Mother’s Day is coming!

April 30, 2015April 21, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

My mom’s birthday is May 16, which is awfully handy since Mother’s Day (in the U.S.) is usually right around the same time. In case your mom’s birthday is not there to remind you, let me do it: Mother’s Day is in 10 days!

Lucky for you, 622 press can be your one stop shop for all things Mother’s Day. First of course, there are cards….

Then maybe a little gift? Flowers—always good. But how about something with a little heart? If your mom loves cards (mine does—duh!), our monthly Card Club lets her know you’re thinking of her all year long!

Not ready to shell out that kind of dough? One of my favorite ideas doesn’t cost much and is sure to touch her heart. Buy two sets of recipe cards (ooh! I know where you can get some!) and wrap one up to give her—bonus points if you include a nice wooden spoon or kitchen gadget. Then, hand her the second set and ask if she would write down your favorite family recipes so you’ll always have them in her handwriting. You just got a little choked up, didn’t you? No, just something in your eye? It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone!

Anyway, I hope this friendly reminder and (obviously self-serving, but still brilliant) gift ideas help! And no matter what, I hope you moms and mentors know how much you matter to us kids, young and old, today and every day.

Reprints & Revamps

April 23, 2015April 17, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Last week, I sent off an order from my longest standing—and if we’re being honest, one of my favorite!—wholesale client. Driftless Studio has been carrying 622 press goodies consistently since 2009. The owner, Anne, is fabulous to work with—tactile and appreciative of the artsy imperfections of letterpress; decisive and trusting of her intuition when it comes to stocking the shop; and always offering creative ideas to collaborate on pieces she thinks will sell well.

These collaborations have resulted in a few designs that are completely exclusive to her shop as well as small tweaks on existing designs—like our Best Day Ever cards in a bunch of new colors! I printed extras for my etsy shop as well, so get a multi-pack here, or individual cards here, here and here.

Driftless Studio is located right in the heart of downtown, which is dominated by UW-Madison, so anything printed in red or Wisconsin-themed always sells well. With graduation soon approaching, they stocked up! The Wisconsin notecards are also available in my etsy shop.

The best part about having such a long-standing relationship is that Driftless still stocks a number of designs I haven’t had a chance to print recently. With more than 100 unique cards, it’s hard to keep them all in stock at once, so when the shop needed more nice wheels and magnolia thank you cards, I was all too happy to reprint some for the 622 etsy shop as well.

I <3 Snail Mail

April 1, 2015March 31, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday was a very exciting day as I sent out my first Card Club subscription package! An etsy member bought it for her stationery-loving friend’s birthday. Isn’t that so fun?

The subscription is twelve deliveries of handmade letterpress goodies sent right to your door. Each month’s delivery is worth more than $20 and will include an assortment of greeting cards, prints, coasters, bookmarks, recipe cards and more. I don’t want to give away the surprise of what’s all in there, but here’s a sneak peek—plus she also got an exclusive print!

Subscribe to Card Club here—and don’t forget it makes a fabulous gift!

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!

DIY printing plates

January 11, 2015 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

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!