New Script and Dragonflies Letterpress Stationery

These newly printed letterpress cards feature delicate and detailed dragonflies and your name printed in an elegant script font.  These cards are printed on thick white 100% cotton paper for such a delightful impression. I love the beauty of this vintage Liberty script type. Each personalized card that I print usually begins with hand setting the metal type one letter at a time and then setting it into the chase (metal frame) with wooden furniture. The images and metal type are printed separately so each card is actually printed twice on my antique printing press. 

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.

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.

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.