blue eye brown eye

Gift Certificates and Business Papers

laurenessl — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:18:02 +0000

I had the pleasure recently of working with two sisters – Robbie, of Stir Crazy Baked Goods, and Carrie, who owns her own massage and facial studio.

Robbie wanted to make sure her gift certificates were as eco-friendly as possible, so we found 100% recycled kraft envelopes and a green printer that uses 100% recycled paper and conscious printing methods.

For Carrie’s business papers, we wanted to strive for a clean, soothing look, so we used a grey and teal color palette, and incorporated vellum envelopes into her gift certifate and note card packages. A great tip for people starting their own business, too, is to get a rubber stamp of your logo. The note card above is a stamped version of her logo. You can use your stamp on stickers, bags, note cards, whatever! It’s an easy way to brand yourself without having to sink a lot of money into printing. I love using rubberstamps.net for stamp production. They’re fast, efficient, and reasonable!

The Cream Austin, A Recap

laurenessl — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:18:22 +0000

Sunday Anna and I packed up our bags and hit the road for The Cream in Austin. For those of y’all that don’t know, The Cream is a curated wedding event showcasing the best of the best in the wedding industry. Hosted by the amazing ladies of Bash, Please, The Cream is truly a gem of an event. The styling was impeccable, the cocktails were flowing, and inspiration was everywhere. Not to mention, I’ve never seen so many cute, stylish people in one place.

There were tablescapes (like this one from Byrd Collective), tastings, paper examples, and even a make your own bouquet station. This tablescape had tiny little gold animals on it, which I adored.

Bunting everywhere

Bake Sale had the sweetest set-up, not to mention delicious treats. I tried the mini strawberry pop tart. Anna and I had the pleasure of seeing Bake Sale in action at Carla’s wedding last fall.

A very exciting moment was the BHLDN fashion show that showcased all of their brand new spring pieces. There was so much to gush over. Anna and I met the BHLDN girls from Philly and they were the cutest, most stylish girls. Watch for them on Mosey!

Other great highlights:

Dancing to tunes by The Flashdance (and might I add that Anna and I won the dance competition and a two night stay at Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach)!
Meeting Brian from Shark Pig. It was sort of a big moment for me, I love his work.
Chatting with the girls from Moon Canyon Design Co. in LA. They had the most beautiful sugared fruit on their tablescape. If you’re getting married in the area, look them up!
Shaking hands with Krista from Blue Eyed Yonder, a vintage event rental company based out of Atlanta. Check her blog!
Finally meeting Amberly from The Swoon. Have you become a vendor yet?
Taking pics in the Smilebooth, can’t wait to share those with ya!

Have a Seat My Dear

laurenessl — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:27:48 +0000

Inspired by the vintage piece I used in my own wedding (seen below), these escort cards add a touch of whimsy to your typical card.

They are letterpress printed on 100% cotton pearl white paper, and fit a baby envelope perfectly, too. Available now in the etsy shop!

New Spoons

laurenessl — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:13:54 +0000

I made some new spoons for the shop yesterday. These are a little different from last year – in a good way! They’re a tad smaller, and I used some of my new type I just acquired, which I think is oh-so cute. Available here.

Studio Sweet Studio

laurenessl — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:58:27 +0000

Last Friday I finally moved my Kluge out of storage, became the official owner of a Vandercook press, and moved into my first studio space. (Yippeee!) It was a whirlwind of a week. What began as a week prepping our shed in our backyard swiftly changed directions into organizing everything for a move into the new studio. I’m 100% thrilled to have my presses in place and start printing large scale jobs. I couldn’t be more excited to see the space grow and the opportunities it will bring. I plan on really expanding my letterpress classes, for one, and I’m looking forward to seeing their new direction. It’s going to be a work in progress – so bear with me – and I’ll keep you posted on updates. Until then, here are just a few images of the space, located at 207 East Broadway in Lander’s Machine Shop.

Anna Routh Photography Thank You Cards

laurenessl — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:15:05 +0000

I love a ‘secret’ project. It’s so fun for me when I collaborate with people wanting to surprise another. This time, I worked with Amir, Anna’s husband, to create a unique Christmas present for her and her business. He wanted to create thank you notes for her to send to her clients – so we worked together to come up with this fun outcome. Goodness knows I love to collect vintage things, and I happened to have tons of vintage black and white photographs on hand. Anna’s brand is centered around a black and white color scheme, so why not use black and white photos themselves as cards? I took her logo and letterpress printed it along the back of each card. We then paired the cards with French Paper’s Steel Grey envelope, a white stamp pad for her return address stamp , and a white pen for writing on the grey envelope. (By the way, this white pen is the best I’ve ever used: Uni-ball Signa Broad in white, purchased at Asel Art Supply). All wrapped up and packaged just in time for Christmas!

2012

laurenessl — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:13:53 +0000

Happy New Year! It seems the holidays flew right by and all I’m left with is a sad, dry Christmas tree and lights strung outside that remain unlit. I’m having a hard time letting go of 2011, but I’m ready and excited now to move forward through 2012. 2011 was a large year for me, with Anthropologie adding me to their roster of vendors, and deciding to add events to the repotoire of Blue Eye Brown Eye services. It was a year full of learning, both professionally and personally. All in all, I’ll fondly look back on 2011.

But it’s a new year. I’ve got a lot planned, several goals, and have high hopes for this year. I hope to move into an office/studio this year and out of the house. I plan on expanding my printing abilities by finally getting my presses into my shed in the backyard. I want to expand my event design side of the business. I’d love to keep a cleaner home and a tidier life in general. This is the year I want to just button it up. Really take control. So bring it on 2012! I’m ready!

What about you? What are your hopes, goals, and dreams for the new year?

How many takes?

laurenessl — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:29:30 +0000

Yesterday I decided I wanted to send a photo of Olive out with my Christmas cards. On a normal day, she can be quite cooperative, but yesterday was a different story. Here are a few outtakes of the 50 pictures it took to get the right one.

And finally, one that would do…

Type Truck

laurenessl — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:19:56 +0000

Tomorrow night (December 13) the Type Truck is rollin’ into Fort Worth, and you should be there! Kyle Durrie of Power and Light Press (located in Portland) has taken her truck across the US in an effort to educate the masses about the wonderful world of letterpress printing. You, too, can be a part of this fantastic journey at Piper Hall tomorrow. It’ll be fun. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Cyber Monday

laurenessl — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:26:48 +0000

You made it through Black Friday, Thanksgiving with the family, and it’s now Monday after the holidays. Time for some Cyber Monday savings! Enjoy 20% off of everything in the shop today only. Use code CYBERMONDAY and shop away! There are new holiday items in the shop, too!