Stationery Show Recap

Hello lovelies!  I hope you had a relaxing and BBQ-filled holiday weekend. Whit and I are home and back in the swing of things here at the shop/press after a whirlwind and wonderful trip to NYC for the National Stationery Show last week.  It's hard to believe that this was our 4th year attending the show; the old adage holds true for us: time flies when you're having fun.

We had a blast strolling the aisles of the Javits Center and feasting our eyes on all the incredible paper goodies that vendors new and old brought out to display.  Our tried and true favorites like Smock, Bella Figura, Chewing the Cud, Rifle Paper, Blue Barnhouse, Mr. Boddington's Studio and Divine Twine (to name just a very few) all had gorgeous new goodies, but a few brand-newby lines really stood out for us this year:

Seed House
Perhaps the freshest and most charming new line we picked up is is Seed House Stationers.  This darling 2-man (err...man and woman!) shop is run by a super duper talented hubby and wifey team (the brainiacs behind Forage Bow Ties, too!)  And, while this new line may be little, but dang is it full of BIG ideas.  A few of our favorite goodies:

 Flower press to save your favorite flora finds from the seasons!
(above photo courtesy of Design*Sponge)

 Extra-thick and super luxurious "specimen cards" to use in the hand-press.

 A fabulous alternative to the traditional guest book, these "The Key to a Brilliant/Marvelous Marriage" cards can be left for guests to fill out for the happy newlyweds. 

And, perhaps my favorite new item, Stationery Scent!  We scooped up 4 delicious varieties of scent so you can spritz your love letters before sending them off to your one and only.  Pretty amazing, right?

Belle & Union
Started by a sweet Southern belle, Meg, as a creative outlet for all her big ideas, this new foodie-focused line had us melting.  We adored the bold graphics, fun colors and, well, deliciousness of just about everything this Georgia-based line had to offer.

Hi, Meg!! Such a cute booth! 

 Oh, you know, just butter and pickle wrapping paper.  No big deal. 

Adorbs tea-towels in the cutest little berry-baskets. 

Simplesong Design
We've been longtime fans of the custom work done by this incredible letterpress shop - run by the ridiculously talented designer and printer Suann and based out of Alexandria, Virginia.  So, when Simplesong debuted a new wholesale line at the show this year, we just couldn't wait to see what they had dreamed up.  And they didn't disappoint!  The clean, classic design and gorgeous typesetting makes us just giddy.  And, guess what, we found some amazing stick-on wax seals for all you letter-writing-loves who've been asking for them.  Hooray!

(Photo above courtesy of Simplesong)

 

Wild Ink Press

Whit and I have been following designer Rebekah's progress for some time now and were jazzed to see what she'd produced for this year's show (and to see her rad booth - as Whit noted in this previous post). We just loved her cheeky "3 Things" line of cards, her foodie sense and the adorable kiddo birthday party invites & thank you notes.  

 Pretty funny "3 Things" cards. 

 

Any card with the phrase "Heritage Turkey" is a winner in my book.

I see some pretty happy princesses and tractor-drivers in our future! :)

(several images above courtesy of Wild Ink Press)

So, there you have it - a tiny snippet of our time at the show. We found SO many amazing new goodies, picked up 2 new invitation lines (full blog posts on those coming soon) and got to catch up with some of the best in the biz.  Products will be arriving throughout the next few months, so stop by to see what's new!

Memorial Day Weekend

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Hope you're all gearing up for an AWESOME long weekend! It's so good to have the gals back from New York, although we are all already back to the busy bustle around the shop and Whit's cranking at the press. We keep asking ourselves where in gosh darn heck the month of May went. Do you guys have any idea? If so, please tell May we'd like it to come back to us. PRON.TO. TON.TO and LICKITY SPLIT!

I don't have any major plans for Monday, which is the best kind of plan to have in my humblest of opinions. But I wanted to make sure you all knew that it's not just me who won't be having plans on Monday. Sam and Whit and Laura-loo will also be away from the shop, maybe sipping lemonade with their pups and hopefully enjoying some sunshine (with proper the sun guard and floppy hats, of course.)

So that's that pals, we'll be closed for Memorial Day. I hope that you all have a chance to sit back and relax on Monday. Spend time with family and friends. Take it easy. And most importantly, I hope that you have the chance to take some time and contemplate what the day means to you (outside of how delicious food tastes off the grill). There are a lot of really, incredible people out there - all over the world and also right here in our local communities - who serve and have served our country to keep us all safe. I am amazed, daily, by the sacrifice they make for us and as frustrated as I often feel about the present tone in American politics, I can't help but feel so incredibly fortunate for the rights and freedoms that so many men and women out there work tirelessly to uphold. I hope that Monday you have the opportunity to free your mind of all the knitty-gritty that life serves up, and spend a moment or two in silence being thankful for all that we do have, and for all of the people who have fought and died for us.

Happy Memorial Day weekend pals, lots of love and thoughts to you and your families, and see you around at Gus & Ruby soon, soon, soon!!
xo Lizzy

Oh, and P.S. we will be back next week with some seriously awesome updates on new goods that will be popping up in the shop over the course of the summer. The show was INCREDIBLE and we are so impressed, as always, with the caliber of work that all of our favorite companies manage to dream up. You guys will be seriously struck too, just wait! xo

New York City bound!

Happy Saturday, friends! Samantha and I are SO excited to be headed to NYC tomorrow for the National Stationery Show! It's hard to believe this will be our 4th trip to the show and I think I am more excited to go than ever before. We have been busy bees here at the shop designing and printing gorgeous wedding invitations (hence the lack of blog posting - sorry!) so this little break from our normal work day will be refreshing. It is so inspiring to walk the aisles of the Javitz center and see booth after booth of incredible designs and beautiful printing. As letterpress and screen printing have really made a comeback over the last few years it seems there are more and more small artisan companies exhibiting at the show and less of the mass-produced, China-made products.

The NSS only happens once a year so we have a lot to cram in our little 4-day adventure. In addition to shopping for the store, which consists of placing orders with our current vendors as well as scoping out new companies to carry, we will also be on the lookout for new wedding invitation albums and we'll spend a lot of time visiting with our current designers whose albums we carry now. It's so much fun to see all of the new designs and offerings - from the sneak peeks we've seen online I have a feeling we are going to be blown away!

One of the best parts about attending the show is receiving ridiculously awesome invitations in the mail. I thought it would be fun to share a few of our favorites:

 {totally stoked for Fig. 2 Design - neon gift wrap? yes please!}

{Sugar Paper's designs are classic and beautiful but usually a little more expensive than we feel comfortable with at the shop - I'm sure we'll spend time trying to decide if this is the year to try them out!}

{Sister companies Smock & Bella Figura sent out these gorgeous letterpress + foil invitations!}

 

{Dauphine Press, one of our favorite wedding invitation vendors will be launching new foil options!}

 

 {Alee & Press, current invitation vendor & my design idol, is debuting a retail line! I'm anticipating this launch to be the biggest buzz at the show. Amanda will be offering boxed note sets, greeting cards, calendars and note books! She's pretty darn talented so I can only imagine how beautiful these pieces will be.}

{Anemone Letterpress debuted last year with several other companies in a shared, large booth. This year she is standing alone and I am eager to see how she'll present herself!}

{We received this adorable card, reminiscent of old seed packets, from a new company called Seed House. No idea what they will be offering but we are so smitten with the design that we will surely swing by their booth!}

Alright, sorry to go on and on! Be sure to check out our Facebook page regularly over the next few days as we'll be posting pics of new finds and favorite booths as we walk the show! I'm going to leave you with a couple of process photos from this DIY Ombré booth by Wild Ink Press! Isn't this amazing? How cool would that look in a kid's room? Forget that, I'd like to do this to my office!

 {Jealous yet? Photos courtesy of Wild Ink Press}

The store will be open normal hours and Lizzy will be here to ensure your proofs arrive to your inbox safely and orders are placed. We'll be back Thursday - enjoy this gorgeous weather!

calling all custies! calling all custies!

Afternoon pals!

Just a quick reminder that if you haven't stopped in to grab yours, the best of our Mother's Day card selection is going quick! We just got a last little pick-me-up order from Rifle Paper Co. and Eggpress - but after those are gone, you're going to be in the hand-made mother's day card business, people!

Not that that's the worst business to be in.
We love being in the card business...
But, I just wasn't sure that you'd be interested in changing careers at the present moment ;)

Just kidding pals - you know we'll always take care of you in the greeting card department, come hell or high water!

We also have lots of lovely little gifties for you to give to Mama Bear to show her just how much you love & appreciate her...

Like these beau-ti-ful foil stamped notebooks we just got in from you know who...

And my all-time-favorite, hand-printed tea towels from Miss. Claudia...

Or maybe a bright new Pantone mug for her to sip her coffee in.
She could also make minute-microwave Rice Krispie treats in on of these mugs...
I haven't told you about those?!! Oh geez, I can't hold out now...
Take 1 large mallow and a handful of krispies - or your favorite dry cereal - and pop in a mug.
Zap them suckers for 15 seconds or so and mix... done and done!
Dangerous, right?!

And of course we can wrap all the goodies up for you with some bright, lovely patterned gift wrap!

So will you please come see us, before it's too late?!
Great!
Talk to you later.
And if you want to bring some mallows along, and dry cereal, the gals here at the shop would appreciate it very much. We might even make a batch of treats to share... I mean, you are the one supplying the ingredients after all!

Lots of love to you and all the Mamas out there who we love and aspire to be like, someday!
:) Lizzy

Please meet Laura!

Happy Monday, paper hounds! Today, I have a very important introduction to make: I am so super happy to introduce Laura, our newest addition to the Gus & Ruby gang!! Laura is joining us as a Wedding Invitation Consultant and will be delighting brides and grooms and party-planning-people with her exceptional creativity, eye for detail and project management skills. She's a blast and a half, uber talented and knows just how to translate a client's vision into paper reality. We know you will love her; we do! 

So, with no further ado, please meet Laura (in her own words):

Born and raised on a small family apple farm in New Hampshire, I fell in love with all the natural beauty and small town feel New England had to offer. Little did I know I would be spending over ten years away from my home: After graduating with my BS in Psychology with a Minor in Religious Studies from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York (Hi, Canada!), I headed out west to join the cowboys and bison in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. If you ever want to feel like you’re a tiny little ant in this world, visit the Teton National Park - it’s the most beautiful and awe-inspiring place I’ve ever been. After a stint out west working on a ranch (and picking up the most adorable black lab pup named Lilly), I hopped a plane to Jersey where I spent the next seven years working in publishing, learning the proper way to say words like “capicola” and “prosciutto,” falling in love with NYC, and making a life with my adorable boyfriend (now husband).  Realizing my heart had really never left New England, I began my quest to move up north, setting my sights on the lovely little town of Portsmouth. I stumbled upon Gus & Ruby Letterpress and instantly loved everything they were about: Good and happy design, supporting local artisans, loving pups and loving life.  I promised myself that I would one day work amongst those crazy talented gals. A couple years later, they had some openings and I had my chance! It’s been such a whirlwind moving to my dream town and having the chance to work at my dream company. I’m fairly convinced if the world ever falls apart, the Gus & Ruby gals can put it back together, one beautiful piece of paper tied with bakers twine at a time. I still can’t believe this is my life and that each day I get to come into Gus & Ruby and leave inspired by all the amazing work this team creates. I can’t wait to soak up all the pretty and add some flair to amazing projects in the future. Until then, I plan on spoiling the gals with some homemade goodies from my farm, smelling the salt air on my way to work, and diving into my new life on the seacoast. 

xo, 

Laura  

(Photo courtesy of Amanda Perkins Photography)

Promotions: Dauphine Press & Spark!

Hey pals, guess what? I have more awesome promotions to tell you about today! All of our fabulous vendors go above and beyond in so many ways (most importantly in their design, printing and customer service) to provide us with incredible products all the time. So, when they double down with awesomeness in the form of a promotion, we're just so grateful to be able to have one more thing to share with you lovelies. And, double down they do! Here are a few new wedding invitation promotions to tell you about:

Dauphine Press "Spring is in full swing!" Promotion

The Deal:
Buy 100 or more wedding elements (save the dates, invitations, response cards, menus, etc.) and
receive 30 FREE!

The Fine Print:
Cannot be applied to orders already in progress; available on Custom Wedding Portfolio orders; envelope liners and embellishments not included.  Order 100 invitations and you'll receive 130.
Offers valid through May 31, 2012.

Spark Save the Date or Wedding-Day Promotion

The Deal:

Order Save the Dates or Wedding Day Pieces (programs, menus, table cards, place cards, coasters, thank you notes & envelopes, gift tags) and receive 10% OFF your order! 

The Fine Print:

This offer is valid with purchase of at least two printed pieces with a minimum of 75 qty.  Discount will be applied to printed pieces only.  Not valid with other Spark discounts or special promotions or any orders in progress.
Offer ends July 31, 2012.

We're pretty excited about both of these promotions and hope you are, too.  Call or email to set up an appointment soon to discuss your paper passions. We'll be sure you get in on these extra fab specials :)