Category: Pretty Paper

Time to Start Thinking About Ordering Holiday Cards

holidaycards

Yep, it’s that time of year again. It’s chilly outside. Thanksgiving is passed (here in Canada, anyway) and Halloween is around the corner. And I’ve started thinking about Holiday Cards.  You know I love making personalized photo Holiday Cards online, and my go-to spot is Tiny Prints.  Three years ago my order got held up at the border (which is a problem with customs, not with the supplier) so Tiny Prints quickly reprinted the order and sent me replacement cards with expedited shipping, at no extra cost. Now that’s customer service.

I was poking around Tiny Prints’ website, checking out the new designs for 2013. I love the ornament cards, pearl white shimmer and doublethick matte paper cards, and clear cards (how cool is that?). It’s also super cool that Tiny Prints has cards by designers I love, like Dwell Studio, Lotta Jansdotter and Rifle Paper Co (remember these ones I made two years ago with a Rifle Paper Co design? Swoon.)

Of course, one of the most important choices is which photo to use on your cards. We’ll probably do a little family photo shoot in the next week or so (my brother-in-law takes excellent photos). And then I’ll have to make my choice! Right now my favourite cards are the ones pictured above:

1. Shining String ornament card
2. Yuletide Cheer flat card
3. Pure Snowflakes clear card
4. Gleeful Glitter ornament card
5. Blissful Blizzard tri-fold
6. Golden Holiday flat card
7. Merry Snow Globe ornament card

I promise to let you know which one I pick, and how they turn out!  PS – if you’re having trouble picking a design, you can get 3 free samples to help you choose. Use promo code 3FREESAMPLES for that deal.

A Print Edition of Covet Garden

covetgarden

Do you know Covet Garden, the monthly online magazine showcasing cool people in their homes (that aren’t done up by decorators – these are real people in their real environments)?  My company Camp Tech regularly advertises in the magazine, and they’ve featured my amazing RMT Michelle in an issue.  I really do love Covet Garden!

So of course I was super excited to hear they’re going to do a special print edition, called Covet Garden Home, which will be available this winter.

To make sure you get your copy, contribute to their IndieGoGo campaign.  A $30 contribution gets you a copy of Covet Garden Home, delivered to your door.  I’ve already contributed, and really think you should too.

I Love Getting Mail

What could be better than returning home from a great mini holiday?  Returning home from a great mini holiday to find some prezzies in the mail!  My designer pal Luke sent me some of his “Don’t Stop Believing” Christmas cards (remember when I mentioned them a couple weeks ago?), and also included a very special “Last Christmas” record EP card.  Luke, how did you know that’s one of my favourite Christmas tunes?  The video is epic. (And ridiculous.  Look at George Michael’s hair.)

Remember that time a few years ago when I took a one-day letterpress workshop, and totally sucked at it?  Since then, I’ve had HUGE respect for those that do their own printing well.  Add Luke Despatie to that group.  And, he was recently featured on the cover of Design Edge Canada as one of “Ten Young Designers To Watch”.  Buy Luke’s letterpress prints online on his Etsy shop.

My New Moo Luxe Business Cards

As you regular readers know, I’m such a big fan of Moo, the hip online printing company for business cards, postcards, labels and stickers, etc etc.  So when they launched their new “luxe” business cards, of course I had to order some.  They’re printed on the most gorgeous thick paper – we’re talking thicker than card stock.  And the printing and color and trimming are top-notch.  There’s really no way to get a fancier business card for such a good price (well, other than maybe using letterpress or a die-cut or a foil finish or spot UV, but those things can be mega expensive).

I designed the front and back of my “luxe” business cards myself, ’cause I know how do that. But you don’t have to. As always with Moo, they have some gorgeous designs and illustrations on their site that you can customize for yourself – no graphic design skills needed.

I love my kooky mini-cards, and will still continue to hand those out.  But when I really need to make a statement that reflects my business (and the premium I charge for my services), these “luxe” cards are perfect.  They make me look goooooooood.

Click here to get 10% off your order.

Rifle Paper Co for Tiny Prints

I’ve always wanted personalized holiday cards from Rifle Paper Co, and this year, I got my wish!  No, I didn’t splurge on the custom illustrations – I made my own custom cards using Rifle’s collection on Tiny Prints.

I’ve used Tiny Prints to make my holiday photo cards for the past few years. They print on nice paper, have good designs, and excellent customer service. So I was beyond excited to see that Rifle Paper Co did a line of designs for them for DIY holiday cards. It was like an early Christmas present. (seriously, I’m such a paper nerd)

I picked this one and added a photo of our family. Seriously easy.  Now I can’t wait for them to arrive.

[Yes, I know I’m a bit neurotic for ordering my holiday cards this early. But there was a promo code, so I got them done quickly! ]

Rifle Paper Co.’s Holiday Collection

Rifle Paper Co. has announced their 2010 Holiday Collection, and it’s spectacular.  One year, I would love to splurge on custom personalized Christmas cards by Rifle – they’re so gorgeous, and much more original and interesting than the custom photo cards I get each year (which is enough of a splurge as it is!).

But if you don’t go custom, their other cards are quite reasonably priced.  And Rifle Paper Co. stationery and prints are great gift ideas…

Letterpress Workshop

[top image: Kinnon’s letterpress projects.  She has mad skills.  bottom image: my letterpress project, based on a quote from Samuel Beckett.  A fitting passage for my lack of skills.]

On Saturday, Kinnon and I attended an “intro to letterpress” workshop at Kozo Studio.  All of the print design work I do is designed on the computer and printed on digital presses, so working by hand on old-school presses was a real change.  Things that are so easy to do on the computer (layout changes, kerning letters, justifying text) is NOT so easy to do by hand.  But it’s so much more rewarding when you get it right!

I was a bit disappointed to learn that “real” letterpress work doesn’t actually impress/indent on the paper.  The ink should just “kiss” the paper, leaving a print, but not a pushed-down indentation in the paper.  Our instructor taught us that pushing so hard as to make an impression on the paper is hard on your metal type (it wears it down quickly).  But it’s so popular now to use letterpress to get the indent on the paper on purpose.  That’s what sets it apart from digital printing – there’s so much texture that you can’t get with digital. If I were to do more letterpress work, I’d say “to hell with the metal type” and definitely make indentations in the paper.

Overall, I had a great time, but learned that I am not so good with movable type.  It takes too much time to position your letters properly.  If I were to do letterpress projects, I would design them on the computer and have photopolymer plates created.  Then I could take the plates and run those through the press.

Now I have even more respect for printers and those that are doing letterpress work by hand.   Just look at this blog post from our instructor at Kozo Studio – that’s pretty insane.  And cool.