Thursday, December 27, 2012

Hello Makana Gifts Anytime of the Year

Hello Makana offers monthly curated, made in Hawaii items.
Makana recently launched their online shop offering unique curated made-in-Hawaii goodies.

Delivered to you with aloha, owners Wei Fang and Kina Mahi feature locally crafted items that will delight you. Experience a taste of Hawaii with Makana's gift boxes.

Thank you to Makana for your support of local artisans, small businesses and family-operated companies. I am honored to have my Aloha Letterpress stationery included in your wonderful offerings.

January Baby Treasury

Luscious collection of items curated by Darcy. Check out Splurge, her Etsy shop.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Mele Kalikimaka! These are some of the fabulous items I've found, all created by Hawaii artisans. To see these items and shops , go to Mele Kalikimaka! Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Aloha Letterpress Black Friday, Cyber Monday Specials

Aloha Letterpress Black Friday and Cyber Monday Specials at my Etsy shop!  Enter coupon code MELE2012 for a 10% discount when you purchase 2 or more sets of letterpress printed stationery (Set of 20 cards each).

Holiday cards or personalized stationery with a wonderful variety for everyone on your list!

Special discount runs from Friday to Monday (Nov.23-26).

www.alohaletterpress.etsy.com

Monday, October 15, 2012

Letterpress Holiday Cards Santa's Ornament

Fun and festive Santa's ornament and Season's Greeting.
In these delightful letterpress holiday cards, Santa's pointed finger holds a bright red ornament with Season's Greetings.

Printed in deep berry red on plush white 100% cotton paper for your cheerful and merry holiday wishes.  May be customized with your name. Now available at my Aloha Letterpress shop.



Personalized Holiday Letterpress Greeting Cards Sweet Pine

You can almost smell the sweet fragrance of pine with these new personalized holiday letterpress cards. Printed on thick snowy white 100% cotton paper. It evokes such a serene and peaceful feeling.

These beautiful cards are perfect for sharing your warm holiday wishes with friends and family.  70 more days till Christmas!

Holiday Letterpress Greeting Cards

The holidays are around the corner and these newly printed holiday letterpress cards are filled with fun and delight!  The first holiday greeting card features two jolly Santas and enchanting tropical ornaments. Wish others a Mele Kalikimaka or Merry Christmas with these festive cards!

This second set of letterpress holiday cards has a vintage appeal with fine engraved details of Santa carrying a Christmas tree adorned with bright candles.  With a Ho Ho Ho, Santa seems to be walking on a blanket of white snow.

Both sets may also be personalized with names.
Oh, what fun it is!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Aloha Letterpress New Personalized Stationery Pikake or Jasmine Blossoms

Delicate Pikake or Jasmine blossoms are blind debossed (inkless impression) in this set of newly printed letterpress personalized stationery. Hand illustrated and printed on plush 100% cotton cover weight paper. Pikake blossoms are often strung into lei for special occasions or tucked into the hair for a fragrance that perfumes the air.

Princess Kaiulani named these precious flowers after the lovely peacocks in her gardens. If you're ever in a room with someone who is wearing a lei of pikake, you will smell its sweet, intoxicating fragrance.
I especially love the double pikake with its many clustered pearl white petals. Pikake or jasmine blossoms usually are white or yellow, but who says you can't have some luscious tangerine colored ones?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Sharing Pure Aloha

Pure Aloha Oath cards were custom printed on plush
double thick cotton cover stock.
Yearning for some cool deliciousness?

Sharing their Pure Aloha, Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha offers such delectable, homemade shave ice with such tantalizing flavors like mango, coconut, strawberry, pineapple, green tea, lilikoi and so much more. Everything is all natural with no artificial ingredients.

Next time you're craving a refreshing treat, head on down to Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha. And don't forget to take their Pure Aloha Oath and share your aloha!



Saturday, August 25, 2012

Lovely Ginkgo Letterpress Stationery

Lovely Ginkgo letterpress stationery now available at my Aloha Letterpress shop in beautiful tangerine tango or honey gold hues. These new letterpress printed Ginkgo cards have the delightful appearance of fine engraving and create a wonderful impression that is a pleasure to see and touch.

In the East, the ginkgo tree represents long life, resilience, hope and peace. It is said that the Chinese will often plant a ginkgo when a baby is born for a long and healthy life.  A few ginkgo trees survived the Hiroshima atomic blast in 1945 and still exist today, a testament to their resilience and a symbol of hope and peace.

They are a hardy species that existed millions of years ago are are known as living fossils. When visiting Japan one summer, I loved seeing beautiful ginkgo trees flourishing along the sidewalks with their golden yellow leaves fluttering in the breeze.

Personalized Letterpress Billy Buttons Stationery

Personalized Letterpress Billy Buttons Stationery are hot off the old printing press and brimming with honey gold sweetness!  Hand illustrated and printed on thick white 100% cotton paper. I love how these Billy Buttons are so bright and sunny like globes of sunshine.

Billy Buttons are known as Craspedia and are native to Australia and New Zealand. It would be so lovely to have a garden with these delightful blossoms! I'll have to check and see if I can find any seeds in our local garden shops.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Zooper Baby Shower Letterpress Invitations

Delightful baby shower invitations in 1 or 2 colors.
What Zooper fun to celebrate a baby shower with these new letterpress printed invitations!

A whimsical giraffe greets your invited guests to join in the celebration. Just add your personal information. Hosts will add their email or phone number on the RSVP or Host line.

These cards are now offered in my Aloha Letterpress shop with two color or one color options.  Ships in 1-2 days after the order is placed.

Customized baby shower invitations with your specific information are also available here.

Customized Letterpress Stationery Golden Yellow Poppies

Golden yellow poppies will add some sunshine to your
correspondence. 
Hello, Sunshine!
These personalized letterpress cards of golden yellow poppies will add such warmth to your letter writing! The detailed engraved appearance of these flowers add to its vintage charm and appeal.

Nothing is so special as giving and receiving a hand written note. I like email, but how wonderful it is to open my mailbox and find a special card from friends and family.

Pick up that pen and share your sunny thoughts!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

New Personalized Letterpress Stationery Hawaiian Palm Fronds

Palm leaves sway in the breeze. Newly printed personalized
letterpress stationery in a cool, breezy ocean blue.
Hot off the old printing press!

In this personalized letterpress stationery set,   ocean blue palm fronds dance with the cool Hawaiian breeze. Hand illustrated and printed with aloha on plush white 100% cotton paper for a lovely impression.

Can you picture yourself sunning at the beach, watching the ocean waves frolic as the palm leaves sway?

Share your warmth and aloha with these delightful personalized letterpress stationery.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Letterpress wedding invitations, Tying the knot

Jen and Rob's wedding invitations.
Jen and Rob are a lovely couple who wanted a customized set of wedding invitations for their special wedding. They chose their own fonts, color, prepared their text, and we worked together to create their beautiful and charming invitations.

There are many online wedding sites that provide your family, relatives, friends, and guests to RSVP and to obtain more specific details about the bride and groom's wedding.

This is a wonderful alternative to traditional wedding invitations, allowing the couple to inform and update their guests.

The cards were letterpress printed on plush white 100    percent cotton paper with a slight texture. Jen and Rob added the finishing touches with their oh-so-adorable photographs and tied the knot with thick brown and white baker's twine.

It was such a pleasure to work with Jen and Rob to create their customized wedding invites.  Best wishes to Jen and Rob!

Please contact me at my Aloha Letterpress Etsy shop for your customized letterpress stationery.

Fresh new colors for leafy Aloha Letterpress stationery

Personalized letterpress stationery with your name and leafy
ornamental borders in aqua blue and tangerine orange.
Time for some refreshing new colors with these personalized letterpress cards. I love the cool aqua blue and deep tangerine orange with these leafy ornamental borders and personalized names. The first prints I made were in a purple plum and I had been meaning to print some different colors. A lovely client's request finally brought about these sets in delicious hues.

To create these cards, I first hand set the metal type for the names into the chase (metal frame) with wooden furniture. Then I also set the individual leafy metal ornaments into another chase. I hand mix a combination of inks to create the aqua blue and the tangerine orange inks.

After placing some aqua blue ink onto the ink
disk, I ink the rollers. I have a Chandler Price
press with a treadle, and as I press the treadle,
the rollers glide over the ink disk until the rollers are covered with the ink. Then I lock the chase with the leafy ornaments into the press. After doing some test prints, I then print each card, placing one card at a time onto the platen. After the leafy border is printed, I remove the card and continue to feed another card until all of the cards are printed. I then remove the chase with the ornaments and proceed to print the name, again one card at a time, measuring and making adjustments for the centering of the name.

Once the aqua blue set is finished, I must clean the press rollers, the ink plate, the leafy metal
ornaments,  removing all of the aqua blue ink. The whole process is repeated for the next set with the tangerine orange stationery. Letterpress printing takes time and it can be rather meditative and soothing once I am in rhythm with my press. Each time I use my antique printing presses, I am awed by the craftsmanship of these marvelous printing presses. They are not as quick as printing with a computer and printer, but the effect is one that you must see and hold in your hands to appreciate the lovely tactile impression of images and words on plush cotton paper.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Aloha Letterpress Gift at the Bright Side Project

A sunny, warm aloha Friday to you!
My Aloha Letterpress stationery is being featured at the Bright Side Project  this week. Visit and  comment by Thursday, June 28 and you might win a set of your very own personalized letterpress printed stationery!  Have a sunny day!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Oh, Baby! Customized Letterpress Baby Shower Invitations

Customized letterpress printed Baby Shower Invitations with a ZOOPER message!  For a very special customized touch, your baby shower invitations can be printed in two inked colors of your preference and your own text. Please contact me through my Aloha Letterpress Etsy shop for more information.

Two letterpress plates were used for these cards, one for the text and one for the adorable giraffe, bear and lion.
I print each card twice, once for the text and then again for the images.  Inks are specially hand mixed to the colors of your choice. My antique Chandler Price printing press creates a lovely impression of text and images for a deliciously delightful invitation that you can see, feel and touch. Each card is hand printed one card at a time on plush white 100% cotton paper with cover stock weight and a slight texture.  I had such fun designing and printing these baby shower invites!


Saturday, May 5, 2012

Newly Printed Personalized Letterpress Cards for Spring

Spring is in  the air!                              Hot off the printing press, these personalized letterpress cards feature delicate cherry blossoms that add such charm to your letter writing. Printed in a pretty pink on cloud white 100% cotton paper.  

The lavender blossoms are also blooming with their lovely scent and delightful purple hues. Say hello to spring! Now available at my Aloha Letterpress shop.

Hawaii is usually known for its hibiscus, plumeria, pikake, lehua, but it is also home to many other pretty blossoms. Way up in Kula,
Alii Lavender Farm features many varieties of beautiful lavender gardens. Walking among the lavender, you can smell their sweet fragrance and feel the brisk upcountry air.   You can also enjoy some tea and lavender scones or arrange for a garden picnic.


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Fresh Golden Green Bamboo Leaves Personalized Letterpress Stationery

Hand illustrated and newly printed, these golden green bamboo leaves are delicate and fresh. You can almost see them swaying in the breeze.

I love the gracefulness of bamboo leaves and when hiking in bamboo forests, the soft rustling of the leaves are like a sweet lullaby, so calm and soothing.



On a visit to Japan, I enjoyed seeing how they used every part of the bamboo. The sheaths of the bamboo are used as beautiful natural wrappings for gifts.

The stalk is used to create flutes and handmade art as well as natural water fountains, and woven into baskets and other creative work. Tender bamboo shoots, takenoko, are also eaten and savored.

The photo to the right shows the Japanese creativity in using the natural beauty of the bamboo sheaths as a wrapper. The top photo is real bamboo sheath; the bottom is a reproduction and looks so real. ( From Japan's pingmag. Sadly, this wonderful site is not currently being updated).

New Personalized Letterpress Hawaiian Kalo Leaves

Newly created and letterpress printed Hawaiian kalo or taro leaves. 
These newly printed personalized letterpress cards feature Hawaii's treasured kalo or taro leaves. Considered to be the staple of life, kalo played a vital role in the Native Hawaiian's kumulipo, creation story. For more than a thousand years, kalo has been cultivated to make poi, a staple of the Native Hawaiian diet. It was also used as medicine, dye for kapa, adhesive, and bait for fish.

Today, kalo continues to be grown and cherished by many who live in the islands for its sustenance and rich cultural heritage.

Monday, March 26, 2012

New Cherry Blossom Personalized Letterpress Stationery

Celebrating the centennial of Tokyo's gift to Washington D.C. in 1912, the United States postal service has just recently issued this beautiful new pair of cherry blossom stamps. To honor the friendship between Japan and the United States, 3,000 cherry blossom trees was given to Washington, D.C. These new stamps are lovely and together, they feature a canopy of beautiful cherry blossoms above the tidal basin.

Newly printed, these fuschia pink letterpress printed cards feature a lovely border of cherry blossoms and your name. Using my 1900s' Chandler Price printing press, I print each card on plush white cotton paper one card at a time. It comes with matching pink envelopes. How wonderful to add a special touch by stamping it with the Cherry Blossom Tree Centennial stamps!


Friday, March 16, 2012

Personalized Marigold Stationery in Tangerine Tango

Newly printed personalized marigold letterpress stationery in warm tangerine tango! A trio of charming marigolds will brighten your day. The fine details in these lovely flowers and your name are printed on plush, bright white 100% cotton paper for a great impression that you can see and touch. Hmm, perhaps sunny yellow marigolds would also look lovely. What do you think?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Personalized Lace Letterpress Cards

These personalized lace debossed letterpress printed cards are delicate and detailed. They're wonderful for everyday correspondence and are also perfect for lovely wedding thank you notes. They come in either a creamy Ecru or White-- all 100% cotton cover weight paper. Printed on plush cotton paper, there's a delightful impression of lace and names.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Sweet Valentine Letterpress Printed Cards


Newly printed letterpress cards to share your love with friends, family, and those special people in your life. My love for you grows every day features a blossoming flower created with a lovely script and deep red hearts. Bee my honey highlights three charming bees buzzing with love. Each card is printed several times for the different colors. Printed on plush white 100 percent cotton rag paper for an impression you can see and touch. These cards would be wonderful to send with your caring thoughts and to include with your special Valentine gifts. Now available at my shop.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

i love you letterpress cards


Love is in the air! Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. Express your love to your special someone, friends and family. These cards are listed in my Aloha Letterpress shop as well as a variety of personalized stationery.