Gaga for Gingham

In celebration of Rustic Farm week, we're channeling all the details that make us love country weddings. One of the most recognizable patterns has to be gingham, and we're going gaga for it! At the first glance of these gingham patterned plates we envisioned a large picnic style table setting with lots of fresh fruits and garden flowers. Paired with simple white linens or vintage lace, these dishes would be downright adorable.

Jcrew knows how to pull off patterns the right way. Matching your fiance might seem cheesy at first, but these gingham patterned getups could definitely dazzle in a photo save the date.

We absolutely need these gingham cupcake liners!

Can't you see this gingham washi tape as the ultimate decor accessory? There are endless ways to spruce up a simple setup by adding a little patterned tape. We can't get enough of it!

Rustic Farm Week: Real Weddings Roundup

It's Rustic Farm week at Hello!Lucky! We're dedicating this week's blog posts to all things country chic. There are some unbeatable farm destinations in California, but brides from across the country (and overseas!) contributed to our roundup. Today we're piecing together a collection of the most heartwarming farm weddings from our Real Weddings archives. We love it when couples match their wedding invitations with their venue and decor, and as you can see below, these weddings are all about country comfort.

 Kathleen and Seth's Barndiva wedding in Healdsburg, CA charmed us with their youthful band and warm red accents.

Erin and Nick also customized our Heartland invitation to match their summer wedding in Sonoma. We love how they hand made their place cards with tags, ribbon, and hung them on chicken wire. Doesn't get more farm friendly than that!

Our hearts flutter every time we see photos of Lisa and Rory's classic English wedding. Their table signs were an homage to local pub signs with silly plays on words like "The Stumbled Inn" and "The Drunken Duck."

The organic and picturesque landscape of Sonoma Valley always makes for a charming event. Lily and Andrew wed underneath the most enormous oak tree, which provided just enough shade from the hot summer sun. Guests took their seats atop hay bails - what a cute way to incorporate farm decor!

Their farm animal table numbers and bright floral arrangements reflect the summer wedding perfectly.

It's always impressive when couples come up with unique place card holders. Heather and Tom knocked our socks off with these apple place cards. When we found out Heather's childhood home had it's own apple orchard, we knew it would be an adorable wedding! Equipped with a farm house, pond and lush east coast greenery, they really could do no wrong.

And last but not least, this custom designed wedding invitation suite for Erin and Jeremy tops the cake. The couple wed in Calistoga in 2010 and took country wedding style to the max. Our favorite part is the Kansas City barbeque feast invitation hosted by the groom's parents. Sounds like a hootin' good time!

Click on each photo to see the full post!

Lucky Friday # 49, Biggest Fan

 

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 49th edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress greeting cards. We’ll choose THREE LUCKY WINNERS to get a free card.  Post a comment by 12 p.m. PST the following Thursday, and we’ll announce the winners on the following Friday!

The three winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Shana, Chef Andrea and Dave! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your We Belong card!

Design: Biggest Fan Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: This idea was so easy and breezy, it felt like it wafted in through the window. Who to send it to: Someone who puts the wind in your sails and makes your day fresh and light. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The "Space Heater" metaphor left us a little cold. And air-conditioners are simply not romantic. Favorite detail: The little bit of lift in the hearts gives our hearts a big lift. Why letterpress? For vintage fans, only vintage presses will do.

Don’t forget to post your comment and tune in next week, same time, different stationery, to see if you’ve won!

Inspired by: Wedding Invitation Suites

With wedding season about to kick off, we're gearing up for some amazing additions to our collection. Wedding invitations serve as the first source of inspiration for the big day, and with all the pieces in check, you can really start to see all the details come to life. Frequently we find ourselves browsing through the photo database for inspiration drawn from particular invitations, and we wanted to share a place where you can do the same. Whether your wedding has a rustic farm theme, a sleek and modern theme, or a whimsical and playful theme, these photos will have you planning in no time! Click on the photos for a larger view!

Southern Belle (above) and its darling motifs will make that sweet southern wedding that much more charming. The delicate watercolors by Anne Smith are calling for lots of floral garland and white daisies!

 Rolling Acres is just right for a summer celebration. And the pennant liners (available soon!) will add a festive flare to your party invitation.

Figs has more rustic and natural qualities. Perfect for an outdoor wedding where locally sourced food and flowers are the focus.

We love the crisp and clean details of the Desert Skyline invitation suite. Bouquets of succulents and dried flowers arranged among rough wooded tables would complement this style beautifully.

Heartland is another favorite and best for the down-home country weddings we all dream about. We've seen lots of brides customize the colors and layout of this design, but it always stands out with some amazing farm-chic accessories.

 Big Day is one of our most popular suites, with its playful wording and simplistic hand-drawn icons, it's definitely a party starter. We've replaced the Golden Gate Bridge icon with other simple motifs, and it's still just as sweet!

We can't imagine a Cape Cod wedding without lots of nautical accompaniments. This maritime suite designed by Anne Smith was made just for our brides ready to wed by the ocean air.

A custom design gallery with all of our invitation suites is in the making, along with lots of brand new designs. Do you have a favorite style or wish we would create a wedding suite around a certain theme? Let us know in the comments!

All photos by Edyta Szyszlo

Real Wedding: Jessica and Lawrence

We're still completely captivated by this wedding featured on Style Me Pretty last week. The bride and groom stunned us with their romantic details, and all-together charm.

Jessica and Lawrence wed in a little garden at the Gore Palace in Waltham, a town outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The setting definitely set the mood for their dreamy garden wedding, with tall hedges and outstanding floral displays by Le Reve.

The Nouveau Peonies inspired programs also matched perfectly with the event. The bridesmaids all wore shades of pink, adding just the right amount of color to the natural setting.

Nouveau Peonies made another appearance at the table setting, with fresh sprigs and dreamy gold accents. Delish!

Congratulations Jessica and Lawrence! We wish you both a world of happiness!

All photography by Ashley O'Dell

On Press: In the Jungle

So much time and care goes into every letterpress job at Hello!Lucky and we want to share what goes on behind the scenes.  This is the first in an ongoing series of posts detailing the unique process that combines paper and ink to create a handcrafted keepsake sure to make... an impression (oh yes we said it!).  This wild three-color invitation was taken on as job printing for one of our clients.

Registration is the alignment of different inks when printing and the crop marks on each edge act as guides for keeping those colors in the right place.

A stack of sheets on the feed table

A polymer plate is freshly inked and ready to add the third color, black.

"In the Jungle" was printed by James, and this week he is sporting his forest green teamster apron. Sharp!

The Lab Event - A Success!

We had a blast at The Lab Event last weekend and wanted to share a few pics of the jaw dropping vignettes that filled the barrel room at Cline Cellars.   Guests were able to stroll through these themed areas gathering ideas, inspiration and even some sweet treats like monogrammed cookies and (I-can't-believe-these-are-vegan) cupcakes!

One of our vignettes had a "Toasted Marshmallow" theme with warm brown tones, gold accents and plenty of rustic wood and twig textures.  The menus had a burlap-inspired pattern framing text and a floral sprig and was letterpressed on a recycled cotton card stock.  We're so happy with the way everything turned out, we plan to offer the entire suite on our website soon.  Stay tuned!

How cool is that chandelier?  Its made from branches, Christmas lights and a few Ikea light fixtures... someone please DIY and let us know how it turns out!

Jen Musty from Batter Bakery blew us away with all her delectable desserts like Meyer Lemon shortbread cookies and Key Lime tarts.

The lovely ladies from The Collection Event Studio, styled a fantastic booth full of vintage flair and wedding inspiration galore!

The best part of the project was meeting so many amazing and talented vendors that we can't wait to work with again!

Real Wedding: Beth and Julian

We can think of fewer ways to start a married life together than with the sun shining and the whole city laid out beneath you! These photos taken by Marianne Taylor so beautifully capture the setting for the midsummer wedding of Beth and Julian.

The venue for the ceremony took place at the upper deck of the National Theatre on the south Bank of the Thames which boasts views of the whole city from East to West across the river. We also agree with Beth's choice of invitation as she opted for our London Skyline design but chose to have it in a soft coral and stone combination which looked beautiful.

After the ceremony the guests were treated to a ride through central London on a vintage Routemaster double-decker bus to the reception at one of Soho's most established and best-loved restaurants, Kettner's in Romily Street.

Here the table stationery carried-on the skyline theme with each table being designated by an iconic London building. We're not sure if being sent to the tower ever held such happy connotations!

We would like to wish Beth and Julian all the very best for their future together; may the city always be theirs!

Lucky Friday # 48, We Belong

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 48th edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress greeting cards. We’ll choose THREE LUCKY WINNERS to get a free card.  Post a comment by 12 p.m. PST the following Thursday, and we’ll announce the winners on the following Friday!

The three winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Cindy, Stacy and Terri! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your You're Striking card!

Design: We Belong Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: Our salty tongues pepper our design dialogue with pithy one-liners, and somehow the perfect balance of savor and spice emerged. Who to send it to: Your better half, your perfect match or perfect opposite. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The alternate text for the card read: "Come in for two shakes and I'll show you what I keep in my cellar." Favorite detail: The simplicity, really. Sweet and simple. Or salty, rather. Why Letterpress? The subtle and simple design calls for the restraint of a limited palette.

Don’t forget to post your comment and tune in next week, same time, different stationery, to see if you’ve won!

The Hello!Lucky Video

Hello!Lucky Studio from Hello!Lucky on Vimeo.

It's finally here! We've always wanted to give our fans and friends an inside peek into the daily lives of the Hello!Lucky team. This video has been in the making for awhile now, and after all the finishing touches were set in place, it's ready for opening day! The super talented Ryan Khavari of Arkaypix spent a few days with us at the San Francisco studio and captured all the right vibes. The cheerful tunes written just for us are by the amazing bay area musician Roger Riedlbauer. We're just thrilled with the way it turned out! Stay tuned on our Vimeo site for more videos to come. Enjoy!

Free! Printable Valentine's Day Cards

It's time to channel the elementary schooler in you! Valentine's Day was such an exciting festivity for all of us in our early years (It may be because of our intrinsic enthusiasm for stationery and love notes!) However, we still feel a thrill when the big February 14 comes around. This year we wanted to do something extra special for our fans and loved ones. We created four free printable Valentine's Day cards just for you! Perfect for any age, these printable are inspired by our very favorite love cards, plus a little something new. You can download them here!

New Wedding Designs Available Now!

Extra! Extra!  New wedding invitations hot off the press!  Whether your tastes gravitate towards romantic florals or preppy patterns, there's truly something for everyone in our new wedding suites.  A bunch of designs are still in the works (one just might be video game inspired!), but here's a sneak peak at a few inspiring invitations and sweet save the dates available online now!  Enjoy!

Midsummer Invitation and Save the Date

Fig Invitation and Save the Date

8 Most Colorful Cities on Earth

Manarola, Italy

We're loving this roundup of colorful cities that we spotted on Curbly. There is something magical about a city that embraces color into its architecture, and these cities have us begging for a visit. Who wouldn't want to scope out the spectrum of such vibrant skylines, especially when they are in places like Italy and Argentina.

Guanajuato, Mexico

Willemstad, Curaco

La Boca, Buenos Aires

St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Of course, we couldn't imagine a list of colorful cities without thinking of San Francisco. It didn't make the cut this time, but with images like these, we're certain it will top the charts next time.

Check out the whole list on enpundit!

Spot the Valentine's Day Card!

Can you spot the Hello!Lucky card? It's in there along with all the other charming and romantic home accessories! Iain sent us this snippet inside the February issue of Good Homes magazine and we were tickled that they chose to include our Main Squeeze letterpress Valentine's Day card. Thanks Good Homes!

Introducing Custom Valentine's Day Cards!

We're wild about our brand new custom Valentine's Day cards! It's our first time debuting them in our Hello!Lucky collection and we are thrilled to share the news. Whether you didn't have a chance to send holiday photos, or want to reveal some news about a recent engagement, or just want to spread a little romance to friends and family, these cards and their retro personalities are the perfect touch. Shown are a few of our favorites, but you can check out the collection here! xoxo

Jungle Love (above)

Cup of Tea Photo

If sending photos isn't your cup of tea, you can still send great cards with a personal message.

Cup of Tea

Guess Who

For a short time, you can receive 10% off all Valentine's Day cards (custom and greeting)! Just enter the code XOXOLUCKY at checkout!

Lucky Friday # 47, You're Striking!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 47th edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress greeting cards. We’ll choose THREE LUCKY WINNERS to get a free card.  Post a comment by 12 p.m. PST the following Thursday, and we’ll announce the winners on the following Friday!

The three winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Marlys, Sherry Lykins and Marti Schrock! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Let's Be Frank card!

Design: You're Striking Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: We couldn't quite visually pin down the feeling of being bowled over, or dumbstruck by someone's charms. So we had this spare design on hand and we let it roll. Who to send it to: Any fine fellow who might be casually referred to as "The Dude." Also, anyone you feel might be on your team or even a little out of your league. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The "Slam Dunk" card lacked the necessary romance and the baseball Valentine's implications of "bases" didn't exactly hit one out of the park. Favorite detail: Love the sports jersey typeface. Why letterpress? Letterpress lets the third shadow color shine through with the overprinting of pink and blue.

Don’t forget to post your comment and tune in next week, same time, different stationery, to see if you’ve won!

The Lab Event: ticket winner!

A winner has been selected for tickets to The Lab event this weekend and we're so excited for them to join the party!  Drinks and bites will be served in one of Cline Cellars working barrel rooms - how's that for authentic?  Some of the Bay Area's top fashion bloggers will be modeling the latest trends in wedding wear while guests browse custom vignettes.  Tickets can still be purchased here.  Grab some soon, as the event is sure to be a fun and inspirational night!

See you there!

3 Free Samples!

Are you browsing for wedding invitations or save the dates? Want to see them in person before committing? Now you can have 3 samples for free! For the month of January we are offering an exclusive discount on all sample products (wedding invitations, save the dates, and baby announcements). Just enter the code 3FREE at checkout and select $0.00 Shipping and they'l be on their way to you in no time!

 Photo by Edyta Szyszlo Photography

In the bag!

We are loving these oh-so-chic messenger bags from Ulster Weavers that we found whilst looking for tea-towels for the London office. Having images of London, New York and Paris, they coordinate rather well with our own invitations and we can think of no better way of keeping all ones' wedding paraphernalia together than in one of these beauties! Of course, for all those readers in a non-wedding frame of mind, they are equally good for popping to the supermarket whilst retaining ones' street cred! We are also rather taken by some of their aprons in wonderful retro designs; perfect for releasing your inner Doris Day for a spot of afternoon cake baking!

One more day for the Lab Giveaway!

Don't forget! You have one more day to participate in our giveaway for the Lab Event! We're offering 2 FREE tickets to the best wedding event of the new year! All you have to do is comment below telling us why you would like, love, or absolutely NEED to be there! It's taking place at Cline Cellars, this Saturday, January 14th from 5-9pm. We'll choose a winner tomorrow at 3:00 (PST)! Good luck!