In this entry I will speak words that we often try to avoid - "because of the current economy".  We would love to design and press anything that comes to us with no holds barred.  However...here it is again...because of the current economy, we are finding new ways to help our clients mind their budget and still try to achieve their ideal design.  As a designer, this does lead to some unexpected creativity and paper innovation. 
This invitation is an example of a way to cut some costs and trim the budget.  Letterpress pricing depends heavily on the set up and preparation of the press.  If there's less to set up, there's less to charge for.  Take a look at the insert on this invitation.  It is the same size as the invite, so the design flows.  But...the insert is actually 2 pieces held by a perforation.  This piece was priced with one set up and press run instead of two. 

Drinking wine is divine.  Stain paper while drinking wine, that's a fun evening!  This invitation was designed for a same-sex couple getting married in Napa in May.  We used our 2 ply museum board in a 6.25" square.  Any red wine will work for the staining show here.  Flick wine at the board for random droplet placement and each invitation is unique!  After pressing with charcoal soy ink, each invitation was accented with a silver thread. 

Thanks to all who participated and came to support our event!

Our opening event to celebrate our new location in the Culver City arts district was held on March 1st.  We had a great time, met a lot of new people and we were privileged to show off some amazing wedding designers and vendors.  We took so many pictures, we're breaking up a post into 2 parts.  Here's our set-up and vendor display:

This invitation suite was designed for Small Field Papers.  The bright papaya and copper soy inks were complimented with a vellum overlay and natural recycled paper twine.  The reply card featured a blind press of a portion of the coral.  Several lines were accented with a draft of hand calligraphy and the envelopes lined with a metallic copper paper.

Jessica gave us a few guidelines for her wedding vision - stripes (think seersucker), navy and green, an aspen leaf, and a monogram.  Add all components and stir!  The 4.5 x 6.25 save the date is pressed on our 4 ply board in navy and apple and paired with a deep navy envelope.  The navy seersucker stripe is going to be a major design element for her wedding style, so the stripe background and liner will be the guests' first impression of that motif.  Look closely too at the aspen leaf - the couple'd initials, J and B are in there!
Each envelope was finished off in white address calligraphy.

I just fell in love with this little oak tree.  Just a petite silhouette, but so sweet and elegant.  Used in both copper and dark papaya throughout the suite, I just can't get enough of that tiny oak! 
This wedding set was a continuation of a duplexed save the date we pressed in November.  The reverse is a flat print pattern that is duplexed to the back side of our most luxurious 4-ply museum board.  Yum. 
The envelope is splashed with a copper luster liner and the invitation is wrapped with a narrow belly band to complete the design. 
The final detail was the deep papaya edging on the side of the invite.  Each invitation was painted by hand. 
But back to that tiny oak...

 

 

 

 

We just shipped this lovely set of wedding invitations out to Jot in South Carolina.  I just couldn't resist snapping some shots of the tied up stacks of invites.  The soft handmade paper with deckle, muted tones of the charcoal ink and the natural colored twine just looked so sweet on the table!

Lately, blogging has been left unattended in our Copper Willow world because we're moving!  Behind the scenes, we've been packing, shopping, renovating, and plotting all kinds of goodies for our brand new space.  It's been a whirlwind, but we see a light at the end of the tunnel and we're so excited to open our doors February 1st!

We're now located in the arts district of Culver City at 8530-B Washington Boulevard, just a couple of blocks from Helms Bakery.  We're so delighted to be joining the flourishing area! 

Here's some pictures from our moving adventure - our machinery in transit!