Birdie Cake Toppers

I saw these Bride & Groom bird cake toppers on Style Me Pretty last week and fell in love. How sweet are they?! I think I may need a birthday cake or just-because topper like this embroidered one:) See all the different little guys at Cotton Bird Designs.

Broadway Paper: The Blog

Unfortunately, I can't always visit the storefronts that carry our products, so I was thrilled to see that Broadway Paper has started a blog. Not only do I now get a peek in the doors of Broadway Paper, but I also get to hear the voice & happenings behind the store. Check out today's post to see some pics of our custom album as well as the Linda & Harriett in-store display! Thanks, Tracie!

[photo courtesy of Broadway Paper]

Letterpress Handwriting

I have seen a lot of postings on this invitation featured in the new Martha Stewart Weddings and I just had to jump on the bandwagon with this one. I love love love handwriting in letterpress. (Ahem, our Signature invitation set!) To me, there is nothing that quite comes close. Add in a great color palette, some casual handwriting, and a simple request to attend - and you've got this beautiful little wedding invitation. Just love it.

[photo courtesy of MSW]

Just Added: Redesigned Flower Pins

We're having fun cutting and sewing from our misprints box over here and are happy to announce that our Redesigned Flower Pins have made it to the shop! All pins are topped with a vintage button and have a pin back attached on the back.

Just Added: Redesigned Dress Cards

We're slowly starting to catch our breath over here after what has been a busy busy month following the stationery show. So I have only just begun adding new items to our shop, and our Redesigned Dress Cards are first in line. For those new to our Redesigned Line - we are reconstructing by hand our letterpress misprints to create Dress Cards, Tags and Flower Pins. I had a lot of white paper to reuse, so I went with a white tank for the little dresses and am loving how they turned out - and how they look together. John says they look like the Eva Skirt from Dakota Martin. (Thanks for the inspiration, ladies!)

Stay tuned for Tags and Pins at the end of the week.

Rebecca Goldstein

I was recently introduced to the super-talented work of Brooklyn-based artist Rebecca Goldstein. I love this animated piece she worked on for The Spinto Band's Oh Mandy music video. Just looking at all the paper cutouts makes my hands hurt. My favorite part has to be the ice skaters in the ice world.

Check out more of Rebecca's work here.

Swim Bike Run

So, I've been keeping something from you, my dear readers. And just 10 minutes ago, I made it officially official by booking our plane tickets, so it's time to just come out with it already. I'm doing an Ironman. John too. For the past 8 weeks, we've been getting up at the crack of dawn to fit in our morning workout and a few days a week, when the sun goes down and Thomas has picked up our last package, we're out the door for our evening workout. Our weekends are less lazy and more rewarding - and I couldn't be more excited about it. I also couldn't be hungrier. I've been eying the great food blogs lately and dreaming up some pretty nice meals. Now only if I could actually cook those meals. Ah well. It's all about taking one step at a time these days.

Photo courtesy of Sara Remington.

Happy Pollution

I recently came across the work of Bfree through Julia's blog Book By Its Cover. I checked out his other work and fell in love with his black and white illustrations. Above is Happy Pollution. And despite the subject matter, I love it. See more of Bfree's work here.

Hello, Yellow

I'm loving this photograph from Luke Stephenson via 20x200. The colors and composition are right up my alley - simple and colorful. But I'm also into the portrait/head-on orientation he chose. To me, it adds a layer of humor or at least makes it a bit more interesting - something that I think would otherwise be lost if the bird were looking away - as we so often experience them to be.

Maine on My Mind - Again

There's a good chance we'll be taking a work trip up to Maine next month. A work trip to Maine! Dreams can come true. If you've read my blog before, you know the love I have for Maine. After the past crazy post-NSS weeks, I could use a little downtime in Maine. Even though it will technically be a work trip, I'm already making a list of places I want to go put my feet up for a day - or two. I cannot wait.

psst - Snippet & Ink is doing some really amazing party boards exclusively for frolic! Go see for yourself. This one is very Maine to me. Or at least what I want my little trip to Maine to be:)

We Love Our Moms

I know I've mentioned Kate Spade's online feature Behind the Curtain before - but it's too good not to bring it up again. Especially when they have a column called "We love our Moms" - a tribute to employees' mothers. After all the sad news surrounding the passing of Tim Russert, I can't help but ache for his son - and am reminded of how precious our lives are. And how lucky I am to have had an amazing mother for my first 18 years and to have a father who is the most hard-working, most giving and hands down funniest person I know. Some day, I'd like to have an online section of tributes. I've got a lot of people to thank and be grateful for. For now, I hold on to each of them dearly in my heart - and I wish the same for you.

This Week in Brooklyn

All this week, 27 shops on Court and Smith Streets in Brooklyn are turning their windows into gallery spaces, as artists install their work hoping to "forge new connections between artists and their communities, change the ways in which we direct our gazes, and alter our habits for interacting with the structures that surround us." So cool. I cannot wait to see what our friend Mara has come up with for the shop Neda. On view now through Saturday.

For more info, check out the Windows Brooklyn website.

To Our Dads

Happy Father's Day. We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fridays with John: NYC's Waterfalls

With the New York City Waterfalls art installation that begins at the end of this month (and lasts until October), New York will get 4 waterfalls to call its own. The work of Danish-Icelandic artist, Olafur Eliasson, this project is said to rival the impact of Christo's Central Park Gates from 2005.

Eliasson felt that New Yorkers take the water that surrounds them for granted and to help restore people's engagement with the landscape, he wanted "to make the water more explicit." The current New York Magazine has a great profile of the project, the artist, its funding, and interestingly, how the waterfalls work.

Weddings All Week: More Stamp Ideas

Another great use for stamps is the return address and response envelope mail-to address. You can hire a calligrapher to do the writing or have a friend with great handwriting do it - or of course do it yourself. It's a lot of stamping and may take some practice - so make sure you have extra envelopes. This calligraphy shown above is by the very talented May Belle. But I also think hand lettering is beautiful as a stamp - even if it's not perfect perfect. To me, the more variation, the better. And I tend to think the stamping effect nearly always elevates the quality of the writing.

Weddings All Week: Stamp Love

As you may know, I started Linda & Harriett as a custom hand-stamp invitation business. I worked with brides and grooms one on one to custom design a stamp (or a few stamps) and hand-stamped each piece. I now work primarily in letterpress and do the same kind of custom consultation, but I have a very special place in my heart for stamps. I love the immediacy of working with them, the effect that the rubber has on the paper, and how every stamped piece is unique. Plus, it's crazy affordable. So, if you're up for it, it's a great way to add some fun texture and color to your wedding day.


Shown above is pretty much all the supplies you'd need. The "Bloom" stamp is my own design - and one that I have translated into letterpress. The other is a stamp I bought at the Ink Pad in the city. And after trying pretty much all the stamp pads out there, Adirondack is my favorite. The re-inkers are larger than most (great for big projects) and I think their colors are top notch.


Seen here are some great ways to use stamps for your wedding. Place cards and welcome bag/gift tags. I think it looks really nice to use varying stamps and paper shapes, while keeping the color consistent. The bloom stamp is a one-time stamp piece. I think I stamped the flower petal stamp twice to take up a bit more room. And the butterfly tag is our 100% cotton tag that I stamped with our wallpaper design - love this! - which could also be used as an escort card. Using stamps is a really great way to keep wedding paper costs down - and a great way to add a handmade feel to your wedding. It may take some practice - but if you're into it - you could stamp everything from your Save the Dates and invitations to your place cards, tags, menus, table cards - even ribbon or material. I could go on and on...

Weddings All Week: A Special Piece

I think ginette's lace monogram necklace is one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I've ever seen. I'm not a big monogram girl - but this one makes me weak in the knees. As a girl who went by her last name for most of her life, it was a hard transition to take on a new last name - but this would have helped:) I think it makes a perfect wedding gift - to you of course - but also from you to your bridesmaids or Maid of Honor or mother or a special woman in your life.

Paper is next!

Weddings All Week: Shoes

I wish I had thought a bit more about my shoes. And then gone with a splash of color. Another way to keep the bridally-bridal look in check - and get another wear out of something without having to die or alter it. I just saw Sex and the City last night, so of course I can't help thinking about Carrie's gazillion dollar Manolos. But I got married on grass and have about an hour expiration in heels - so in my do-over wedding, I'd chose these Loeffler Randall beauties. And wear them all honeymoon long. Love love love these.

Weddings All Week: Hair Pieces

I love the idea of toning down on the jewelery and using special hair pieces that doesn't scream bridal. Beth Lauren's headband is playful and looks precious on. Jennifer Behr makes hair accessories that are simply stunning. I especially love this oversized floral piece with the bare shoulders and this delicate metallic lace & pearl band. These are pieces you will hold on to - and would wear again and maybe even pass along to your children - along with very special memories.

Weddings All Week: The Photographer

The first thing I did when we got engaged was book a photographer. Having flipped through my sister's wedding album many many times over the years with friends and family, I wanted to make sure we had something that captured the spirit of the event and our personalities for years to come. We're not big posing-for-pictures people - so it was important that our photos echoed that along with the informal setting of a summer camp wedding. Stacey Kane's photojournalism style fit perfectly.

While this style make not be for everyone, I do think, in general, more than one photographer is overkill. I've seen albums from weddings with more than one photographer, and it's hard for me to get the sense of flow or time because there are multiple angles of the same moment. That confuses me. It may seem appealing to have all angles covered, but I think if you have one good photographer, it makes more sense for the final album you come away with - one that tells a story of unfolding moments rather than just good shots.

See more of Stacey's work here.

[photos courtesy of Stacey Kane]

Weddings All Week

In honor of our debut collection of wedding invitations that will be in stores across the country and Australia next week, this week is going to be all about weddings. I'm no wedding expert - but I did plan my own (which John admitted to about 10 minutes into our reception by thanking me:) and I have some pretty strong opinions on what works, what doesn't, and ideas to keep paper expenses low if you're up for the hands-on challenge. So stay tuned.

[image from photographer Stacey Kane]

Big Thanks to Snippet & Ink

Thanks to Kathryn at Snippet & Ink for using our Handwritten Stationery in her Northern California-inspired beach wedding post! I love her blog of wedding-themed collages. If you haven't checked it out yet - you must. Even if you're not a bride to be - it's a wonderful collection of textures, patterns, and color to rest your eyes on every day.

New Notepads

No more yellow stickies! Our latest notepad designs are online now. Go take a look. Which one is your favorite?

Wall Covering

I am obsessed with this wall covering in the latest issue of Domino. They are pages from old bird field guides. Genius. Last year on my birthday, I took the day off and painted the nook next to my desk with the names of Martha Stewart paints. But it's time for a change! And all I can think about is this wall. My mind is racing with all the great things I can tack up in there for an instant installation/inspiration piece/wallpaper.

Pretty Pretty Carta Inc

Never has ribbon made me so happy. This little package from Angela at Carta Inc just arrived and put a big smile on my face. How cute are her details? I love when I order something and it's delivered with good presentation.

Thanks, Angela!

Julie Goldstein

It could not be a more beautiful day here in Brooklyn - the perfect pre-summer swelter weather. But all it has me thinking about is summer - except for the swelter part. I loooove summer. Getting outside at any chance, long lingering nights, backyard barbeques, the ocean air at the Jersey Shore - I love it. One thing I wish I could add to the list is surfing. I really want to be able to surf. I've recently picked up and am learning how to swim proper laps (more on this later) so surfing might have to wait - but I'll get there some day. In the meantime, I'm loving Julie Goldstein's surf-related artwork - especially the textile additions like 'Untitled' above - woodcut, embroidery, mixed media on wood, measuring 24" x 48". See more of Julie's fantastic work from a recent show in Rhode Island here and on her website here.

[image courtesy of Montanaro Gallery]