a family affair: part paper
June 25, 2010 | 2 comments
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending (as a bridesmaid) the wedding of this beautiful couple:
Mary (the bride) just happens to be my cousin- and these are the invites we came up with for their special day:
2 color invitation on 110# Lettra:
This double sided rsvp postcard was printed on a coaster stock to give it a bit of extra weight for mailing:
2 color reception card printed on 110# Lettra:
My sister Maureen makes up half of the dynamic duo Domestic Construction, who were responsible for all of the decorations. Here’s a little peak of some of them going up (that ladder was HIGH!):
Every bit of this wedding was thought out and personalized by a family member or friend of the bride and groom. We had the chance to spend a week together getting everything ready; how rare that is in our adult lives, how perfect it made this day.
I’ll spare you my poorly lit shots (or those borrowed from Facebook); stay tuned for a family affair: part decor (and photos from the professionals)!
sneak peak
May 25, 2010 | 1 comment
I can’t wait to show the whole thing… So happy with this one!
wedding sneak peak
May 17, 2010 | no comments
Here is a sneak peak of a 2 color wedding suite I recently finished up… I cannot wait to show you the full set and all that is to come for this Cleveland June wedding. Domestic Construction will be doing the decorating for the reception; prepare yourself. And don’t forget to check out their new website!
show me what you’re working with pt. 2
May 5, 2010 | no comments
Danni over at oh, hello friend dedicated an entire week of blogging to letterpress printers and studios. She was nice enough to do a little write up about Cleanwash Letterpress. My plan was to wait until my studio was spotless and organized to take and post photos. Then letterpress week came up, and I stopped kidding myself. Here it is, as clean as it gets…
My 1913 12×18 Chandler & Price (we were both born in Cleveland, OH):
I cannot even begin to express what a challenge this speed control was in the beginning (luckily I worked with an amazing electrician):
The perfectly colored challenge paper cutter:
Lifesaver of a platemaker:
Imposing stone/galley/ furniture cabinet (I am convinced that this is the most beautiful one ever made):
My giant work table and fabric covered corner:
got your mood on?
April 22, 2010 | 2 comments
A few months ago I was approached by a client to design Bar Mitzvah invitations for her son. She was looking for a bold text and color with a bit of a weathered “rock and roll” look. This is what we came up with: a 2 color invitation, rsvp postcard, and thank you note, complete with a custom envelope liner. No small task, but it was a fun one!
{ street address removed for privacy }
happy st. patrick’s day
March 17, 2010 | 7 comments
No green beer for me today- but I’m okay with that. Instead I worked happily in my office… I feel extremely lucky to have found this building and my current landlords. They have given me free reign to paint walls, rip up carpet, and hang wallpaper and fabric on the walls (you’ll see what I mean when I get around to showing you my studio). These spaces truly feel like mine; I have been able to color and fill them with all of the weird things that I love (snail lamps, owls, silhouettes, bright red pigs). I would never get away with this at my apartment…
The plaid wallpaper has been sitting in the corner of my room for longer than I can remember; it is one of those things that I loved so much I didn’t want to use it. Having just seen a few minutes of the show Hoarders, I scared myself into hanging the wallpaper and then went off to pick out a green paint to match. Then came the chalkboard paint (I love chalkboard paint- it may be my only hope of staying organized.).
This office was an afterthought that I didn’t have until a few months after I moved the presses into my studio. It kept getting more and more crowded, and as soon as I realized I needed more space, this one opened up. Because I didn’t think I needed this space, no money was put aside to decorate it. Luckily, I was able to find nearly everything in the room at thrift stores (cheap and full of character- just the way I like it!) and only spent real money on paint and shelving.
Still a work in progress, but it’s mine.
cleanwash business cards
March 15, 2010 | 6 comments
Curious & Company helped me freshen up my logo a bit and gave me a few options for business cards. There were two designs that I really love and want to print; this is the first (and simplest) of the two. I printed them on an extra thick, 4 ply museum board, which gave me plenty of room to get a good impression on the backside. They have an amazing texture to them. Many people ask: “why letterpress?”. This is a great example…
i've loved you a long time.
February 25, 2010 | 5 comments
A few months ago I found myself deep in the hollow that so many fall into during their mid- late twenties (post college, a couple of jobs later; I should have my life figured out, shouldn’t I?!). I started to realize quite a bit, mainly: I was in the wrong place doing the right thing. Now what? After a lot of thinking and worrying, I decided to climb out of the rut (in sort of a big way); thus the official beginning of Cleanwash Letterpress. I am short, and the walls were high; luckily I’ve had a lot of help:
Friends in Cleveland, Savannah, New York, Philadelphia (and wherever else you may have ended up) who have given me your opinion, asked questions, shown enthusiasm…
Domestic Construction and Curious & Company. To anyone reading this, do yourself a favor and keep an eye on them!
My boyfriend Chris who has done much of the high reaching and heavy lifting to get my studio and office in order (most of the time) without complaint. He has been incredibly patient with my impatience over these months- sometimes I forget to tell him that.
Chris, Maureen, Bobby, Billy, Jackie, grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins…
My dad who has taught me the value of hard work and honesty; who has been so generous and supportive; who I have recently begun to appreciate even more for his endless experience and advice on life and business.
My mother; wherever she is.
Thank you, thank you to you all:
The past six months of my life have been an exciting and stressful adventure. I am excited for all that is to come. There is a lot to catch up on, photos to take, people and presses to introduce. Stay with me.
