Contest: giving thanks in 2014

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ENTER TO WIN TWO PACKS OF LETTERPRESS THANK YOU CARDS BY JANUARY 16th!!! There’s plenty of research showing that gratitude promotes happiness -- expressing thanks helps you hone in on what’s positive in your life, and everyone loves to be thanked and appreciated! So this year we are promising to say thanks!

Here are perfect occasions for writing a thank you note:

• A gift
• A dinner or date
• A handwritten card
• A great conversation
• A thoughtful action, like helping you with a project or chore
• A long-term friendship or partnership

You can write thank you notes to family, friends, work associates, teachers, or those who provide a helpful hand day by day like your mail man or garbage collector.

Great thank you notes are brief and heartfelt. Here are some samples:

Thank you for the wonderful birthday card. I am so grateful that you thought of me.

Thank you for your the great conversation we had yesterday. I appreciate your support, and I am so glad we’re friends!

Here are some tactics we’ll be trying out in 2014:

• Keep a stash of thank you notes, stamps, and a pen by your bedside. Write a note at the end of the day. (Think of it as a twist on writing “gratitude journal,” which some researchers advocate -- one that has a positive impact on other people’s lives as well as your own)
• Write thank you notes right away -- the feelings will be more authentic and meaningful.

What are some of the ways you like to say thank you? Post a comment and we’ll pick a winner next Thursday the 16th to receive your very own stash of 12 letterpress thank you cards (featured above)!

Farewell to custom!

To our amazing customers & fans, T H A N K Y O U ! We have made the incredibly tough call to throw in the towel for all custom invitations. Our intentions are to expand on our letterpress greeting card collection, and eventually branch out into more gifts & products. We are forever grateful for all of your kind words and support. That being said, our wedding invitations will be available for a limited time through Soiree San Francisco, so please don't hesitate to contact them for all your dreamy wedding desires. Wishing you a very H A P P Y N E W Y E A R !

Family Photo Shoot with Leah McCormick

Just before Imogen was born, we were lucky enough to squeeze in a family photo shoot with the AMAZING Leah McCormick...

We just got the photos back this week, and I couldn't resist sharing them - Leah did such a fabulous job capturing our family (and all accompanying silliness)...

The shoot was so relaxed and fun that even my husband Daniel, who is usually a bit grumbly about being made to participate in such shenanigans, had a great time - and was super pleased with the results...

Love her sense of composition and the way she captures light and color!

You would never guess that I was  incredibly exhausted and quite whale-ish at the time!

Leah does beautiful wedding photography as well - check out her work at www.byleah.com!

Lucky Friday # 82 TYPE(FACE) SORRY!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 82nd 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): Randi Jensen, K Shaw and JoEllen! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Hang in There card.

Design: TYPE(FACE) SORRY! Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: We gave the project some face time, and when we typed the word "Sorry" we knew we had just the type of card we needed. Who to send it to: The type of person you need to face up to— or the type you would rather just send a cute little letter... and not face right away. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one:  For the Christian congrats card, we couldn't decide on a good baptismal font. Favorite detail: Love the subtlety of the sad face. The Mona Lisa of frownies. Why letterpress? How could we honestly make typographic jokes without such graphic use of type?

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

Lucky Friday # 81, Hang in There

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 81st 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): Maggie, Csilla and Kendra Purnell! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Chairs card.

Design: Hang in There Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: Life and work is like a barrel of monkeys, and we know things go better if we all hang together. Who to send it to: A macaque who feels like crap, a monkey who's been feeling a little funky, or a Rhesus who fell to pieces. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: We were thinking of doing a new version called "Ecce Mono" in honor of the recently "improved" Spanish fresco. Favorite detail: Can y'all spot the one monkey who's just a teensy bit different from the others? Why letterpress? When it comes to printing primates, we prefer mano a mono.

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

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 # 76, Gallant Birthday

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 76th 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): Chelsea, Debbie Cotton and Cat! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Hog Wild card.

Design: Gallant Birthday

Artist: Esther Aarts

Inspiration: We'd been listening to a lot of Dubstep around the office. Wondering why "Dub" step. We figured it must have something to do with knights.

Who to send it to: Anyone named Arthur, Lance, Gawain or Guinevere; or any virtuous vassal or chivalrous cavalier you dub worthy of birthday accolades.

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: No one expected the Spanish Inquisition themed surprise birthday card would be nixed... and the other ideas were a bit quixotic.

Favorite detail: Love the graceful gesture of his hand holding the reins.

Why letterpress? Rumor has it that Gutenberg was a knight. If he wasn't, he should have been.

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

Lucky Friday # 75, Hog Wild

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 75th 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): Rin, Diana D and Phoebe! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Animal Parade card.

Design: Hog Wild Artist: Shauna Leytus Inspiration: We went whole hog on this one. We were pretty sure we could make a sow's ear into a silk purse. Who to send it to: Anyone who plans to pig out, ham it up, hog all the attention, and wallow in the occasion. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: After butchering a couple of other boar-ing ideas, we decided we'd better stick to one that was sure to bring home the bacon. Favorite detail: The pig's pouty party expression is priceless. Why letterpress? Hamlet said "to be or not to be..." ...we say "let it be letterpress."

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 # 71, 1st Birthday

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 71st 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): Derek Rigby, Nicky, and Sierra Catherine! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Hipster Party card.

Design: 1st Birthday Artist: Esther Aarts Inspiration: We had a little block about this one— our train of thought didn't have rails, but then we got on the ball and it ended up being a real bunny of a design. Who to send it to: We can think of some one, one for whom it's perfect, the one and only, the sweetest one of all! Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The text "One Is the Loneliest Number" didn't suit the occasion— not one bit. Favorite detail: Ooh, that's a tough one... Why letterpress: We can give you one good reason... it's one-derful.

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

Lucky Friday # 69, You're a Peach

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 69th 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): Gina, Diana D and Albert! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Thanks a Brunch card.

Design: You're a Peach Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: We had no trouble coming up with juicy ideas for a sweet, summery little card like this one. Who to send it to: Pick just the right person when the season is ripe. Ideal for anyone named Melba, for anyone from Georgia, or for someone who knows just how to shake your tree. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: We were at a loss for nectarine puns, and kumquats were ruled out right away. Favorite detail: Love the skinny stem legs and all. Why letterpress? The stippled ink effect makes a strong impression of peach fuzz.

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

Lucky Friday # 68, Thanks a Brunch!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 68th 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): Karen, Karolina and Kyle! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Better with Age card.

Design: Thanks a Brunch Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: We had a short stack of ideas— we didn't want the design to be over-easy or too syrupy sweet, so the smorgasbord result suited us to a tea! Who to send it to: A friend who's a fiend with a French press, who's bringin' and makin' the bacon, and who's got a sure cure for what ails you in the A.M. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The "Toastest with the Mostest," "Eggs-cellent Job," and "You Take the Pancake!" cards were all wrapped up, thankfully, in one big brunch bonanza. Favorite detail: Took us a sec to figure why the toast is wearing a beret. Guess we might need a spot of that coffee. Why letterpress? Good grapes, can't get over that gorgeous purple overprinting!

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!

The Best of NSS, Part 3

There was so much good work at NSS this year that it was hard to keep it to just two posts. So here is my third and final post, but really I could have done about three more! Rose from The Great Lakes Goods always has a strong showing and this year was no exception (above and below).

Newcomer Pei Designs featured some super cute illustrations - all letterpressed (above and below)!

Our buddy Susy (from Susy Jack) really knocked it out of the park this year with her awesome recipes boxes, paperweights and calendars (above and below).

Do you recognize the feather illustration?

The always amazing Rifle Paper debuted these ridiculously adorable cocktail coasters:

Fawnsberg is run by two sisters, and features sweet illustrations on their cards and rubber stamps (above and below).

Finally, Atlanta-based Alee and Press really nailed it with their ombre style:

Whew! It was a great show and I loved checking out all the beautiful new work. Let us know in the comments if you discovered anyone new and amazing at the show this year!

Lucky Friday # 66 Retro Garden

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 66th 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): Justine, Priscilla and Mary E Leach! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Sick Monkey card.

Design: Retro Garden Artist: Sarah Labieniec Inspiration: We bet your grandma had wallpaper like that in her mid-century modern bungalow. We want a couch with that print. Pretty please and thank you. Who to send it to: Your peony-loving Paw-Paw or your retro rockin' great aunt Rachel. Favorite detail: Been craving some cool crosshatching these days. Why letterpress? Because that's how it was done when your Paw-Paw and great aunt Rachel had that fab furniture, wild wallpaper, and perfect peonies.

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

The Best of NSS, Part 2

Hey peeps! It's time for more goodies from this years National Stationery Show (click here to see Part 1). First up is the amazing work from 1 Canoe 2 (above and below): 3 talented girls who draw, design and letterpress print in a barn in Missouri. Living the dream.

Making their NSS debut this year was Los Angeles based The Social Type (below). I love how the same sentiment can be interpreted in many different ways!

Another favorite of mine was Banquet Atelier & Workshop, based in Vancouver. Our mutual love of neon was obvious:

How incredible is their guest sign (below)? I'm loving their prints also.

My favorite birthday card of the show came from Anemone Letterpress (below). So clever!

Stay tuned for part 3!

The Best of NSS, Part 1

This year we didn't have a booth at the National Stationery Show but our New York satellite office (aka Design Director Shauna Leytus) was there visiting some of our favorite artists and making new friends. She'll be doing a series of posts recapping what she saw and loved. Here's her first post!

Where do I begin?! There was so much amazing work at the National Stationery Show this year from new comers and old favorites. Making her NSS debut, Left Field cards (above) showcased nine letterpressed "baseball cards" complete with mustaches, edibles and bizarre injuries. Collect them all!

One of my favorite cards of the entire show belonged to Red Camper (above and below). Need I say more?

A fellow card maker sharing a love of food-themed imagery was Fox Tail Press (above and below). When I asked when "national spaghetti day" actually was, Danielle rightly answered "everyday". Duh.

Design*Sponge declared Linda & Harriet's over-sized Quilt Calender the best thing she saw at the show and I couldn't agree more. My photos do not do it justice - this is a work of art and it is amazing.

More coverage of the show to come!

Lucky Friday # 65, Sick Monkey

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 65th 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): Angela, Janet and Petra! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your I Melt for You card.

Design: Sick Monkey Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: Nothing sadder than a sick li'l sock monkey. Who to send it to: A puppet with pertussis, a monkey with the mumps, an ailing ape, or any peaked post-primate. Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The "Monkey-zuma's Revenge" card was a little too evocative. Favorite detail: The sad little slouch tugs on our sympathy strings. Why letterpress? A mostly immobilized person particularly appreciates a picture with a little palpable punch— the perfect pick-me-up.

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