Lucky Friday # 80, Chairs

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 80th 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 winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Frances, Jana and Chris! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Sporty Birthday card.

Design: Chairs Artist: Julia Rothman Inspiration:  We took a load off, set a spell, and we fancied we'd honor the humble foundations of our inspirations. Who to send it to: Anyone named Anne, Louis, Chip, Dale, Chaise or.... Cherry. (?!) Or any antiques aficionado. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The "Go for Baroque" pun fell flat on all but a few and the "Rockin' the Rococo" rocking chair card was... actually, we might re-consider. Favorite detail: Just can't decide which chair we'd most like to have and never sit in. Why letterpress? Antique chairs, antique presses— wethinks we see a pattern emerging!

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

Lucky Friday # 78, Unicorns

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 78th 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 winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Janet, Julie and Bethany! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Whale of a Birthday card.

Design: Unicorns Artist: Julia Rothman Inspiration: We thought of making a pretty corny card about unicorns, but then thought to make a pretty, unicorn-y card that wasn't so corny after all. Who to send it to: Someone truly unique, someone named Charlie (remember him?), or someone you've been meaning to get on the horn. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The "Sometimes You've Just Gotta Grab the Corn By His Horn" encouragement card. And the Austin Powers unicorn card— erm... we won't go there. Favorite detail: We fell for all the fanciful flowers; not sure which is our fave. Why letterpress? Letterpress is rare and beautiful— if not mythical, it's at least legendary.

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

Lucky Friday # 77, Whale of a Birthday

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 77th 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 winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Linda, Julie Glassman and Lexy! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Gallant Birthday card.

Design: Whale of a Birthday Artist: Julia Rothman Inspiration: We were trying to brainstorm Moby Dick themed humor cards that were appropriate... Who to send it to: Seafarin' bretheren or sister'en who lived to tell the tale, a dolphin lovin' doll, or anyone named Herman, Mel, Moby or Willy. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: "Have a Kracken Good Time" was suggested for our UK store, but it must've gotten lost at sea, or lost in translation. Favorite detail: Love the swirly sea and pretzel-y, pretty clouds. Why letterpress? Letterpress backwards read "sserprettel" which makes us think of sea serpent, pretzel and pretty. There must be a message here we need to decode.

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

Lucky Friday # 74, Animal Parade

 

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 74th 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 winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Holly, Elena Lazutina and Nancy! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Birdy Birthday card.

Design: Animal Parade

Artist: Julia Rothman

Inspiration: Julia was so inspired, she made this card in half-time— she must've been feeling wild and brassy.

Who to send it to: Anyone with a March birthday, who loves a parade, who marches to the beat of a different drummer, or who's braved band camp like a beast and lived to tell of the tails.

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The Zombie Marching Band card was... hrm... actually, maybe we should re-consider.

Favorite detail: We like the gesture and lean of the leader and the tuba bear is simply too cute.

Why letterpress? Parade uniforms are most impressive when they're properly pressed.

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

Lucky Friday # 67, Better With Age

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 67th 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 winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Jen, Karen B. and Christine Power! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Retro Garden card.

Design: Better With Age Artist: Julia Rothman Inspiration: We wanted a card that was full-bodied, that didn't "wine" about its age, and that could be cheesy but not too cheesy. Who to send it to: An oenophile or turophile with a penchant for the piquant, and with enough years under its cork to discern that maturity means complexity, quality, and intrigue. Favorite detail: It's not as much about the individual details, rather the overall flavor and the harmony of the pairings. Why letterpress? We'd compare letterpress to a Chateau Mouton, or at least a Lafite— it gives a strong impression and a beautiful finish.

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

Lucky Friday # 63, Go Wild!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 63rd 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): Laura H, Angela, and Ana Laura de Romero! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Going Places card.

Design: Go Wild Artist: Julia Rothman Inspiration: We were wool-gathering for a while, and though the idea was a little fuzzy at first, we eventually found it had teeth. Who to send it to: Someone's who's packin' pachyderm, who's a giraffe-and-a-half or who's the ostrich with the mostrich. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: "Let's Get Domestic" was a cute design, but we didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Favorite Detail: Why, all the animals have de-tails, so how can we choose our favorite of de-tails? Why letterpress? Animals all make such interesting prints, we figured we'd use a heavyweight press method for all our animal champs.

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

New Greeting Cards!

Our brand new letterpress greeting cards are hot off the presses and arrived just in time for spring! We've got smashing new designs by Esther Aarts, Julia Rothman, and yours truly. We've taken a new spin off our popular BBQ Parade Father's Day card and created Thanks a Brunch, and Julia's Better With Age card speaks simply the truth - we are especially fond of this card being so close to wine country!

Our wedding Skyline series is such a hit we couldn't wait to offer letterpress skyline cards for all our favorite cities! San Francisco, New York City, and London are all available now but there are more to come! Also making it's big debut is our bright and cheerful Visit Seattle card.

To view the entire collection of new letterpress greeting cards, click here!

Lucky Friday #62, Going Places

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 62nd 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): Danyun, Nicky and Shannon! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Champ card.

Design: Going Places Artist: Julia Rothman Inspiration: Julia's a REAL jet-setter—what more inspiration could she need? Who to send it to: A friend who's movin' on up, movin' on out and taking the high road. Ideas we scrapped: The original text went, "If you have a lot of baggage make sure, at least, that it's old and beautiful." Favorite detail: Adore the color combination— perfect for spring travel and new beginnings! Why letterpress? Old suitcases and typecases have much in common—they hold a lot more than you think, and both can easily become heavy as lead.

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

On Press: 2012 Trade Releases

This week Max is working hard and printing all of the upcoming trade releases for 2012. Along with Eunice's and Anna's fun and beautiful new designs,  we have an armful of great new cards from our friends and favorite designers: Esther Aarts,  Lab Partners, and Julia Rothman.

On Press: Dinosaurs--Trimming and Packaging

This week On Press we show the final steps in the process of creating Hello!Lucky's birthday card, "Dinosaurs." This sweet card was designed by Julia Rothman for Hello!Lucky. Max trims them down on the guillotine and folds a few to make sure each cut is perfect. Then each card is folded by hand, packaged, and bundled in packs of six.

On Press: Dinosaurs--Printing and Scoring

Finally! This week our 'On Press' video shows Max in the final stages of this three part series chronicling the making of a letterpress greeting card. Here he's at his windmill printing and scoring Julia Rothman's "Dinosaurs" birthday card design. Scoring, also called creasing, helps prevent the paper from cracking, and it also makes the cards easier to fold.

On Press: Dinosaurs--Paper Cutter.

Here is the next installment in the series of videos on the production of our “Dinosaurs” birthday card designed by Julia Rothman. Max is now cutting down large parent sheets into smaller sheets to be printed on.

On Press: Dinosaurs--Paper Cutter from Hello!Lucky on Vimeo.

Featuring Julia Rothman and Giveaway!

We still have one more artist contributor to our 2011 Holiday Collection! We're excited to feature the very talented Julia Rothman! Julia is the rock star designer behind some of our most popular greeting cards and wedding invitations. We could go on and on about her genius illustrations and famous hand drawn style, but that would take days! We're constantly getting inspiration from her work and are delighted to have her as a part of Hello!lLucky designer team. Check out her book blog here!

What inspired your design for the holiday collection? Thinking about hot chocolate and warm mittens and cozy armchairs with fuzzy blankets and glowing fireplaces. I'm not a big fan of the cold weather but i like being warm knowing it's cold outside.

What are you currently working on?

Today I was working on a bunch of illustrations for a magazine. I'm excited to start to working on a book I am going to do about New York City next. Oh, and organizing. That is my New Years resolution- to get my office in better shape. I've tried to start the long process a little bit early to get a head start.

What influences your style the most?

That's hard to pinpoint. At some point I realized I really like drawings that seem like they are for kids, the style is playful and simple, but the audience is for adults. I like looking at vintage wallpaper designs and old children's book. But I think what influences me the most is what I see on a daily basis around me walking the streets; the people, clothing, store windows, architecture, patterns...

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

I like exchanging gifts with my friends. It's always really fun thinking up presents for them and I always know I will get a thoughtful gift in return.

Best holiday memory?

I used to help decorate my neighbors tree every year as a kid since we never had one. I liked hearing stories about all the ornaments and eating lots of cookies. One year she told me a ghost story and I was so scared and never forgot it.

To enter to win an assortment of 10 letterpress greeting cards designed by Julia Rothman, comment below telling us your best holiday memory! The winner will be chosen on Friday, December 9th at 12:00pm. Good luck!

**A winner has been chosen! Thanks for participating!**

Lucky Friday #32, Rothman's Going Places

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 32nd edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress 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):

Bethany, Merany and Robin!

We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Robots!

Now for this week’s edition:

Design: Going Places

Artist: Julia Rothman

Inspiration: Lugging vintage luggage is a sport in our field, inspiring awe in good design—particularly with regards to such brilliant notions as the invention of the wheel.

Who to send it to: A jet-setter, a globe-trotter, a glad new grad, a Fulbright scholar...

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: A little dog packing a too small satchel with a too big bone reading "Bone Voyage." A two toed sloth climbing a tree, reading "Movin' on Up!"

Favorite detail: Love the color choices and the meticulous metalwork.

Why Letterpress? Vintage leather luggage can only be adequately rendered with vintage leatherpress printing.

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

Lucky Friday # 23, Julia Rothman's Dinosaurs Card for a BIG little Guy!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the twenty-third edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress 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):

Darilyn, Sherri N and Brenda Eden!

We’ll contact you early next week to arrange sending your Bundle of Joy card.

Now for this week’s edition:

Design: Dinosaurs

Artist: Julia Rothman

Inspiration: Big ideas abound when there’s dinosaurs around!

Who to send it to: For a big birthday for a little guy, terrible lizards make for terrific cards.

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one:  A surfer stegosaurus on a card that read “Cretaceous, Dude!” But we realized that was waaay bogus.

Favorite detail: The absence of T-Rex lets a little big guy fill in the big blank with a big roar!

Why letterpress: Dinos left some impressive fossilized prints behind— similarly, our ancient technology will withstand the test of time.

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

Lucky Friday # 20, Julia Rothman Rocks the Birthday Card

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the twentieth edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress 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):

Christa, Jean K and Lindsey!

We’ll contact you early next week to arrange sending your Belated Birthday card.

Now for this week’s edition:

Design: Rock On

Artist: Julia Rothman (or maybe we should call her Julia Rock-man from now on)

Inspiration: Catching a wave of New Wave nostalgia, jonesing for some Joan Jett, or blasting Blondie on the boombox.

Who to send it to: A Jem of a friend or a Misfit on your list.

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: Our singer-songwriter version featured a Garfunkel fro wig, a harmonica stand, a tambourine and a pair of Birkenstocks and it read “Happy Folkin’ Birthday.”

Favorite detail: Love that we amped up the palette with some hot pink ink.

Why letterpress? Why guitars, why Chucks, why leather, why letterpress? Dude, because it rocks!

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

Signing Party: DRAWN IN by Julia Rothman

For those of you lucky folks in the NYC area, check out this must-attend event! Julia Rothman will be in attendance, in addition to several other artists included in her new book— Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists. They'll even have an assortment of original sketchbooks for guests to peruse.

Here's the Facebook Event Page, if you'd like to RSVP.

And the Google Books page if you'd like to take a peek inside, to see more of the diverse artists' offerings.

And a link to the (did we say gorgeous?) book on Powell's and Amazon.

The event will be held at:

powerHouse Arena

37 Main Street

Brooklyn, New York

Thursday, June 30 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Hope you can make it!

Lucky Friday #18! Julia Rothman goes Under the Sea!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the eighteenth edition of our Lucky Friday giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress 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):

Aggie, Lisa and Andrew!

We’ll contact you early next week to arrange sending your Cheers! card.

Now for this week’s edition:

Design: Under the Sea

Artist: Julia Rothman

Inspiration: Maybe Julia “conch-ed” out and dreamt about a certain “Lawrence Whelk” doing a duet of “Under the Sea” with Ariel, in glass of champagne. “A one an’a two an’ a..!” Ehr, umm, that is, maybe Julia just likes mermaids.

Who to send it to: This card was sure made for a mermaid, but you could send a sand dollar a holler, or grant a fish a birthday wish.

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: Some of the puns were kinda washed up, like an encouragement card with a mermaid, reading “On a scale of one to ten”… ‘nuff said.

Favorite detail:  Naturally the angelfish and seahorse would be the chivalrous types.

Why letterpress? If you send a card under the waves the ink might wash away, but with a letterpress card a mermaid could at least get an impression.

Don't forget to post your comment and check back next week, same time, same stationery (; D), to see if you've won!

National Stationery Show Sneak Peek!

It's that time of year again when we're packing our bags and heading east to the National Stationery Show where we'll be debuting our Spring Release! We'll be at booth #1536 if you're planning on attending, stop by and say hello.

And now here's a sneak peek of the latest and greatest including a new product we are super excited about!

Drum roll please....introducing our new reversible letterpress journals to bring out the word smith in you whether you've got a hare-brained scheme (doh!) or a big idea (yay!).

But wait there's more! More hilariously genius greeting card designs from Julia Rothman and Esther Aarts:

Julia's Rockin' Birthday conjures up childhood memories of Jem and the Holograms or Kids, Incorporated!

Whether to say bon voyage or congratulations on your engagement, this adorable card from Esther Aarts is sure to wish you well on your new adventure.

Stay Tuned for more sneak peeks!

New Julia Rothman fabrics on Design Sponge

Design Sponge just featured one of our all time fave designers, Julia Rothman, and her fab new fabrics!

Cloud9 is producing these rich, ornate and fun designs—all printed on organic cotton.

Be sure to check Design Sponge for more pics and for a link to more of Julia's work .

Did you know Hello!Lucky carries a line of Julia Rothman cards and gift-wrap as well as many gorgeous and whimsical wedding invitations?