2016: All Pink Everything

March 5, 2016March 6, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Officially, Pantone named two colors of the year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity (which is a sort of pastel blue), but so far from where I stand it’s been all about lovely shades of blush pink.

First, bride-to-be Krista got in touch. I had designed and printed her save the date coasters last year and they were some of my favorites, so I was thrilled to hear from her! I’ll do a bigger reveal after their wedding day, but here’s a sneak peek of their dusty rose wrap that holds all the invitation elements together.

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Another bride from last year got in touch just after Krista. The future Mrs. O’Brien went for a more formal design for her wedding stationery, which features the same pink filigree pattern, gold family crest and formal script as her save the dates. Her invitations are hot off the press (and drying all over my house) as I type, so I don’t even have a sneak peek for you yet, but stay tuned!

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I’ve also been working on non-letterpress wedding invitations lately. I’ve been thinking about offering less expensive options for a while now, since not every bride can or wants to spend several hundred (or more) dollars on their invitations. And, as smaller celebrations become more popular, the price-per-invite goes up, since the initial supply costs for letterpress work are so high. Although personally I still think it’s totally worth it!

I recently connected with a photographer via The Rising Tide Society that offered to shoot some of my new invites! Nicole over at Simply Charming Pictures did a great job, I can’t wait to share the rest of her work! Watercolor invitations aren’t yet available online, but get in touch if you’re interested!

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As I was finishing up those big wedding projects, a new mom got in touch via Etsy about invitations for her baby girl’s first birthday party. She loved my Watercolor Ombre Fill-in Invitations, but wondered if I could make them in pink and gold instead… to which I said of course! I knew I would love the results, so I made an extra set to list in the shop—find them here!

And finally, I’ve finally started ordering a few new printing plates for my own projects. You may have noticed I didn’t launch as many new cards last year. When I first moved, I was so excited to have so much time for letterpress work that I may have gone a little crazy and printed all the cards I’d had bouncing around my head for years but never had the time to print, and my stock got a little out of hand. Not only do I have limited space to store everything, but it’s difficult to keep track of nearly 200 different designs!

Someday when I have my own shop, I’ll be able to maintain that kind of inventory, but for the time being, I needed to pare things down. I’m finally at a place now where enough designs have sold out so I’m ready to create some new work!

Far and away my favorite of the new fonts I bought a few months back is this beautiful modern calligraphy typeface. It’s perfect for wedding season! My “Mr & Mrs” cards have always been popular, but I’ve been feeling like the design needed an upgrade, so I designed these! Pick up a set here. I also wanted to created a new design that would not only work for weddings (and not even same-sex unions at that), but any joyous occasion—birthdays, adoption, engagement, graduation… you name it, this card works. Available in blush here, but I’m thinking of printing them in lots of colors… feel free to comment with what you’d like to see next!

Save the Date: Abi & Spencer’s Art Nouveau Wedding

February 12, 2016February 10, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

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Just before the holidays, I finished up a save the date card for the boyfriend’s sister. Abi and her fiancé are planning an Art Nouveau themed soirée this fall and wanted their invitation suite to give guests a peek at what’s to come.

Once I saw Abi’s Pinterest board—full of soft candlelight, sparkling chandeliers, swirling illustrations and hues of cobalt and gold, I knew I had to use this amazing shimmery paper I had experimented with a few weeks prior. I love that while it definitely reads gold, the paper is actually more of a champagne hue, free of the brassy or yellow hues that can make gold look cheap.

I created a two-color design inspired by motifs of the era: vaguely nature-inspired, but stylized into pure decoration. The white ink I used to print it plays beautifully off the iridescent paper.

I struggled quite a lot with the typefaces for this project, primarily because I don’t particularly like fonts from this era. I offered several more modern options that fit with with the design motif, but in the end, Abi and Spencer preferred typography that was historically accurate, and I was able to find several typefaces that I liked and worked well together!

I’m so pleased with how the save the dates turned out and can’t wait to get started on their invites, stay tuned!

Thank You Notes

December 27, 2015December 9, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

As New Year’s approaches, I find myself reflecting on the year that’s passed. As I send out Christmas cards, I take the opportunity to tell friends and family what they mean to me, usually thanking them for various kindnesses throughout the year. This year I thought I’d do the same for my business. As I grow and put more of myself into 622 press/studio I find that the businesses and clients helping me realize this dream mean even more to me. Don’t worry, I’ll be sending cards, but I also thought I’d share here!

Iconi Interiors: About a million years ago, when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing business-wise, the owner of a gorgeous home interiors shop I truly admired took a chance on my work. I wrote about how absolutely floored I was at the time, but looking back, I realize her buy gave me the confidence to pursue all my other wholesale clients, which has become a huge portion of my business.

Driftless Studio: I’ve written about her a lot over the years, because the shop has been instrumental to the growth of 622 press. Not only does Driftless sell the most product of all my wholesalers, owner Anne is an amazing collaborator, never hesitant to share what she thinks will sell best, offering ideas and commissioning projects she truly believes in. And she’s always willing to let me peek behind the scenes of her business, which will quite possibly help me for years to come. As a creative running a successful retail shop, she has become a shining example of what I hope to someday grow up to be!

When Pigs Fly: This shop is owned by my friend’s mom, so it took me a long time to approach her about wholesale, but I’m so glad I did! Kim is always up for trying out new product and I love that! It’s been so important, especially in this year of growth. She’s currently the only retailer carrying my paper flowers!

Lark & Woods Grove: Both of these fabulous stores approached me out of the blue to carry 622 press goods. Just the fact that they were sold on the product alone has been a huge confidence booster this year!

Brain Mill Press: The projects Brain Mill Press sends my way make me feel so incredibly lucky to be able to spend my days doing what I love. With this second commission of art prints, I feel like a part of the BMP family: looking forward to our continued success and collaborations!

Card Club subscribers: Even though it’s a one-way relationship, I feel connected to the women I send cards to every month. I love thinking about what their stationery needs might be for the month, what pieces would round out their collection. Plus they help me keep my inventory in check, and for that I’m very grateful!

There are many more wedding and freelance clients that have really made a difference this year, and if you’re reading this you know who you are :) Thanks for an amazing 2015, here’s to another successful year!

Art Directors Anonymous

November 28, 2015November 27, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 3 Comments

Hello, my name is Kristin and I’m an art director. It’s been 14 months since my last photo shoot…

When I was working at the magazine, I coordinated/styled/directed a dozen or so shoots every month. At least one was a complex fashion shoot, consisting of days of scouting, planning and styling, a full day of shooting, several more days of choosing and editing photos and then designing a 4-10 page feature. And that was only my part in it: we also had a hair and makeup team, clothing stylist, photographer, interns and editorial team on hand to pull it all together. Sometimes these days were downright incredible—everyone involved was in a flow state where creativity abounds and beautiful results were almost effortless. Other times, not so much.

So, as rewarding as seeing your work in publication month after month can be, after sixty of them, I was ready for a little break. Until now.

Last weekend, I gathered a few friends—a dental assistant who moonlights as a model and an IT professional/talented self-taught photographer—for a shoot featuring my paper flowers. We headed to Horseshoe Beach for some boho bridal images, then down the road to The Reefs for an incredible sunset view.

I thought the shoot would be successful—Allison is gorgeous and moves effortlessly, Adi is more talented than he’ll ever admit and Bermuda scenery can’t be beat—but honestly, even I am blown away with the results. So without further adieu, here are just a few of my favorite shots. I’ll be unveiling the rest over the next few months, so check back!

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Bridal bouquets are available to order in the shop, or get in touch for a quote!

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Couple Stationery

November 17, 2015November 10, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

A few weeks ago when I was working on Chris and Kristi’s save the date coasters, I took the opportunity to prototype a new set of personalized stationery I’d been thinking about for a few weeks.

Perfect for a new bride and groom to write their wedding thank yous on, your friends who just moved in together, or any couple who loves putting pen to paper! Order in November to guarantee them in time for Christmas!Because they’re a two-color job, they’re only available in larger quantities than my usual monogram 8-packs, but two people will be using them, so it works out! Order them here.