Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 60th 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): Ann, Kate Purdy and Kayla King! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Love You Bunches card.

Design: Dad, You Rock
Artist: Esther Aarts
Inspiration: Many of our dear dads have gone on a tunes binge in recent years, and are surprising us with their alternately hip or horrible tastes.
Who to send it to: Fathers who’ve got the Funk, and DJ dads who dig it.
Favorite detail: We like how Esther spans the generations, and includes the old-style analog audiophile and the MP3 file technophile digital dads.
Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The Hippie version, with an 8-track and cassette saying to an LP “Dad, You’re Groovy.”
Why letterpress? Letterpress is classic. It transcends genres and generations.

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

Saturdays at the historic York Hall in London’s East End may usually be associated with boxing matches and Turkish baths but last weekend it was the venue for the first Most Curious Wedding Fair in London. Rather than the 3-day events this was just a single afternoon but after the doors opened the hall very swiftly filled-up.

It was lovely to see so many small independent traders there nearly all with something unique and charming on display all with a distinctly vintage theme. For our own booth we created a fold-out screen in calico and then hand-drew picture frames onto them and mounted the invitations onto acetate sheets which we attached using upholstery tacks secured by a small cork at the back. Larger suites of invitations we just laid-out on the table in the front for the guests to handle to feel the quality of the cardstock.

Among the many stands that took our eye were this fantastic paper artist called Suzi McLaughlin who creates the most exquisite works from folded paper and laser-cutting. We just adored the simplicity of the bouquet made from printed paper.

For an equally beautiful keep-sake Suzi also makes 3d books where the pages are folded over and have a cloud of butterflies (or anything else you may want) flocking out of them. Or this beautifully simple open book with a simple corsage. Just stunning!

Entertainment was provided on the stage throughout the afternoon with ballerina models giving a fashion show of vintage dresses, music from The Old Time String Band and from a couple of very saucy burlesque dancers! It was good to be at a show where there was most certainly something for grooms!

There were a couple of bakers and caterers that caught our eye. Christina at Feast Food certainly did both with her wonderful dress, fantastic display of delicious-looking goodies and the lovely old kitchen dresser . They cater any event and can provide the crockery and service to if needs be!

Pom Poms of a different sort from BeauButtons who create these fantastic bouquets from vintage buttons and notions; a truly inspired way to put Granny’s old button box to good use and to serve as a lasting memento to all those much-loved dresses and coats.

A couple of wonderful characters couldn’t fail but to catch our eye! For those of you wanting a totally unique service provided at your wedding, look no further than Reginald Spleen and his travelling snuff bar. Like a living cameo from a 19th Century state fair Mr. Spleen brings a wide selection of this delicacy from tobacco-free lemon snuff to deep, rich ‘knock your socks off’ Cafe Noir…the taste of which stays with the taker for several hours…trust me!

Lastly we couldn’t help but mention Pearls and Swine and its particularly colourful designer Bink. From all the wonderful fascinators and headpieces on her stall she chose this spectacular fruity model – and we are all very glad she did as it kept a smile on our faces all afternoon!

Congratulations to Gemma and Becky from Most Curious for putting-on such a pleasurable and successful event – here’s to the next one!

Photography Credit: Alex Dimopoulos of My Love Story

For today’s Handmade Weddings DIY project we’re bringing you detailed instructions for our popular silk screened place mats! Whimsical and totally customizable, these kraft paper place mats work for both buffet-style or plated service. Place a charger and napkin on the mat (as shown) or have it double as a place card by writing guests’ names in the middle of the plate. If silk-screening feels out of your league, consider just photocopying them in black/white or on bright colored paper. The pattern is easy to make for a big wedding reception or even for a small dinner party.

Materials

• Custom screens
• One hundred fifty 12-×-18-inch sheets kraft paper, such as Borden & Riley #840 Kraft Pad

Tools
• Place Mat template
• Newsprint
• Set of 2 hinge clamps
• A wood board at least 1/2-inch thick and several inches wider and longer than the silk-screen frame
• Four 1/2-inch long screw
• Screwdriver
• A small prop, such as an art eraser
• 2-inch wide masking tape
• Water-based screen-printing ink in white
• Squeegee
• Chipboard or cardboard scraps

How to
1. Make your screens.
Send the Place Mat template files to a screen printer to have screens made, or make them with a home screen-making kit, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Prepare your silk-screening station (figure 1), but do not outline your screen frame with a Sharpie.
Position your test paper; use a spare sheet from your kraft pad.

3. Make a test print. With the frame in the down position, squeeze or spoon a line of the printing ink
(approximately 1 tablespoon) along the top edge of the screen (figure 2). Take your squeegee and drag
the ink from the top edge toward you, across the design area, applying pressure as you pull (figure 3).
Carefully raise the frame to the up position and view the print. Make any adjustments to the placement
of the paper (moving your registration tape accordingly) and amount of ink. Using your spoon, scrape
excess ink from the squeegee back onto the top area of the screen, adding ink if necessary. Make
additional test prints until you are happy with the quality and placement of the print. Build up the
masking-tape marks with chipboard or cardboard scraps so that the paper won’t shift when you are
printing (figure 4).

4. Print the rest of your place mats. Lay them out to dry completely.

Happy crafting!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 59th 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): Thom Watson, Sand and Ross Moody! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Tea Time card.

Design: Love You Bunches
Artist: Eunice Moyle
Inspiration: We were dazzled by daisies and overcome by the rich colors of the cosmos.
Who to send it to: If you don’t know this one, then Mum’s the word.
Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The forget-me-not card was unfortunately fairly forgettable, the bouquet was just OK, and the pushing up daisies birthday card made us want to crocus. (ergh, so does that “joke-us”.)
Favorite detail: The striking gold sheen of the yellow and pink ribbon.
Why letterpress? The depth with the overlapping color is subtle and sweet as baby’s breath.

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

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.

We’re happy to be the second stop on the Chronicle Books blog tour for the lovely new keepsake journal The Story of Us. This journal, created by Tacori and Chronicle, is a sweet way to remember all of the special moments in your relationship, from the first date to the honeymoon. For our stop on the tour Eunice and Sabrina tell their engagement stories– both equally sweet yet full of quirky mishaps.

Eunice’s Engagement Story: 

Sabrina’s Engagement Story:

For a chance to win this beautiful book, along with a copy of Handmade Weddings, and Fortune-Telling Book for Brides leave a comment below. We’ll pick a winner this Friday, April 6th, and don’t forget to follow along with the rest of  the tour at these participating blogs!

Wednesday, April 4 – Apartment 34

Thursday, April 5 – Valley & Co.

Friday, April 6 – Engaged & Inspired

Bonne Chance!

It’s almost Easter and we are definitely feeling inspired by all the spring craft projects, delicious brunch recipes, and adorable bunny things popping up all over the place. Here are a few of our favorites from around the web. These bunny cookies created by Baked Ideas are unbelievable. Who knew easter cookies could turn into works of art! They also sell the cookie cutters so you can make these beauties at home. (via Design Sponge)

How adorable are these handmade woodland bunnies? (Especially their backsides!) Etsy seller Sleepyking knows how to keep things festive and rustic chic.

Neon dip-dyed eggs are a fresh take on an old tradition. Instructions can be found here.

We’re still swooning over these amazing glitter confetti eggs from Oh Happy Day. The full tutorial can be found here.

And don’t forget about the Paper Flower Wreath instructions we posted a few weeks ago! It’s the perfect project to spruce up your front door, just in time for Spring!

This week I’ve been getting into the idea of a fun and fresh spring wedding. It all started with the launch of our new wedding invitation lines with the ever fabulous Jacqui Lee & equally lovely Susy Jack*. From left to right and moseying down: Our brand spankin’ new save the date from the  Flora & Fauna invitation suite by Jacqui Lee, love this beautiful, beautiful girl – so happy! Details from this adorable wedding (shot by Sweet Little Photographs), this handsome guy is so casually hip (Jenna Trapasso of Red White and Green Photography), and a snappy striped bow tie from Forage. Fun, graphic shoes from BHLDN, polka dot blusher veil from Sibo Designs, this lovely bouquet by Flowerwild (photo by Jose Villa Photography), simple ruffles (photo by Elizabeth Messina), and Flyaway Confetti from BHLDN.   Susy Jacks*’ Daisy save the date from her brand new line with us! Love these plaid bows by the Belle and the Beau, and these cute graphic napkins from Merriment Events. Also love this fabric photobooth backdrop from Lena Corwin’s gorgeous wedding…and last but not least, how cute would this little vintage beetle be for a getaway car? (Stephanie Williams Photography).

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 58th 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): Katie J, Katie & Jessica@TWB! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Peanut card.
Design: Tea Time
Artist: Esther Aarts
Inspiration: The scent of bergamot on an Earl Grey kind-of-a day made us miss Mum’s tea and her marvelous marmalade!
Who to send it to: Well, whom else? All moms in flesh or spirit deserve a day’s recognition.
Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one:  The diapers idea was dear, but a little too funky/retro, and the Milk and Honey card made the men squirm.
Favorite detail: Love how the teabag tag is personalized. Hrmm, that’s a great idea, actually…
Why letterpress? Make mom proud that she raised you to have such impeccable taste!

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

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 57th 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): CZ, Jana and Margaret! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Inchworms card.
Design: Peanut
Artist: Eunice Moyle
Inspiration: A certain little swaddled sweet pea.
Who to send it to: A proud pachyderm parent of a precious little peanut. Works great for non-elephant expectant parents, too.
Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: We thought of a mouse cradling a little cheese baby, titled “Curd.” Didn’t have the same… je ne sais quoi.
Favorite detail: Just noticed the tip of the elephant’s trunk is heart-shaped.
Why letterpress? Elephants, like letterpress, make a strong impression.

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