Moody moody

I don't think I've ever made a mood board before, but collages are fun. After putting together this little spread of things we've printed, things that inspire and other ephemera, I decided it still wasn't quite done. So I added some drawing. And Sadie added her hand.

Letter perfect

Earlier this week I received the loveliest piece of mail! Some of my favorite clients, Danielle and Ben, were kind enough to send me a copy of their completed invitation sets.

The jaw-droppingly gorgeous calligraphy is by Pier Gustafson. I love the string and the seal that they used to tie together the invitations. The couple is getting married in Mexico, so we used a simple agave motif throughout (they even used it on the seal, and found vintage stamps to match).

The beautiful idea behind the invitation was to send it as a letter to their friends and family. That personal touch combined with all of the vintage-inspired styling turned an ordinary invitation into something really spectacular.

Thanks for sharing and congratulations to you both!

And the winner is...

Amie! Thanks to random.org for selecting comment number 2. And thanks to everyone for sharing folk art inspirations - it was fun to learn about new artists!

In other news, there are still spots open in our upcoming lotus book class with Angela Liguori. Visit our workshops page for more information and registration forms.

And Massachusetts folks - don't forget to vote today!

Folk art inspiration and giveaway

I've been seeing folk art inspired design everywhere these days.

 

Tins above are by Finish-English designer Sannu Annukka, whose work is inspired by the folktales of her childhood.

Local letterpresser (and occasional studio mate) Melissa Gruntkosky of Pressbound designed these Polish folk art holiday cards. I love the colors and eagerly await her new designs.

I'm a sucker for any kind of screen printed city scape and would love to add this Sardana folk dance print by Roger and Ginger to my collection.

With Valentine's Day only weeks away, how about these cards by Dutch Door Press.

Couldn't post about folk art without a mention of our own coasters, based on Chinese paper cut art.

What are some of your favorite folk art designs? Post your links in the comments and I'll choose a random comment on Monday to receive a set of our coasters.

Lotus book class

Albertine Press, together with Angela Liguori, is pleased to announce the date of our next letterpress and bookbinding workshop: January 30-31. A reprise of our very successful and inspiring class this fall, the theme for this collaborative book project will be "love" just in time for Valentine's Day.

For further details and registration information please visit our workshop website.

Team Albertine

Starting the new year off with an Albertine team (and family) outing complete with candlepin bowling and Indian food. Om nom nom!

Resolutely 2010

Not only is it a new year, but I'm already a week late on resolutions. They're banging around in my head, things I've been meaning to do, hoping to do more often, determined to do better. For starters, more regular blog updates (which means more photographing).

2. finish the new accounting / inventory system switch
3. update the website with our latest designs
4. create new packaging for boxed sets of note cards
5. prepare early for the Stationery Show

These are the big things. Some of the big things. Posting them here will hopefully keep me honest and on target.

With a baby on the move, a print-shop manager going on sabbatical, and wedding design season upon us it may take some time to achieve all of these, so I suppose for one last resolution:

6. organize a better schedule to manage and grow the business, find quality design time, raise my baby girl, and keep a happy home life

Bring it on, 2010!