Spring Offerings from Rifle Paper Co.

I heart so many of the spring offerings from brilliant letterpress company, Rifle Paper Co. Designer Anna Bond's whimsical, brightly colored illustrations have a vintage, slightly child-like quality to them. And pretty. They're so very pretty. I'll take one of each, please.

{Images via Rifle Paper Co.}

I heart you

To me, the perfect Valentine's Day card is a mini heart from Egg Press. They're inconspicuous enough to be tucked into a wallet or coat pocket for a sweet surprise for your loved one. It's a small, but adorably effective way to brighten your sweetheart's day. 

"Good luck with your boobs"

This good luck card from Egg Press is pure genius. It's a great way to offer support to a friend who's battling or has battled breast cancer. Or any woman for that matter (Egg Press lists ten occasions in which to give this card: one of them involves a European beach vacation. Hilarious!). 10% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. A fitting way to observe breast cancer awareness month this October, methinks. 

{Image via Egg Press}

Birthday Owl

So my birthday is in 11 days (and it's a big one). What are the chances of one of my friends sending me this owl birthday card? Good, very good, or slim to none? I guess I'll soon find out! This darling owl comes courtesy of Sycamore Street Press, one of my new (to me, anyway) favorite letterpress companies. They happen to be looking for an intern at the moment; the job sounds like a blast and would be perfect for anyone with a letterpress fetish (like yours truly). If only I lived in a gorgeous mountain valley town like Heber City, Utah. Le sigh.

{Image via Sycamore Street Press}

My kind of Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner! Time to mail these enchanting cards....

....tote this little number around town...

...cozy up with a blanket, a nightlight, and a scary tale or two....

...And watch this gem of a Halloween classic.

And if you've picked up on my grandma predilections, then well spotted! :-) What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions?

{Images via here, here, and here}

Linda & Harriet Spring Cleaning Sale

Adorable Brooklyn letterpress company Linda & Harriet (whom I've talked about here on more than one occasion) are having a spring cleaning sale this week only. Most of the items on their website will be a whopping 50% off. Sale ends March 7th. See you there!

My funny valentines

I always feel a bit conflicted about Valentine's Day. I loathe its crass commercialism, the expectations and subsequent disappointments, the sort of pressure it bears on couples and single folks alike. And yet, I feel like Valentine's Day has gotten a bad rap of late, which is a shame because I truly feel that the idea behind it is rather sound (and interesting, to boot). What's wrong with showing the people we love most just how much we love and appreciate them? What's wrong with a little affection? Nothing, is the answer! I like the idea of celebrating all types of love--romantic, filial, friendship-based, or even self-love--not only on Valentine's Day, but throughout the year. Whether it's booking yourself that deep tissue massage you're in desperate need of or sending little notes to your twin nieces (they sent me the sweet valentine missives above), it's important to indulge yourself and the people important to you with some TLC. And when it comes to sending valentines, I tend to favor the quirky over the saccharine.

Take exhibits a and b: the felines and the unicorn, courtesy of Egg Press. They strike the perfect balance between sweet and slightly oddball that I find so endearing and not at all mawkish. This year, I'm leaving the valentine-sending for those who know good letterpress when they see it (there are so few of us out there), while giving the boyfriend something he will appreciate much more than a unicorn-adorned card (blasphemy, I know), candy hearts or boxers strewn with cupids, and that is a home-cooked meal.

{Images via Egg Press}

What made my week

One night this week I arrived home to discover a package waiting for me on my doorstep. Intrigued, I tore open the box to find inside a charming letterpress 2010 calendar from Delphine Press. But I hadn't the faintest clue as to who had sent it. It wasn't until later that I learned that it was from T. It was so unexpected and lovely and it absolutely made my week. Thanks, T!

Good Tidings

It never fails. December 1st rolls around and *all of a sudden I am overcome with the holiday spirit. Case in point: I just purchased these adorable Egg Press holiday cards which I plan on sending out to family and friends this year (I especially love that they're green in more ways than one). I'm so looking forward to taking some time to sit down and pen my holiday missives of good tidings and cheer, all while listening to some classic Vince Guaraldi and swigging a mug of hot cocoa. Does that sound like a raging good time, or what?!

*I say "all of a sudden" because as of, oh, a day ago, I just didn't feel ready for Christmas. Which is typically my state of mind throughout the month of November. Does anyone else really resent the fact that the autumn season gets hijacked by Christmas immediately after the Halloween festivities are over? Or is it just me?

Blog Love

When I saw this wedding program of Joanna's (from the marvelous blog A Cup of Jo), I shrieked with joy. It is, quite simply, the coolest wedding program I have ever seen. I get such a kick out of the British nautical theme (it tickles the fancy of this anglophile right here) and the quirky and beautiful hand-painted illustrations (not to mention the fact that my name and birthday are on there, interestingly enough!). I love that it's custom tailored for the happy couple and even includes an excerpt from Nicole Kraus's The History of Love, which if you have ever read Joanna's blog, you know she adores. All these things are what make it so personal and original and utterly charming. Who knew a wedding program could make me so happy? I highly recommend you visiting her blog to look at more delightful details of the big day.

{Photo via A Cup of Jo}

Happiness is a blank notecard

Hello! I'm just sitting here at my writing desk, penning a note to my grandmother, à la Edith Wharton. The citrus-infused zigzag design of Linda + Harriet, my new favorite letterpress company, totally brightens my day. What brightens yours?

Egg Press sale!

Adorable Egg Press is having an online grab bag sale now through April 20th. For $10 you get 10 different letterpress cards. I've been sending these cards to people for years. They're eggcellent. I know, I know.

Oh, and Happy 10th Anniversary, Egg Press!


(Photo via Egg Press)

Watching the seasons go by with Linda & Harriet

I've been admiring this lovely calendar from Linda & Harriet on the blogosphere for months, so when it recently went on sale, I pounced. I couldn't resist the beautiful, playful designs. There's something about musing on scenes from nature with each passing month that makes me marvel at this wondrous little planet of ours (not to mention how interminable and unrelenting old Father Time is).

This makes my second letterpress calendar for 2009. And yes, I am aware I have a problem.

Looking ahead

Wow, that was fast. 2008 positively flew by (and knocked some of us on our knees as it swept past). Despite the storms weathered this year, I remain ever hopeful that 2009 will be different, will be better. I'm really looking forward to the new year and all its infinite possibilities. Don't you think a brand spanking new calendar, especially when it's brimming with color and beauty like this Snow & Graham one, conveys so much potential and hope? There's so much that lies in store.

Whatever you're doing tonight, I hope it brings you joy and laughter with the people you love. Happy New Year!

Tis the season

The holidays are most definitely here, and depending on your outlook, that could be a cause of absolute misery or immense joy. I tend to hover somewhere in between. I love the idea of Christmas and the meaning behind it, but at times I can't help but feel disenchanted with its overly commercial ways. Charlie Brown would totally empathize!

Which is why I think it's important to focus on the things that lend a little joy to this festive season. For me, it's spreading a little cheer around by writing holiday cards and sending them to family and friends (and who doesn't need a bit of cheer these days?). At the moment, I’ve got Ella Fitzgerald singing carols in the background ("Good Morning Blues" is a particular favorite of mine), a cup of steaming green tea at my elbow, and a stack of wonderfully quirky holiday cards in front of me, just waiting for me to break out that pen and start writing. How cute are these designs? Oh, how I adore letterpress!

Doesn’t this angel look splendidly happy? Must remember to ask her what gives her that angelic glow.

How dapper does this owl look, with scarf tossed jauntily over his shoulder (do owls have shoulders?). If only I could look as effortless.

These bike-riding gnomes crack me up! I know one friend in particular who will be ecstatic to see these happy little guys in her mailbox.

For anyone who's interested, the tweety birds are from Snow & Graham, the owl is from Vera Wang Fine Papers, and the angel and gnomes are from Egg Press.

Rainy days

On gloomy overcast days such as this, I find no greater pleasure than staying indoors with a pile of books at my side. I've about 100 pages to go in The Amber Spyglass, the final book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. After that, I'll continue the Halloween theme (the rain is keeping me in a Halloween state of mind), with some deliciously ghoulish stories from The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, which is one of my all-time favorites.

I also get a kick out of this Halloween card. It just makes me smile.