BUSY

Sorry I haven't updated this in a while, I've just been so busy!!  What have I been up to? 
Well I did some wedding invites accordian style for a DIY bride.
Wedding invites in Philly for a great couple using lokta paper - eco-friendly is definitely in!
Now I'm working on some wedding invites using a different style of lokta paper with a sewn stitch twist.
And working in somewhere a small project for a woman hosting a luncheon in NJ using purse invites, they will be cute. 
Can't wait to share some photos. 

Bridesmaids Luncheon, theme: peacocks

I love repeat clients!
This time, for Carleen, she is hosting a bridesmaids luncheon with a peacock theme.
Somehow we gravated to the idea of doing a round invitation, I think Carleen likes to be unique and round isn't that typical.  We used the peacock theme and round shape to imitate a china pattern.
I used my Wacom Bamboo for part of the design process and a Making Memories circle cutter to get the final shapes. 

CA wedding invitations get delayed by snow!?

I suppose Becky never thought a blizzard would postpone her wedding invitations!  Only over the weekend.
Etsy brought us together across coasts to create her rustic vineyard and eco-friendly wedding invitations.
Becky was instantly interested in plantable seed paper so we worked with color palettes and sizing and came up with her unique and beautiful invitations using moss plantable seed paper as an enclosure, cream rice paper for the insert with a vineyard design, complimentary monogram closure with purple raffia.  We also used a rustic vineyard design for the rsvp on a simple purple cardstock but using a post card which saves postage and trees!!  I was ready to ship out her wedding invitations on Friday when Philly got hit with 28 inches of snow from Friday through Saturday!  But I made my way to the post office today (Monday) and hopefully they will promptly be headed out to better, warmer weather before the additional foot of snow is supposed to hit us this week!!! Wish I could have shipped myself with them. 
Enjoy Becky and best wishes!!!!

Wedding Wire Brides Choice Award!

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Dolce Invito has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for stationery and invitations!


The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Dolce Invito is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Dolce Invito is among the very best invitations within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at www.weddingwire.com/dolceinvito or our website at http://www.dolceinvito.com/.

Goldfish swimming in my head and all over the basement!

I made an Etsy alchemy bid on engagement party / couples shower invitations and did not know what I was getting myself into!  "CT" had a lot of vision and we added a lot of detail!!  And this just in, the below photos weren't enough!!  I went back and added bow ties and veils!!
100 invitations in total, 1200 inches of ribbon, endless fishing line, 100 hooks, 200 googly eyes, 100 vellum fish bowls, 125 veils (they're hard to keep track of and I had to cut more at least twice), 100 bow ties, and of course 200 cut goldfish made these completely unique A6 matted announcments with host cards.  The cricut just about died on me and most of the fish had to be hand cut.  I have scut files for the fish bowl and fish if anyone is interested, feel free to message me.   I deliberately do not wish to total the hours spent on this project! ;)  My back hurts but aren't they just so adorable they're worth it!?!

 

Getting 2010 started off with a bang

Happy New Year!
Exciting news that I received my Amalgamated Printer's Association membership today in the mail. So the first thing I will probably print in 2010 is my "prop card," or proprietor's card which I will share here when it's done. I am slowly getting my "shop" in the basement put together with my Adana 5x8 press.
And also painstakingly cleaning a ton of FREE :) type I received from a Briar Press contact.
I started this case and only got 1/3 of the way through before I was dying.  But the case will be clean and the letters, and also it gives me some opportunity to see if the letters are in their right compartment.  And hopefully get rid of the freaky little bugs that have taken up habitation in them.  Does anyone have an idea what they might be?  They don't die!  I tried every bug spray I have (and pledge! LOL).  I should probably offer them up for scientific experimentation.  Anyways, after a few letters, I wasn't checking every one, I suspect I will become even more lax as I make my way through the 12 more cases!! 

Can you tell which side is clean?!  God, I hope so!!

I must find the strength to get through these cases and bring the others out of the cold bleak Philly weather!!!

Letterpress Holiday Card Swap

I just returned from holiday in Pittsburgh to find my bounty of holiday card exchanges with other printers!

I received this bright holiday message from Ian @ The Printmonkey Press in the UK
http://www.printmonkeypress.co.uk/

Such bright colors and strong image!  The paper has a slight shimmer to it, my photos never give anything justice!







I received this Big Christmas wish from Karl with Letterpressed with a Smile http://letterpressedwithasmile.blogspot.com/

and an extra to play with and send next year!

Thanks Karl!











I got this one all the way from Germany from Sabrina at Small Caps Berlin
http://smallcaps-blog.blogspot.com/

Beautiful deckled edge paper and
Very smart use of ornaments,
and she also sent some fantastic
gift tags, I will have to store these somewhere where I am
sure to find them for Christmas next year!

Thank you Sabrina!!











I received this unique three panel one from Jax from Print for the Love of Wood from Lanashire, UK.
http://kelsey-letterpress.blogspot.com/

http://printforloveofwood.blogspot.com/

beautiful speckled paper,

really great silver ink,

and creative use of Ys!!

Thanks Jax!