New York Intl Gift Fair

People have asked if we're exhibiting at the New York International Gift Fair - taking place right now at the Jacob Javitz Center in NYC. We're not - but we're thinking about it for next year, so today, we're going to check it out and see if it would be a good fit. With the National Stationery Show coming up in May, I'll also be looking for interesting ways to set up our booth. I had a very clear vision for our booth layout last year, but I don't have any big ideas so far for this year. Maybe after today.

Stay tuned...

Giant Upset

I have to comment on last night's unbelievable Giant Upset. I mean - who knew that would happen?? Not I. I was ready for a snoozer - which it pretty much was minus the last 5 minutes - and I certainly did not expect the stupid Giants to pull it off. I'm an Eagles fan through and through. I wear my jersey every Sunday and last night sported a more subdued glory green Eagles t-shirt in protest of our Conference rivals. But they did it. And it was quite a show til the end. I grit my teeth as I tip my hat - just a whiff of sportsmanship from this one this morning. I'll be wearing black all week.

Fridays with John: Big Animals

I just came across these great pictures from a Smithsonian nature photography contest. They're all beautifully shot and clearly capture moments that some of the photographers waited days for. A lot of them have a "shoot the picture, and run for your life" feel, but I'm guessing nice telephoto lenses afforded these photographers the relative safety of distance.

More of this exhibit and the award winners can be seen here. I think you'll agree, they're pretty amazing shots--often with imposingly big subjects.

Oyster Sneak Peek

I recently had the pleasure of working with a bride & groom who are getting married in Cape Cod this fall and wanted to do a Save the Date that incorporated oysters. How cool! I have to say, I was a little nervous at first about coming up with an oyster design since they're such funny-shaped little guys. But I think they came out great - and I love that they wanted to keep the front blank - keeping it simple. Love that.

Calligraphy Spotlight

I've been hunting for a calligrapher recently and have come across some pretty stunning stuff. The first one is by Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls, who's work you have probably seen in Martha Stewart Weddings, where she has been featured many times. And for good reason - her work is simply beautiful. The second is by Tracy Joe, based out of Oakland, CA. And the third I found on Brooklyn Bride - who recently had her invitations addressed by Betsy Dunlap. I am more in love with calligraphy after this search than I ever thought I would be. Oh how I wish my hand would move like Betsy's!

ps - if you're in the Brooklyn/NYC area and need some wedding resources, Brooklyn Brides's got a ton of em on her blog, along with some great personal wedding bits. Great blog, Vane!

Pig Love

We're hanging in there with our pigs. Here's a little sneak peek at one of our new "greeting" cards - coming soon.

I put "greeting" in quotes because it makes me think of Hallmark greeting cards. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with Hallmark greeting cards (a special someone always gives me ones with kittens or puppies) but my work is just not Hallmark. But I would like a way to distinguish it from our blank note cards.

So what's a better way to say or group or categorize "greeting" cards? Or is this my issue?

The L&H Wedding Album

After thinking about it long and hard, writing down and re-writing down the pros and cons, and sketching out the costs in Excel, we've decided to come out with a letterpress wedding invitation album. This is a huge step for us - and one I feel very good about.

For those who don't know the story, I started doing invitations a couple of years ago and hand-stamped everything myself. I worked with brides one on one to develop a design, then had a rubber stamp (or many) made specifically for that couple's invitation set. While I loved (and still do enjoy and appreciate) the immediacy of rubber-stamping, I longed for the impression in the paper that letterpress offered. When I launched my line of letterpress note cards last year, I began to think about doing letterpress invitations, but held off for some time because I was not comfortable giving up the stamping.

But that changed when I noticed my strong affection for letterpress, the petting that goes on when a new piece is done, and really how perfectly letterpress matches wedding invitations - the best quality printing process (in my opinion) and the most special day of two people's lives.

This Bloom invitation above is an adaptation of one of my hand-stamped invitations that actually appeared in last October/November's issue of Modern Bride. It'll be one of our invitations in our wedding album we hope to debut this spring.

Stay tuned...