Before the big move, I picked up a couple linoleum printing blocks at an art store in Madison. The printing plates I order from Owosso are expensive and getting pricier all the time, so I thought carving my own would be a great way to save a little money on simpler designs.
One of the components of my new collection happened to be perfectly suited to hand carving, so last week I sat on my porch with my Dremel and went at it! Below is the before and after—can’t wait to see how they print!
As I’ve mentioned in a few past blog posts, I’ve been working on wedding invitation designs that couple can just pluck off the digital shelf, send me their event information, and—presto!—their invites arrive within a few weeks. Last year I had several couple get in touch with too little time before their nuptials, so I thought these would be the perfect solution for last minute brides.
I’ve also recently realized that for non-designers, starting to brainstorm a design from scratch is totally overwhelming. I’ve had a few designs bopping around my head for a while that haven’t quite suited any of my clients thus far—so my hope is that by having a design in front of them, couples will find the process easier.
Find all current designs here—I’ll be adding more all the time! Get in touch if you’re getting hitched!
The title of this post isn’t exactly accurate… it’s really just a review of blogging in 2014… well really just the infographics WordPress generates to sum up your blogging for the year, and I assume motivate you to post more.
Since this blog was idle for much of this year, my stats are not all that impressive, but the infographic IS rather impressive nonetheless! Check it out here.
Confession: I love watching home improvement/décor shows. Back when I owned (and was in the process of rehabbing) a century-old bungalow, watching them was a near daily activity. I’ve weaned myself in recent years, but a few months back I caught an episode in which the host and her trusty sidekick rustle up some antique wood type and simply stamp them on canvas for fairly inexpensive art.
Lucky for me, I happen to already own a lot of antique wood type.
I had silver metallic screen printing ink from a few years back when I thought I’d take up yet another method of printing (because I don’t have enough on my hands), so I decided to use that on regular fabric instead of gessoed canvas.
My plan was to print enough to stretch around a frame large enough to cover an unsightly fuse box in our entry way, plus enough extra to do a test wash and maybe a few scraps to include in a patchwork pillow project I have planned. While I had the ink out I also wanted to test out an idea for bespoke monogrammed wrapping paper I’ve been kicking around for a while.
Thanks to the magic of television, I didn’t realize how incredibly time consuming the project would be! After spending entirely too long printing a 12”x12” block of paper, I realized it wasn’t going to be a feasible option for retail (although my sister’s Christmas presents looked fab).
The letters printed more rustically than I anticipated, but I love how the fabric turned out! What do you think? Would you invest in hand-printed fabric for an accent pillow or piece of art?
Happy 2015, dear readers! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Solstice or Eighth Night, and a fabulous New Year’s eve! I got to spend 12 lovely (if cold) days in Wisconsin visiting friends and spending quality time with my family. It was a much needed visit—I’d been pretty homesick throughout December—but now I’m glad to be home and getting back to work and a normal routine.
I did use the two days I spent in airports to design some readymade wedding invitations. I’ve always created completely custom pieces up till this point, but I understand that can be overwhelming for some couples, and sometimes they get in touch too late and there just isn’t time for several weeks of design. Look for those to be unveiled soon! (And if you’re getting married this summer, don’t wait to get in touch!)
Shipping to Bermuda is suuuuper pricey, so I sent a bunch of supplies to my parents’ house while I was there—including printing plates for a new collection! I’ve decided to freshen things up with two big collections this year, and a few smaller releases for holidays in between. I’m hoping to expand my wholesale market, so if you know of any locally owned shops that would be a good fit for 622 press please let me know so I can send them some samples!
Speaking of fresh—I also ordered new paper to print myself new business cards and note cards featuring 622 press’ new logo, plus new packaging for stationery sets. It was a little bit of an investment, but I’m so excited to finally be bringing the business up to the next level.
And finally, I brought back a few things that I didn’t have space for during the big move, including cards and prints. If you had your eye on something that disappeared last fall, check in to my etsy shop or get in touch, it might be in stock again!
622 press | LETTERPRESS GOODS MADE BY HAND 