New Personal Stationery

March 25, 2015March 8, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I have an uncle that’s really into antiques—when they built their house, they incorporated display space for a well-curated collection of old signage, vintage machines, furniture and more. So it was no surprise when he sent me a link to an awesome Craigslist find: a complete 18-point lead font for $40.

Needless to say, I scooped it up right away and it has become an essential component in my studio as it mixes in so well with my larger type. It’s also the perfect size for stationery featuring a full name instead of just a few initials. And because it’s lead type, it can be printed with a very deep impression into the paper—it’s really incredible in person! You can order the new stationery here, or just send me a message! Enjoy!

Colette Allen Business Stationery

March 18, 2015March 6, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

This project one of my favorites from last year. Colette Allen was founded by Meighan Newhouse in 2012 out of a passion for job satisfaction. She believes if you are going to spend the majority of your time working, you should love what you do. Or at least like it a lot.

When she went looking for someone to collaborate with for her business stationery, she found someone who loves what they do—me! She already had a fabulous logo designed by Red Meets Yellow, so we put together a clean and simple design that would show off the impression of letterpress and applied it to two-sided business cards and a flat two-color notecard. Add matching bright green envelopes and voila! Business stationery any entrepreneur would be proud of.

It’s Business Time!

March 11, 2015February 25, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Ok, first of all, let’s go watch this hilarious video that inspired the name of this post. Go! What? You’re at work and you don’t have headphones? First of all, that’s just silly. Second, save the link so you can watch it tonight! Totally worth it.

Now that we’ve got the important stuff out of the way, I wanted to share a project I printed about a month ago for a Wisconsin photographer. Erin had seen the flat notecards that I printed for 622 press posted on our facebook page and wanted a set for her business: Don’t Blink Photography!

Her logo was perfect for the job and I love how the silver ink sits on the kraft paper—it’s slightly coated, so the ink is much more metallic than on my standard white cotton paper. And the best part: This project was super seamless, she just sent me her logo and I ordered plates and got to work, no muss, no fuss. I enjoyed it so much I’ve decided to offer flat business stationery in my etsy shop! Find it here. Enjoy!

Watercolor & Letterpress Bespoke Business Cards

March 6, 2015February 25, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Have you figured out that I’m super into watercolor lately? And I just love the way a watercolor wash interacts with the sharp edges and texture of letterpress printing… so I’ve been experimenting with ways to drum up more work that features watercolor!

For now, I’ve been experimenting with watercolor on some past business card projects. I LOVE the results—and they’re available to order in my etsy shop, or just send me an email. There are lots of ways to customize them, but seriously, how gorgeous are these?!?!

Fill In the Blank

February 28, 2015February 25, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

While I’ve spent hundreds of hours over the years designing and producing custom invitation suites for weddings and parties, I realize not every event has the budget or timeline necessary for bespoke invites.

However, I believe more casual events deserve special stationery too, so I created the first several designs in a new line of fill-in invitations. Perfect for a dinner party, kids’ birthday, or casual shower, these flat letterpress invitations feature space to write in the details and are available in five designs—with more to come.

My two favorite designs (above) incorporate extra-special handmade elements. One features a hand-painted watercolor ombre background, while the other’s polka dots were carved by hand before being letterpress printed in baby blue ink. (And the latter has matching coasters available as well!)

These and more—bikes, daisies, lace—available in the shop!