love love letterpress

'tis the season!

2011-12-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

season's greetings! i love this time of year as crazy busy as it is for me. i love the holiday songs, the sparkling lights, the sweet treats and warm drinks, the twinkle in the kids' eyes, and of course all those letterpress cards. these are my faves from fugu fugu press!

images: fugu fugu press

mmmmm macarons and more!

2011-11-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

i love love macarons. those real parisian-type sweets...

my faves have just the perfect amount of crispy and chewy with a creamy filling and not overly sweet. mmmmm! this girl is most fond of macarons from laduree (originating in paris with other locations including tokyo and nyc) and miette (san francisco). sycamore street press has a series of pastry-illustrated cards which are adorable and mouth-watering.

images: sycamore street press

patterns and friends

2011-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

i love love these cards from night owl paper goods. simply illustrated animals merged with cool patterns in the background. adorable!

images: night owl paper goods

oooh, letterpress on film

2011-10-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

autumn greetings! is must be hard to believe after all these months but yes, it's a new post! :) my non-blogging life has been busy with yet another new baby in the mix – my baby girl was born on july 20th and our household now consists of three children under age four. during my blogging hiatus i have still been inspired by letterpress but haven't had the opportunity to write...

i recently came across this little film Trip Print Press & The Making Of FreshSox. i could watch this over and over and over again. i love Nicholas Kennedy's (of Trip Print Press in Toronto) description and remarks about letterpress in this day and age. i too could spend hours and hours in a letterpress studio with its tactile papers, the carefully sorted drawers of metal and wood type, and those impressions on pages...check it out and enjoy!

i also just watched for the 100th time the fabulous film starring egg press called Egg Press Work and Whirl. you must watch this one too if you haven't already.

so happy to be back and will write again soon!

uppercase types

2010-12-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

i've become enamoured with uppercase magazine. the design and content of this high-quality publication is second to none! based out of calgary, alberta it features goodies, info and articles for creative-types such as design, illustration, photography, books, textiles, stationery, crafts and lots, lots more. when i read that their next issue (#8, available in february 2011) features letterpress it made me love them even more. :)

above is a sample of one of the spreads in the next issue. included in the letterpress issue will be an actual sample of letterpress printing provided by various letterpress studios. also featured will be an interview with studio on fire, an incredibly creative and talented studio in minneapolis which i have mentioned before...they printed the oh-so-cool-and-brilliant campfire for graphic design and branding firm swink. oooh, can't wait for issue 8 to come out!

images: uppercase

scallop me

2010-12-07T22:54:00.000-08:00

as you may know egg press is one of my favourite letterpress studios. these pretty red and green vintagey-feeling cards have an adorable scalloped edge and cute christmassy graphics. bring on the egg nog and candy canes!

images: egg press

red + green

2010-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

hello! can't help but share more of my christmas card favourites. here's a selection of green and red beauties from the awesome smock. i love their offset printed holiday wrapping paper too!

images: smock

calendar love

2010-11-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

i adore this sweet and pretty calendar from satsuma press. it makes me happy as it reminds me of a japanese-style aesthetic that i totally love. check out more of the lovely work by satsuma press here. :)

images: satsuma press

christmas types

2010-11-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

not sure what it is about these cards but i'm totally drawn to their clever use of type and sharing "42 things to absolutely adore about christmas"!

images: 42 pressed

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

2010-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

hello! keeping to the short and sweet posts here are some of my favourite picks from one of my fave studios hello! lucky in san francisco. i love their style, illustrations, and colour combos. these make me feel so warm and christmassy. enjoy!

images: hello! lucky

mad for typography

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

i found this awesome letterpress printed poster of a quote from don draper (mad men) on the lovely petite alma blog. the poster was designed by justin van genderen. cool typography!

images: justin van genderen

p.s. i'm going to try to do shorter posts but post more often! we'll see how that goes. :)

cutting edge

2010-11-19T22:45:00.000-08:00

beast pieces is the design and letterpress blog of the very incredible and inspirational studio on fire. their work in letterpress printing and design is mind-blowing as is evident in their recent self-promo piece/business cards. i love these!

images: beast pieces

happy belated halloween

2010-10-24T23:12:00.001-07:00

boo! scared ya? wondering why i'm posting my fave halloween picks three weeks too late? well, i started this post before halloween and lo and behold it's already been a month since i last had a word so decided just to send this out there anyways. hope everyone had a fun halloween and got lotsa treats!

images: eggpress, greenwich letterpress, hello! lucky

hoot hoot! i'm back!

2010-10-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

hello! wow it's been six months. happy to be back! since my last post i now have two little guys who have been keeping me rather busy and exhausted but all in a very good way. :)

for my first post back i just had to share these delightful cards from night owl paper goods. especially love the otter, frogs and sundae editions! they have created a brilliant line of eco-friendly wood cards combined with letterpress printing. how cool is that?

on a non-letterpress side-note, i also love their customized holiday cards out now....). enjoy these pics and see you again soon!

images: night owl paper goods

oh baby baby!

2010-04-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

with our baby #2 due to arrive in less than three weeks, i'm all about anything and everything stylish and baby! check out these amazing baby shower announcements designed by tara lee and printed by the talented kathleen of twig and thistle. i absolutely love love these!

images: twig and thistle

rolling [over] the dice

2010-03-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

i love these prints and patterns from pressing dice by stukenborg! how cool is that?!?? check out their shop on etsy...

images: uppercase

with glowing hearts...

2010-02-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

happy 2010 everyone! whew, i must get better at blogging out to the world...it's been too long letterpress people! hope everyone had a happy holiday season and a good first month of the new decade. i was inspired to hurry up and come back here by a fabulous 2010 new years card received in the mail from david and yasmine at black stone press and by a luxurious business card of alana couch photography... :)

my happy hometown of vancouver is getting set to host the 2010 winter olympics in just over a week from now. the city is all decked out and ready to shine to the world. i can't wait til the games begin...my parents took my two sisters and i to the winter olympics in calgary in '88 and that experience is still up there in my listof best ever times of my life. all the excitement and festivities that lit up the town were unforgettable. here's to vancouver 2010 and getting into the spirit and friendship of the games!

in honour of the upcoming events i thought i'd post some winter-themed letterpress pieces...enjoy and let the games begin!

images: lucky duck letterpress & i love letterpress, snow & graham & redstamp, elum designs, paisley tree press, spark stationery

chicago chicago

2009-12-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

hello! long long time, no post. apologies for the lapse! as promised, i'm excited to share some of the letterpress finds that i collected on a recent trip to the windy city. (i went with my best friend to see her idol OPRAH at a live taping at harpo studios!). a couple of my favourite stationery shops on my trip were paper doll and an.je.nu both in the wicker park 'hood.

pictured above are some of my faves among the dozens of cards that i brought back! yep, i went a little letterpress-crazy in chicago...the first couple cards are from a.favorite letterpress, the next one is dee & lala, the one that mixes letterpress and wood is night owl paper goods, and the last three are from the delectable motormouthpress. another favourite which you must check out is pikku for its delightful simple but gorgeous patterns and prints.

other letterpress gems which i brought back can be found amongst these great studios and companies (see below). check them all out! :)

maginating letterpress and design

images: a.favorite letterpress, dee & lala, night owl paper goods, motormouthpress

boo!

2009-10-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

happy halloween! with the spooky holiday coming up i couldn't pass up the opportunity to share these fun adorable new halloween cards from egg press. candy corn, spiders, witches and goblins are sure signs that the trick-or-treaters will be out in full force soon! i just hope my little guy will wear his costume this year... :)

oh and happy thanksgiving to my friends and family. stay tuned for some fab letterpress finds from my recent girls trip to chicago where we saw ms. oprah in person and ate and shopped well!

images: egg press

on fire

2009-10-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

studio on fire is a design and letterpress studio in minneapolis. their blog beast pieces showcases their incredible printing and fun, original design style. pictured here are some samples of their custom work including their own business cards, wedding invitations, a photographer's business card on blotter paper and a smartly designed card printed on tongue depressors for "design that talks."

images: beast pieces

sf center for the book

2009-09-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

san francisco is one of my favourite cities. when i was there on a family trip in 2005 i ventured off on my own to find the san francisco center for the book. it's a great studio/museum type place where letterpress and the book arts thrive. they describe themselves as a place "devoted to teaching the many arts and crafts that go into making books by hand. We introduce and foster the joys of books and bookmaking—their history, artistry, continuing presence in our culture and their enduring importance as a medium of self-expression". i felt in awe of all the great resources available there and was happy that i had a chance for even a short visit.

pictured above are a selection of books produced by artists-in-residence and are limited edition works published by their publishing arm imprint. more details about these books are on their etsy shop.

images: san francisco center for the book

so simple

2009-08-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

design studio simplesong creates perfectly simple and beautiful cards and other stationery. pictured above are some of my favourite selections from her etsy shop. i think i'm going to order some of the gorgeous blind impression notecards for my friend (and maybe myself)! i love the hello notecards with the camera design and the confetti notecard too!

designer suann song also has a wonderful blog where she posts about fresh and modern products, photography, stationery, and more. be sure to check out the simplesong blog when you have a minute to spare.

images: simplesong design

lucky lucky lucky!

2009-08-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

hello! lucky is one of my all-time favourite letterpress studios, founded by two creative sisters in san francisco. their designs are always fun and stylish often with a vintagey feel and a bit of humour. pictured above are some of my faves.

images: hello! lucky

luscious liners

2009-07-23T16:19:00.001-07:00

oooh, how luxurious are hand-lined envelopes! with electronic mail and online social networks taking over the world, hand-written notes should be cherished more than ever.

i love the work of black pearl press and especially their amazing lined envelopes that accompany their custom cards. i love their patterns and the styling of the photographs too. their website is being revamped but check it out to see some examples of their fabulous letterpress printed work.

images: black pearl press

good fortune + the ABCs

2009-07-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

remember those folded paper fortune teller thingys that you'd make in elementary school when you were supposed to be doing your work? nostalgia kicked in when i discovered this neatly-designed and witty paper fortune teller on design*sponge. so awesome that sycamore street press thought of creating a letterpress printed version! you can even purchase it online.

and do you also remember when you learned your ABCs? sycamore street press has simple but design-savvy prints of the alphabet and numbers for any little junior letterpress lovers out there. i like their colour combinations and the little animals that peek out around the letters and numbers..."next time won't you sing with me?"

images: design*sponge and sycamore street press

oh baby!

2009-07-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

this is one of the coolest birth announcements ever! its simple and stylish design is so unique and is bursting with character. it was designed by baby stella's parents tosh and victoria, and letterpress printed by mandate press in four spot colours on 100% cotton cranes lettra paper. heavenly! what a way to introduce a baby to the world.

images: mandate press

go ahead and blush

2009-06-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

check out these playful + happy designs from blush publishing in the u.k.! they were designed by debbie ohi, an illustrator and writer who resides in toronto, canada. i love the japanese flavour and the cute expressions on the animals' and children's faces! happy day!

images: blush publishing

birthday cards!

2009-06-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

wow, it's been more than two weeks since my last post. apologies to the blog universe! my birthday was on may 31 and i was a lucky recipient of some awesome letterpress cards from friends and family.

pictured above are samples from blush publishing, lark press, snow and graham, enormous champion, and egg press. i also threw in some other totally non-letterpress-related pics of a gorgeous bouquet of peonies and sweetpeas which i received from one of my friends, as well as the colourful, yummy, and stylish paulette macarons from hayes valley in san francisco which a friend brought back specially for my birthday. (i guess they do kinda fit in here as letterpress, peonies, and parisian-style macarons are three of my very favourite things on earth!).

SAB letterpress

2009-06-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

tokyo is one of my favourite cities, if not my #1! and it's home to SAB letterpress a fabulous-looking letterpress studio. i was excited to find that there are a handful of letterpress studios in japan. i haven't had the fortune of visiting any of these shops in person yet but i plan to search them out on my next trip. i was in tokyo this past october but i didn't have a chance to do much letterpress-hunting as i was having fun watching my 9-month-old on his first trip overseas discover new sights, sounds, and smells in japan. :)

although the site is in japanese, the photographs on the site are amazing. unfortunately my japanese isn't good enough or i'd try to translate for you...above are some samples of their work. i really love the combination of japan + letterpress! sigh...enjoy!

images: SAB letterpress

put on your smock

2009-05-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

in case you haven't noticed :), i have lots of favourite letterpress companies. another new fave of mine is smock paper whose parent company is boxcar press one of the largest letterpress studios in the usa. smock promotes sustainability and prints on a luxury bamboo paper. not only is smock eco-friendly but their designs are fabulous too. i especially like their beautifully-patterned, hand-lined envelopes. smock's designer is amy graham stigler who also co-founded stationery company snow & graham. pictured here are greeting cards with gorgeous hand-lined envelopes, social stationery suites, wedding invitation suites, and party invites.

images: smock paper

i like blue

2009-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

blue is one of my favourite colours. i like a bunch of different shades of blue. i really like typography too. in typography class i remember feeling a bit odd that i was loving studying the parts of a letter so much. you know, the serifs, ascenders, descenders, stems, bars, bowls, etc...

i also like blue pool road which is a minimalist + eco chic stationery/design studio. they also love typography, color and especially being green. pictured above are some samples of their amazing work. i love the simple, effective designs and of course their use of type and colours.

images: blue pool road

tag me!

2009-05-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

oooh, i found these little gems from the flourish collection from seattle, washington. these pretty round tags have a perfectly scalloped edge. each one is letterpress printed with a dainty flower pattern and tied with a silk ribbon. for more details or to purchase a package of four tags, check out their site. what girl wouldn't love to receive one of these tags on a gift?

images: the flourish collection

dre-e-e-e-eam, dream dream dream...

2009-05-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

the national stationery show in nyc. sigh. one day i'll get there! but until then i'll live vicariously and enviously through those who are lucky enough to set foot in this huge exhibition for the stationery industry. from may 17 - 20, there will be 1000 companies represented...a papergoods-lover's DREAM.

the canadian design blog poppytalk (a fave of my sis lyndsay's) has posted an excellent listing of some of the hottest exhibitors for this year's show. i've selected some of my letterpress faves as pictured above (embellished ink, smock paper (four images), sycamore street press, hello lucky, paper stories letterpress, chewing the cud, albertine press). look out for these new collections and designers!

images: poppytalk, smock paper

campfires

2009-05-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

this promotional piece is HOT. i discovered this on both design sponge and on graphic designer/blogger kathleen's blog twig & thistle.

this self-promo piece was designed by swink inc. and letterpress printed by studio on fire. swink calls it "let's tell better stories" and it's a direct mail piece to get people thinking about how they market themselves and how they tell their own companies' stories. how awesome would it be to receive this in the mail, set up your own letterpress printed campfire on your desk and sit around it dishing out your stories?? the concept, design and details are genius!

images: studio on fire and swink

p.s. i love print so it's also no wonder that i love this quote: "Print is why we all got in this business in the first place. It's the love of the tactile, committing your brand to ink and paper. It's ideas you can touch."-- swink inc. in madison, wisconsin

p.p.s. sorry about the large scrolling factor in this post. i just couldn't help but post all the great images of this piece. :)

moms

2009-05-13T14:24:00.001-07:00

i've always appreciated and loved my mom for the hard work she and my dad have done and continue to do in raising myself and my two younger sisters. but since becoming a mom 16.5 months ago, i've appreciated her even more. there are so many of those precious little things that a mom does and feels that can't truly be realized until you become a mom yourself. and the concern for your child's well-being never ends whether they are 16 days old, 16 weeks old, 16 months old, 16 years old or 61 years old...

thank you to my mom, my grandmas, my aunts, my mom-in-law, my friends, who are all great mothers and whose love and care shape the next generations. happy belated mother's day! and special happy soon-to-be-moms wishes to my middle sis who's first baby is due next month and my sis-in-law who will be meeting her adopted baby girl in vietnam next month. yay!

pictured above are three letterpress cards i received for mother's day on sunday! :) the green heart and brown squirrels card was given to me by my husband and was designed by lark press. the brown monkey with red heart balloons from my son were designed by egg press and the blue birds pattern card is from my youngest sis and designed by enormous champion.

the scent of letterpress

2009-05-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

i haven't been this excited about receiving a package since i was the lucky winner of the sweetbeets monthly samples giveaway in march (thanks lisa!)...i took my own advice and went and purchased two grab bags of egg press cards from their online sample sale a few weeks ago. since shipping to canada is pricey, i had them sent to a shipping depot in point roberts, washington which is a short drive from vancouver. this morning my 16-month-old accompanied his mommy down to pick up her letterpress cards and a couple ppb bags. i was like a kid on christmas morning opening up my box from egg press to see which cards they had sent me. i lucked out with some of my faves without them even knowing. :) also i was thrilled to get the little treat that they threw in -- a little matchbook notepad with a little round tag. so cute. thanks egg press!

on another note, i wanted to ask all you other letterpress fanatics out there...is it just me or does letterpress printed stuff have a distinct scent? the cards i received today just smell like letterpress to me. it's the same smell i've sensed when i've picked up freshly printed card or invitation orders from letterpress studio black stone press. the smell just makes me happy. :) if you've had the same experience please post a comment. or if you think i'm just crazy you're welcome to post a comment too.

pictured above are the contents of my grab bags and little treat! ah, the scent of letterpress.

p.s. you must watch this film produced by egg press to commemorate their 10th anniversary! i love love it. http://www.eggpress.com/movie.html

go nuts!

2009-04-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

one of my newest favourite letterpress design companies is the paper nut. i went crazy for jeanie's stunning modern fun luxe letterpress wedding invitations and announcement suites. her patterns are absolutely divine and they make me want to get married all over again (to my husband again of course)! images of her wedding invites are coming soon but until then check out her very cute site here. my favourites are confections, soho, spring, and molly.

also, the paper nut has some precious notecards available for purchase too. some of them are pictured here including her delightful alphabet design and giraffes. oh and i love jeanie's little logo too. it's perfectly nutty and sweet! :)

images: the paper nut

tutti frutti

2009-04-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

it's been a crazy rollercoaster week! thought i'd post about this happy fun colourful poster that i discovered by hand & eye letterpress in the u.k.

i love these contemporary times when we can create by digital means and have designs printed with the traditional method of letterpress. however i also adore wood type and old cuts and setting type by hand. it's like listening to vinyl records instead of cds or watching super 8 before blu-ray or taking photographs with film rather than digitally.

hand & eye letterpress' poster is titled "tutti frutti" and reminds me of colourful candy sticks and looks good enough to eat! to create the poster they set the wood type and proofed it with black ink. then they chose yummy colours from their pantone book and separated the type for printing each colour. you can purchase it online at their ebay shop. enjoy!

images: hand & eye letterpress

new favourites

2009-04-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

i love discovering new designs in letterpress. i recently wrote about my long-time faves: egg press, snow and graham, and hello lucky but recently i've found some new additions to my faveys list including sweetbeets and the paper nut (which i will post about soon).

my sister and her husband gave my son the adorable sweetbeets card with aquamarine and tangerine cars and trucks for his first birthday in december. i immediately fell in love with sweetbeets' designs and since then have seen their products on blogs, on sites and in local baby shoppes.

sweetbeets' cards, tags and prints are all printed on recycled paper. they are designed by owner and mom-of-two lisa zuraw who was inspired by her young children to "create illustrations that would be a sweet reminder of life's simple pleasures". i agree that her bright, simple designs bring out the child in us. sigh, if only i could just sit and play all day... :)

the images posted here are just a few of my favourite sweetbeets designs. for more check out their website or etsy shop. enjoy and take a moment to be a kid again (even if just for a few seconds)!

images: sweetbeets

sweet sample sale

2009-04-16T21:52:00.001-07:00

letterpress lovers! egg press has a fabulous sample sale on their cards! ten cards for $10 usd! you don't have a choice about which cards as egg press will choose a nice selection for you but isn't it fun to have a surprise every once in a while? plus all of their cards are great so you're guaranteed some good stuff. note: these cards are seconds or discontinued stock.

the sample sale is on for a very limited time, only until april 20th so get a move on if you want in. the bummer for canadians is that the shipping costs more than the cards. but it's worth it if you can send to an address in the united states (which i just might have to do). :) happy shopping!

image: egg press

all good things

2009-04-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

my sister spread the word to me about enormous champion, a husband and wife team with awesome creative talent. i love love their print ALL GOOD THINGS. the colour combination is perfect and the detail of the patterns in the type is amazing. perfectly put together. no wonder they call themselves enormous champion. nice work j + j!

if you're interested in purchasing this print you can indulge at their etsy shop. here's the description about the 8" x 10" print: "This letterpress print is a three color print (and a fourth, clear tint) was used to discreetly print our logo at the center/bottom).There is a man-made paper vellum dust jacket with the words, "wishing you..." printed on it. This dust jacket protects the print, but also makes it perfect for a well wishing card & gift in one."

spotting this letterpress print was definitely a *good thing* for me!

images: enormous champion

long-time favourites

2009-03-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

oops. there was a little blip in the blogging since i started...went to hawaii on a fabulous fun relaxing trip with my parents, two sisters, brother-in-laws, husband and our one-year-old son. didn't see any letterpress in maui but it did cross my mind as i was basking in the sun next to the blue-green ocean on the smooth sandy beaches. :)

my first favourite letterpress cards came from egg press, snow and graham, and caroline gardner. each company has a signature style. egg press is always fun and bold with fresh patterns. snow and graham is perfectly designed with precise lines and shapes. caroline gardner has a lively contemporary style. in the future i'm sure i won't be able to resist posting new products from these designers.

i've received many cards including the *you rule* one pictured here from my husband for our second anniversary.

images: egg press

close to my heart

2009-03-03T22:41:00.000-08:00

hello and welcome to my blog! i fell in love with letterpress about seven years ago when i first set foot in a local lettepress studio and i haven't looked back. the more i learned about the process, the harder i fell...

for this inaugural post i'm sharing something close to my heart – my wedding invitation suite. as a graphic designer i struggled with creating the perfect design for my invitations as i had so many ideas and inspirations. i know that i arrived at my ideal design because i still love them when i look at them now.

the design involved a motiv of four-leaf clovers and blossoms to represent my husband's and my asian and irish backgrounds. i chose two typefaces, three ink colours and also had the front of the invite blind embossed with our names. the three panel card was created on a textured cream-coloured stock. the invitations, reply cards, envelopes, ceremony programs, reception menus, place cards, small cards for the favours, and thank you cards were printed by the very talented and legendary David Clifford of Black Stone Press in vancouver. i was happy to have letterpress surrounding me during my wedding planning and on the big day!

images: jonetsu photography