A Daring Adventure

June 5, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

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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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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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New Retailer: Laurel Grove

April 13, 2016April 14, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

One of my main goals for 2016 is to expand the network of stores that sell 622 press goods. I’ve been working hard at this one—emailing my catalog to dozens of stores over the last few months, and sending samples to as many as I can. (Know a local shop that would be a good fit for 622 press? Get in touch!) However, the most recent addition to the 622 family fell right into my metaphorical lap!

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Laurel Grove is an adorable boutique in Sudbury, Mass. that grew out of the owner’s part-time vintage business. She was in a similar situation to mine two years ago: Working full time at a job that she loved, but also pursuing her own business on nights and weekends… plus she had a two year old. Eventually, the stars aligned and with the perfect space, business partner and her husband’s support, Laurel Grove was born!

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The shop carries a mix of vintage and handmade and select new home decor and jewelry. Kim’s goal is really to showcase artisans whose stuff she loves. She says, “I do try to stay mostly local to New England, but every once in a while if someone catches my eye (like you did) and I just love the product I’ll reach out.” The store also offers customization and furniture refinishing.

Kim picked out an awesome collection of cards that includes some of my very favorites, and got the last of a few designs, like our wood type “good luck” card and select colors of “best day ever!” Laurel Grove is also the first to carry my new calligraphy inspired “oh happy day” and “mr and mrs” cards! And, she picked up a great selection of Mother’s and Father’s Day cards, so pop in soon to grab those while they last!

Letterpress Card Sale!

April 10, 2016April 1, 2016 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

You guys, I’m so excited. I finally took the plunge and switched from the magnesium and wood plates I’ve used for years to photopolymer plates from one of the biggest producers in the U.S. I say “finally” because it’s been a long time coming—not only have the quality and customer service declined at my old platemaker, but I’m looking forward to better print quality and registration as well with this new system. For a few years now, I’ve watched what other printers can do with photopolymer with amazement, and I’m so excited to be part of the club! And the icing on the cake? Shipping and production costs are a bit less, so I won’t have to raise my prices again right away this year. Win-win-win!

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I created a handful of new designs to learn the new system with, and I’m planning for a big order of new work this summer, so to make room for all these new designs, I’m trying to clear out a few older ones. I’ve moved a ton of merchandise to the SALE SECTION in my shop, so make sure to go check it out! I won’t be reprinting any of those designs soon, so if there’s one you love, make sure to stock up!

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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!