That Was Then, This Is Now

June 11, 2016June 5, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

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This card was one of the first I ever printed. I don’t hate it, but I think in my early days I was so concerned with the technical aspects of printing that my designs seemed to lack joy.

I recently created a new hand-lettered design and I’m, loving it! In bright pink, they’re perfect for a bachelorette or birthday party—available here.

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I also printed them on mini cards. I picked up these gorgeous seamed envelopes a while ago, but these are the first cards I’ve printed for them. Also available in my etsy shop! bubbly_3266

Bluebonnet Inspired Texas Styled Shoot

May 15, 2016April 23, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

A few weeks back, I offered letterpress work to a handful of photographers to feature in styled shoots this spring. The images are starting to come in and I’m so excited to share with you!

View More: http://kaylinanortonphotography.pass.us/texaswildflowers

This first shoot took place in Texas and was inspired by wildflowers! The images really speak for themselves in this one, so I’m going to let them do just that! Make sure to scroll all the way down to see all the vendors!

View More: http://kaylinanortonphotography.pass.us/texaswildflowers

Photography: kaylinanorton.com

Design & Rentals: rusticchicevents.com

Hair & Make-up: janelle-christine.com

Flowers: brambleandbee.com

Paper Goods: 622press.com

Cake: sinfullysweetcake.com

Hair Accessories: Bel Mariage

Model: Jill Stiebel

Krista & Chris’ Hand Drawn Wedding Invites

May 7, 2016April 8, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

For those of you who’ve been following along, the big day is finally here! No, not my big day, but the day I get to reveal Krista and Chris’ wedding invites, because they got married today!

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Since Krista absolutely loved them, I drew heavily from the Save the Dates I designed and printed for them last year. As you’ll recall, I hand-drew all the leaf and laurel elements, then vectorized them so they would print cleanly. I kept the handwriting-inspired typography, and switched out the script typeface from her save the dates for a more formal calligraphy inspired font. I’m absolutely in love with it—especially in white ink on her envelopes! So gorgeous. krista_chris_0749

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We then tied the whole thing up with a wrap in her soft rose accent color. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the custom-mixed slate gray ink I printed the rest of the suite in! krista_chris_1760 krista_chris_0747

I always encourage my brides to order their thank you notes along with their invites. One less thing to think about after the honeymoon—plus I offer a discount when they’re printed at the same time! I love Krista’s thank you notes… they really let the laurel design shine!

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After we were finished with the more formal parts of her wedding stationery, Krista reached out for one last ingenious project: In lieu of a guestbook, she distributed sheets of custom mad libs around the tables for guests to complete. I just love the thought of all her friends and family giggling as they played this classic childrens’ game, and her and her new husband enjoying what I’m sure will contain hilarious jokes and great advice.

Want to work with 622 Press for your wedding day? Get in touch here!

April & May Card Club

May 1, 2016April 17, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

As I was putting together May’s Card Club a few weeks ago, I realized with all the new retailers, new projects and birthday fun, I forgot to post April’s edition! So get ready for a double feature, folks.

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April is National Letter Writing month, so I wanted to make sure to include a handful of my letterpress postcards—which are now sold out by the way!—as well as Mother’s Day and graduation cards so my subscribers are stocked up for early May. COTM_516_2428

For May’s bundle, I actually had a special request from a subscriber for more baby cards. So I added my awesome Holy Crap cards to the collection I had planned, and even more cards perfect for new parents will head out the door next month, so stay tuned! Want in on the action? Join the club here!

New Retailer: Apartment 528

April 27, 2016April 23, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

April has really been one for the record books on the wholesale front—I have another new retailer to announce! I don’t mean to be all #blessed, but I totally am!

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Chicago’s Apartment 528 was opened in 2009 with one goal in mind: To rescue boring apartments (and homes!) with a unique mix of colorful handmade product and vintage furniture. Owner India Shannon has such an amazing eye for curating products that make a big impact and could change your space all on their own, but play nice with everything in the shop, so you could also do a full redesign!

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Naturally, she gravitated toward my brightly colored cards featuring large scale vintage wood type! She also got the last of a few designs, like “YOU’RE AWESOME” below!

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The most exciting part about her order is that Apartment 528 is the first retailer to also carry my embroidery hoops! Chicagoans can check out a good selection of my abstract pieces and the original cactus hoop, along with a few new ones! The online shop is now looking a little sparse in the embroidery department (I’m working on it!), but get in touch and I’ll make something just for you!

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