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!

New Retailer: The Waxwing

April 3, 2016March 29, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

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I’m super excited to announce 622 Press goods are now available at The Waxwing in Milwaukee! I’ve been wanting to get into MKE for years now, but hadn’t found the right fit—until now! The Waxwing is just my style: an eclectic mix of local and international artists and makers curated into a one-stop shop for any occasion, including when you just need to treat yourself!

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Owner Steph carries art and paper goods as well as clothing, housewares and more! She’s carrying my wood type “hello” cards in exclusive colors, along with a few of my favorite designs for any occasion! Stop by E. North Avenue to see them all! hello_multi_1563

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Snarky New Hoop Art

March 31, 2016March 17, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been friend with Nicole, who I recently visited in Houston, since she moved to Wisconsin in fifth grade. She’s one of the funniest, weirdest (in a good way!) people I know, and also happens to love the embroidery hoops I can’t seem to stop making. So when she started shouting out funny and often inappropriate phrases followed by “Put that in a hoop!” I started taking notes.

The first hoop I worked on was actually my idea—one of my favorite sayings actually! A lot of these hoops will be set in my favorite gorgeous calligraphy typeface, I just love the contrast of the cheeky message with the elegant typography—especially in such a traditional medium. It’s been super popular on Instagram, so get it here while you can!

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These little orange numbers are all Nicole. I even sent the “lolz” design her way as a birthday present last week (hopefully it has arrived and I didn’t just ruin the surprise!), but if you want your own (in custom colors!), just get in touch.

I’ve also made a few non-vulgar hoops, but where’s the fun in that? Anyway, this dreamcatcher one is my favorite. Get it here.

Well folks, now I have some sad news. I’m out of hoops. I went to the local fabric store to pick up some more, and oddly enough, all sizes were about the same price. But that means the smaller sizes cost about 5 times what they cost in the states, so I just can’t swing it. I’m exploring other ways to frame these up (which may end up being cheaper to ship too! YAY!), but in the mean time, I’ll still be stitching away! Here’s a design that doesn’t have a home yet:

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Now go away ;)

New Year’s Business Resolutions

February 7, 2016February 1, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

Each January, there seems to be a surge in new business card clients, mostly small business owners or freelancers looking to finally get some professional business cards made. It’s one of my favorite influxes—such a fun way to kick start the year—and this year did not disappoint!

I still have a few projects in the works, but I finished the first two sets last week so I thought I’d share!

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Jori beat the rush by getting in touch on New Year’s Eve for her new cards. She wanted a very simple design with just the right typeface, and I loved her attention to the font we used. Most people don’t realize it, but a typeface often sets the mood for the design, so this friendly, modern, clean face works perfectly for her!

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Troy got in touch a few days later after purchasing a card from one of my Wisconsin stockists over the holidays. He had done his research, checking out my work on this very website (Hi, Troy!) and knew exactly what he was looking for. The parameters he provided were really inspiring to me, and I came up with a ton of amazing design options for him. I love the one he picked (above)—they just may be my favorite business cards to date!

I also thought I’d share a few of the other initial designs I created for him. I love them so much, I’d hate to never have them see the light of day, so if you’re interested in updating one with your information, get in touch!

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Hello, again

January 24, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Happy January, friends! Sorry I’ve been away for so long! Just after New Year’s, we left on a ten-day trip to the Bahamas. It’s a bit of a long story why we ended up there in January, but it was actually really good to have something to look forward to after the holidays.

I thought I’d get some blogging done while lounging by the pool, but as it turns out the weather was rainy and the orders were pouring in! While I was away, I designed two sets of business cards and started on two wedding orders! Printing plates should be here soon, I can’t wait to share them with you!

While we were traveling and since we’ve been back home I’ve been on an embroidery kick. It actually started just before Thanksgiving, when I got a wild hair to make embroidered napkins for all 10 of our dinner attendees.

The typography was so fun to work on that the first two hoops I tackled were type-based, of course! I just love the way calligraphy looks outlined in thread.

My latest two projects are my favorites—of course! The cacti hoop above is super cute and reminds me of an amazing hike in Arizona I took a few years ago. It’s also special because it was completely freehand—whereas usually I draw designs on paper first, trace them onto the fabric and stitch over my lines. I love how it turned out!

And then of course there’s this sweet reminder of home. I love it so much I’m keeping this one and offering them for custom order with any state (or country) and city—plus custom colors!