For Sale! Mother's Day Cards

With Mother's Day less than 3 weeks away, I wanted to create a batch of cards to share! There are so many wonderful card versions out there - but so many of them? ...feature a message written by somebody else. I decided to mix things up a bit and let you be in charge of the note by providing space to write 10 things you love about the motherly figure in your life. You can be sentimental or funny or a little bit of both. Trust me, she'll love it.

The flat 5"x7" cards are printed on smooth thick card stock, featuring a mixture of font & my calligraphy with a purple ombre background.

It comes with an envelope (with a sticker to write the recipient's address!) & a signed sticker on the back of each card.

Mom, if you're reading this...don't scroll down, okay? :)

(Pssst, anyone else reading? You can see how I filled mine out!)

...

There's plenty of space on the back, too, to include a personal message!

Want to purchase one to send?

Click here!

(P.S. Yes! I also have multi-purpose stationery packs for sale.)

until next time,

g

For Sale! Valentine Cards for Friends

 I have a limited supply of Valentines for sale!

I don't think Valentine's Day is just an excuse to show your significant other extra love. Brighten your friends days, too! Purchase here while supplies last.

***UPDATE: these are sold out! thank you for your interest!***
if interested in buying my stationery, I still have the multi-packs available.

until next time,

g

Give the Gift of Correspondence!

This stationery is designed by me and professionally printed on high-quality smooth, white 5x7" paper. In each set, you will receive 5 of each 5 styles plus! 25 matching envelopes.

bonus! there might be a little surprise in the package ;)

This is a set of cards that will keep you prepared for upcoming hellos, I'm sorrys, birthdays, thank-yous, and congratulations. As you know, I'm a sucker for snail-mail and I'm trying, with all my might, to keep the love for it going.

They also make a great gift!  Please place your order by the end of today if you would like to receive the stationery by Christmas :)

You can see more photos here and you can purchase the set here!

...

until next time,

g

Excitement

 ...

It's been an exhilarating couple days over here, folks. I feel like, for perhaps the first time in my life, my talents have fused together into one specific passion - social stationery.  My love for greeting cards, illustrating, calligraphy, holidays, weddings, paper products, anything girly and/or sparkly!, etc. are finally pointing (with a bright and blinking arrow, I might add) to this new and exciting world. Dreaming up a project such as the line of multiple occasion cards, squealing over the finished product (something I would buy for myself in a store!) and now seeing other people buy them is a feeling I can't even describe. I am so happy and proud with how they turned out and the idea of someone receiving a card in the mail that I designed and put out into the world has to be one of the best feelings ever. If you checked out the post on my main website, you can see that there are 5 designs in that set::

Hello, muffin (to write a simple hello) // sending love your way xoxo (to send sympathy or even say you miss someone) // gosh...thank you (because that person made your day) // make a wish (every birthday deserves a wish!) // omg yay! (for any moment or event that is deserving of a congratulatory remark :)

I am also exceedingly giddy about my Christmas card design featuring silver bells on leopard shoes and the famous Christmas lyric. There may or may not be a hidden signature as the shoe brand! ;) As of today, I only have 2 packs left of those so please let me know if you want to snag one! 

I have a feeling I might read this post one day and smile at how my direction has adapted. I am constantly pushing myself to learn and try new things. After finishing my incredible online copperplate calligraphy class last month, I have decided to participate in a similar tutorial in January to learn some Wacom tablet techniques. For so long, I sort of felt all over the place with my different passions (and believe me, I have far too many personal goals I'd like to acheive in this little life of mine), but it's kinda all making sense now and the light bulbs are turning on in my head faster than I can keep up. I'm a firm believer that if you make it a point to pursue what makes you happy, whether or not it makes sense at the time, that it will lead to something good. Thank you for following this little journey of mine and being a part of my blog and this whole side of my being that I've been able to share. It means more than you know.

until next time,

g

NEWS! Stationery For Sale!

Guys! I am thrilled to announce that I am now selling stationery!!!

Head on over to my main website

here for details!

until next time,

g

May Notes

That's right, May Books has a new line of note cards! 

Check them out here.

until next time,

g

Calendars: Last Chance to Get One Before Christmas!

If you're interested in purchasing one of my letterpress postcard calendars as a gift,

please place your order TODAY!

I will be shipping final pre-holiday orders tomorrow,

and will not be mailing packages until the new year.



each set includes:

12 calendar pages

12 postcards (on back of different colored chevron prints)

an acrylic easel stand

plus a little bonus of 3 "from the hart" postcard stamps!

Only 18 left!

Click here to buy.

until next time,

g

Exciting News!

yippee!

The day has arrived! 

My calendars are for sale! 

Check out my website for details!

until next time,

g

Letterpress Project: Slowly Coming Together!

I wanted to update you on my letterpress project! I blogged here about the beginning stages and I'm now in the stage of renting studio space on weekend nights (like last night) and things are slowly coming together. I always battled with color as a printmaker in college and spent many-a-night crumpling up botched attempts to make something that didn't cause my teacher to cringe and ask the dreaded question of "what exactly were you going for here?" So last night I held my breath faced those fears as I printed warm colors on about 200 sheets (4 months worth) of letterpress paper.  This whole project has been such a challenge, but it's challenges like this that I find most rewarding.

The patterned plate on the metal block is made out of polymer. I drew the zig-zag shape in Illustrator and sent the image (with the others) to a company that makes the plates. {I use BoxCar Press in Syracuse, NY.}

Once they're complete, I will feature them on my main website and for purchase on Etsy. Stay tuned!

until next time,
 

g

Letterpress Project: Beginning Stages

I finished my "last" letterpress class last night. 

I'm only taking a short break, however, as I'm starting the same one again in a few weeks. I've spent most of this class learning what the heck I'm doing (I've quickly remembered my ineptitude for measuring) and even though I'm still figuring many things out, I have finally been able to start my project.  

What is my project?

I'm making calendars. And part of each calendar page will be sendable.

(Yes, I'm encouraging snail mail since half the world has forgotten how to send a note the old fashioned way. Disgrace! The little lady is out to set things right!)

Until I'm confident enough with my greeting card designs to mail them off to companies, I'm starting with something I can print by my little ol' self.

These are 180 prints that I made last night. 

(hello, arm workout!)

I will make a total of 600 prints of that one plate. 

And then I have multiple plates to print on the other side.

And then I have to cut them down, figure out packaging, etc.

Needless to say, it's going to be a long project. Wish me luck! I've been working my hiney off so I'm very excited that it's *starting* to come together.

Please stay tuned for updates!

until next time,

g

Jack and Lulu

Wouldn't these charming recipe boxes make great gifts?

The recipe cards come in a hinged lucite box.

(6.5"W x 4"D x 5"H)

Its lid has a tray that holds cards for easy viewing and you can personalize with a monogram!

images via

or what about these flat notecards that come with coordinating envelopes?

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or personalized wall art that is already matted and framed?

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or calling cards for individuals or families?

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To check out all of Jack and Lulu's precious nick-nacks featured in their online boutique, click here.

until next time,

g

Letterpress

Now that Blogger is back up & running and now that I am sadly done playing hostess during what was an incredibly fun weekend, I am back in action and ready to tackle this week.

What's on tap? Besides rain? (Good thing I have my trusty magic wand.)

The little lady is diving into another short class. Yes, just when I think I couldn't possibly cram another component into my life, I do. What am I thinking? I'm not.

This city provides so many wonderful opportunities and so much amazing talent from which to learn - and I just can't stop taking advantage of it. This week I will start a 5-week independent project class to learn the process of letterpress printing. I am hoping to explore another method of making greeting cards in addition to social stationery (announcements, invitations, gift tags, calendars, recipe cards, etc). One of my majors is in Printmaking and while it's been years since I've stepped foot in a printshop, I am very excited to return to a setting in which I practically lived my last two years of college. I have joined the Center for Book Arts on 27th Street (where I'm taking the course) and will now be able to rent studio space, if needed. Access to a press whenever I want? You have no idea how exciting this is.

Although my class doesn't start until later this week, I am brainstorming my own designs and feeling inspired by others'.

Check out Sesame Letterpress, a company based in Brooklyn, NY.

I love their intricate lines and professional feel.

images via

Check out Green Grass Press on Etsy.

 I love their sayings & simple yet joyful images.

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Sneak peak of one of my 5,467 ideas? 

I want to put this little candle I made onto gift tags!

copyright vlh 2011

Stay tuned for more.

until next time,

g