~ Heavy Metal Letterpress ~

Last month, {Miguel Castro's} beautiful letterpress baby shower invitation design made it on {Oh So Beautiful Paper}, one of my favorite blogs! I am so proud of all the amazing work he has been producing and even more proud to see him published there! I love the added touch of stitching the two pages together at the top. Check out more of his work at {Heavy Metal Letterpress}and be prepared to be very impressed!

While looking around on {Oh So Beautiful Paper}, I came across this wonderful {letterpress book} that I have ordered and can't wait to look through it!

~ Holiday Cards ~

Here is a selection of some of my favorite holiday cards from all that I have come across lately. As you know, I am obsessed with letterpress...so most of these are letterpress designs, of course! They are from {Oblation Papers}, {Elum Designs}, {Bespoke Letterpress Boutique} and a few others. If you are in the San Luis Obispo area...be sure to check out {Paper Sky} ~ Jessica carries a lot of these cards featured above in her store. I have been telling myself for the past few years that I will start early and design my own Christmas cards, but some how each year flies by and by the time I realize, it is usually to late. I might still try and shoot for at least designing an e-card! Stay tuned...

Save the Dates - Raffi & Kohar

Here are the save the date cards that I designed, printed, and put together for a friend of mine. The image is one from their {engagement photoshoot}. Check back for the wedding invitations I designed for them once those are printed. Can't wait for the big day guys!

Mika78

After creating her own stationary for her wedding, Mimi Woo realized she wanted something more than the 8 year career she had as a package designer in New York City. She was able to combine her love for design with one of the most intimate and important events of her life - it changed her. Shortly after her wedding, {Mika78} was born. I promise I wont go on and on about how much I am in love with letterpress...SO MUCH...because I have done so a whole bunch on previous posts. I picked a few of my favorites from her beautiful collection. Not only does she design invitations and stationary, but she also offers custom design services through Bespoke to help completely tailor your design sensibility and wedding style - reflecting the true essence of the couple. Below are just a few examples of her gorgeous work.

Chic Wedding Design

I love the chic design of this wedding! My favorite are the decorative fabric panels with a beautiful vintage look created with doilies. The table numbers are also displayed in a creative way - clipped to ribbons which were hanging from the wooden ceiling beams - awesome idea. Aside from the elegant aspects, they also had a lot of fun with this - especially their flipbook save-the-date. The overall design was a nice blend of classic and contemporary - an all together gorgeous look. This was a find from {Style Me Pretty}

Wiley Valentine ~ Inspired Paper Delights

Emily and Rachelle grew up inspired by each of their grandmothers' - Mary Wiley and Norma Jean Valentine - artistic and eclectic expressions of life. Their grandmothers inspired them to pursue creative endeavors. After working at the same graphic design firm in California, they both realized that they were going about passionless projects that were too mainstream. They found a common sense of enthusiasm for using their creative aspirations to revamp the paper industry. They left their jobs to found the E & R Design Group, which formed the groundwork for the fashionably classic line of paper products. They called it {Wiley Valentine}. With sustainably being more important now than ever before, they made the commitment to become a 100% sustainable paper company. Today, all of their paper prints are either 100% recycled PSC or 100% cotton, a natural, renewable resource. No trees! In their studio, they reuse all of the 100% recycled fax paper and shred every mock-up and misprint - they reuse all of these in resourceful and colorful packaging material!

Oslo Press

{Oslo Press} specializes in unique wedding invitations that combine the use of rich wood veneer and elegant paper. Each invitation is made of wood veneer and laser engraved with an original design, while the coordinating elements to each set are created using paper and the centuries-old method of letterpress. This unique combination of materials, methods, and contemporary design provides a unique invitation set - full of texture, character, and originality. These will surely leave a lasting impression with your guests :)

Smock - Letterpress on Bamboo Paper

Going back to my love of letterpress, here is another great find! {Smock} is based in Syracuse, New York. Their print shop is made up of 20 antique presses, 50 tons of equipment, and 17 employees. They are self-proclaimed faithful lovers of historic craft with letterpress ink in their veins. They are actually the first and only print shop in the United States to offer printing on luxury bamboo paper. They were able to develop this paper with the help of a historic European paper mill, doing so because they wanted a truly sustainable paper that was also beautiful! Why bamboo? Bamboo is said to be a true wonder plant. In addition to not requiring pesticides or fertilizer to grow, bamboo reaches its mature height in 3 to 5 years, whereas most softwood trees take 10-20 years. Bamboo generates up to 35% more oxygen than hardwood trees, and absorbs four times as much carbon as hardwood. Bamboo can detoxify wastewater (due to its high nitrogen consumption) and improves soil quality. Not enough to convince you yet? Bamboo also has natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties too. Convinced? I know I am! More of their work can be seen on their site and purchased on their {Etsy} shop.