Floral Initials

July 2, 2015June 27, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

This project has been on my mind since I first started experimenting with paper flowers. I love letters and I love flowers, so why not combine them? Can’t think of one good reason, huh? Knew it.

Anyway, I started with a template of the letter, cut it out of chipboard, then added 2.5″ tall strips around the edges to make it three-dimensional. I filled the “box” with my handmade crepe-paper flowers, then added some extras and a bit of foliage to fill it out. I’m absolutely in love with the results!

I made this “H” for a friend, who displays it on her nightstand (her photo is below), but I can also see these initials hanging on a gallery wall, or as the centerpiece of the front table at a wedding! An ampersand is also available! Check them all out here.

622 Studio is here!

June 30, 2015June 29, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

While I was away, 622 press turned seven! This year to celebrate our birthday, I’ve launched 622 Studio: the digital version of the brick-and-mortar shop I want to have someday. Now, instead of just printed goods and stationery, I’ll be selling everything I create—textiles, art, crochet accessories, paper flowers and more—in my etsy shop!

The first new product line I launched last week are my new paper flowers! Each one is made from sheet of crepe paper that I’ve cut and molded into individual petals, then assembled around a wire stem. I add a sepal and wrap the stem with floral tape, sculpt the petals a bit more, and voila! A gorgeous flower that remains fresh all year long.

I loved figuring out the structure of each different bloom and shaping the petals to be as lifelike as possible. In the shop you’ll find individual blooms (perfect for home decor and craft projects!), ready-to-go bouquets and home decor. I’ll also be offering wedding services soon!

The other new product line I’ve launched thus far is digital art prints! I’ve shared a little bit of my watercolor work and hand-lettering here, and this is what it’s all been working toward. I scan the artwork from my sketchbook, do some photoshop and vector work and then combine them into a design I’d love to hang on my wall.

The best part about these prints is that they’re inexpensive and instantaneous: All you have to do is purchase them in my etsy shop and either print the jpg that arrives in your inbox on your home photo printer or send them over to Kinko’s, Walgreens, etc., then pop them in a frame!

Home Sweet Home

April 9, 2015March 30, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

I love house hunting, so when our dear Bermudian friends bought their first home together, I couldn’t have been more excited for them! I’m being recruited to help decorate, but in the mean time, I wanted to get them a housewarming gift.

Homes have names here—thanks European colonization!—and they decided to change theirs to something more unique than the original (Bella Fiore is a little bland, no?) and settled on the name of the hubby’s Irish hometown, so I thought it would be neat to call attention to that with their gift.

Normally I probably would have gone with a letterpress print or the like, but I’m not sure they’re really large-scale typography people, plus you know how obsessed I’ve been with watercolors lately. So I painted a picture of their new home!

I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out, so I didn’t tell anyone what I was up to. Only after I got the boyfriend’s reassurance did I pop it in a frame and ask when I could drop it off. They’re over the moon and I’m super happy with the results as well!

I’ve been thinking of offering commissioned pieces along these lines in my etsy shop—what do you think?

Limited edition watercolor & letterpress prints

February 23, 2015February 23, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 4 Comments

Lately I’ve been feeling artsy with a capital A. I think it’s a reaction to the heavy production cycle I just finished, but I’ve had the urge to get my hands dirty for a few weeks now.

I’ve also been experimenting with creating limited edition prints with some of the new printing plates I created for the new collection (catch it here if you haven’t seen it yet!). I had sketched out the overall design of each print, I just couldn’t seem to find the right color combination to make them jive. I actually printed a few in silver and a few in gold, but didn’t love them… and then I had the idea to keep the ink neutral (black and white) and use bright watercolor washes for the backgrounds!

The white ink ended up being a little more transparent than I expected, but I still really love the results. And I love how each one is absolutely unique—the cross between painting and print really speaks to me right now.

I printed 14 of each design and they’re available as a set of three in the shop—enjoy!

Drinks are on Me

February 7, 2015February 4, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

Though I’ve been hard at work on the new collection, I found a little time to reprint our sold out beer, wine and drinks coasters! I’ve got four sets of each in stock (unless I decide to keep some for myself…). Get them here!