If you’ve never seen a letterpress at work, nor come across someone with the combined passion and skill to earn a living at the craft, you gotta check out this little documentary. I found it captivating and wishing I could apprentice with a craftsman of this quality. The equipment involved and the skill with which one must use to create quality work sure puts desktop publishing to shame.

Firefly Press

I’m so embarrassed! It’s been SO long since I’ve posted! I didn’t realize until just now that I missed the end of May, ALL OF JUNE, and the beginning of July. Geez. I know life is crazy, but I need to make time for the things I love…all things PAPER!

I came across Crooked Letter Press, a site of Ellen Knudson’s work. (I love the fact that she’s in Mississippi.) I comb through sites like hers and daydream, “Someday, I’ll have time to do that.” I know what you’re thinking: if I love paper and book art so much, I would/should/could make time for it. Well, tell that to my demanding career, four kids, husband, extended family and house. 

Before the pity party begins, though, let me direct you to Ellen’s “process” page here. It gives you a glimpse into Ellen’s skill set — from making the paper through to the end product of the bound book.

Courtesy of Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine comes a great from-the-floor report on the 2008 National Stationery Show in New York. One of the highlights is a list of the winners of the Best New Products competition, which includes Eccolo’s journals made of recycled leather and paper from managed forests, handmade seed paper ornaments from Oots in Santa Fe, NM, and Fancy That!’s packing tape, which won the Delegate’s Choice Award.

Also noted were Ann Taintor’s emery board matchbooks that feature her wildly popular artwork that combines vintage images with snarky comments. One of her calendars hangs on my wall right now, and every page is hilarious! 

This is for Chicks only! And I have to admit, I spent a ton of time playing on this site. It sucked me in with its interactive features that let you customize the illustration. You can create an illustration that looks like you or whomever you may be sending a gift to. Essentially, you choose from four different body/age types and choose skin tone, hair color, eye color, outfits, accessories (including Guys)…even freckles! Check it out here and have fun!

I came across this super-cool paper/sculpture/card in the magazine Wondertime, and promptly went to Unica Home to check it out. Called a Fairy Tail greeting card, it’s sculptural paper art disguised as a gorgeous card. As written on the Unica Home website: “fairy tail greeting cards by tord boontje and artecnica are folding garland-shaped cards that stretch to 6 feet tall! as much sculpture as a greeting card, fairy tail is available in 2 color combinations: white/white or red/pink comes complete with envelope in a wood free paper.”

Because I have enough working knowledge of commercial printing to be dangerous, I can’t help but wonder about the die-cutting process used to create such delicate detail. Although $9 seems outrageous for a greeting card, it’ll be worth the cost just to eyeball the details and enjoy the tactile experience the photos allude to.

I love fresh flowers. I love the luscious scents, the contrast of soft and bold colors, and the sweet sentiments behind a gift of them. What I don’t love is their short lifespan. And while I’d be happy to get the gift of a flowering plant, I guarantee that my brown thumb will eventually kill it.

The smart folks at Paper Source recently sent a marketing email touting its gift selections for Mother’s Day, and right up front was the Poppies Paper Flower Kit. THIS is the perfect gift for me! (How’s that for a hint?) It combines my favorite thing in the whole world — PAPER! — with the idea of sweet little flowers in a kit so easy my kids could do it.

Check it out. If your mom/wife/sister/whomever is as much of a paper whore as I am, get this gift and you’ll be golden

You know it’s the latest trend: wallpaper designed EXACTLY as you want it. No more looking through stacks of burdensome sample books, hoping to find something that comes close to what you have in your mind’s eye. You can get exactly the color, the design and the texture that’ll be perfect in that powder room.

The key is knowing where to get quality production and knock ‘em dead design talent without breaking the bank. Here’s a tip: check out InkJet Ideas in Appleton, Wisconsin, and ask for Bob Thomas. From the small town of Appleton comes some amazing large-format graphics, including hot custom wallpaper that the average Jane can afford. My twin’s bedroom is testament: one wall is resplendent in a custom princess mural.

Why settle for plain-old paint or off-the-shelf wallpaper when you don’t have to? 

Plum is the new black. Well, in the sense that it is one of the hottest colors around this year, particularly in the marketing arena. Case in point, American Express’s Plum Card and plum-colored labels for products for Penta water. There’s a great article on the New York Times here that outlines more professional opinion on “why plum”.

With plum coming to the forefront of design and marketing, I got to wondering about plum-colored paper. I can’t recall seeing a plethora of it in any of my favorite craft or paper stores, so they must be missing the boat. I took to the Internet to find a few sources, and even that Google search wasn’t too productive.

I did manage to find some beautiful shades of plum paper on Paper Mojo and Graphic Products Corporation. In fact, both paper sites — Paper Mojo in particular — offer up some yummy paper products. You can pratically feel the texture of some through your computer screen.

So, scrapbooking queens, design divas and marketing mavens who want to be on the cutting edge better go plum crazy for a little while!

I’m a sucker for color file folders. Hell, I’m a sucker for just about any super-fun, super-cool office supplies. I tripped across a paper site that I am having a ton of fun exploring. It’s called Paper Source, and it has the sweetest little file folders! I gotta find a reason to buy some right away. Or, do I really need a reason???

What would a paper blog be without a post about Hatch Show Print? I was in Nashville not too long ago, and I would have given my right arm to have had time to visit. It’s the Mecca of letterpress, and it not only cranks out fantastic work for musicians from BR549 to the Beastie Boys, it also preserves a lot of the history of letterpress. According to its website there’s “as many as 10,000 basswood and maple wood blocks, thousands of photo plates, and countless drawers of wood and metal type.” Imagine the possibilities if you could get your hands on all that!

Take some time to poke around the online store, where you’ll find some super-fun restrikes and monoprints.

 (just a sample of their great work!)