Category: 622 press

On blogging

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

Happy New Year! 622 press has had some exciting developments that I’m so excited to share with you this morning!

First of all, I owe you a big thank you! On December 29, this blog had 216 page views—our biggest day yet! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and checked out 622 press. And welcome to any new readers!

Next up: While I took a break from blogging last week, I of course didn’t really take the week off. I’m happy to announce that Bess (my letterpress) now has her very own fan page on facebook. Follow her for up-to-the-minute updates on what we’re printing and even more photos and content… all from Bess’s point of view!

And finally, if you’re a comment reader, you noticed that Spin. Sew. Sketch. nominated me for a Leibster blog award in December. Honestly, I’ve never heard of this award, so while I was honored to be nominated, it took me a little while to get a grasp of what exactly it is. In the best way possible, Leibster kind of reminds me of a chain letter you used to send as a kid. Passed from blogger to blogger, it’s simply a way to share the love for small blogs just doing their best to create great content. Without further adieu, here are my nominations for Leibster awards!

I know I said I wouldn’t write about Mollie for a while, but if I’m being honest, hers is the only blog I read with any consistency these days. She lives in Utah, she has a cool life, funny dogs, beautiful insights and great adventures. What more could you want from a lifestyle blog?

Second, Fashion at Liberty—hub of all things fashion, fair trade and fabulous. Stephanie Carnes was an intern at BRAVA many semesters ago, where we were all impressed with her interview skills as well as her home decor aesthetic. She’s extended that taste level beyond the home to bring light to designers, manufacturers and retail outlets with a conscience.

While I’m certainly not getting married again any time soon, I do love the idea of throwing a beautifully decorated party. I follow the Perfect Palatte on Pinterest like nobody’s business and I love all the inspiration she lends!

One Fine Day is a production company based here in Wisconsin. Their blog isn’t exactly a blog for blog’s sake, but if you are seeking inspiration (or are in the mood for a good cry—seriously, these videos choke me up every time), just hit play!

And finally, Peach Farm Studio’s blog. A letterpress-photo-poetry studio, I appreciate the organic nature of their blogging and navigation, it encourages getting lost in their world!

New Work & Old Favorites

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

This Christmas, I gave myself a gift. The first part was to really, truly take four full days away from work. No email, no phone calls, barely a thought of the office. Sure two of those days were a weekend, but if I’m being honest, it’s rare that I even go a whole weekend without doing a little something for the magazine, so this really felt indulgent for me.

The second part of that gift was to spend much of that time printing. I had a few things I had to get done for Driftless Studio—a beautiful store on State Street in Madison owned by a talented photographer, writer and wonderful person named Anne. Her favorite design is my “Gone to Seed” dandelion print, so I printed up a bunch of those in light blue, plus some Happy Birthday bike cards, some blue and green grasses, love you. cards for Valentine’s and more.

Since the process of inking up, setting the plate and cleaning up is so labor intensive, I tend to print several different designs while I have a color on press. So while I was at blue and yellow, I also did a reprint of one of my fastest-selling designs that I’ve been out of for a while, “you are my sunshine.” I also did a run of a new “congrats” card that would work perfectly for a wedding or new home, plus started lots of recipe cards, limited edition prints and more.

Christmas 101: Wrap it up!

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Merry Christmas Eve eve! My shopping is done—more importantly my crazy work week is done—and I’m finally getting into the holiday spirit. This year instead of spending even more money on gift wrap, bags and bows, I thought I’d use what I already have on hand to make my gifts extra special.

I love kraft paper. I’ve used it for envelopes, limited edition prints, and this year I decided to use it to wrap several of my gifts. I grabbed a couple grocery bags from my recycling pile and voila! The perfect blank canvas for all your creative endeavors. You’ll notice my palette isn’t exactly traditional: I love to work in blues and other jewel tones to make a modern holiday scheme.

On any patterned wrap, my letterpress circle garland would get lost, but against a simple grocery  bag background, it really pops. So easy to do, yet it’s really all you need! Then I tried a great ribbon plaid wrap I’d seen online. It looks complicated, but it’s really just a matter of weaving your ribbons over and under each other and taping them to the back of the box. If you’re more of a bow person, find a great tutorial here to make your own with all those scraps of fabric you might have lying around.

Next: the perfect solution for those oddly shaped gifts. I gathered a silk scarf around the top of this wine bottle—creating a gift that’s twofold, since the receiver can wear the scarf!

That big white box is the standard gift box you get when making purchases from any department store. I decided to glam it up with black satin ribbon on each corner, and accented the top one with some plastic rhinestones I’ve had in my craft bin for years.

Here’s wishing you and yours a fantastic holiday season. I didn’t quite make my blogging goal this month, but I hope you’ve enjoyed what I have been able to post for you! I’m heading out this afternoon to spend time with family, relax and do a lot of printing, so I’ll see you in 2012!

Twelve (or more) Days of Christmas

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Good morning dear readers! I have a confession to make: I haven’t sent out Christmas cards for two years. Somehow each December seems to fly by and before I know it, I’m heading to my parents for the holidays and my stack of cards is still sitting on the dining room table. But this year, in an effort to show how much I value those who make my life better, I’m going to try. I may or may not succeed 100%, but at least I’m making the effort!

Since I can’t send a card to each and every one of you (although if you email me your address, I’ll put you on the list!), my gift to you all this holiday season will be to give 110% on the blogging front. Truth be told, I’ve been saving up some awesome ideas for weeks now, so from now until Christmas, my plan is to post at least every other day (do the math, it’ll make the title of this post make more sense). From décor to gift ideas, I hope I can share a little inspiration and help thaw the brain freeze that can accompany trying to find the perfect present.

An aside: This year, I’ve chosen not to use the politically correct “holiday” in lieu of Christmas. Not because I’m ignoring the other holidays that fall at this time of year, but simply because that’s what I celebrate. Sometimes we take such drastic steps to make sure no one is left out that we end up over-generalizing or making the world feel like one homogenized landscape rather than celebrating what makes each culture unique. I hope you can use the ideas I write about in your own traditions this season, and please feel free to leave comments about how you’d use these ideas in your life!

Plum crazy

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Happy Cyber Monday! Yeah, apparently that’s a thing. I know I should be more enthusiastic about the retail surge this weekend but I just can’t bring myself to do it! If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that “it’s just stuff.” (And definitely not worth pepper spraying your fellow shopper over! Seriously lady?!?)

However, I was excited about being given the opportunity to put together a beautiful little gift set for a fellow etsian. She wanted two of each of my botanically themed cards in different colors. I had most of the designs already printed in a couple different colors, but I did get to put in several hours on my press this weekend. The results are quite lovely if I do say so myself!

It seems that whenever I work on a custom project these days, the stars align, the humidity and ink consistency and pressure are all just right and I can’t help but print everything in sight. This weekend was no different, so while I was all inked up, I worked on a couple projects I’ve had swirling around in my head for a while. Turns out, they all looked good in purple!