Studio Visit from Happy Morning

We very much enjoyed the recent studio visit by the lovely Sandra of Happy Morning. She toured our studio, met the crew, and took some beautiful photos of our space. We love to see photos of our studio taken through the eyes of someone else. She captured all the colors and [somewhat] organized paper products in our pressroom.

This is our ever deep and never ending shelf of custom order envelopes. Thank goodness for color-coding!

On the day of her visit Jon was working on Julia Rothman's design Tres Chic, which is always a fan favorite.

Not even our office spaces were forgotten! Magic happens at the desks of our designers, and there are always inspirational materials laying around.

Our Visit Series save the dates are a huge hit among our future brides and grooms. We love to display them all together.

Thanks Sandra for coming to our studio and for sharing all the lovely photos! For more and to read a Q & A with Eunice, click here!

Valentine's Cards for Meals on Wheels

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!

Employee Spotlight: Lillian

Lillian joined the Hello!Lucky team in 2010 and since then has proven her graciousness, patience, and positivity throughout every role she takes on. She's helped brides discover their wedding style, helped web developers update new products, and helped customers on a daily basis. A native of Vermont, her calm personality always brings joy to our studio, and so do the mouthwatering treats she shares with our staff. We always go to her for recipe ideas, and where to find all things stripes. Here's a little more about Lillian...

My role at Hello!Lucky is... Website improvement! Overseeing new website updates, providing tech support, and product managing--we wear a lot of hats here!

I can't get through the day without... coffee and leftovers from last nights dinner (and of course cooking when I get home)

My ideal weekend activities include... taking a day trip up to Sonoma or down the coast for some fresh air; usually accompanied by a stop at a winery or microbrewery

Favorite Hello!Lucky design... I love the Tuscany suite, and Heirloom Harvest reminds me of my home state of Vermont

Secret insider info you might not know about Hello!Lucky... call us, live chat us, email us... and you'll probably get the same four people every time (myself included)!

Hello!Lucky loves Italy

We received a super sweet email from Italian couple Lorenzo and Camilla asking if they could come visit the Hello!Lucky studio and learn a bit about letterpress printing. Little did we know they were huge fans of ours and both graphic designers. They came to the US and San Francisco for their honeymoon and they couldn't have been more gracious. We had a blast showing them around our space, and James provided an informative explanation of letterpress printing which they said is hard to come by in Italy. Thanks Camilla and Lorenzo for coming to see us! And congratulations on your new marriage!

Employee Spotlight: Jonathan

Next under the heat of the Hello!Lucky Employee Spotlight is Jonathan. Jonathan is our handy pressroom assistant, which requires that he wear multiple hats. Among all his lovable characteristics, our favorites might be his enthusiasm for printmaking and willingness to help others (especially in the trade department!). His musical talents are as impressive as his homebrewing, which we openly welcome during H!L staff meetings. We asked Jon a few questions about himself...

My role at Hello!Lucky is...

urgent care.

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

gnartapes, homebrew podcasts, and a big cup of coffee, black as midnight on a moonless night....with lots of cream.

My ideal weekend activities include....

shredding the freedom.

My favorite pressroom activity is....

yeah, printing.

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

Crocs are the new Chuck Taylors.

Featured: Wedding Row California

This week Wedding Row California wrote a wonderful post about letterpress printing at Hello!Lucky. With specific details about the creative process and gorgeous photography by Josh Gruetzmacher. We feel touched when people show such interest in the age-old printmaking method of letterpress, especially when they spend a whole afternoon learning the ins-and-outs.

Printmaker James is a fabulous tour guide, and showed Abigail (the author) and Josh the steps of creating a New York City Skyline letterpress wedding invitation from beginning to end.

To read the entire feature and to view more amazing photos, click here!

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.

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

On Press: Broadside

This week James is operating the Vandercook and pressing a large broadside for a custom print job. The press is a No. 4 proof press from 1947. This video shows him setting up his guides and adjusting the furniture around the base for a perfectly positioned print. Next, he applies ink to the rollers and inks the polymer plates. Finally, after printing, he carefully cleans all the rollers.

Studio Snapshots

We admit it, one of our latest obsessions is Instagram. We're having a lot of fun taking little breaks in our day and posting some studio shots to this highly addictive app. Do you use Instagram? We'd love to see what you're posting so follow us or tell us your account name in the comments! We're @helloluckycards - nice and simple!

Eunice at work designing a custom wedding invite.

Rainy day gear.

James at the press.

We're anxiously awaiting the android version so more of our friends and studio mates can join in on the fun.

On Press: Cross Stitch

This week on press is the new Susy Jack* design for Hello!Lucky: Cross Stitch. Here is a video of Hello!Lucky's printer, James, positioning the polymer plate, setting up the press, and printing samples of the new design.

This design will be available on the site soon!

On Press: Best Mate!

This week for on press we made a video giving you a behind-the-scenes look at our Heidelberg windmills in operation. Our talented printer, Max, is printing the platonic love greeting: "Best Mate." It was designed by Esther Aarts for Hello!Lucky.

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!

Studio Snapshot: The Lab Event + Giveaway!

We've been having so much fun designing new stationery as part of The Lab Event and with the festivities approaching this weekend, we're finally able to see our handiwork come to life on press!

We've been lucky enough to collaborate with a few of Northern California's most fabulous event companies, A Savvy Event and Bustle Events to create wedding vignettes based on various themes.  These mini wedding mock ups will showcase gorgeous linens, china, florals, desserts and of course - stationery.

This is just a sneak peek, to see more grab some tickets and hop up to Sonoma on Saturday, January 14th for an event that's sure to inspire!  We'd love to see you there, so we're giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky reader.  Leave a comment telling us why you would like, love, or absolutely NEED to be in attendance and we'll pick a winner on Thursday!

Love from London

Christmas came early to the San Francisco office! A large package arrived at our studio the other day, and who could it be from? None other than our friends Iain and Hamad over in London! We were squealing like kids when we found bunches of simple brown wrapped presents, each attached with a handwritten song lyric.

Hmm, what could it be?

Scarves for all!

Thanks Iain and Hamad! Warm winter greetings to you!

Sabrina's Adorable Accordion

Now would be an appropriate time for an "Awweee" moment! Sabrina's holiday cards just arrived off the press and they are cute as can be. Her twins Alex and James are getting so big, and we can really see the resemblances! We especially love how the boys' stripes match perfectly with the winter and spring illustrations in Susy Jack's Four Seasons accordion card.  The best part is that there's no pressure to send them before Christmas because this card is perfect for any time of year!

Alex and James definitely make our list of Holiday Cuties this year!

The gorgeous photos were taken by the Sarah at Modern Kids Photography - more on this soon!

Orders, Orders, Orders!

We're seeing tons of holiday orders printed and shipped from the H!L studio this week! It's definitely a peak time to order holiday cards, but there's still time to personalize your own. One of our most popular designs this year is the Greetings from San Francisco photo card. We think the kelly green and red color combination is especially festive!

Visit from Santa

Santa stopped by our studio this morning, just to say hello!

Studio Snapshot: New Valentine's Day Cards!

Here's a little sneak peek of some new letterpress Valentine's Day cards on the press as we speak! This is just one of many new card designs making their big debut soon, so stay tuned!

Studio Snapshot: Special Delivery!

Extra! Extra! Yesterday we received a special delivery with the soon-to-be-released September 2011 issue of Brides Magazine! We always love to browse Brides' perfectly groomed pages for inspiration and fresh ideas. The September issue is packed full of glamorous wedding gowns, delicious cakes, and smart tips to make your big day a cinch! They also included an article titled "The Ultimate Guide to Table Stationery," and we were thrilled to have a few of our designs featured.

Our Whimsy menu, Big Day place cards, and Evelyn table number shined among other amazing pieces by super-talented designers.

We always encourage creativity when preparing for a table display, and we've seen a number of beautiful arrangements in the past. Whether you choose tented place cards, personalized menus, or framed table numbers - there is always room to spruce up the presentation. Simply placing a card in a pool of jellybeans creates a playful and colorful display, like these bright pink and orange custom cards below!

The September 2011 issue will be on newsstands soon and we just know you'll love it as much as we do!