Seahorse Bend Press

New Website | Lots Going On

Jenn — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:37:29 +0000

I am working on the website launch this month – it is looking great and I cannot wait to share it with you!

In the meantime, I wanted to share some pictures of my studio. On occasion, I work a lot with just my macbook pro crossed legged on occasion in different rooms in my house, but this is my paper studio where I create, design and package. I have a small shelf where I frame all of my original collections and they inspire me to move forward. I have a picture of both my mother and my mother in law on their wedding days in my studio as well to remind me of my family but also inspire me that everything old is new again. You can see a picture of my gray cat – who is really the mascot of the studio. He is a great friend and is good company to me when I work late nights or several days in a row.

This is the story of my studio and why I do what I do today:

I worked in marketing and publishing for fifteen years. I always was surrounding myself with typography since as far back as I can remember. In high school, working for the newspaper and yearbook – always enjoying the tedious type layout. In my late 30′s, I decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in typography and graphic design. Shortly after, I became very ill and was on chemotherapy. It was during this time that I met my husband and he encouraged me to find something to keep me occupied – a reason to get out of bed. The design and paper studio that I manage today was born. With the encouragement of family and close friends, I have had the pleasure of creating unique bespoke stationery for more than four years now.

I am thrilled to have been published in Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides Magazine and You & Your Wedding in the UK amongst other accolades I have had the pleasure of receiving. I find inspiration all around me – in textile fabrics, antique book illustrations, publications and cinematic typography. I am constantly working with new mediums – water color, mixed media, photography – unique ways to add to my typography. The most rewarding aspect of what I do is not being an artist – or the actual creation – it is the wonderful relationships that I form with my clients. In my dreams, I have a gorgeous space filled with presses – I do believe I will get there soon. I am getting a table top press this year and hope to have my first heidelberg press by this Winter.

Happy early Tuesday to you all! xo always, Jenn

Mother’s | Day

Jenn — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:26:57 +0000

We are happy to be launching many beautiful cards for you to give to your mother this May. Part of our water color botanical series for Spring 2013, these two cards are called Only One and Truest Friend. Our cards are also available as prints – please inquire for pricing on prints. You can see all of our greeting cards in our pop up shop on Etsy!

Maine | Trip

Jenn — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 06:15:13 +0000

So, we’re headed out to Maine in a few hours. My husband grew up in Yarmouth and then lived all over the state – and New England before moving down South where he met me. Planning our trip has been hysterical. First, neither of us has anything remotely to wear. Last weekend we took off to several malls – its all summer, cruise and prom dresses – you couldn’t find one turtleneck, a sweater, scarf or gloves to save your life. I borrowed some things from my mom – we found a few things on clearance on line – but basically, we’re going to freeze our butts off. Its 82 today – they have snow the first three days we are there – temps in the lows 20s. I’m leaving my ballet shoes behind – wah!

I have all of these “great plans” for things that I want to do, which my husband, being from Maine, thinks are totally absurd. Regardless, I have a goofy list and plan to do them:

a) Ocean: I want to go to the beach and walk in the water – just to say I walked in the ocean. Freezing cold water – barefoot. Me. Its happening!

b) Trees: I want to drive on a road with trees on both sides. The last time I actually saw any kind of foliage (deep green) on both sides of the road was in Bermuda in this odd pocket of thick bamboo/jungle that you drive through with your scooter. Anyway – sounds goofy, but we seriously have no trees here – so I’m excited. Hey Alamo Rental, I’ll try not to hit a tree driving through the trees :)

c) Seafood (not in a can): I want to eat seafood that is not in a can. True funny story: When I lived in Seattle in my 20s, I had a date and he took me home to meet his parents. His mom prepared salmon and brought it out on this large plate – great huge spread of food. – I say – “Hey, how did you get it out the of the can like that?” – because we always just had salmon patties (mixed with crackers/parsley etc.) and I only had known of “can salmon” and I was thinking – wow, that takes talent to roll it out like that. The people thought I was probably a nut bag. He is taking me to Street and Company as well as The Old Port Sea Grill & Raw Bar.

d) Whale (or something swimming): I want to see a whale – my husband says its not going to happen. We were walking through the store tonight picking up toiletries and such.. and I was quizzing him – well, why not? He said – its not like you can just stand on a pier and they’re just going to come up and flip up out of the water. So – I’ll settle for any fish now – kinda let down on the whole whale thing.

e) Train: We don’t ride on trains down here – or subways or anything of the sort. So, we are going to grab a train and head up the coast – to Rockland or somewhere – not sure where yet – but – train, snow, trees, mountains – (anything but the concrete jungle I live in outside of the window = fabulousness!)

f) Snow: I have not seen snow since the 80s. I’m going to do a snow angel and just enjoy it (I did get some boots I’ll never be able to wear again – but still – snow angel is happening!) I’ll probably dance in the streets and definitely look like a lost Texan …. sorry Mainers.

h) Lighthouses: Tyler told me – we can go to one – I pulled up my “lighthouse tour” ipad app and said – you got more than 66 – I want to see a minimum of five .. all about the lighthouses!

i) Hotdog: I love hotdogs – eat them everywhere – thank God that my friend Donnie sent me a great hot dog joint to go to “The Thirsty Pig”… so yay!

So, we have two new lens for our camera – warm clothes – although not very stylin’ – and we’re outta here in 3 hours! I’m super excited…. I’ll post through Instagram and FB this week so you can see my adventure – pardon the goofy hat!

Happy Weekend to all of you (if you need me for a project question – I have all of my many devices – all three – and plan to be plugged in so can work/answer and keep up while seeing my husbands family and of course – the magic whale that is going to pop up out of the ocean!

** here are some lighthouses on my list of lighthouses to see – YAY!

Pink | Green

Jenn — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:20:45 +0000

Channel your inner Spring….. happy Tuesday to all of you! – Jenn

St | Patrick’s

Jenn — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:07:30 +0000

I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick’s day! I am busy in the studio getting a lot of work done this weekend so I can head out to Maine for an extended weekend next week. So looking forward to taking a quick vacation with my husband and seeing his beautiful state! May the luck of the Irish be with you :)

10 | Questions

Jenn — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:08:25 +0000

I am always working and don’t blog enough – and when I do, I usually showcase my clients weddings or new work – so I’ll take a break and tell you 10 things about me – just so you know who I am. Here are 10 things about me – things I love, enjoy and would recommend.

(1) What is the favorite thing that you have bought yourself lately:

I bought a doodoocase for my iPad and I am just so happy. I was always frustrated with the flimsy cover I had and I felt it had no protection or weight and was hard to use. Since then, I’ve been using it 500x more. This is the one I got….. its just fabulous.

(2) Since I am a tech buff, busy and on the run- these are my “must have APPS”:

AP Mobile – I love that at 3am while I am working I get a text or e-mail on breaking news. It keeps me updated at all times.

myPantone – I recommend this APP to my clients a lot – but it is a great source on color and – for someone working with a designer, its good to have this tool in your hands so when I say “540u” – you can say – aha, navy blue!

Wunderlist – I use this to rank my daily to do lists and weekly tasks. I find it a really good APP to keep up with my work and personal life.

Instapaper – Do you know how all day you see things that you want to read or inspire you – but you don’t have time to read them all – or you might bookmark them and then you cannot find them later. This allows you to actually collect all of these – and in a sense- create your own personal online magazine – its seriously the next thing since slice bread for me.

DesignClassics – By Phaidon, this is just a fabulous application for inspiration – the 1,000 best objects ever designed and built. I also enjoy Dribblr for inspiration and recommend them both.

(3) Best Movies I’ve seen lately:

Ah, it would have to be Life of Pi and The Impossible. They both really touched me and made me think about life so differently. I have a few others on my “must see list” that were recommended by friends and hope to get to those soon. Next up for me… Beasts of the Southern Wild and a documentary called First Position.

(4) Last book I read:

A book that was recommended by Amy Graver with Elements called “Rework”. I learned so much about myself – what I can do better – what I do wrong, but mostly, I gained a lot of self confidence and feel really proud to do what I do today. I am so thankful to Amy for recommending this to me.

(5) My guilt pleasure(s):

I am a huge Tex-Mex girl…. I love local dives and restaurants – mexican food and sangria on a Friday night make me smile! – oh.. and of course, a date night with my husband – we love to go to see a fabulous movie after dinner.

(6) I wish:

that I could travel more. Visit other countries, experience the culture, food and people. My biggest regret is that I work so much and do not take the time to live. I have a huge bucket list. I would love to start out in Thailand. I’ve never been to England, Scotland, Italy, France, Ireland, … and all of the places where my clients live – which I would love to see: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland and Norway.

(7) My favorite thing:

I would have to say my sister’s children. She has three under the age of 7. I get to see them quite often and just the innocence of youth – the things they say – make me smile. They are the most loving children and I adore them so much.

(8) My favorite quotes:

They are both by Maya Angelou but are so fitting in my life.

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

and

“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.”

(9) I’m addicted to:

J. Crew. Love ‘em. Can’t get enough. Their clothing fits my life style – simple yet with a little style and flair… I always feel pretty in a Liberty shirt or with a silk collar on my tee. I live in their ballet flats.

(10) If I could change one thing in society:

I would limit our use on technological devices. Have you ever sat at a restaurant and looked over at a family of five – all on their phones. It makes me sad. I feel the same way at the movie theatre. For me, I am like – yay – I can turn off my phone and escape. But I look around and everyone is on the phone – but they are not alone and someone is next to them. When did we stop talking to the people we are with? I’ve had friends – married couples who both get on laptops and sit in different rooms of their house and get on facebook and I think – wow, we just do not talk anymore.

I do believe in and appreciate all we have now – but sometimes – I miss the old phone on the wall with the cord that stretched across the house that you would have to rewind when you got back in to the kitchen by holding the phone upside down. I miss going to dinner and not having to worry about an email or a phone call. There is so much going on around us and I often think – we are missing out on so much in life.

I plan to unplug more often – at least on weekends and start to try to live again – because life is short my friends.

Happy Thursday to you, – Jenn

Jasmyne | Fendi

Jenn — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:31:46 +0000

I am delighted to share with you the wedding of Jasmyne & Fendi.

It was such an absolute pleasure to be a part of this fantastic day. Jas & Fendi had an outdoor wedding at Stirling Gardens, with a gorgeous reception following at the Perth Town Hall in Perth, Australia. One of my favorite things that Jasmyne planned was a wonderful a photo legend of historical wedding photographs of both of their families. From her save the dates to her invitations and day of items, she used a pale orange, pink, teal and gray which were carried through to her flowers, bridesmaid dresses and details of the reception.

Please join me in viewing the charming details of their beautiful wedding day, courtesy of Merge Photography who captured it all. Congratulations to you two! I wish you two the best and thank you Jasmyne for just being such an absolute joy to work with over the last year and a half! – Jenn

I am thrilled to be part of the dream team for the wedding of Jasmyne and Fendi:

Wedding Planner: Jenn Veza The original Wedding Company

Flowers: Zinnia Floral Designs

Invitations: Seahorse Bend Press

Wedding Gown: Leiela Bridal Collection

Cake: The Cake and I

Venue: Perth Town hall

Service: Council House Gardens Perth

Photography: Merge Photography

Fresh | Ink

Jenn — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:08:38 +0000

I wanted to show you a few new projects leaving the studio this past week….

Check them out and more of our new projects over at our papergoods boutique!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Coastal | Connecticut

Jenn — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:48:31 +0000

Happy Thursday!

I am excited to share with you the lovely wedding of newlyweds Shawn and Richard. They were married this September at the Woodway Beach Club in New Canaan, Connecticut. Their beautiful wedding was so charming with sea-side touches from the nautical invitations and paper goods to rope centerpieces and escort cards attached with compasses. I love the anchor adorned wedding cake and the flower girl dresses. I wish you two the best!

Thank you to Christina Szcaupak for the sharing the gorgeous wedding photography. Featured on Ruffled.

Love | Jackson Square

Jenn — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:04:45 +0000

My favorite thing about what I do for a living is knowing that I am part of something so special. Designing invitations is the opportunity to work on a once in a lifetime project. A special day and moment. When I am working on a layout and typesetting, as tedious as kerning is, there is absolute joy in it .

As a designer, although you work with a client up until just a few days of their wedding on day of items and with them for over a year, the designer does not get to see the wedding. I always yearn to be the photographer, a caterer, a planner, a musician…. to be there in the moment. I do feel a sense of inner joy and excitement knowing that my art and what I have created sets the tone for the day and is there as the guests find their table and pick up their menus.

I am super delighted when I do get to see the wedding. Working with someone with whom you call your client for over a year – changes over time, like any relationship – you become their friend. Amy is now my dear friend. I wanted to share with you a sneak peek of the beautiful day that she married the man of her dreams, the handsome and ever so dapper Mr. Gary Hanna on a balcony overlooking the historic Jackson Square in New Orleans. I look forward to sharing more of this beautiful day, captured by the talented Sam Gregory of Sam Gregory Photography. You can see Amy & Gary’s fabulous Destination New Orleans invitations and paper goods spread throughout my store.

Congratulations to you my good friends… always, Jenn.

Simple | Classic

Jenn — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:54:43 +0000

Keep it simple…. go neutral.

Azalea | Day Glow

Jenn — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:24:03 +0000

I am working this month on a lot of pretty pink and peach collections… isn’t this inspiration beautiful. I love the pop of bright pink with the muted colors.

Sunday | Inspiration

Jenn — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 23:26:30 +0000

Good afternoon… I hope you are having a great day. I wanted to show you sneak peek of a new collection I am working on. I’ll show you the collection next week :)

inspiration: a pattern by Amanda Whitehouse

colors: day glow and black ink

aesthetic: feminine, clean, simple, fresh

patterns and illustration: arrows, silhouettes and a constellation pattern will be part of this collection as well

typeface: san-serif

inspiration board by jenn with seahorsebend press, wedding inspiration via about a girl on pinterest

Friday | Afternoon

Jenn — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:26:15 +0000

Hope you all had a fabulous January – I cannot believe it is the end of the week, much less the first of February? Where did this month go? I was working through the night (2-6am) getting files ready for prep and was pleasantly surprised that Roman Holiday was on.

“Each, in its own way, was unforgettable. It would be difficult to – Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live.”

Fresh | Ink

Jenn — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:40:45 +0000

FRESH INK!

Happy Monday! I wanted to share a few of the new 2013 Save The Dates just back from the printer today.. the first two are fun new collections for my New Orleans brides – one who is getting married at the Audubon Tea Room and the other is having a beautiful night time wedding at the courtyard at the Maison Dupuy Hotel. They came out gorgeous… I love the pattern on the Audubon Tea Room and adore the antique New Orleans map on the Second Line. In both bright and vintage duotone colors – these are sure to delight guests!

The third collection is for my clients out of the beautiful Long Beach, CA area who are having a gorgeous wedding at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. They were inspired by the Hokusai wave pattern and we are using a pop of tangerine orange and a bright cobalt blue for their collection.

To see all the fun new collections going to print every day, please keep up with us on facebook or in our Etsy pop up shop!

SALUT!….. to all of my wonderful Spring 2013 brides!

The Audubon Tea Room Save The Date, part of the 2013 Botanical Collection

The Second Line, part of the 2013 New Orleans Destination Wedding Collection

The Hokusai Wave Save The Date, part of the 2013 Destination Wedding Collection

Farm | Table

Jenn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:50:23 +0000

One of the biggest themes this year is Farm to Table. I have really enjoyed working on these projects. What is farm to table? Let me show you some inspiration…. its not necessarily rustic but more intimate. Gorgeous ambience…long tables, pops of color, natural lighting, outdoor settings. Good food, family and friends… don’t forget the wine!

Sunday | Inspiration

Jenn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:27:00 +0000

On Sunday mornings, I always post a lot of architectural details of chapels that I am inspired by…. please visit us on facebook for more! I love this church below… it is so delightful and the two palm trees and the aisle of greenery leading to the door add so much.

Kate | Daniel

Jenn — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 10:51:39 +0000

Lots of fun projects going to print this week…. this is a rough proof for Kate & Daniel who are planning a lovely wedding this June at St. Catherine’s in Spring Lake, New Jersey. (this church is so gorgeous!) .. to be followed by a reception at the Spring Lake Bath & Tennis Club. Kate is using both a warm and cool gray paired with a blush pink for her nautical collection! I am putting the final touches on her collection this evening and look forward to sharing their final project with you next week! A huge congratulations to both of them!

Illustrations by Rae Kaiser of Outside The Line, pattern design by Jodi Wentz of MooandPuppy! If we can help you with your wedding for 2013, please email us at help@seahorsebendpress.com or check out our shop out Etsy!

New Year | Big Dreams

Jenn — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:23:01 +0000

2013 | Collections

Jenn — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:29:52 +0000

We are rolling out new invitations all this month – some of our new series include our skyline series, our water color series our resort line and our new farm to table series. We also have a new botanical and city series that is coming out throughout the next few weeks!

All of our collections allow for color and pattern choices to make the collection unique to you. 2013 is going to be a fun colorful year. I am excited. Happy Saturday to you! Jenn & Tyler

photographs, property of Seahorse Bend Press, LLC