cards Archives - Try Handmade

Ring bling

November 20, 2020 by Erika Jurney 2 Comments

jessi taylor: i make a lot of things, but what really gets me going is when i can make a PILE of something… collaged cards, oatmeal cookies, sterling silver rings set with typewriter buttons… then i like to lay them all out and gloat over my hoard!! i hope some of you share my love of piles, and that maybe you have a pile of pretty things already…

everything you see here is handmade, individually, and that means that no two things are ever exactly the same, and nothing is “perfect”. i love that!

Letterpress Light

November 6, 2020 by Valerie Williams 6 Comments

Heather Noss is just like so many of us creative types from the DC area…she used to work for the government, and found her job quite rewarding and enjoyable. But there was definitely something missing…stimulus for the creative side of her brain, which was just not getting the attention it deserved in the office environment.

Luckily for Heather, and for all of us who love pretty printed things, she found the missing link in the form of handcrafted paper goods. Like many of us, she was drawn to the letterpress technique for it’s touchable surface and classic, handcrafted appeal.

But she wasn’t happy with the traditional process, which is subject to certain limitations. For example, most letterpress equipment only allows for one color to be printed at a time. This significantly increases the cost of multi colored designs.

Rather than just make do, Heather developed an entirely new printing method!
Instead of the traditional letterpress process, Heather presses un-inked photopolymer plates over regular, flat-printed prints. She makes the photopolymer plates herself from her own designs. The process is exclusive to Letterpress Light, and is known as the Compression Plate Process ™.

This process creates impressions that are extra deep and ultra-textured, and designs that can use an unlimited number of colors.

Heather and her customers alike are thrilled with the results. Her goal is to create paper goods that are beautiful and memorable keepsakes, and feedback from customers indicates that’s exactly what she does with every order!

Letterpress Light produces a wide variety of paper goods. The list includes wedding invitation sets (invitation and RSVP cards with return-addressed envelopes), party invitations, place cards, announcements, holiday cards, thank you cards, business cards, and more.

She even has an artisan card subscription service, where subscribers receive two cards every month in new designs created exclusively for subscribers.

Heather draws her inspiration from the unique needs of her clients, and therefore loves to do custom work. She can customize any of the designs available in her shop, or create something from scratch just for you and your special event.

You can see Heather’s portfolio and begin a custom request on her web site, and see what designs she has currently available in her online shop.

Transpo note cards

September 8, 2020 by Erika Jurney 4 Comments

$21 from InkSpot Workshop.

Handmade Hellos

August 15, 2020 by Erika Jurney 2 Comments

Handmade Hellos: Fresh Greeting Card Projects from First-Rate Crafters
“Signed sealed delivered! In this delightful book card-making mavens Eunice and Sabrina Moyle of Hello!Lucky letterpress gather together more than 25 projects from today’s most talented paper artists. Simple instructions outline card- and envelope-folding basics plus how to screen print use a Print Gocco machine hand-bind emboss stamp stencil and much more. Ready-to-use patterns and spiral binding ease the process while easy-to-follow directions cute illustrations and finished project photos make it a cinch to create stacks of boutique-worthy greeting cards.” → more info

A Little Bird Told Me…

August 9, 2020 by Sarah Simpson 8 Comments

Nothing reminds you that Spring is here better than the little birds chirping away outside of your window.

Bird motifs are everywhere in fashion and home decor right now. They represent many different things in many different cultures such as: joy, happiness, luck, love, and freedom. The bookends pictured above, made by graphicspaceswood, are handcrafted in their family’s wood shop and are just one of several different adorable woodland creature products that they create. Each of their products is laser cut and assembled from a mixture of different types of wood to create a layered and modern look. Perfect for a nursery or children’s room or to add a little charm to a bookshelf anywhere in your home.

As I’m sure you know, it is very common for different areas in your home to accumulate a mixture of loose papers such as mail, appointment cards, to-do lists, etc. Add a small memo board to your space and force yourself to rummage through your pile to only hold onto the important pieces and pin them to the board. The clutter will cause you stress every time you walk by…so lose the trash and clear your mind! The burlap message board above is the perfect size to hang in any area of your home where you tend to collect papers. Find this and many other bird and vintage inspired home decor in the shop of nextdoortoheaven.

I came across this delightful and functional little project sack for our readers out there who love to knit and/or crochet! Handmade in Europe from all natural linen, KnitterBag carries all different sizes of these lovely project bags as well as wristlet pouches, and needle organizers to keep all of your supplies neat and organized. The owl bag shown above even comes complete with pockets for your knitting needles…could it get any more cute?