We at Post Boutique believe that letters last longer than emails, that invitations set the tone for the event to follow, and that writing words on paper, rather than a screen, leads to more thoughtful dialogue.
Saw these at the Stationery Show - well, really at the Designboom Mart. So glad they're available now online.
Every year, the National Stationery Show runs concurrent to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (I know.....dream come true), and lucky us, our show badges give us full access to Javits center events. In the last few years, ICFF has included a collective of emerging crafters looking to sell their wares to the public - which means a little power shopping at the trade show.
Located in a Minneapolis studio overlooking Loring Park, Lunalux has been churning out charming paper goods using vintage letterpress equipment and modern photopolymer technology since 1993.
On Saturdays Lunalux opens up it's shop to on-the-spot printing - they call it Stationery Saturdays. this Saturday - July 31- the shop will feature a new selection of motifs - check them out here. The scoop?
Pick your favorite or a combination of all four; we’ll print 10 sheets while you wait, for a measly $29. Depending on when you show up, the waiting might be 10 minutes or it might be an hour. You can use this time to learn a little about letterpress (follow us through the steps of pulling the type, setting up the printing form and running our antique press) or do a little shopping while we do the dirty work.
Good news in my mail box this week. A lovely handwritten note from Kelly and her baby G - always such a treat to find personal correspondence in our mail box. Thanks, Kelly!
Good news in my email box, too. Wolfie and the Sneak - one of my favorite Etsy finds - came out with a batch of treats - including prints and calendars. Their website's looking pretty fresh, too. And the best part? They're hosting a SALE. See details below.
In addition to W&S's classic seasonal posters, W&S has included a new lineup of earthy drawings to choose from, like this one, below, called "Beauty Through Gathered Experiences." I love the color scheme and the mottled purples - the way the paper shows through.
Wolfie creator Renee B Garner explains the significance of the title:
Rocks and minerals gather layers over time, making them more interesting by the moment; plants gather nutrients from their surroundings, making them lush, vibrant, and healthy. You and me, we're no different and we should celebrate that wonder!
Post readers, meet my friend Toby Simon, founder of Savor the Date, delightfully charming custom stationery studio out of San Francisco.
I've raved about the SF paper scene before - there are so many creative minds on the West Coast who recognize the value and beauty of stationery. But Toby has deep roots in Pittsburgh - where she and I grew up, and where she later attended Carnegie Mellon (to study industrial design).
Toby has always had an eye for paper. She worked for one of the big stationery companies after college. Since then, we've lost track of each other, but last week we had a chance to catch up via email. Here's what I found out:
Q: Why invitations - you obviously are a very talented artist. What prompted you to channel your creative energy toward stationery and invitations?
I've always loved to draw, which is what enticed me to study industrial design in college. I took several drawing classes there, including architectual, landscape, still life, and my favorite, human figure drawing. That particular skill of sketching people I've since carried with me, and it is why I began volunteering to draw my friends for their wedding announcements. It was just three years ago, however, that I decided to create a business out of it.
Of course I really first got exposure to the world of stationery through your > mom! Right after I graduated she introduced me to a company that designed high > end invitations, and there I learned the ins and outs of the business.
After moving to San Francisco I designed a line of greeting cards that I sold to various local boutiques. I soon realized however that it would be more profitable to put my creative efforts into designing invitations. Whereas a store would buy a handful of one design, a bride may order a hundred or more.
Q: Your work is highly customized. How do you work with clients to create
save the dates? What is your process?
Brides send me photos and tell me a little about themselves. They also list anything they'd like to incorporate into their announcement, like hobbies, accessories, location, etc. It's a lot of fun to draw people I know, and while I don't generally meet my brides, I feel I get a sense of their personalities through our correspondence. I'm happy to say that I've never worked with a bridezilla; all the brides I draw are exceptionally fun, low maintenance women!
Q: San Francisco seems like it's a hotbed for creative paper. In the last year, I've been out there twice and both times I was floored by the number of great independent paper designers and stores all over town (Austin Press, Emma Rose, Yellow Owl Workshop, Little Otsu, to name a few). Do you feel
that communal vibe? Is there any interaction, collaboration between SF artists and designers?
This city does have some amazing resources when it comes to paper-related arts. I'm a member of the SF calligraphy guild called Friends of Calligraphy, and I've taken classes at our letterpress studio, The Center for the Book. These two communities intersect with a common love of lettering, and the Bay Area houses some internationally reknowned artists from both fields.
I've also been connected with those in the wedding industry, since I deal mostly with brides. ,.There is just so much local talent. I organized a bridal show a few months ago that featured some "hidden gems" of the Bay Area. There were about 10 of us vendors there, and it was a great way to gain exposure by sharing our clientele.
Q: Renegade Craft Fair is taking place at the Fort Mason Center in SF July 31. Do you have plans to go? Plans to exhibit?
Unfortunately I can't go this year, but I've been before and had a blast. I feel lucky to live in an area that hosts so many of these wonderful shows and exhibits. I went to the beads show last year and can't wait for the quilting exhibit happening this fall. My calligraphy teacher always told us to "feed our brains", and I feel like I do that every time I explore other artists' work.
These are some of the challenges facing the brave men and women of the Letter Writers Alliance, a member based organization dedicated to keeping the art of letter writing alive! Check out their mission statement:
In this era of instantaneous communication, a handwritten letter is a rare and wondrous item. The Letter Writers Alliance is dedicated to preserving this art form; neither long lines, nor late deliveries, nor increasing postal rates will keep us from our mission. As a member of the Letter Writers Alliance, you will carry on the glorious cultural tradition of letter writing. You will take advantage of every opportunity to send tangible correspondence. Prepare your pen and paper, moisten your tongue, and get ready to write more letters!
The Alliance was started in the Summer of 2007 by Kathy Zadrozny and Donovan Beeson, owners of 16 Sparrows card company.
"While working craft fairs for the shop we heard person after person exclaim how they were the only one who wrote letters anymore. After hearing this forty times in one day, we decided something had to be done to unite these isolated letter writers. With that, be created the member-based group, the Letter Writers Alliance.
Three years later, we have over 800 members. Most LWAers are in the United States and the United Kingdom, but we have members spanning the globe from New Zealand to Japan."
So, what's in it for members? Well, free stationery downloads, for one, although I'm personally not a huge fan of stationery printouts. But there's more. There's a built-in pen pal program, plus access to members-only items, like special envelope seals, vintage postal items, and other hard-t0-find writing goods.
The best part of becoming a member? The LWA badge. Cost of admission? $3. Sold.
Poppytalk Handmade, one of my favorite arts and crafty blogs/online craft markets, is hosting a wonderfully well-meaning fundraiser to benefit Gulf oil spill victims.
They've recruited more than five dozen artists to donate one item to the Poppytalk online market. All of the money made from those items will be turned over to the Oxfam relief fund, which helps people of the surrounding communities suffering as a result of the oil spill.
You can pick up great cards, like the one above from The Great Lakes, or handprinted posters from Roll and Tumble Press, and know that all the proceeds are going to to help people and critters in need.
Back from a long weekend in Pittsburgh, where I had the chance to peruse the goods at Joan Green's Pretty Print. She's done a bang up job on invitations this year. Like this thermographed invitation from Checkboard in royal purple - matching ink ribbon and line - very elegant. I especially like the choice of fonts and the date the top - it offsets the otherwise traditional bow.
Another invite that caught my eye was this yellow-and-white daisy rehearsal dinner invitation for a spring-time party in Philadelphia.
The texture on the pocket is rich and design is festive. Makes us want to say "he loves me...."
All of their cards are hand-drawn and laser engraved, to create tiny holes that allow light to shine through. The designs are pretty enough to frame.
Each card comes with a color-coordinated back and envelope. At $6.50 a piece these notes are so lovely - and for a little more PM will add text so that you can create thank you notes, invitations, notecards - you pick. email Joan for more information.
Manners Maketh the Man: a killer motto courtesy of Camp Becket, where Dave spent the best of his summer days as a kid. Good manners were also the focus of an article this week in the business section Washington Post, which highlighted how one DC-area stationery shop got ahead using what it knows - personal thank you notes.
Heidi Kallett, owner of the hugely successful Dandelion Patch stationery shops in Northern Virgina, has done an incredible job of growing her own business using direct mail - sending notes to clients, vendors and people she meets at networking events. According the Post article:
[C]ustomers received handwritten notes that said, "We are so glad to be part of your life. If there's anything we can do, here's my personal e-mail," and that helped build customer loyalty and repeat sales.
Sales this year are up about 25 percent over last, and Kallett is ready to move forward with her business plans, which call for six Dandelion Patch locations around the Beltway.
Good news for paper stores and good new for our mailboxes.
