Wait...that's not me.

Ken (above) and Shino from Fugu Fugu Press came by my studio for some Vandercook loving on Tuesday. It was really nice to have them in the studio while I was working. For the first time ever, both the Pearl and the Vandy were being used at the same time. And Shino was nice enough to play with press puppy Romeo, who brought all of his frisbees to entice Shino to play.

One way to make letterpress more affordable...

The above is a sneak peek of a wedding invitation suite we just finished. And it highlights a new addition to Joie Studio's repertoire. You have to have letterpress wedding invitations, and you want the rest of the suite to match. But you don't have enough in your budget to have every piece letterpress printed. What to do?

A new exciting thing that we've been doing to make things more affordable is flat printing onto letterpress paper. Yes, that's right. Flat printing. Flat printing on to thick, luxurious, soft and fluffy 100% cotton letterpress paper. Mind you, I have never before advocated flat printing. I am a letterpress printer, after all. And I really disliked the way the flat response card never quite matched with its super thin cardstock. But with Reich Savoy, we've been able to give our clients beautiful flat printed response cards on the same paper that we letterpress on. Being able to use the same paper for invitation and response card across multiple printing processes gives the invitation suite an overall cohesiveness. And what I do to account for color variations between flat printing and letterpress printing is I do the flat printing first and then match the ink colors to the flat printed items, so my clients get a uniformity in color and paper. The invitation is letterpress printed. And the response card is flat printed.

I think it's a wonderful way to keep uniformity amid different printing processes.

So, if you can't afford to have your whole invitation suite letterpress printed, we now have what I believe to be a really good option to help you be able to afford some of the suite to be letterpress printed and some not and still look amazing and luxe. Hybrid and flat printing are only available at the moment on Reich Savoy 118lb Bright White (we're still working on natural white). Contact us for more information!

Hello Honey Bunny!

Poor Honey Bunny has been sitting around, unboxed at the bottom of one of my moving boxes (yes, the studio is still not quite 100% unpacked). So I took pity on him and boxed him up! He is the first of Joie Studio's second collaboration with our friends at SHOP TOAST. This design is letterpress flat stationery (A2 in size) printed in 4 (yes, four!) handcrafted ink colors. My friends at SHOP TOAST like to make me work hard at their designs.

Honey Bunny is available in Joie Studio's Etsy shop!

A little love in the packaging...

Sometimes just a little bit of ribbon adds so much to the packaging (that, and it keeps the cards from rolling about everywhere in that box, too!).

Unique OC in less than 2 weeks!

Okay, so last Friday I went to the vendor meeting for the upcoming Unique OC at The Lab, put on by the same awesome organizers who put on Unique LA, and I have to say that they are going to bring the same awesome radness to Orange County in less than 2 weeks!

For just $5, you get entry for both days, which includes (I kid you not):

• 75 awesome southern California designers (including Joie Studio!)
• FREE soft drinks and a hosted bar & beer garden (read -- all drinks FREE!)
• Gourmet food trucks
• Awesome music

I will be there, along with a bunch of brand spankin' new letterpress designs (the ink is barely dry on some of them). Also, if there are any brides out there who would like a consultation with me, I am happy to block out some time to talk to you about your wedding. Just email me and we will set aside some time for you.

Hopefully I will see you there August 14th and/or 15th!

Hina Matsuri Letterpress Card

Okay, so I will have to admit that it has taken me FOREVER to actually take product photos of this card. And it's really funny, too, because I meant for this card to be sold in January or February for Girl's Day (in Hawaii) or Hina Matsuri (in Japan) on March 3rd, so I printed them two Februarys ago but didn't finish them in time for Girl's Day. And I sold out of the ones I had packaged at Unique LA Holiday and never got around to scoring and packing the rest of the cards that I had printed. But *whew* finally! Here they are, my three Japanese dolls letterpress printed in three gorgeous colors.

As an aside, this was one of my first forays in photopolymer using a homemade aluminum base that my cousin helped mill. And it's one of the first projects that I did on the Vandercook 4 after attaining it.

It's listed in the Etsy shop! Enjoy!

Genevieve Walker Maps

I am totally digging Genevieve Walker's illustrated maps! I absolutely love the terrain view of her maps. She can draw a traditional 2D map or one like the one above. And her price cannot be beat. And, for not too much more, she can watercolor by hand the map as a beautiful keepsake.

I really love the look of Genevieve's maps and would love to get my printer's hand on one to letterpress, so for the first 3 clients that contact me about letterpress printing Genevieve's design, I will credit the cost of her illustration fee towards your letterpress order. Contact me for more information!

Sneek Peek: Monogram Letterpress Wedding Invitations

Why, hello, gorgeous! I am totally in love with monogram letterpress wedding invitations. Here are some sneak peeks of our new monogram letterpress wedding invitation designs:

I went in a little bit of a different direction with this invitation, which is less formal. The background will give the invitation a gorgeous texture when letterpress printed.

More to come! Enjoy!

Pics of Some Letterpress Goodness at Renegade Craft LA

I went Saturday with JoieBaby, my gal Friday Dee and Dee's baby to the 2nd annual Renegade Craft here in LA. You know, after going to Renegade, I might just change my opinion of vending in the summers. Economy down or not, people were loving (and buying!) the handmade goodness. Here are some pics that I managed to take of some of my letterpress friends and colleagues.

Tiselle's awesome sign

Sycamore Street Press came all the way from Utah!

Shino and Fugu Fugu Press

JoieBaby was pretty unhappy as his nap was interrupted and he was hot, so it was a quicker trip than I would have liked. I also met (FINALLY!) Mable from Lala Press / Dee & Lala after emailing for years and even borrowing her pallet jack when we moved! Our pics of her booth were not so good sadly.

Seeing all this cool signage made me realize that I have to up my game when it comes to Joie Studio's signage at these events. Hmm...to the drawing board!

This Weekend: Renegade Craft Los Angeles!

What are you doing this weekend? Because I'm thinking that I'm going to go to Renegade Craft this weekend at Los Angeles State Historic Park! Joie Studio will not be vending, but our friends from Fugu Fugu Press will be there along with over 200 other fabulous crafters. The best part? It's free!!!