Oh So Beautiful Paper

My walking list for the National Stationery Show is already well past 100 booths (which is both awesome and overwhelming), but the Sugar Paper booth is definitely at the top of that list.  The ladies of Sugar Paper are returning to the show after a couple of years away, and their latest collection looks absolutely amazing!  With lots of new greeting cards, art prints, even calendars and new gift wrap sheets making their debut, I can’t wait to see the full collection at the show!

Yay!  Thanks Chelsea and Jamie!

Photo Credits: Sugar Paper

I love it when wedding invitation suites combine mixed materials!  Emily and Dianna from Fourth Year Studio created these invitations for a couple planning a wedding at an historic theatre followed by a coffee house reception.  The gold ink and subtle lace blind impression letterpress pattern are perfect for a vintage-inspired wedding, while the brown paper outer envelopes help the overall suite from being too formal.

From Emily and Dianna: David and Lorie were married at the Bijou Theatre and held their wedding reception at a local coffee shop.  The rich colors and textures of the theater lead to a steampunk theme that carried its way through the wedding and reception.

It was important that the invitations be rich and intriguing without being overly fussy.  A vellum inner envelope was sealed with red wax to introduce another layer of texture and depth.  A subtle lace pattern was pressed into the creamy cotton stock framing the gold letterpress printed text.

A brown paper bag served as the outer envelope and was sealed with gold striped washi tape.  Each address was typed using a vintage typewriter.

Thanks Emily and Dianna!

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: 5 Rings Photography

The next National Stationery Show sneak peek comes from one my most highly anticipated debuts at the show – Belle & Union!  Formerly known as Lowcountry Press, I’ve been a big fan of designer Meg Sutton’s work for a while now (remember these awesome wedding invitations?) and I can’t wait to see the new 2012 collection at the show!

From Meg: Belle & Union was established in 2011 with the purchase and restoration of an 1897 Curtis & Mitchell Printing Press and a dream to make writings, wrappings, and wares with our own unique sensibility.  All of our products start with pen to paper, with each having its own unique hand lettered text and hand rendered illustrations.  Our 2012 collection is inspired by Americanisms, little phrases of sentiments from ages past and present, and represented across our line of greeting cards, boxed notes, jotters, note pads, recipe cards, tea towels and gift wrap.

Thanks Meg!

p.s. I love the sweet story behind Belle & Union’s new name.  Meg does all the design, but her husband does most of the printing – and they wanted a name that reflected the both of them.  He’s a Northerner from Pennsylvania, while Meg is a Southerner from Texas, but it was the South that brought them together.  They love how union has many meanings, representing both their union in life and love and their work, and thus Belle & Union Co. was formed!

Photo Credits: Mary Britton Senseney

It’s officially less than two weeks before the National Stationery Show!  I can’t wait to walk around Javits Center and see what many of my favorite designers have been up to over the last year.  In the meantime, over the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing a few sneak peeks into some of the new collections making their debuts at this year’s show.  First up, the brand new line of Leaf and Straw notecards from Moontree Letterpress and Studio Carta!

The Leaf and Straw collaboration began with a 2012 calendar, expanded to a collection of hand bound notebooks, and now these beautiful notecards!  The cards are letterpress printed in two colors on cotton paper and come with a matching envelope.  Available as single cards or in a set of six packaged in a glassine envelope, the cards are available in three lovely color combinations: red and gray, chartreuse and gray, and marigold and blue.  So pretty!

You’ll see lots more in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime you can check out Studio Carta and Moontree Letterpress!

Photo Credits: Studio Carta