Copper Willow Blog

More remodel reveal - Our new consult room!

2011-08-22T18:30:00Z

Continuing the tour of our newly redesigned studio today! Welcome to our consultation room. Also, home to creative favor and gift ideas, and photography! We've loved welcoming our guests into this cozy space.

We have lots of DIY ideas in here too - afterall we did all of this ourselves! We did have a tiny bit of husband help finishing off a new door and window, but everything else - us! I'm happy to share the fun finds and easy ways to reuse. Our space is a green one!

In this photo you can see a lovely printed curtain - this was a super sale find. Just a rustic khaki linen that we hand stenciled, added a satin trim and hung!

The meeting table is made of some glued together shelving and a piece of wood on top. We sealed the wood and painted it with chalkboard paint. The perfect solution for easy idea sketching with our clients.

A lot of our furniture was already ours, we just freshened it up and moved it around. The stools at the table are older than our business, handed down to us. We peeled off a cracked brown leather covering, added some cushion and covered them in burlap. Our white hutch and corkboards were in our studio before too, just moved around.

Oh and see the shelving in the table - we're using old fruit crates to hold paper decks, ribbon samples and more goodies!

And a garage sale and flea market? That's where we found our settee and coffee table. The coffee table is a little end table that we bought for $30, sanded and repainted white. So sweet now. The settee is on its 3rd covering. We tore off the original when we bought it in 2007, from a garage sale, and recovered it a second time to coordinate with our new space. The beautiful gold mirror - drove by it and picked it up on the side of the road. Seriously! It's moved with us for the last 4 years.

We freshened up our frames with some new typography prints (on sale too in our retail room!), and some vintage letterpress prints. Notice the glass bottles? That's one of our personalized gift and invitation packaging ideas! The bottles are personally etched.

This was our cute little window display before, and we still have it up - but with new items! The "shelving" are old desk drawers.

We've been in love with silhouettes, so check out the bags and stationery!

And just for a tease, the frame has a picture of our press - housed in the back room for all to see! - and an ink knife and a letterpress plate.

Our hutch is filled with eye candy - as well as the boards on the wall! Full invitation and wedding day sets, favor packaging and personalization, paper flowers, painted and wood burned signs.

Special thanks to our friends at Rrivre Works for the amazing table display and chandelier in our window!

Welcome to the new face of Copper Willow!

2011-08-18T03:41:40Z

Here at Copper Willow, our summer has spelled out one word - REMODEL! What started as a small idea became a complete face lift and we couldn't be more in love with the finished result! We were thrilled to present the space to the wedding industry and the general public in the first week of August. We'll be unveiling the new look here on our blog over the next few days. So, here we go!....

Come in!

This is our new retail space, filled with all things paper!

Detail shots to come!

And our refreshed consult room!

Just a quick look, lots more pics to come.

Calling all industry professionals!

2011-07-18T18:52:59Z

Join us August 4th!

2011-07-16T06:39:53Z

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Visit our sponsors! Peony and Plum, Cool Haus, Tasty Clouds, Candy by Sandee

History of letterpress

2011-07-14T18:28:49Z

We are thrilled to be celebrating our 5th anniversary at Copper Willow. Everyday, we enjoy working with beautiful paper, vintage printing presses and creative clientele. We love what we do and it's probably about time we share the ins and outs of our hands-on studio!

Every Thursday we'll be writing about the art of letterpress, the creativity involved in being green, and the ins and outs of running a paper studio.

But to start, you have to go back to the beginning - so here's a little history of letterpress!

Before the invention of the printing press, the reproduction of the written word was done by hand, in monasteries. Talk about a hand cramp! The remaining books now are priceless works of art and you can imagine why. Making books this way was really expensive, so only the wealthy were able to read. Enter the printing press to bring the written word to the masses!
In 1457 Gutenberg invented the first printing press with moveable type. So each letter was carved separately and could be plunked in and out to reuse and create endless letter combinations. Gutenberg lived in Germany in the wine region, so he created the press with the same operation concept as the presses used for juicing grapes.
Fun fact - as early as 1564, sea vessels used to travel with a letterpress on board! They documented the journey and was used for printing poetry, the bible and maritime dictionaries. The first press came to California via boat mid-19th century.
Eventually the process of using this raised type, rolling ink over it and squashing it to paper became the most popular method of printing until about the 1950's.

Not much has changed either, letters can still be created from woodcuts, photoengraved copper, linoleum blocks, magnesium plates, and zinc or photopolymer plates. Paper can be fibrous or smooth, machine or mold made. And of course the ink rolls over the letters and presses into the paper by hand today. New to the scene: the much sought-after deep impression that has made letterpress printing an artform.

We have 3 machines on site and are happy to demonstrate the use of our little guy - an 8x12 Chandler and Price. Even more curious? Take a workshop and get a little taste of printing yourself!

stamp beauty

2011-05-25T21:47:38Z

Oh the beauty of stamp collaging! our lovely diy bride (getting married in ketchum, idaho!) took our letterpress invites and paired them with home-made tied bags made from bandanas. totally rustic, totally sweet.

for Japan with love

2011-03-17T19:59:00Z

Please consider this tomorrow. Have a wonderful weekend, posting with resume next week.

Tables - Part 2!

2011-03-17T18:10:00Z

This table design, again by Rrivre Works, is rustic glam. So beautiful with natural colors, giant wood elements, real trees and a gush-worthy chandelier. Our menus for this table featured bronze wood-grain paper with hand-dyed silk and calligraphed tags. Love. Check it out. Thanks again to Callaway Gable for stunning pictures.

Designing a Table-scape

2011-03-17T17:00:00Z

We were pleased to be invited to take part in not one, but three table designs for the WIPA last week. Working with creative professionals is such a fun cherry-on-the-top for us! Here's a look at the two tables from Rrivre Works - (gorgeous photos courtesy of Callaway Gable)

The fish table - yes there were fish in the center! I want that table.

Letterpress Workshops

2011-03-16T16:07:00Z

We love sharing our craft with you! Our workshop series gives you the chance to put your hands on antique metal type, play with polymer plates, select your perfect ink and design your very own stationery. On March 5th, we even had some coasters on the press. Good times, I say! Here's a sneak peek at our workshop and "students" in the pressing trenches. You might get dirty, but all for a good reason - pretty personalized papers! Sign up for our next workshop - bookmaking! April 2nd.

Colors for 2011

2011-03-01T17:01:00Z

These are the top 10 colors for spring released by Pantone this year. I think it is missing a major color! Purple and lots of it. Deep eggplant, brighter plum. If it's purple, it's in weddings this year. Honeysuckle, in the top left corner, is the closest thing to purple and it definitely popping out! The oranges are big in fashion. I am still partial to the blues and ocean colors the really surged last year. Such a peaceful palette.

So here's the question for your wedding - what are your colors going to be? Choosing colors are the easiest and earliest design elements chosen. The colors affect the attendants dresses, grooms suits or tux pieces, floral design, linens, lighting, table settings, and so on. The most common question I am asked is should the color reflect the time of year or the location. My answer is no, does not have to at all. I do think chocolate, gold and red look best in the fall, but black and white can be very crisp and clean in June! Choose colors the you love to look at because you'll be looking at them for a long time, well after the wedding in photos and keepsakes. Also pick colors that represent you as a couple and infuse your personal style into the decor and aesthetic. This isn't to say you can't have purple and green for a vineyard wedding, but if you hate purple, please don't use it just because there's grapes in the picture.

Tiato!

2011-02-28T17:00:00Z

We had the pleasure of attending a mixer thrown by marriage{dot}com last week at Tiato in Santa Monica. For LA locals, this is a green venue!

Tiato - which is an herb in the mint family - is also an urban chic restaurant space with a lovely patio-garden. The raw concrete floors and reclaimed wood paneling looks cozy yet contemporary. The outdoor garden is the largest in the city outside of a hotel. Most of the herbs used in the kitchen are grown right there on site!

Tiato is about eating healthy foods, locally grown, rich in antioxidants, and living an eco-conscious life-style. The food is so yum, my favorite being the garlic noodles - which was referred to as "crack" in the elevator back down to the garage! But it's organic crack!

Visit Tiato and their catering site House of An for more info!

More Pop!

2011-02-23T17:00:00Z

Spreading more Pop! love!

Our neighbors, Baking Bettys, served super cute shots of milk with tiny smores cookies. Yum!

Deliciousness from Fantasy Frostings!

Cute bridal goodies from Weddingish

Too sweet candy bar from Hollywood Candy Girl :

Loved the pops of Orange (color of the season!) from the De-Lovely Events table:

Pretty little display (with equally pretty MAC!) from the talented Jen O'Sullivan

Still more to come!

Our Pop! Table

2011-02-23T06:09:00Z

We had a wonderful time with bridal industry peers and brides alike at the Pop! Bridal Event on Sunday! Always fun to be in such a warm and exciting atmosphere. What's not to like? Cookies...candy...cake. Oh and our stationery! Here's a look at our table. I'll put up pics of the other talents next!

These packets are our "favor concept" - a tea pocket! More on that later too - dragging it out just for fun!

Pop! this Sunday

2011-02-15T15:29:00Z

audrey grace

2011-02-14T17:13:00Z

So, I had a baby! My 2nd sweet girl...back on November 1st. And yes of course I did announcement! But did I blog it, er, no. I probably should! Here's what I sent out - matching the theme of her nursery of trees and birds. Lavender is her color - picked by me, she has no say.

Love Letters

2011-02-09T18:48:00Z

In celebration of Valentine's Day...and all things lovey-dovey...here's a peek at our new line of letterpressed greeting cards. Each card features an excerpt from a love letter written by a famous writer, artist or even president in history! Written "back in the day" when words were eloquent and oh so romantic, these cards will touch the heart. So if you don't have the words yourself, borrow some amazing ones!

Spring Workshops

2011-02-02T05:25:00Z

metallic charcoal & chocolate

2011-01-24T18:56:00Z

I have to admit, this was an unexpected color palette...and it printed beautifully! We added a bit of silver to our charcoal soy ink and the result was a lovely granite with a light shimmer. The colors are perfect for winter, earthy, yet cool. The varying use of the artwork adds interest and it was all printed in a budget friendly manner! The invitation and itinerary were letterpressed by hand and then paired with a flat printed reply postcard (hi green idea!, flat return address and flat printed menu card. Very serene, very classic.

Real Simple prompts changes

2011-01-22T04:00:00Z

Back tracking to some coverage we had last year - we had a great factoid published in Real Simple Magazine last June! One of the papers we use is made from 100% recycled tshirts. Yes, it's ok to admit it, that's cool. It's been my favorite paper for a while. Cuts like butter, presses like a dream! And with the overwhelming response to the Real Simple mention, we've transitioned all of our greeting cards to tshirt paper! It's an exciting move for us and I'm enjoying pressing on it on a daily basis.

Here's that mention:

and just in time for Valenine's Day, here's a picture of one of our newest designs pressed on the fabulous tshirt paper.