we'll be at the ONE OF A KIND SHOW CHICAGO again! visit us (and 600+ artists and makers!) at BOOTH 1056, hope to you see you there!
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we'll be at the ONE OF A KIND SHOW CHICAGO again! visit us (and 600+ artists and makers!) at BOOTH 1056, hope to you see you there!
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penelope's press will be at the 1st ever Chicago Stationery Fest hosted by Paper and Pencil Chicago on Saturday & Sunday • March 22 & 23, 2025 • 10-6pm • Artifact Events
tickets are already sold out, but if you were able to snag a ticket, stop by our table and say hello! hope to see you there!
]]>]]>-thurs. feb. 13, 12-4pm: one of a kind pop up - merchande mart, chicago
-sat/sun march 22-23, 12-6pm: chicago stationery fest - artifact events, chicago
-fri-sun april 25-27, 10-7pm (10-5pm on sunday): spring one of a kind show + sale - merchande mart, chicago
-thur-sun dec 4-7, 10-7pm (10-5pm on sunday): holiday one of a kind show + sale - merchande mart, chicago
visit penelope's press and other artisans at the following events in 2025:
]]>-thurs. feb. 13, 12-4pm: one of a kind pop up - merchande mart, chicago
-sat/sun march 22-23, 12-6pm: chicago stationery fest - artifact events, chicago
-fri-sun april 25-27, 10-7pm (10-5pm on sunday): spring one of a kind show + sale - merchande mart, chicago
-thur-sun dec 4-7, 10-7pm (10-5pm on sunday): holiday one of a kind show + sale - merchande mart, chicago
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-6.5x10”
-comes with chase and rollers (rollers are not new, but in good condition)
-less than 200 lbs
-$2000 or best offer
-will not ship (unless arranged by buyer) pick up in the southwest suburbs of chicago
craftmen machinery co. tabletop printing press for sale! i bought this little lady a few years back with the intention of offering beginner workshops. that never happened.
-6.5x10”
-comes with chase and rollers (rollers are not new, but in good condition)
-less than 200 lbs
-$2000 or best offer
-will not ship (unless arranged by buyer) pick up in the southwest suburbs of chicago
reach out for more details
more photos on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3shviErXkA/
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where has penelope's press been?
wow, 2014 was the last time this blog had an entry. shortly after that last entry, i lost interest in blogging, so i just stopped cold turkey. recently though, i was updating my website and thought, “hey, let’s bring this blog back", but when i discontinued blogging years ago, i never backed up any entries. after digging around the internet, i found a site called the internet archive wayback machine and fortunately found (almost) all my old entries. i copy and pasted all of the entries and photos and brought the little blog back to life (sadly, i wasn’t able to bring over any comments from readers). in the process, its been fun re-reading my old entries and seeing how penelope’s press has grown through the years. and so... i’m back! i can’t promise how long i’ll stay or if i’ll update often, but here goes...
but first, let me give you a quick run down of what i've been up to the past few years...
“my view tonight... sitting poolside thinking how missing in action i’ve been these last few years, especially this past year. right when i felt my business was making serious upward movement— 3 straight years of tradeshows, some great retail accounts, some celebrity orders, and shipping orders daily... then bam. major curveball and an opportunity presents itself and my husband’s career takes our family (and my business) out west. have i still been printing? does penelope’s press still operate and ship orders? do i still love letterpress and paper and all things stationery? yes yes yes... BUT, in the last 3 years i have intentionally slowed it down— created no new products, have done zero marketing, only added a handful of new stockists, and have had a quieter presence on social media. instead of hustlin’ and growing my business, i made southern california my second home and went all in. i volunteered like crazy— did the run club coach thing, the musical theater mom thing, the PTA president thing, the girl scout mom thing, and more... saw all the things up and down the west cost— checked off as many touristy bucket list items as we could, found local hidden gems, and ate all the foods... met strangers that became great friends, reconnected with old friends, and strengthened existing relationships with family and friends— all the while making lasting memories. has my business suffered? probably. actually, i’m sure of it. would i change any of it? no. 3 years has quickly passed and our stint out in southern california is coming to a close. follow along as my family and i (and penelope’s press) move back to the chicagoland area and i get reacquainted with reality and back to business. thanks to all of you that have hung on while i’ve been on my little hiatus 😘 #vacationisover #backtoreality #smallbusinesswoes #bittersweet”
i cannot believe how much has happened and how little i’ve blogged about it!!! just a quick post to let you know that we’re in nyc for the big national stationery show!!! we’ve launched a ton of new products and can’t wait to share them with you! here’s a pic of our booth… if you’re at the show, we would love to see you, visit us at booth 1750!! recap of all of the madness coming soon!
this poor blog has been completely neglected. i’ve had a rough first month of the year… it felt like the holiday rush ran right into the new year and straight into wedding season… while, i’m not complaining of the increased business penelope’s press has been receiving, it’s been draining and work/life balance is becoming more and more of a challenge. penelope’s press and myself is in need of a little tlc, which is exactly why i’m writing this post from sunny coronado, california!as been receiving, it’s been draining and work/life balance is becoming more and more of a challenge. penelope’s press and myself is in need of a little tlc, which is exactly why i’m writing this post from sunny coronado, california!
before i desperately try to bring you up to speed with penelope’s press ongoings, i best recap the highlights {and some lowlights} of the last year {yep, even though it’s already february!}
debuted at the national stationery show: this was the most stressful, time-consuming, yet rewarding thing i’ve done for my business thus far. preparing for the show encompassed so many moving parts, including building an entire booth display plus contents and shipping it to nyc, expanding the line by 100+ new designs {the majority of which were hand drawn illustrations by my sister {after several revisions, each drawing is scanned into illustrator, cleaned up + formatted, then designed to include text + color. photopolymer plates are made of each design and individually hand fed + letterpress printed one at time, one color at time}, and too many other things that happen behind the scenes like creating a catalog + line sheet from scratch, creating and assembling press kits, compiling a mailing list of potential wholesale buyers + sending them snail mail, updating the website with all of the new products including pricing, photos, description, etcetera. the. list. was. endless. but i did it, with the unending support and help of my husband {who built the hardwalls of my booth, drove me + the booth furnishings + products to nyc while i slept almost the entirety of the way, and was my go-to-runner-tie-loose-ends-keep-me-calm sidekick }, my sister {who kept drawing for me despite her own job + family + kids + life}, my parents {who babysat the kids while i hustled + printed + hustled + printed}, and all of my patient clients who waited a bit longer than normal for me to finish orders during the crazy rush that preceded and followed the show. just thinking about all of the hardwork and mental energy that went into the show makes makes me both tired + teary eyed. …and guess what? it’s happening all over again… the tradeshow is just around the corner! let the madness fun begin!
retail: with our debut at the national stationery show, penelope’s press has fully launched our wholesale line. prior to the stationery show, penelope’s press products were only carried in two retail locations… since the stationery show, our lists of retailers has grown with fabulous stores from coast to coast.
some awesome press: penelope’s press had some exciting features, both online + in print, including the chicago tribune red eye, oh so beautiful paper, uppercase magazine, and style me pretty to name a few.
a celebrity client: we had our first celebrity client order {wishful thinking that we’ll have more celebrity clients}!!! people keep asking who it is… maybe you can guess who it is with this hint: he’s a television late night funny guy with the initials JK!
professional development: took an intensive hand lettering + calligraphy class taught by the super talented molly jacques. it’s an incredible feeling to be surrounded by creatives that are just as excited + passionate to learn the craft as you! stay tuned, we hope to incorporate more hand lettering + calligraphy in our products!
wedding shows: we dipped our toes in the wedding show arena and had a fabulous response! penelope’s press had the opportunity to be a vendor at chicago’s own indie wed and a month later at martha’s stewart’s wedding party — the first time martha stewart took the annual new york wedding show on the road to the midwest.
well, that’s about it for the major highlights of the last year. as always, i am blessed to be able to create pretty paper products, work with amazing clients, and collaborate with talented colleagues in the industry!
while it was another great year and penelope’s press continues to steadily grow, there is always room for improvement. topping the list of “things-i-need-to-work-on” include– better work/life balance, keeping a tidier work station, create a better inventory tracking system, have better bookkeeping, and attempt to blog more.
{see what i mean about keeping a tidier work station? the struggle is real.}
]]>2014 is in full swing which means wedding season is well under way!! penelope’s press is a proud vendor of the 5th annual indie wed! we still have a few more complimentary tickets… if you are a chicago area bride and want to attend this awesome wedding show and market, message me asap at debbie{at}penelopespress.com. hope to see you there!
back to my national stationery show recap…
lesson #2: when you think you packed everything you need and have double or triple checked…. check again then again… and then have someone else with fresh eyes check too!
it was in the wee hours in the morning when i packed for the show, so while i swear i checked everything twice and three times, apparently my eyes failed me. not only did i forget 3 or so cards from the line, i also forgot one of my lined envelopes that coordinates with my fill-in-invitation collection. so on saturday before heading to the javitz for day 2 of setup, we ran a few errands. i did a quick stop at paper presentation, the retail side of one my wholesalers, to try to find the liner for the fill-in-invitation that i forgot.
while i was in paper heaven, they didn’t have what i needed. unfortunately, i had to showcase the fill-in invitation collection without any of the envelope liners since one was missing. fail. hence, lesson #2.
after rushing around the city doing errands, we finally made it to the javitz. i dropped off my board for the best new product competition {we didn’t win, but was honored to have been a finalist!} and we were off to finish up the booth.
lesson #3: when in doubt, use tape.
i use a lot of tape in my little business, but goodness, tape was our best friend at the show! we used double-sided tape to put up the wood logo sign, heavy-duty double-sided outdoor tape to hang a picture frame, and duck tape to tape our walls to our neighbor’s walls for reinforcement!
after all the tape, putting up product on shelves, and ordering last minute lighting due to the hard wall fiasco in the last post {lesson #1}, we were finally ready, with i must say, a pretty good looking booth! {i posted a ton of pictures throughout the show on instagram and facebook… let’s connect on social media!} stay tuned for more on the show tomorrow!
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was long and tiring… i can’t believe at about this time two weeks ago we were on the way to new york city for the debut of penelope’s press at the national stationery show! it’s been a week since we’ve been back, but i haven’t felt “normal” or well rested yet. months and months of preparation and it was all over in a few days {it reminds me of a wedding day… months of planning and in a weekend, it’s all over. so surreal}.
i’ve decided not to bore you too much and break up my recap over the course of a few posts. let’s start from the beginning… with 3 kids, life happens. we got off to a little bit of a late start. we packed the car with everything for the show {sans booth walls that were shipped separately a few days prior} and after 13 some hours of driving through the night, we finally made it to nyc. we drove directly to the javitz for curb-side self unloading and was greeted with the hustle of bustle of set-up.
set-up days were crazy… people, product, crates, and palettes everywhere. the first thing i did was check to make sure the walls arrived. when i arrived to the booth space, our palette of walls had arrived, but i was completely surprised to see white hard walls up in my space.
lesson #1: do not assume you will have access to behind your tradeshow booth walls!
in preparation for the show, i had read several blogs on people’s first hand experiences with the show and i participated in tradeshow bootcamp {a series of workshops to prepare you for a tradeshow– highly recommend!}, but unless i missed it, nobody mentioned that you might not have access to behind your walls. everyone talked about the dreaded pipe and drape that came with the hefty exhibit space cost and how building your booth is like fitting a box within a box. people recommended building your booth so that it’s free-standing and to do a dry run. well… we did all of that and more, so we were completely shocked to see hard walls in our space. there are many aisles at the show where you have an “alley” behind your booth. my row didn’t haven an alley and our booth neighbors to the left and right of us and behind us all took the {very expensive} option to have rented hard walls installed, which is the reason why my space was enclosed with hard walls {tall hard walls too.. they all paid to have 10 ft walls versus the standard 8 ft walls}. if you’re not familiar with exhibiting at a trade show, you’re probably wondering why this is such a big deal. well, the hard wall surprise basically threw off how we got the booth up and standing, made it difficult to install the shelving, and all of the clip on lights {that’s what many people typically use} that we purchased and brought with us were useless. can you imagine my stress? the husband and i were dumbfounded… at one point my husband wanted to trash the walls and pay for last minute foam core walls {$$$$}. ummm… no.
after tossing around a ton of ideas and on zero sleep and food, we finally got the wall up, shelves in, and flooring down. at the end of the night, we felt a little better. the only problem was that the only thing holding up the back wall were the two side walls and the only thing holding up the side walls was the furniture {not a good idea}. we left the javitz center close to midnight and prayed that overnight none of the union guys or fellow exhibitors would come in and decide to move the chair or console table.
we tidied up, did some spot painting of the walls, and headed to the hotel. check back next week for more…
i’m not up to my knees in national stationery show prep, i’m drowning in it! the national stationery show is just days away and i’ve never been busier preparing for the BIG debut!! i’ve been so crazy busy that i forgot to share some exciting news… penelope’s press was recently featured {i spy “penelope” – my first press + the baby of the group – a craftsmen superior tabletop press} on page 72 of issue 17 of the awesome uppercase magazine i am honored to be included among an amazing group of stationers featured. that’s it for now… time to get back to stationery show prep!
diary of a nss newbie, post #4 {37 days left}
it’s down to the wire folks… the show is less than 6 weeks away. in the alumni forum of the tradeshow bootcamp, everyone is hustling. anything outside of my normal online orders and handful of wedding and custom orders, is difficult to squeeze into the schedule. it’s been late nights, nail-biting, and stress induced eczema and acne. it’s not cute.
knocked off {or near completion} of my laundry list of to-do’s are:
alright… now that i’m looking at my list, it doesn’t look like i’ve accomplished much. time to stop blogging and keep going. until next time… but before i go, here are a few pictures…
logo mock up taped up on my living room wall to help visualize size:
and here it is! one custom laser cut mdf logo:
booth building underway… one of many visits to home depot:
diary of a nss newbie, post #3 {65 days left}
how is it that i’m only on post number 3 which was written 42 days ago? seriously?
now that i’ve tackled indie wed and martha stewart‘s wedding party, all of my focus is on the national stationery show. with only 65 days away, i have plenty to accomplish. just because i haven’t blogged much about it, believe you me, nss has been on the brain for a few years now.
the national stationery show is held every year in nyc and is the trade show for the industry. this year it’s on may 19 through the 22nd… those few days is a huge investment in time, energy, and money. the show is not open to the general public. attendees are all part of the trade– buyers, suppliers, manufacturers, and press. in 4 days, you have the audience of hundreds of industry folk from all over the globe, “11,000 diverse buyers from all 50 states and 58 countries worldwide, attending to stock their shelves and assess the latest trends” –NSS website {that makes me a bit nauseous}.
as you can imagine, there is a laundry list of things to do…. from product development, booth design, press kits, show mailers, line sheets, catalogs… the list is endless. to give you a visual, robyn of meant to be sent came up with this graphic {pertaining to her business needs and booth size}:
much to do in the days ahead!!!!
before i even decided to apply for the show, i had read many blogs on people’s experiences with the show. if you’re thinking of exhibiting at the stationery show one day, there are so many people out there that are willing to share their thoughts and answer your questions. here are some blogs that i found extremely encouraging and helpful–
rebekah of wild ink press has a great recap of her 2011 show
claudia of fig 2 design has extensive blog posts on her stationery show experience
it also helps to walk the show and take tradeshow bootcamp
that’s it for now. wish me luck as i tackle my long list of to-do’s in the weeks ahead!
]]>the acclaimed martha stewart’s wedding party brought their new york show on the road and debuted in chicago this past sunday! held at the luxury radisson blu aqua and produced by martha stewart wedddings, new york’s claudia hanlin’s wedding library, and chicago’s own lovebird events, the sunday wedding showcase was stunning!
exhibitors were able to drop items off the day before. here is what i was welcomed to when i arrived on saturday, a highboy table that i requested and a business sign…
warning: not the best iphone pics
we quickly dropped off heavier items and headed back home for last-minute preparations for sunday’s event. here are some before shots of the venue…
i woke up early sunday morning and set up. thank goodness i had the help of my husband and my good friend dawn. here’s my space all set up…
before all the brides arrived, i was able to sneak a peek at the registration area…
i had great neighbors! tom of xo pictures is a fellow indie wed exhibitor and a motion picture artist!
and to the other side, seth of spin spun. hands down, the BEST cotton candy i have ever tasted in my life! he offers AWESOME gourmet flavors like lemon coconut, jolly rancher watermelon, white truffle!!! you need to book spin spun for your next party or corporate event. not kidding.
so many beautiful tablescapes…
it’s great seeing familiar faces. i ran into lynda of greenstar paperie who styled all of the paper goods for fancy candies…
the fun table of for your party…
and there was food EVERYWHERE. glasses of mimosa and champagne, sweets, passed hors d’oeuvres…
i wish i was able to take more {and better} photos, but was so busy! i met so many great people and loved talking to all of the brides and grooms. if you stopped by and said hello, thank you so much!!
as always, a huge thank you to my husband for hauling all of my stuff to and from the show, my sister for her beautiful wedding card boxes and awesome illustrations, and my friend dawn for assisting me the entire day, from setup to break down!
even with the chicago cold and rain, the folks came out!! thanks to martha stewart weddings, claudia hanlin, and lovebird events for hosting a fabulous party!
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i disappeared for a little bit there. i went straight from indie wed to another wedding show… MARTHA STEWART’S WEDDING PARTY! martha and her crew are taking their well known new york show on the road and bringing it to chicago for the very first year! there will be be expert panel speakers, breakout sessions, and me! for all of you lovely readers in the chicago area, i have a treat… i have a handful of tickets to giveaway {regularly $65/single ticket or $110/for two}!! send an email to hello@penelopespress.com or write a comment below for a complimentary ticket. hope to see you there!
diary of a nss newbie, official post #1 {121 days left}
if you aren’t already sick of me mentioning NSS {acronym for the national stationery show} you’re going to get real sick of me come may. i’m going to try my best to document my nss adventures {to help out any nss virgins thinking of taking the plunge} because this here said trade show is a big deal {“The National Stationery Show® is the world’s most comprehensive collection of social stationery and related products for gift giving and self-expression.” -NSS website}. when i’m not on mommy duty or printing a current order, every moment going forward is going to be spent thinking about, making lists for, brainstorming for, and stressing about this show. this is no joke.
here’s a little timeline to bring you up to date:
i have lists on my computer, my iphone, ipad, on paper of a bazillion things i need to think about and do for this show…
wow. breathe. i probably shouldn’t be writing this post right before i go to bed. hmmm. well, regardless of the stress, i am excited. follow along as i blog my nss journey!!!
]]>today is my baby’s second birthday. i remember that day clearly… i went to my regularly scheduled doctor visit and at to everyone’s surprise, it turned out i was going to deliver sooner than later. the doctor told me to tie up loose ends at home and head to labor and delivery. i remember leaving the doctor’s office stunned. i called up my husband and told him we were having a baby, but to first come home as quickly as he could to help me package my orders and drop them to the post office {i know, crazy. it was probably all the hormones making me a little nutty.} she was so tiny, born at only 4lbs and 3 ounces. now, 2 years later, she has a full mouth of teeth, running fast, and doesn’t stop talking! i am so blessed that i have the opportunity to run my business from home while raising my children– it’s a difficult feat, but incredibly rewarding. happiest 2nd birthday to my baby girl!
i save all of my off cuts {aka “scrap” paper”} for all of those small orders and projects {mini business cards, gift tags, etc}. it’s probably getting out of control… i have stacks and stacks of small pieces of paper, organized and bundled by size {one day i’ll have to snap a picture of my stash to show you just how out of control it is}. so, when my two girls celebrated their birthdays at a joint party this weekend, my off cuts came in handy! i used my eldest daughter’s handwriting, turned it into plates, and letterpress printed gift tags for their goodie bags. if you want to see your handwriting or your kid’s handwriting letterpress printed, let me know!
2012 was a great year for penelope’s press! here’s a quick recap of last year’s highlights…
new presses - i said goodbye to my first floor press {remember rusted and dismantled gertrude?} and hello to a new-to-me chandler and price 10×15. i also welcomed a second craftsman superior tabletop.
an assistant - in the summer, lisa joined me as ‘assistant extraordinaire’ of penelope’s press. she has helped around the studio in many different ways– everything from taking inventory, printing, assembling wedding invitations, etc. here’s lisa looking helping me setup at my first craft fair
industry events – in may i was able to attend the national stationery show {often referred to as NSS}. since the start of penelope’s press, i knew that exhibiting at the show would be a long term goal. walking the show, seeing the booth set ups up and products, and meeting industry folk was an incredible experience. i cannot wait to experience the show as an exhibitor when i debut in 2013!
i also attended the ladies of letterpress conference for the second year in a row. it’s always a great time when you’re in a room full of printers and letterpress aficionados.
business development - i was able to participate in a few classes and workshops this year to improve on and learn some new skills. i have always wanted to develop my photoshop skills and this past year i was finally able to take i heart blogshop - photoshop for bloggers. in addition to being a class participant, penelope’s press was also one of the sponsors for the chicago class and have some of penelope’s press chicago theater notecards included in the swag bag of goodies.
i also took an online modern calligraphy class with melissa esplin. the class got my feet wet with basic calligraphy techniques and experimenting with different inks and nibs.
i met katie hunt of kelp designs when i walked the stationery show. katie runs a series of workshops called tradeshow bootcamp where participants prepare for exhibiting at a large scale tradeshow. the bootcamp was intense and packed with information overload. it has really prepared me for how much work i have in store as i get ready for nss 2013.
shows and fairs - speaking of tradeshows… my application as an exhibitor was accepted for the 2013 national stationery show! i submitted my online application in late september and a few weeks later received notice that my application was accepted.
up until a few months ago penelope’s press products have only been sold online and through referrals. in october i participated in my first craft show, the diy trunk show hosted by chicago craft mafia. it was a lot of work preparing for the show- printing product, preparing my setup, printing signage- but now i am officially hooked! getting in the face of customers gives you instant feedback on the products that customer’s love and what they are looking for.
marketing - in 2012 i had my blog re-designed by the amazing lindsay nicole design {now known as hello monday} and moved over wordpress, i had a short letterpress video put together by the rad vince of stizomedia , and had my letterpress business cards featured in cake & whiskey’s launch issue– the first time penelope’s press was featured in print!
happy new year faithful blog readers! i know it has been quiet here for most of 2012, but i hope to post more this year! if you follow penelope’s press on instagram, you saw that i posted this picture on new years day…
what are your big plans for 2013? big things are brewing here at penelope’s press… our big debut at the national stationery show , our first wedding show next month, new products, creative collaborations, and so much more! 2013 will prove to be a busy year… i hope you stick around and come along for the ride! a recap + highlights of 2012 will be up on the blog soon… until then, i wish you a happy, healthy, creative 2013!
]]>just poking in to say hi. the kids’ school schedule, homework, and sports activities are kicking my butt. let’s not discuss that i’m still wading in wedding season and as soon as it’s over it will be time to gear up for the quickly approaching holiday season. gah! i say it with every prolonged absence, but i am trying. thanks to all of you loyal readers that have stuck around!
that’s neither here nor there. what really matters is that the blog has received a recent makeover! the fabulous lindsay of lindsay nicole design moved my blog from blogger to wordpress as well as gave it a new + clean look with some pops of color. i love how it turned out and it complements my e-commerce site nicely. if you need a blog designer, lindsay is your go to gal!
{forgive me if there are some quirks with the new blog platform, i’m still trying to figure out wordpress}
last weekend i went to the ladies of letterpress conference {i went last year, remember this recap and here too?} held in asheville, north carolina. {warning, this post is full of iphone pics, not the best of quality, sorry!}
as usual, the conference had some fun swag
there was informative panels and awesome speakers {from seasoned printers to retailers and legal experts} that were more than happy to share their stories, expertise, and tips
above, ladies of letterpress co-founders jessica and kseniya greeting everyone
{top photo amy of paper boat studios , rachael of pistachio press, kathryn of blackbird press middle photo susan of chirps and cheers, holly of salutations, peter of laywine's bottom photo liz of full circle press, travis of parklife press, lisa of sapling press, allison of igloo press}
oh and so many more not pictured like kyle of boxcar press and john of letterpress things
the reception and keynote were held at the nearby "venue" where abigail rorer of lone oak press gave an inspirational talk on her lifetime career in printing
this year the trade and printer's fair was twice as large as last years, from paper vendors to a showcase of wares from talented printers
headcase press {yes, that is type jewelry!}
fair trade eco handmade papers made from women in bangladesh - sustain & heal by de milo design
letterpress goodies from pistachio press, smokey road press, fly rabbit press, and greengirl press
there was a screening of proceed and be bold, a letterpress documentary on amos kennedy jr, a known name in the letterpress world, followed by a Q&A session with amos and film director laura zinger
there is amos signing some posters i bought. his posters range from bold and thought provoking to witty.
believe it or not, there was even a mixer and printer's dance party - yes, i said it. believe you me, these printers can get down!
the most invaluable part of the conference is meeting fellow printers! i met allison and daniel of ink meets paper and co-founders of the letterpress hotline {have i told you that i am volunteer for the hotline?! it's free, if you have a question, call to speak to a letterpress printer!}
and a slew of incredibly talented printers including fellow chicagoan shayna of steel petal press, julie and tyna of henry + co, and kat of gilah press
and of course in between all of the learning and mingling was a whole lot of indulging in local asheville eats
thank you ladies of letterpress for another great year... see you all next year in iowa!
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i have been having some help around the mess of envelopes and paper these days. meet lisa! she. is. awesome. she has been a huge help with everything from backing wedding invitations {that is what she is doing in the picture}, assembling wedding invitations, taking envelope inventory, computer work... and most importantly, helping me keep my sanity and chit chatting with me while we work {it is amazing how much i miss talking to an adult during the daytime hours}! tomorrow i will you show you the complete wedding suite, stay tuned!
{a big thank you to all those that participated in the oh, hello friend giveaway! there was a whopping 344 entries... congrats to jade miles for winning!}
BOB, is this case is not a name, but rather an airport code for bora bora, french polynesia. how many people get hitched in bora bora?!?! wow.
yesterday i showed you sam's letterpress proposal print to nancy. today, let me show you their luggage tag inspired save the dates. green ink, blue ink, double sided, cuts to make the luggage tag look, hole punch, eyelet, twine, and done.
congratulations nancy and sam!
in other news, did you know that penelope's press is hosting a $75 giveaway at oh, hello friend. go there now for a chance to win!
also, i know i am terrible at blogging. i am trying to do better. i am decent at social media though,
posting photos and status updates on facebook, tweeting, instagramming {search "penelopespress"}, pinning, and the like. if you have one of those, won't you join me? hope to see you there!
]]>i've known nancy since grade school. we used to write notes in a notebook and pass it back and forth in class. i still have said notebook {talk about pack rat!}. so when her then boyfriend, asked me to help come up with a letterpress print to aid in his proposal, i could not be more excited to collaborate with him! i immediately went to my ever talented illustrator {my sister!} and asked her to sketch a few drafts for me. the final cut was an illustration of nancy and sam {well, in their likeness} with an appleton, wisconsin backdrop. we used sam's own handwriting that read, "Nancy, Will you marry me? Yours, Sam" that i scanned and brought into the drawing.
nancy sent me the following photos. check out that rock! they ended up framing the proposal print! what a clever and unique way of proposing! tune in tomorrow for pictures of their save-the-dates.
