Introducing: Paper to Petal

Happy Halloween, pals!

Hope this post finds you all cozied up indoors today - eating soup, reading books, scarfing Halloween-sized snickers bars, burning candles, knitting away... maybe recuperating from the excitement of the World Series game last night?! You know, all those lovely fall things. We're working away here at the shop restocking shelves with loveliness for the coming weekend and I couldn't be more jazzed to FINALLY announce the arrival of Paper to Petal to our store shelves.

For any of you who don't know me, I am a paper flower-making fiend and I find this book to be such a lovely, vibrant, fresh new look at paper craft and floral design. It's clever and punchy and makes you want to get right down to business on some paper buds!

Composed by the husband & wife duo THUSS & FARRELL, this book is an aesthetically brilliant look into the construction of 75 different paper flower designs (along with a few other very sweet party decor projects) and gives all sorts of tips and guidelines about the best materials to use and how to treat white papers to make the perfect colors for your preference!

I'm smitten (big surprise) and hope you all will be too.

As an added bonus, we'll be carrying beautiful, brightly colored crepe paper at Gus & Ruby Letterpress this holiday season too, so that you can really build out your craft space with all the materials recommended by the pros themselves (OR supply a very lucky someone with the book and the goods to get their own paper-flower-party on!)

Feel free to check out this super fun promo video Thuss & Farrell did up to get everyone jazzed about Paper to Petal's launch: http://vimeo.com/69809455 and keep in mind that this lovely book will likely be a quick seller for us this season!

Thanks for the listen and get on with your bad grilled-cheese-and-cauliflower-soup eating selves today!

xoxo Lizzy

Our 2012 Holiday Card

I can't believe it is almost the end of October and the holidays are just around the corner! We have been busy little elves at the shop placing orders, planning window and in-store displays and brainstorming for our holiday card. Each year we design something special to send to our families, close friends and wedding and stationery vendors as a way to say thank you for another year of support and encouragement. We are hard at work on this year's card so I thought I'd take a minute to share what we did last year.

As a team we decided we wanted to create something that could be used (rather than just hung on the fridge) and could bring our recipients joy throughout the season and since our customers always love the paper flower wreaths we make and hang in the store, we thought this would be the perfect "gift". So we set out to make several dozen green paper wreaths and of course letterpress printed a card to go with it. They were mailed in cardboard boxes with custom shipping labels and fun washi tape accents!

Enjoy these last few weeks of quiet before things get nutty! We hope to see you around the shop soon.

Thanks to Christina Wnek Photography for the beautiful photos!

Peg & Awl lovin'

Happy Friday Everyone!

Hope that everyone made it through the week alright - I know that it flew by for me and was very busy! And this cool, windy fall weather that to me is the epitome of New England has certainly settled in, hasn't it?

I'm writing to update you on a little retail re-stock that I'm so thrilled about!

We started carrying Peg & Awl products last winter and needless to say we were smitten from the very beginning by their clean, simple, utilitarian aesthetic, and the little letterpress tags they use to identify each product they make simply pushed me over the edge when I first saw them! Everything is so carefully thought through with their line - it's well edited and has been a wonderful addition to our stationery-stocked shelves.

My current obsession are their accessories made from salvaged wood. It certainly doesn't hurt too, that if you want to know where the wood that was used for your beautiful office "tool caddy" (below) came from, they'll let you know - right on that pretty little letterpress tag. I am secretly (well, not so secret now!) wishing that I'll get one of these beauties for Christmas this year!

Aren't they so beautiful and perfectly simple?

Their hand-cut garden stakes are a great gift for anyone with a green thumb, too. Bundled with natural twine and an oil-based pencil, you're in business with these the minute you step into the cool, dark soil of your herb garden.

And the oiled canvas pouches... I mean, seriously? They're the perfect colors and so versatile - and STURDY! Perfect for a change purse or pencil case, these lovelies are such a nice fit for the craft-person in your life who likes versatility and longstanding relationships with their accessories!

I also must admit that I am intrigued by the kickstarter project that Margaux (the lovely lady who makes up 1/2 of the duo behind Peg & Awl) just launched.
You may want to check out: Take Your Time Loving Me.

Having had what feels now like a pretty substantially life altering year this past, I have spent a great deal of time considering my worth to my family and friends and community, and have questioned many times what this big world is all about and how my contribution to it matters. Margaux's perspective on her role as a mother and the natural progression of that relationship between herself and her children does resonate with me in a way... and as a creative person myself, I hope for her that she gets the opportunity to see this project through!

Sorry to get deep there for a minute, pals! We are so lucky to work with such talented and authentic makers that I figure it's worth sharing a little bit of the behind-the-scenes when it comes to this amazing artisan crafted company! Expect to hear lots more about all sorts of new hand-made vendors we'll be carrying this holiday season in the coming weeks, too.

That's that for tonight though! Much more this weekend -

Take care of each other and be well <3 nbsp="" p="">Lizzy

The Finishing Touch: Envelope Calligraphy

Everyone knows that, oftentimes, the magic is in the details. For me, one of those magical details in wedding stationery is envelope calligraphy. As both the finishing touch on an invitation suite and the first peek for your guests, I just can't speak highly enough about how this seemingly small detail can take an invitation from gorgeous to stunning. Given that the addressing on an envelope is truly the first thing a guest will see, calligraphy can really set the tone for the entire suite and event. And, the personal touch of hand addressing your invitations goes far to convey care for each and every one of your cherished guest.

While many of you may think calligraphy has to be formal or stuffy, I want to remind you that, these days, there is no shortage of variety in calligraphy styles. From classic and romantic to funky and fun, there are lettering styles to suit every party and every budget.

We're happy to make sure that our brides and grooms get connected with the right calligraphers (and we work with quite a few!) early on in the process to ensure availability, smooth timing and help with all the bits and pieces (including infusing calligraphy into other elements like the invitation design and wedding-day pieces).

For your viewing pleasure, a few samples from some of our favorite lettering-pros. 

 (Above images: Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy)

(Above images: Love, Jenna Calligraphy) 

(Above images: Kelle McCarter of DesignsGirl)

 (Above images: Debi Zeinert of The Blooming Quill)

(Above images: Grace Edmands)

(Above images: Lindsay Letters)

(Above images: Neither Snow Calligraphy)

Retail Love...

Hey gang!
Happy Friday!

Can you believe how gorgeous the weather is here in the Seacoast today? What lucky ducks we are that we get the good sunshine all weekend, too! I'm sure you're all geared up for something fun this weekend, right? For me it's going to be pumpkin carving, and seeing all of your lovely faces in the shop... oh and some pretty window display work in between. Doesn't get much better than that.

We have so much to update you on on the retail front!

Calendars are in and flying off the shelves, lickity-split. Here's my personal favorite - the beautiful hand-painted quilt-pattern-inspired design from 1 Canoe 2. This little diddy is a perfect size (9x12" to be exact) and has such a beautiful color palette. Perfect to brighten up your kitchen or home office, and not too much of a commitment in terms of space.

Isn't it a gem?

We have lots of other calendar loveliness in the shop too. Be sure to check out our calendar image gallery on Facebook to find your favorite and feel free to be in touch with an email order at hello(at)gusandruby.com for the calendar of your choice if you don't live locally. We can ship a calendar or two your way, no problemo!

Halloween cards are also out on the wall these days. I'm crossing my fingers this good weather holds for trick-or-treaters in a couple of weeks (need I remind you of the crazy snow storm we had a couple of years ago!). Does anyone have fun costume ideas this year? I can never get over the great ideas that the lovely miss. jordan dreams up on Oh Happy Day!

That's it for now pals, but expect to be hearing a lot more from the shop-side of things in the coming weeks. The holidays is just around the corner, after all!

Be well and happy weekend!
xo Lizzy

Sweet savings on custom Smock holiday cards!

I know it's hard to believe, what with these crisp autumn days and weekends of apple picking and leaf peeping, but the Holidays are fast approaching! So, all you fabulous planners who are already on top of their holiday to-do list will be trilled to know that store-favorite, Smock, is offering an incredible promotion on their gorgeous custom holiday cards.

Order now through December 10th and you'll receive $50 OFF your custom holiday card order. Pretty great, right?

As if that's not enough, Smock is now offering digital printing as an embellishment option to their incredible letterpress and foil stamped designs. So, it's now possible to have that adorable holiday photo printed right on the card with your message letterpress or foil stamped on top. Of course, all the designs are customizable (change shape, change fonts, change colors, add or remove photos, etc.) so we can craft the perfect holiday card for each and every style and vision.

We're so excited to be able to offer these gorgeous cards and know you'll fall in love with them, too. Take a peek at just a few of the designs and then come on by to check them out yourself!

(All photos courtesy of Smock)