These DIY neon ornament wall decals were inspired the hot air balloon decals made by Gosh and Golly shown in Sabrina's nursery. Full instructions below!
Materials:
Neon Paper, Silver Paper, Mug & pencil - or circle-cutter, Scissors, Glue stick, Silver wire or ornament hooks, Hot Glue + Gun, Glue dots or sticky-tac
How To:
Step 1. Trace your circles onto sheets of colored paper and cut out with scissors. This part takes patience, unless you have a handy circle cutter at home. They come in all sizes, but 4" is a happy medium. As long as your circles are all the same size it will work.
Step 2. Choose three colored circles and fold them in half.
Step 3. Glue the back of both sides of the center circle, then adhere to one side of the other two.
Step 4. Cut your silver paper into three 1" x .5" strips. Fold in half (hamburger style!) and glue one half of the back (hotdog style!) Then place at the top end of each of your folded circles.
Step 5. Cut your wire into 3" strips and fold the top .5" over with your finger. Or, if you have spare ornament hooks lying around, you can use those just as well. Place a small dab of hot glue on the back (flat side) of your paper ornament and set the flat end of the wire in place.
Step 6. When you're ready to display, place a dab of sticky-tac or a small glue dot on the back and you're done! Be careful when you remove the wall decals that you do not remove too quickly. With glue dots you can slowly peel of and rub the excess off with a finger, or twist to remove. Sticky-tac is probably more gentle on paint but the decals might not stay in place as long.
Happy crafting and Happy Holidays!
At Hello!Lucky we specialize in Letterpress greeting cards, as well offer DIY step by steps & free printables. Led by sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle, our small team of expert designers and artisan letterpress printers specialize in creating neon & foil, holiday cards, birthday cards, & thank you cards, that are full of creativity and whimsy. We've been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Design Sponge, Style Me Pretty, Real Simple, and many other leading publications. Please feel feel to contact us via chat, phone or e-mail - we'd be happy to assist you!
Hello!Lucky | P.O. Box 17605, San Francisco, California