Would You Like to Buy a Vowel?

Finally! I think I’ve waited long enough for my packages to reach their destinations. Here’s my little project for this year’s paper swap with a school theme:

Ta da! I made a  letter set highlighting vowels for all of my lovely swap partners. I thought a little outside the box on the theme and I’m happy with how it turned out! Each set comes with 4 sheets (2 designs of each) and 4 envelopes. I wanted to make a set for everyone who participated, but I just didn’t have the time! All the envelopes are hand-stamped by yours truly:

It was quite an undertaking. This is only half the stack:

I used my VERY modest design skills to make the stationery. 26 letters=2 sheets 6” x 7”:

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the lines are actually made up of the letters themselves. Those are some tiny a’s!

I also hand stamped the packaging (made out of a grocery bag). One of my fav parts of the project!

I even stamped the addresses!

It was so fun! Thank you to everyone who participated. My packages are starting to trickle in and so far I’m very impressed with what I’ve gotten. Great job guys!

T-Table

Remember the Red String Secret letter set I blogged about from Wonderland Room? The designer is a Korean company called T-Table and they have an entire line of beautiful cards and mobiles.

I had a bit of a hard time tracking all of these down. Luckily, Australia is an awesome country and there’s an online shop called Pigeonhole that carries most of the line. The Merry-Go-Round card is from Upon a Fold, another amazing Australian shop I encourage you to check out. The prism card is from Lemon Tree77 and the Red String Letter Secret Letter set is from Wonderland Room.

The first five images are by DMotion. The rest of the images are by their respective owners.

Wonderland Room and Uguisu

I want everything from these two shops.

Wonderland Room:

Uguisu:

All images by their respective owners.

Paper Swap 2010

I’m very happy to announce the third annual paper swap hosted by yours truly!:) I’m doing things a little bit differently this year so please read carefully:

Spread the word! Here are a few buttons for your blog or website and feel free to take the directions and resize them as you need it. Please link back to this post, thanks!

I Have the Greatest Sister Ever!

Look what came in the mail over the weekend!

The inside is even more beautiful! I looove Jane Austen style letters! The calligraphy is so delicate:

These gorgeous hand-written and illustrated valentines have been bouncing all over the web this past month, but I’d never thought I’d get one! Thanks Phe!

By the very talented ladies of Hello Handmade Paperie.

Mini Mail

I received this letter a while back from the very talented Lea Redmond, post master of the World’s Smallest Post Office.

I know a lot of people have sent and received letters through her wonderful service, but this one was different….

Is that the world’s smallest secruity envelope?!! I might have squealed. Just a little.

So utterly adorable! I received the letter weeks ago, but was inspired to post about it today when I got an email about some of her newest projects. Just when you thought mini mail couldn’t get any cuter, here comes the World’s Smallest Package!

I want to get one just for the packaging! They’re only $10 each, so I might just order one for myself! Check out more of Lea’s work over at Leafcutter Designs.

All images by Leafcutter Designs

Telegram STOP

I love this! The only thing better than getting a letter is getting a telegram! It’s the original text message.

I also love the idea of sending them as invitations! There’s a slight discount if you buy more than two. Now I just have to come up with an event…

Ph Design Shop

I went to Houston a week or so ago and stumbled across PH design shop while I was there. What a great little store! I just wrote them a glowing review on Yelp because I thought that some of the reviews were a bit off putting and didn’t reflect the marvelous selection of great designers they have. Here’s what I bought:

Anyone who’s ever met me knows how much I love a good letter set and this set my heart a flutter. (No pun intended). Five beautifully designed sets of paper and envelopes and a nifty little box to store them in by Grady McFerrin. (Top image by Ph Design Shop, bottom image by yours truly-forgive my atrocious photography skills!)

It took much self restraint not to buy absolutely everything by Linda & Harriett including their gorgeous 2010 calendar. (Beautiful colors. Simply stunning in person). I’m also the biggest sucker for thank you cards because they’re so “practical”. (Image by Ph Design Shop).

I’ve always loved Yee-Haw Industries, but I’ve never gotten a chance to see their stuff in person. This letterpress frame is just gorgeous (I think I may have blogged about it before?) and just had to come home with me.

I have a serious crush on Mr. Boddington’s Studio and on this visit I think I converted my sister to the cult. They’re another brand that I’ve been following for some time, but have never seen their work (or their occasion cards) in person.

Last but definitely not least, I found these lovely holiday cards by Parisian based artist Nathalie Lete produced by Paper Prince. They’re are another example of paper goods I love, but can’t find anywhere on the web. It’s also precisely why I come to small boutiques like Ph Design shop.

There was more (so much more!) that I wanted to buy and blog about, but somehow I managed to only come home with the above. Suffice it to say, if they were to open a branch in the SF bay area, I’d be a regular customer!

The World’s Smallest Post Office is coming to Los Altos!

In honor of the new exhibit “It’s a Small World”, artist Lea Redmond of Leaf Cutter Designs will be bringing her World’s Smallest Post Office to the Los Altos History Museum on Saturday, December 12 from noon-4pm. Letters and cards are available at $8 each, 1000 characters max. Stop by and check it out!

Adventures in Sealing Wax Part I

I find inspiration in the oddest places. For example, I got this lovely little note from the folks behind Gocco*Boom in the 2009 paper swap:

So adorable! I’ve been sealing my letters for years, but I’d never thought of doing it this way. After some googling, I have discovered many new lovely things. Take it away flickr:

From Donovan Beeson

From Brass Paper Clip

From Wiki Li

From Meaghan Thomas

From My DIY Wedding Day

If you’re looking for more info on sealing wax or would like to start doing your own, check out Letter Seals for supplies and their blog Waxing about Wax for ideas.