16May
Ready for business! Finally printed new Bears Eat Berries business cards. I had run out but wanted a slightly different design. And I kept it even more minimal. I dunno, I think I just find beauty in simplicity. Not that I don’t gush over ornate/bold designs…believe me, I do. As Bears Eat Berries evolves, maybe I’ll go in that direction. But right now I’m just feelin’ black. And blind impression. Love me some blind impression.
I’ll be passing them out on Saturday at Eastern Market (finally have a day that I’ll be around!) and they’re always included in every Etsy order.
What do you think? :)
15May
Paper. It’s everywhere. And we feel bad about cutting down trees for it. But guess what. Letterpress loves cotton. That’s right. But what’s so great about cotton?
First of all… it’s reclaimed cotton. What does that mean? It means it’s the leftover stuff. You know when there’s leftover scraps when making a cotton shirt? It’s taken for paper. Or the leftover fibers on the cotton seeds…we take that too. So it is essentially, material that would have been taken to the landfill.
Second, it’s not from trees. Hooray! Don’t you feel good that you’re not chopping down trees? Which take forever to grow and then get chopped to stumps? Cotton fields are already in place and we just take the leftovers from it. Thank your cotton undies for that.
Third, the cotton paper I use is acid free. That means you can archive it and keep it forever and ever and it won’t fade or deteriorate.
Well, here’s the scoop on the different types of paper that I use personally for letterpress products.
Crane Lettra
Many of us of have heard of this paper. It’s many a favorite with letterpress printers. Comes in three colors: white, less white, even lesser white. Sorry folks. BUT, here’s the great thing about Lettra. It’s super soft. Like bunny soft. Because it’s so soft, it gives such a beautiful bite when letterpress printed. I usually pet each letterpress printed product on this paper for awhile before packaging. Ok, maybe only once or twice.
However, because it is so soft, it’s not the most durable. It can easily get bent and/or dirt just gets attracted to it. It also doesn’t fold that great. So I think it’s the best for invitations. It just has that super luxurious feel to it and with that great bite of an impression…gorgeous. It also comes in two weights — 110lb and 220lb.
Reich Savoy
This paper is also 100% cotton and comes in white, more white and even more white. I love this paper because it’s so versatile. At a weight of 118lb or 236lb, it actually does fold well. It’s a bit more sturdy and can hold its own. It may be a little less soft to the touch, it feels more like regular (tree) paper but still has the texture and softness to give a great bite as well. So I love using this paper for greeting cards.
So what other types of paper are there? You’re certainly not limited to just these two for letterpress. Other cotton papers include Arturo and Somerset. Both extremely soft with deckle edges. And *shock*, Arturo comes in a few pastel colors.
What do I want to try though? I really want to try Legion Bamboo paper. 90% bamboo / 10% cotton. Bamboo is like the fastest growing thing ever (up to four feet a day!) and is a highly renewable source that needs little water or pesticides. And it’s got great texture to it when it’s in the paper form. But…. it also ain’t the cheapest. So I’m trying to figure a way out to incorporate it without raising the costs too much.
There are many other papers out there that work beautifully for letterpress. It depends on the look that you’re going for and your pocketbook (except colors…sorry again. We like white apparently). You can also use tree paper too. Heavy cardstock paper can work…depending on the paper. You get different results though. Other papers that can work are chipboard and seed paper to name a few.
Oh! By the way… the envelopes I use are either 100% cotton (usually Crane Lettra as well) or are at least 50% recycled.
{Last two image sources: 1, 2}
11May
Oh hello there animals.
New woodland animal hello letterpress cards are now in the shop! I just kept drawing these little guys…and turned them into a pack. I can’t decide which one is my favorite…Ah, who am I kidding, it’s the bear.
19Apr
It’s Lawrence Bear! Personalized stationery letterpress cards for Mr. Lawrence that I just designed and printed.
Here’s the back story…
In the winter, my press was being a little “finicky” to say the least. It needed some adjustments. And I needed some muscle. Actual muscle since those bolts on the press are tough! And I’m weak. As my (lucky) husband was at work, I called on my friend Lawrence to bring the muscle and help me.
As a thank you, I told him I’d make him a few personalized stationery cards. He said to do whatever I wanted. Now, he has always claimed that he looks like a panda (kinda true…). So naturally, I drew a panda and put Lawrence’s glasses on it. Lawrence Bear.
I think he looks like a yummy gummy bear with glasses (not Lawrence, the bear) and how cute is that??
He may have to appear on future cards, don’t you think? Maybe with some other friends in aviators and monocles?
18Apr
Happy Birthday! … It’s gotta be someone’s birthday today, right?
These letterpress lime green and ocean blue birthday cards are now in my Etsy shop: in a set of six (with both colors!) and individual ones as well.
I always seem to find that birthdays sneak up on me until Facebook is telling me it’s today and so I like to have birthday cards on-hand. So I thought maybe others would too!
{ Oh yeah, and don’t forget to take advantage of the free shipping this week: (ends 4/23 9pm EST) Coupon code: SPRINGLOVE }
16Apr
Ok, I may not be a real mom but I just had to have Bandit pose with my new letterpress Mother’s Day card. I mean, I pick up after her vomit/poop and wake up at 6 am — so that has to count for something, right?
So here are the letterpress Mother’s Day cards in the shop! I wanted a cheery, spring-like card that is feminine but also a bit fun. Just like mothers, right?
Also, the Thank You Flags card are now in a 4bar size (3.5×4.75 inches) as an eight-pack!
Psst! Also, this week only (ends 4/23 9pm EST), in celebration of spring, there’s free shipping for you. Coupon code: SPRINGLOVE
30Mar
This weekend I’ll be at a craft show in my little hometown in PA with these new Moravian star cards… then hopefully relaxing a bit with the family and doggies for the rest of the weekend.
Have a happy weekend!
{photos taken with my Instagram}
