NSS ’12 : The Booths, Part 2

May 24, 2012 // kristen // 1 replies

It was great to see Moglea’s new line of letterpress goodies in person. The lovely collection, which launches online this summer, includes a gorgeous calendar, oodles of pretty greeting cards and some of my favorite items from the show, hand-lettered and illustrated envelope liners that coordinated with sleek and simple letterpress notes:

Wildhorse Press’ booth was so sweet, and the hand drawn frames in which the cards were displayed were so fun and clever, as were their great new letterpress greeting card designs. Love the milk carton “Missing You”:

The Social Type’s booth was ultra sleek, the perfect backdrop for their gorgeous line, and I really wish I would’ve gotten a clearer photo of the back wall with their logo. But I was so happy to see all of these beautiful cards together in one place that I guess I got a little wobbly with my camera:

Blackbird Letterpress’ booth beckoned to me with it’s sunshine yellow walls, and inside I found so many awesome new products – multiple calendars (including two very clever perpetual calendar designs), palmistry coasters (great conversation starters), and their new collections (the “Seaside” collection is shown at the bottom in the photo below). I also loved how they displayed their clever die cut cards:

Bison Press works with a number of different artists, and their booth was filled with a wide variety of great paper goods, including wonderful gold foil stamped cards and journals and a collection of cards featuring watercolor paintings of beer cans. A great guy card idea!

Angela Liguori and Albertine Press were booth partners, and I really liked their use of more neutral, industrial elements like pipes and metal boxes as display elements, which gave the booth texture and interest while allowing their colorful goods to shine:

photos by Kristen Magee

NSS ’12 : The Booths, Part 1

May 23, 2012 // kristen // 2 replies

One of the most exciting aspects of the Stationery Show for me is seeing how everyone styles and displays their goods. The booth really is an extension of a brand, a sort of large scale packaging project that companies design to present their line to potential buyers and clients. Here are some of the booths that really caught my eye:

One of the most charming at the show, the Belle & Union booth was filled with clever, hand-lettered letterpress greetings and darling, screenprinted sheets of gift wrap. The burgeoning “food on paper” trend was well represented here, with pickles, sticks of butter, refreshing summer drinks, and fruits popping up all over. I cannot wait until this line is available online later this year!

Katharine Watson’s booth instantly drew me in with rich, warm walls that perfectly complimented her beautiful collection of block printed goods. And I love that she had some of the hand-carved blocks that she uses to create her pieces on display in the booth. Amazing!

The Pei Design booth made me so happy. Their branding and booth signage served as the perfect backdrop to their squee-inducingly adorable lineup of letterpress greeting cards and fill-in invitations.

Chalkboard-inspired booths dotted the show floor, and Kate & Birdie did a fantastic job incorporating the trend into their booth design. The use of green chalkboards, as opposed to black, softened the look, complimented their line so well, and made this booth (and all of the lovely paper goodies within) a real standout.

The Seed House booth, which was within the Ladies of Letterpress display, was the perfect extension of this perfectly styled and detailed collection of curiosities. The booth itself reminded me of a curio cabinet filled with pieces lovingly collected over time.

For lovers of neon (myself included), the Fig. 2 Design booth was THE place to be. I couldn’t get enough of the fresh, neon-colored letterpress greetings and invitations, and their new neon wrapping paper is awe-some.

photos by Kristen Magee

National Stationery Show 2012

May 23, 2012 // kristen // 0 replies

I am so glad that I had the chance to attend the National Stationery Show again this year. Though I was only there on Sunday afternoon and Monday and was not able to get to nearly every booth that I wanted to (sad), I still saw so much incredible work, met and re-met many awesome paper peeps, and had some fantastic conversations about stationery, life, and a little bit of everything in between.

I spent yesterday mentally processing everything that I saw while at the show and looking through the gobs of photos that I took, and my first show post should be coming your way later today. I’ll start by sharing some of the great booths that I stopped in at before highlighting a few trends and specific categories of paper goodies in my posts during the coming days. Hope you enjoy!

photo by Kristen Magee

New from Hello! Lucky

May 22, 2012 // kristen // 1 replies

I am ALL about these awesome new letterpress greeting cards at Hello! Lucky. The new designs feature illustrations from Hello! Lucky, Esther Aarts, and Julia Rothman, and I love the clever use of overprinting (two ink colors overlapping to create a third color) in many of the designs.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission, and you’ll receive some awesome letterpress greeting cards. Full disclosure policy can be read here.

images from Hello! Lucky

Yours is the Earth

May 22, 2012 // kristen // 0 replies

After I featured Yours is the Earth’s lovely new wedding invitation collection on Invitation Crush a couple of weeks ago, I popped over to their Etsy shop and, boy, am I glad that I did. I have a feeling that foodies, farm stand fans, gardeners, and home canning connoisseurs will become instant fans of their seasonal food-inspired collection, which includes posters, canning labels, gift wrap, recipe cards, postcards, and more featuring Yours is the Earth’s whimsical illustrations and lettering. Here’s a little taste of what you’ll find in this fresh shop:

images from Yours is the Earth