Are you ready?  Of course you are!  We had so much fun last summer exchanging creative, artsy pieces of mail with random surprises inside.  (Here’s your evidence.)  I for one am ready to do it again.  Here are the new “rules.” Short and sweet:

• Rule #1: No theme.  Do whatever you want.
• Rule #2: It must be more handmade than not.
• Rule #3: Enclose a surprise in the envelope that complements your design and tells us why and how you made it.
• Rule #4: Envelopes must be postmarked by May 1st. (You can sign up until February 17, and lists will be distributed by February 20.)
• Rule #5: You’ve gotta BRING IT!  Last time we had some people that went WAY above and beyond – I liked that.  Someone wove envelopes.  Someone else quilted them.  Another one made paper and then turned the paper into an envelope.   It blew me away.  I know a lot of you who are participating again were wanting to step it up. I welcome this!

***If this is your first time participating, please read this.  It contains more info on what on earth The Elevated Envelope even is, and expands on all the rules above.***

What’s in it for you?

Checking the mail will be fun again. You can experiment with new media you’ve been meaning to try. It’s satisfying. You’ll make new friends. They’ll inspire you. You’ll get out of your own head and not only finish something, but literally SEND IT OUT into the world. And you’ll be glad you did.

Oh and there will be prizes this time!  But I’ll detail those another day…

Whatcha waiting for?  Sign up now!

***If you are one of the 52 people who already signed up by updating your Ephemera Mailing List profile, then thank you! No need to complete another form.  I’ve already got you down, and have sent you another message requesting more info. (Go check your email!)***

-Tara

This was my winter-weather walk from the house to the studio yesterday, and there’s supposedly more coming today and tomorrow.  Since snow is so handy for covering up flaws, I took the opportunity to snap a couple of sneak peek photos of the studio progress.  Still a ton to do, but it’s shaping up. (At least compared to the gross before – check it out if you dare…)

This is a really fun one – the “before” blog post didn’t include a picture of the carriage door interior with the flames painted on them.  I think they’re hilarious, so I kind of want to preserve a little of it rather than painting over the whole thing.  If anyone has ideas for me, please comment here – I’m all ears!

I have a ton of goals for this year – a big one is to finish sprucing up the studio so I can (finally!) invite clients to visit, do open houses, and events here once in awhile.  But first? Lots to print…

Happy New Year!
Tara

PS. Before I forget, Ephemera has started doing business stationery, and it’s 15% off in January.  So if you’ve been thinking of getting letterpress business cards or thank you notes, click here!

PPS. Oh another thing!  I am gearing up for The Elevated Envelope Redux.  One way to sign up is this way, but you don’t have to subscribe to the mailing list to participate – I’ll have details for those folks soon – so stay tuned here, or on Facebook or Twitter.

(I did one extra in blue there for a great friend.)

These were very easy and almost free to make – but they were time consuming, and there was definite trial and error.  And numb fingers!  In case you want to make these your own, here’s what I did:

• I used an Xacto knife to cut the snowflake shapes out of colored paper.  I ended up just doing them freehand (so they look a little … um … quirky), but you could draw or print your design directly on the paper so you have a good guide.
• Then I slipped the papercut inside a home-made glassine envelope.
• I wrapped the prize contents in white paper and set it behind the papercut.
• Finally, I tossed some hexgonal glitter / confetti inside.  I thought it looked crystalline and snowflake-y.

They didn’t come out exactly as I had planned, but the main goal (that whisper-soft look) did work.  I’m definitely inspired to try more papercutting in 2012.  You should too!

If you’d like a shot at winning next month’s elevated prize envelope, hand-made and stuffed with letterpress surprises, all you have to do is be on our eNews list. Click!

–Tara

ps.  Thanks to Thalia Troianou and Ashley Delaney for the papercut inspiration this summer, and to Amy Garten for the extra hexagon glitter.

pps. Did you know you can buy giant sheets of glassine paper at Daniel Smith here in Seattle? ($0.61 for a huge sheet.)

Alix and Brandon had engagement photos taken by Anna Page Photography (in Wisconsin).  They had this fun idea to fake some old-fashioned photo booth strips, and crop things so that Alix was walking into Brandon’s frame with Brandon.  I thought it was so clever!

We adhered the photos with washi tape, which was a perfect choice since Alix is half Japanese, and adores the Japanese aesthetic.  Alix asked me to design a letterpress card for these photos that was clean and organic, yet incorporated the chrysanthemums and succulents that will be at her reception next August.  Kind of a tall order – but we made it work by sticking with a monochromatic look, and lightening the ink so it was nice and subtle.  The type floats in the lower right corner and balances out the design overall.  The couple’s names are highlighted in my calligraphy – I love this script – my own creation – kind of upright and angular.  I think it looks particularly good in all lower-case like this.

The finishing touches were coordinating gray envelopes, a matching letterpress wrap-around return address label, and hand-lettered guest addresses in white ink.  Alix and Brandon also got super-simple thank you cards.

I can’t wait to start on the invitations with them in a couple of months…  More on this design in 2012!

–Tara

PS. If you’re getting married in 2012 too, and are starting your search for letterpress wedding stationery, you should know that Ephemera is offering $100 off your project when you book before the end of the year.  It’s so easy to get started: Just complete our Custom Inquiry Form to give us an idea of what you need.  I will reply to you within a couple of business days with a comprehensive custom proposal and complete details about the offer, and we’ll go from there.

HA! Subliminal much?  My own mailbox needs a makeover (much like everything else).  I wonder what I’ll do to it when I get that far.  Any ideas?

–Tara

PS. Did you hear about our Black Friday Sale? It starts Thanksgiving Day and goes through Monday night. Click here for full details.  If you’d like to know about these things via email (plus a shot at winning our monthly prize), sign up here.  Thanks!  See you on the other side of Turkey Day…

Ok?

Ok.

I asked both winners what they had been up to, and learned that Brienne (one of my former wedding customers) had recently been to South Africa to visit her husband’s family there.  She sent me a link to some fabulous photos of their safari adventure.  It looks so fun!  I’ve had my beloved cat (Henry!) for about a year and a half now, and I’m a completely converted animal lover now.  Every animal I see reminds me of him in some way.  So I loved the idea of going with her safari adventure for the envelope design.

And that’s how I ended up making these:

The envelopes are about 7×9″, and home-made out of kraft paper.  I used walnut ink to paint the scene, and then added some spray paint to make it look a bit less contrast-y and more faded.  Then I added glitter, but I feel like I shouldn’t have.  Then I added the address, and wasn’t at all crazy about how that came out. Blah blah blah.  Imperfect this, not quite right that.  I certainly wasn’t going to start over.  A finished thing is a good thing, remember?

I have to say… I’m so happy I decided to do this prize envelope drawing every month.  It gets me trying new things I’ve never done before (like painting), and so what if it wasn’t 100% what I intended, I’m learning something new, and it leads me to the next thing I want to try.  It’s making me better.  I also really dig the idea of making something that’s not going to sit in a drawer, or in a pile to be framed (I have a huge pile already!).  There’s something karmic about mailing something beautiful that you worked hard on to someone. It’s thoughtful. Ask Dave – I had this huge dorky grin when I finally dropped it in the mailbox.

Oh and the prize:

I think these prizes will get better, but chocolate, coffee, and stationery? That’ll do!

Our November winner is Tess Shumaker, and I already know what I’m going to make for her…  Should be really fun – something I’ve always wanted to try.  I’m actually going to make 2 of them, so I’ll be ready for my December winner when I pick her/him SOON!  Want a shot at it winning it?  Here’s how you enter.

I can’t wait to see how this endeavor evolves!  I am actually challenging myself to only give Festivus presents that will fit into an envelope (elevated, of course).  And wouldn’t it be interesting to pick your 10 favorite people and “elevate” the envelopes of the holiday greetings you’re sending out?  What do you think – will you do it? (And are you on the list?!?)

–Tara

Happy Halloween!

Today I thought we’d take a terrifying trip down memory lane… First up – that “Boo!” calligraphy above is from the very first Copperplate class I ever took.  I want to say I was going for a creepy Halloween look, but that may well be the best I could muster at the time.  (I can’t remember.) If you’ve been thinking about taking up calligraphy, you definitely should.  I have improved a LOT since writing this.  In fact, I’m working on something that will allow you to purposefully dip your toes in the ink (to see what you think).  Coming in January!

In other (big) news, Dave and I have been doing a lot of fixing up of my letterpress studio.  I think by January I might feel like it’s actually “client-ready.”  Maybe even before.  I’m not sure.  It’s such a weird feeling to show people my space and have it be something I’m actually proud of.  I’m still getting comfortable with the idea.  I might do a little end-of-year open house for some industry colleagues to test the waters.

So, in the spirit of Halloween (and transparency) (and openness) (and excitement), I am going to show you some really disgusting pictures of what the studio looked like when we first bought the place.  And when I say disgusting, I mean disGUSting. Horrifying.  Vomit-inducing. Very, “I saw something nasty in the woodshed.”

Are you ready?

Here we have the exterior. First of all, you should know that I really dislike the color red.  So there’s that.  Then there’s the lovely dead van parked outside, and the fact that the roof looks more like the ground.

See???

Oh but then there’s the dark, dank, dusty, dilapidated interior.  All kinds of hunting stuff, auto painting stuff, tool-y stuff, chemical stuff.

Here’s one from after the previous owners had moved everything out.  “Everything” is apparently subjective.  Anyway, did you know you can use a ratty old sleeping bag in place of a window?  No?  THAT’S BECAUSE YOU CAN’T.  Doesn’t work at all.

And last – but most definitely not least – the door.  THE DOOR.  There has never been a more rotted, peeling, dirty, cob-webby artifact.  I’m ashamed to admit that this door is actually still on the building.  But there is a shiny new fiberglass one sitting inside, ready to be installed on Friday.

Who wants to come over for a post-Halloween bonfire?
–Tara

snug as a bug in a rug, i tell you

Almost 2 years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Seattle photographer, Rebecca Ellison (aka: Becca) at a business planning workshop for wedding professionals (The Simple Plan – highly recommended!).  We became “business planning buddies.” (And thank goodness, because I like it when people just tell me what I should do… Thanks, Becca!)  She is a very talented photographer, and the first person that comes to mind when I’m recommending a photographer to a bride I’ve just met, or to someone needing family photos.  One of these days she’s going to take some proper head shots for me.  So far I’ve been camera shy…

I’m not sure if today’s little launch started as her idea or mine, but it doesn’t matter – we’re ready to unveil our first collaborative effort:

Ephemera and Rebecca Ellison Photography have teamed up to offer some pretty adorable photo + letterpress birth announcements and holiday cards!  The design is called “snug” because the hand-lettered wording fits snugly together as shown.  The photographs in this post showcase the announcement we did for Becca’s first child, Lincoln (now 6 months old).

Becca was looking to offer something better than bland template birth announcements to her clients booking newborn sessions. Plus, she was pregnant at the time and wanted something more special and permanent to announce her own little guy’s arrival. Your new baby is such a huge change in your life!  You will want to mark and preserve the occasion with professional custom photography and an announcement you can feel proud of.  Our Snug design is sure to make an impact, and will be framed over and over again.

I truly believe family photography is one of the best investments you can make, and I’m very proud to be working with one of the best on this project!

On a purely selfish note, this nested design is really fun for me to make.  I turn up my music, get out my old fashioned dip pen and break every calligraphy rule I can!  Since every message is different, each design will be a bit unique.  I’ve been playing around, and there are countless ways to design this cute little block of text:

sample holiday announcement

What are the details, you ask?

Step one:

Book a Snug Signature Session with Rebecca Ellison Photography, which features a custom-styled shoot at your home, both indoors and outdoors, or an alternate location if you prefer. Between 35-40 portraits featuring detailed, artistic processing of each image will be presented to you in a private online slideshow for sharing with friends and family; a custom online ordering gallery or complimentary portrait design appointment.

A Signature Session booked with the addition of a Snug letterpress order is $175 (within Seattle city limits, additional charge for travel outside of Seattle), which is $25 off the regular price!

Step two:

Tell Becca you want to add a Snug letterpress card order to your Signature session for a whopping 25% off of the regular price!

Prices start at $367 for 50 1-color cards (regularly $485).  You can add extra colors, more cards, and even a return address stamp to match.  For the complete 411, view the  Snug Birth Announcement Info Sheet  or Snug Holiday Card Info Sheet.

Time is of the essence:

For the best holiday card turnaround, schedule your photo session so it occurs before 11/21/2011. 

Birth announcements can be ordered at any time.

Introductory Special:

To sweeten the deal, Becca is offering a complimentary 4×6 sized digital file* with your Snug order. That way you have the printing rights to your absolute favorite image forever!  Hurry though, as only the first 10 sessions will be eligible, and this extra offer expires 12/1/2011.

*The 4×6 image must be the same image as you chose for your Snug letterpress card.

Ready to order?

Awesome! The first step is to book that photo session ASAP. Just email Becca at rebecca@rebeccaellison.com.  Then she and I will take care of the rest!

So what do you think?  Have you been meaning to get some photos taken, too?  This seems like a pretty good time to do it

Sincerely,
Tara

PS. If you are not local and can’t use Becca’s services, or if you already have a favorite snapshot that would look perfect with the Snug text design, just click here to order from our online shop. We can also create wedding invitations, save-the-dates, and so on with a similar look – with or without a photo.  Click!

PLUS! We draw one lucky person from our list every month to win a gorgeous, hand-lettered, “elevated envelope” in the mail, full of interesting surprises.

In fact, we recently sent out our first one.  Holly Johnston is one of Ephemera’s wedding customers from a few years ago, and she was the winner of our August drawing.  I asked her what was new, and found out she was expecting her first baby – a girl to be named Mercer.  Here’s what she won:

Mercer had been born by the time I sent it, so I’m sure Holly and her husband are knee deep in laundry – that was the inspiration for the envelope design – a clothesline full of baby stuff.  Unfortunately, I had to smudge out the address for privacy.  I also neglected to get a photo of all the stationery I crammed into it, but it was a nice mix of things from Ephemera, and a few of my favorite designers.  The spoons were from Say What Creations on Etsy.

Would you like to win a postal surprise like this in the mail?  All you have to do to enter is subscribe to our mailing list (and stay on it!).  We’ll draw one winner every month, and he/she will receive a customized prize envelope curated just for them.  Since I missed September, I’m drawing both the September and October winners right now.  Ready?  The winners are…

Brienne Wright and Barbara Eastman!

Hey, next month it could be you…

-Tara

PS: Welcome, Mercer!

Teresa is an elementary school art teacher in Kremmling, Colorado.  This is her envelope:

The snow globe depicts a summer scene instead of the usual winter one  The globe part is actually a piece of the envelope front cut out, with a piece of acetate in its place.  She then enclosed an original watercolor painting depicting a mountain lake scene.  There’s even a Rocky Mountain Columbine blossom (Colorado’s state flower).

On the back she wrote:

Summertime in the Rockies

Greetings from Kremmling, Colorado.

Living at an altitude of 7364 ft.,
the summer is so short here…

I wish we could…

Bottle it.
Savor it.
Cherish it.

Put it in a snow globe to enjoy on one of those cold days!

Isn’t that clever?  That’s what struck me the most about this one – the cleverness of it.  I liked the economy of words (something I need help with!).  I liked the time Teresa dedicated to the project – it must have taken quite a while to paint 9-10 of these.  I think I also picked it because we just got back from a trip crossing the Rockies – we didn’t get to Colorado, but we visited Montana and Wyoming.  The summer there is indeed spectacular.

I wasn’t very scientific about it, I just went with my gut feeling.

So what on earth did Teresa win?

Eeek!

Teresa, I’m going to make you some custom letterpress-printed stationery inspired by your envelope design!  I’ll email you to find out what kind of wording you would like on it, but beyond that, it’s going to be a bit of a surprise.  I’m not really sure myself what it will look like. It will arrive right before the end of the year – by then your mountain lake will be frozen over.  I have a few ideas…

Congrats, and thank you for your enthusiastic participation!
-Tara

PS. So what do you think of this winning envelope?