Smudge Ink

hustle + bustle

Kate — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:52:17 +0000

Things are positively hectic as we prepare for the National Stationery Show. The stress keeps mounting as we think to ourselves how in the world will we finish everything on time? There are press kits to mail, cards to print, furniture to assemble, the list goes on! Amidst the craziness, I decided to take a walk to clear my head and came upon a local girl’s high school softball game. I stood there for a good 20 minutes, taking in the intensity of the match up and remembering my own days on my high school field hockey team — the hustling, the strategy, the team work. Even though I am light years away from that hockey field, I am part of a different sort of team today. And as we pull together the final details for the show I am reminded that the same intensity, team work, and determination applies here — just as it does on the field. Smudge Ink is comprised of such a fun, talented, creative group of people, and it’s our collective efforts that make us an effective team. I have no doubt we will make it to New York successfully.

martha, martha, martha

Sabrina — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:08:38 +0000

The folks over at Martha Stewart Weddings are never short on creative ways to add fun, colorful details to any wedding. Like clockwork I look forward to seeing their daily emails on wedding inspiration waiting for me. This week I particularly loved the idea of surprising your bridesmaids by glamming up their bouquets with a scarf.

Oh crafty Martha, you make all of your projects look so easy and perfect! Wait, this idea actually is. I already put together a round up of my favorite bouquet + scarf pairings. Enjoy!

1: bouquet created by Nico Cevantes from The Wedding Chicks paired with red stripe scarf by Kate Spade /// 2: bouquet created by Studio Choo from Style Me Pretty paired with Gatsby scarf by Club Monaco /// 3: bouquet created by Honey and Poppies from Grey Likes Weddings paired with paisley scarf by Ralph Lauren from Barney’s /// 4: bouquet created by Poppies and Posies from Style Me Pretty paired with ditsy dog print scarf by Ted Baker

A new kind of wall

Kate — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:48:12 +0000

Last Thursday, Deb and I headed to the Cape to help build walls for our 10’ x 17’ booth at the National Stationery Show. We‘re stepping it up this year and trying an alternative to our usual foam core walls. My dad enthusiastically accepted this challenging project, so we left the studio behind for a day to help him with construction and painting. Using wood allows us to hang deep shelving and reuse the walls year after year. This translates to a better looking booth and significant cost savings (yay! and yay!). Luckily, it was a gorgeous day and we accomplished almost everything on our list. It was a nice change of pace to be outside, enjoying the fresh air and physical work. Thank you Advil, Sparrow coffee, and most importantly, Dad.

it’s a giveaway!

Sabrina — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:40:14 +0000

Wedding season is here, and we want to celebrate with a big bang!

We’re giving away 100 letterpress wedding invitation sets to one lucky winner! Each set includes the invitations and corresponding reply cards, reply envelopes, and outer + inner envelopes. You can choose from any designs out of our current Weddings by Smudge Ink collection.

To enter to win, go to our Smudge Ink Facebook page, “like” us, and leave a comment about your favorite design on the Facebook post. We’ll pick a winner at random on Tuesday, May 1st at noon. Good luck!

Fine details…

The giveaway prize is 100 letterpress-printed wedding invitation sets (includes 5 pieces: invitation, reply card, reply envelope, and outer + unprinted inner envelopes). No purchase is necessary to participate, and the giveaway is open to everybody worldwide. Giveaway closes at 11:59pm EST on April 30, 2012.

Winner will select a design out of our current wedding collection, and will have the option to customize the fonts, ink colors (maximum of 2), and paper color. This order cannot be rushed; it will take the standard time of up to 15 business days to print from time of proof approval. Prize must be redeemed by May 1, 2013.

And the lucky winner of our wedding invitations giveaway is Anna Argyridou! Thanks to everyone who entered and shared their letterpress love! The giveaway is now closed.

like rain on your wedding day

Sabrina — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:44:36 +0000

It’s nearly impossible for me not to (attempt to) sing along to Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” whenever it plays on the radio. And as with most catchy tunes, I tend to gloss over the words and let my mind wander. But is rain on your wedding day really such a terrible contradiction? For some couples, no amount of rain showers will dampen their spirit on this day. And it looks pretty wonderful.

top row: couple under yellow umbrella by Uros Cuden from Lovely / bridal party by Tinywater Photography from Ruffled /// bottom row: bride staying dry by jordan23queen via Flickr ) / underneath a rainbow from 100 Layer Cake

It’s as if the world is letting everyone know that you will be there for one another always—rain or shine. Plus have you seen the cute umbrellas out there? Bring it on, gray skies.

left to right: black and pink Marimekko umbrella from Umbrellas.net / polka dotted yellow umbrella from Barney’s / dappled teal ubrella from ModCloth / island blooms umbrella from Vera Bradley

Our favorite smudge ink birthday cards

Colleen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:10:15 +0000

Given that we’ve just launched all of our greeting cards on our online store, we thought it would be fun to ask our team to name a favorite Smudge Ink birthday card. Read on to see our favorites and learn how to enter a contest to win your top five favorite birthday cards.

Co-owner Kate’s vote goes to TTB07. This fun birthday card, in shades of coral and gray, depicts a camera and the greeting, “Smile, it’s your birthday!” Kate likes the card’s overall composition, including the colors, and its clever “smile” wordplay is sure to make any recipient say, “Cheese!”.

Our designer Stephanie and office manager April both chose TTB766 depicting a sweet little snail toting a balloon. This charming card is printed in their favorite color scheme of yellow and gray, and “it’s funny,” says April. Stephanie adds, “The thought of a teeny-tiny balloon small enough to tie around a snail makes me smile. I also enjoy the fact that sending this card to someone would be a pun in itself…good old-fashion snail mail!”

Co-owner Deb is another TTB766 fan. “It’s cute, clean, and I like the typeface,” says Deb, adding, “I also tend to move at a snail’s pace.”

Emily, our print shop manager, prefers one of our most popular birthday cards…TTB514′s “Have a Wild Birthday!” An adorable zebra, in graphic black & white and wearing a jaunty red party hat, is “eye catching,” says Emily. “He’s cute and out of the ordinary, compared to the other cards.”

Lis, our fulfillment assistant, has two favorites: TTB115′s fireflies in a jar design recaptures that joyful childhood pastime of catching lightening bugs and the wonder of summer nights. Likewise, TTB806′s image of a purple, swirly, soft-serve ice cream cone brings to mind that cold, delectable summer treat. “These have memories attached to them,” says Lis.

Custom wedding manager Sabrina likes the comedic touch of TTB809′s scuba diver and his bubbly underwater birthday greeting. “I get a chuckle out of it,” says Sabrina. She also admires the blue graphic design, particularly the lattice-like rendering of the ocean.

Meghan, our printing assistant, likes our FTB425 birthday card displaying a cute, balloon-adorned bicycle. She appreciates the smaller 4 bar size, the mix of red and purple colors, and the fact that “it’s festive and can be for any age.”

Speaking of bikes, I’m drawn to TTB246. I love vintage things, and the antique bicycle design on this card…known as a high wheeler or a “penny-farthing…” gets my vote for favorite card. I also like the affectionate jab at aging with its “Happy Birthday, old timer,” greeting. Whenever I come across this card when filling an order, I always think, “Good choice!” And then I wonder, “How the heck did they ever ride those things?”

Which smudge ink birthday card is your favorite? Browse our collection and then leave a comment below. We’ll randomly choose a lucky winner by April 18, 2012. The winner will receive one of each of their top five favorite smudge ink birthday cards. And the winners are: Megan and Susie! Thanks for your participation!

field trip: flou(-e)r

Sabrina — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:10:16 +0000

Kate and I had a chance to visit floral designer, Gregory Costa-Saint John, the other day. He owns flou(-e)r, the floral boutique which came into being after he was “encouraged” to exhibit his work at a local bridal event. Apparently, Gregory had no choice in the matter as his partner had registered him without consulting him beforehand (and good thing he did!). As soon as you walk into his studio, you know that Gregory does not gloss over the details. From the brightly painted porcelain cups dotting the walls to the emaculate workspace, we were jotting mental notes on fun and functional decor ideas for our own space. Naturally, we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the flowers and other flora, but found ourselves just as fascinated by all the containers, vases, beads, and other materials that Gregory uses in his creations. We had a great time imagining ourselves as floral designers for a day. Thanks, Gregory! Read on below to learn more about the creative mind behind flou(-e)r.

What is your current obsession?

I am currently obsessed with depth and texture. Anything that makes someone look at one of our creations more than once and absorb the true essence of what they’re seeing fascinates me. I love when I’m able to puzzle someone who say’s “how did they do that?” We have some fantastic events planned this year where we are going to be able to fascinate our brides, grooms, and their guests.

What do you do when you hit a creative block?

When I hit a creative block, I step back and look at the big picture all over again and reset the vision of the event dissecting each element of the event, including why we choose each bloom specifically. By looking at the event from an analytical and holistic prospective it allows us to be creative.

What is the best advice you can offer a bride?

The best and most important advice I can offer my brides is that if you don’t feel an emotional connection with your suppliers, run!!! Your suppliers need to able to capture your vision and be able to truly understand you and your groom; the supplier you select is going to play a major and vital part in your wedding day. Brides also need to understand that we are professionals and can offer some of the best advice possible, however, the bride and groom have to be able to trust us—that is why it is vital that they have an emotional connection upfront.

Printing with Sam

Kate — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:50:09 +0000

Last Sunday I spent most of the day at the studio showing Samantha, my teenage niece, how to print. At the ripe old age of 13 she’s quite the talented poet, so we spent our day printing three of her poems on the Vandercook. I hadn’t been on press for a while, so it felt good to exercise those muscles and share a little bit of what I know with her. Watching Sammy react to the letterpress printing process and the end result — her beautiful poems — was inspiring for me. I was reminded of the excitement and sense of possibility I felt when I first learned to print over 10 years ago. I was happy to share the process with her and hope we can do it again soon.

The poems she printed are shown below in the bottom photograph. I have to admit, I have a favorite which I have framed above my dresser at home:

The Wish
I pressed my face to the window,
recounting the many bus rides
so similar to this.
But this would be my last.
All of the things I have seen,
I come here to forget them.
I know, I only fly for a moment,
but it is worth something
more precious than my energy.

a little devi in your life

Sabrina — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Dazzling colors, ornate jewelry, grand entrances, and ceremonies steeped in tradition always make for a memorable wedding. Now let’s multiply that one hundred-fold and burst out in song and dance and you’ve got your typical South Asian wedding celebration. These lavish affairs usually take place over several days and involve a guest list the size of a small village. I can’t help but channel my inner Mira Nair and wish to be caught at one of these gorgeous events in the middle of a monsoon one day!

top row: floral garlands by The Image is Found from Style Me Pretty / sari parasols from Style Court ///
2nd row: hand jewelry by Midnight Chai from Marigolds & Mitai / henna-covered palms from Daria Bishop Photographers /// bottom row: arrival of the groom by J. Cogliandro Photography from Maharani Weddings / hanging chair by Anthropologie from BollyInStyle / holding hands from Wagner Photographics

The Devi wedding suite is inspired by such vibrant traditions, especially the beautiful henna designs that cover the bride’s hands and feet. These are painted on during the mehndi event, and the story is that the longer the henna (or mehndi) lasts, the stronger the love in a marriage.

Jour du Macaron

Sabrina — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:13:11 +0000

As if the arrival of spring wasn’t enough cause for celebration, over in Paris, it’s also le Jour du Macaron, or Macaron Day! Talk about a double whammy of goodness. Patisseries in NYC, Toronto, and London are also honoring this perfectly petite, pastel, and airy (and right amount of buttery) confection. It was only after stepping into Ladurée on a trip to Paris did I finally understand that an entire day of recognition is indeed in order. Some couples prefer cupcakes in lieu of a wedding cake, but suddenly the idea of a macaron bar sounds like a splendid idea.

top row: Ladurée macarons from La Tartine Gourmande / macaron wedding favor from Erin Jang /// bottom row: colorful macarons from Cafe Lula / pink peonies and macarons from Sparkles Macaron