A Daring Adventure

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This week, we head out on a daring adventure: to Chile! Ever since I saw a friend’s photos from Easter Island a few years ago, it’s been on my short list, so when Andrew proposed taking a real vacation this year, it was one of the destinations I was rooting for.

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There will be plenty of photos and a travel post to come, but in the mean time, I’ve checked another shop update off the list! Three sizes of cotton archival prints turn one of my digital downloads into a museum quality piece! Browse all the sizes here and stay tuned for new prints soon too!

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Susan and Jake’s Modern Art Deco Save the Date Coasters

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It’s peak wedding season, so I don’t usually get many save the dates in summer months, but I did recently get to print up some coasters for Susan and Jake! They’re hosting a champagne brunch in just a few months, but still thought it would be fun to send coasters out to their guests.

Jake wanted something clever or funny, along the lines of my “Come for the wine, stay for the wedding” project from a few years ago, but something unique to them. I recommended “Break out the Bubbly” and they loved it!

Susan described her dress as having a slight Art Deco feel, so I worked some throwback typography and design elements into a modern design. I’m loving how they turned out!

Want custom coasters of your own—for your wedding day or any day? Get in touch!

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Krista & Chris’ Hand Drawn Wedding Invites

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: Apartment 528

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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Tinder Love Stories

I love the small glimpses my work gives me into my customers’ lives—whether they’re the guy who opened an etsy account just to buy a handmade “I’m sorry” card, stocking up on congratulations cards because this is the summer all their friends are getting married, or creating custom invitations for one of the biggest days of their lives, every order reminds me of the small acts of kindness that are so prevalent, yet often overlooked, in this world.

tinder_7905My “So glad you swiped right” cards have definitely yielded the best stories. Recently I had the most moving order from a man in Brazil, who asked if I could write his message (which was in Portuguese) in the card and send it halfway around the world. Naturally I obliged… and then snooped to see what he had written (thank you Google Translate!). Turns out, I had just transcribed one of the sweetest love notes I’ve ever read!

Another customer shared the way she and her boyfriend met after purchasing the card. In her own words:
“Robert and I met on Tinder almost 2 years ago! I had been on Tinder for a couple of months before matching with him, and had never actually had anything come out of it besides a few almost date-worthy conversations. When we matched, I almost didn’t believe he was real because of how inconsistent his pictures were (some with a beard, some with a mustache, short hair, long hair, etc.)…but decided to still swipe right, because what are the odds I was actually going to date one of these people?

“After a day of talking, I immediately realized he was different than any of the other guys I was talking to, mainly because he didn’t ask me right away to get drinks or meet up. So, about a week after we started talking, I took a risk asked him out on a date! I wanted to meet at a super public space for our first date because I was terrified to meet someone off the internet, let alone Tinder (hello catfish!), so we met at a bar in Chicago for dinner. After a 6 hour dinner, we finally decided our first date should end…only to have our second date the next day. Two years and endless amounts of dates later, we both couldn’t be happier that we made the somewhat shallow decision to be on Tinder way back when :)”

And here’s a photo of the couple because they’re adorable. Share your Tinder love story below!

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