Uncommon Envelope

A "Serge" of Adrenaline...

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:36:00 +0000

The merger of paper and fabric is about as hot a fantasy as I can muster.

Our friends at Sew, Mama, Sew just announced a giveaway of the AMAZING Husqvarna Viking s21 Serger. I'm not usually one to enter blog giveaways, but this one I can not resist. I NEED this serger! I have had so many ideas revolving around the marriage of my favorite fabrics and papers, but in order to make them come to life in an affordable-to-the-public fashion, I need a serger. The truth is seam finishing is just too complicated and time consuming to do on my little Singer sewing machine. This machine could inspire an entirely new revenue stream for me! Just think... letterpressed and sewn invitations, book covers, personal goods...

One letterpress project I completed recently for clients Angela and Brian of San Diego made use of the sewing machine. I was quite pleased with the outcome - so clean, semi-formal, yet maintaining that hand-crafted feel:

And then there were the baby shower invitations I put together for a good friend of mine:

And to think, this is only the BEGINNING! I think it is obvious how much farther one could take this concept with a dream serger like the HV s21. Keeping my fingers crossed, and DREAMING of all the fun serging in my future! Please, oh, please - this mama needs to sew!

Blog Feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:49:00 +0000

OK, so this one was solicited... no shame in a little self-promotion! But I couldn't help myself when I saw the call for baby announcements from Lyndsey over at The Stationery Place blog. The Paper Girl herself is pregnant with her first baby (congratulations!) and is running daily features on baby announcements. It was the perfect opportunity to share the announcement we designed for our little Naomi.

Hmmm... Speaking of babies, maybe now is a good time to announce that we are working on a little side-project of our own... Naomi is going to be a BIG SISTER! We're due with baby no.2 in September!

Unsolicited Blog Feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:12:00 +0000

This post is incredible. Seriously. Tara, you are going to make me cry... Thank you so much! Read the entire post at Pacific Bride Guide...

R.I.P. Fax Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:20:00 +0000

We're moving into the 21st century and we're taking our clients, colleagues, and vendors with us. We've officially killed our fax line so proofs, contracts, quotes, etc. will have to be delivered via email from now on. Sorry if this makes your life harder, but we're considering it tough love.

RIP fax machine, 198? - 2010

PAPYRUS

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:32:00 +0000

OK, type-o-philes... enjoy this "Open Letter to James Cameron from Papyrus" posted on Pr*tty Sh*tty.

I think I just peed myself.

A New Twitter Name. Here's why.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:02:00 +0000

Recently we were asked to relinquish our claim over our original Twitter name, Unvelope.

If you all recall, we held a little contest to name our Twitter account because the full name "UncommonEnvelope" was too long to fit the Twitter parameters of a maximum of 13 letters. After trying to think of anything that would work we settled on the handle "Unvelope" - a hybrid of the two full words in our studio name.

And here we were, gliding smoothly through building our following since July when, on December 11 (happy birthday to me) we received an email from a company on the east coast (whose name I will not mention, but you can probably figure out on your own) claiming that we were infringing on their trademark (the application for which was filed on December 10, the day before I was contacted).

This company...

Who seems to have no product and hasn't made a single sale to date...
Who seems to know nothing of trademark law (or else they would know that they are seeking a "servicemark" not a "trademark")...
Who has no website other than a splash page (but claims to be in beta, even though you need to have actual users testing your site to be in beta... I don't even think they are in alpha)...
Who has no advertising to back up their claim of having such materials (they sent links from GoDaddy.com where they registered their site as their claim to advertising! Laughable!)...
And who needs to hire an outside design firm to design a logo even though they, apparently, design e-cards....

...has been bullying me and threatening to pursue this claim legally.

After two irritatingly condescending letters from their big-shot New York law firm (who happens to have a RECENT history of being sued for Employment Discrimination and Religious Bias after the firm's managing partner apparently called one of their employees, an Orthodox Jew, "Jew Boy" - classy), we (my lawyer, my business partner, and I) all agreed that a twitter name is not worth any kind of legal hassle and costs this may bring...

Even though we are not competing in the same area of commerce...
Even though we are not offering the same product or service...
Even though we are not trying to use the name for anything other than our twitter handle...
Even though our legal counsel assured is if this went to court, our case would win, hands down.

And yes, Mr. NY Lawyer (or shall I call you "bigot"), to answer your question I DO have legal counsel but I don't need to pay them $250/hr to ask you for proof of trademark use. And it is not unethical for me to communicate with you without my lawyer until I CHOOSE to identify them. This small business girl knows a thing or two about corporate law.

So, to the oh-so technologically savvy e-card company who can not even think ahead enough to reserve a twitter name when you apparently started your business in February 09, you can have it. We know it didn't even occur to you to have a twitter account until you googled the term "unvelope" and the first dozen listings point back to our account. In fact, I don't even think you come up until page two...

Anyway, good luck. And when your not-so-original idea tanks because the market is already flooded (hallmark.com, evites.com, ecards.com, someecards.com, bluemountain.com, etc, etc, etc...) with your not-so-original idea, maybe I'll reclaim the not-so-clever name, just for the hell of it.

I wonder what Daba Designs, the creator of the actual product the UNvelope would have to say about it all. Or maybe I should order some UNvelopes and use them for some direct mail marketing. Now THAT would be something to tweet about.

PS. Now you can follow us by our new handle: UncommonStudio

Unsolicited Blog Feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Our island friend, Tara, over at Pacific Bride Guide showed us some bloggy love yesterday featuring stationery from a wedding we did a few years ago with favorite island wedding planner Pacific Aisles.

Go check it out!

And here is another stationery shot from this wedding, for a better view... gorgeous antique botanical prints of native Hawaiian plants and hand calligraphy soulfully letterpress printed on 100% cotton paper. Dreamy...

Image by Chrissy Lambert Photography

Mahalo, sistas!

WAY too much fun...

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:16:00 +0000

A printer friend of mine, kc potter de haan, gifted me with an amazing cookie cutter set from Williams-Sonoma. Being able to print your own message in a cookie? The holidays just got a WHOLE lot more fun for the adults! Needless to say I have been delivering my own brand of christmas cheer all around my neighborhood. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:08:00 +0000

ADULTS ONLY PLEASE (strong language)

Last night the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center featured a documentary on Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. called "Proceed and Be Bold" as part of it's African American Film Festival. The special part of this event? Kennedy was in the house!

Watch the trailer here.

Kennedy is an unapologetic, say it like it is, often offensive, always provocative, living the joy of his work "lowly negro printer," consciously eschewing the title of "artist." Often commenting on injustices he sees in his world as an African American man, the contradictory world of art, or absurdities he sees in politics, Kennedy is dedicated to keeping his art affordable and accessible, tangible and less-than-precious, and is content to live life happy - not confusing that with rich.

When I sat down with Kennedy for a short chat, he took one look at the posters I chose and said, "Ahhh... a girl with attitude." Best compliment ever. We talked briefly about Tacoma and I encouraged him to visit the fine printers we have down here. You can be sure the next time we are in Alabama visiting family we'll be making an overnight trip to York to visit his studio.

new additions to our home

Unsolicited Blog Feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:56:00 +0000

ADULTS ONLY PLEASE

The Trollop with a Laptop blog caught wind of our naughty XXXmas Cards and featured it in a piece she wrote about some Holiday gifts. I had a feeling that being a nice girl never gets you anywhere fast!

Thanks Alison, you're quite saucy yourself...

Our Official Stance: The Home "Letterpress" Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:18:00 +0000

OK, folks, there are some things I just can't keep my mouth shut about. The Home Letterpress Machine is one of them. All I can say is shame on you, Paper Source.

THIS IS NOT LETTERPRESS. This maybe can create letterpress-looking, or letterpress-ish, or letterpress wanna-be things, but to call this Letterpress - without any note of "not really but you can pretend" is an insult to our trade.

I'm just wondering how long it will be until Etsy is filled with stuff printed on this thing by people with no real letterpress training, no idea how to set type or imprint properly, and call it letterpress in the description or tag words, selling cards for a buck a piece and killing sales for real letterpress artists trying to earn a livable wage. Not to mention, putting the consumer at a huge disadvantage as there would be no way for them to really sort out who is printing real letterpress and who is printing fake letterpress until the purchase is made and, inevitably, the proof is in the quality.

My bet is by tomorrow. Way to go.

Daily Paper: Display Chandelier

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Have you opened up the Fall Pottery Barn catalog? If you have, and you read this blog, you may have fallen in LOVE with the same think I did... the Wakefield Chandelier. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw it - you know, the way it does when you see your new crush coming down the hallway in between 4th and 5th period...swoon...

I am totally crushing on this, and how dreamy my dining room would look with all my favorite small prints illuminated like angels above me.

Pictorial Webster's

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:40:00 +0000

This video was just posted at the Seattle Center for Book Arts blog, and I loved it so much I thought I would share it here. For those of you who don't know the history, or the heart and soul of letterpress, this is a much-watch!

Pictorial Webster's: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera on Vimeo.

via Seattle Center for Book Arts

Daily means DAILY...

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I know. Daily does not mean weekly or monthly... Daily means DAILY. But life is unpredictable with a baby in the house - especially now that our little Paper Doll (good nickname, huh?!) is cruising around, we have to have eyes on her at all times. She either has something in her hands about to go in her mouth, or is pulling herself up on another piece of furniture. This does not make for a steady work flow.

But Naomi does love paper. Envelopes, actually. Her favorite toys these days are the empty envelopes left as I open my mail. So, Naomi is today's Daily Paper.
Really, I just wanted to leave a note and let you all know that I will post the Daily Paper as often as I can, and keep calling it the Daily Paper in hopes that one day, in the soonish future, it will actually be daily again.

Daily Paper: New UE Notebooks!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Self-promotion here! Check out our new product: Letterpressed and handbound Dos-á-dos notebooks! Each side contains 24 pages - one side of blank pages for sketches and one side of graph paper for notes.

The cover is letterpressed in both sides, featuring the words "Sketches & Notes" in a variety of handset, vintage cuts and type! The cover was then scored and pamphlet stitched by me with linen bookbinder's thread.

These notebooks come in 3 different shades of blue and I have a limited number (30) available for sale. Get yours in our Etsy shop while you can!

Daily Paper: Woodnotes

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:18:00 +0000

PAPER YARN, people. Seriously. Paper Yarn. Say it again, and this time believe it. Paper yarn. I think I just died and went to heaven.

Woodnotes, a standout Finnish company, in their own words, "...designs and manufactures products and concepts inspired by paper yarn for homes and public spaces."

Gorgeous and sophisticated, and BIODEGRADABLE? You bet. I have been telling you guys how amazing and diverse paper can be. Their products range from carpets to window dressings, furniture to accessories. Woodnotes does it all, with amazing style.

I would be honored to include Woodnotes products in my home, but I'm thinking they wouldn't last too long with the 6 month old we have scooting around now. This will have to wait until our nest is empty. Bookmarked for 20 years from now...

Above, left to right: Bed Concept, Fisherman Scarf

We're back... and tweeting, too!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:49:00 +0000

Just wanted to say a quick thanks for being patient while we enjoyed a little staycation. Over the last two weeks we have had family in town and had fun playing tourist at home!

Now that we are back, I wanted to let you all know that we have officially launched our Twitter account. I am still mending my tattered ego from the lack of response to our little "Name our Twitter Account" contest (don't feel bad. really. we'll keep posting even if it feels like no one is reading). SO, we have decided on UNVELOPE . Follow us. We'll be tweeting you soon!

**UPDATE: Our Twitter name has since been changed to UncommonStudio. Why, you ask? Read here.

Kiva Loan - Najibeh

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:20:00 +0000

It's time to make a new Kiva loan! Our latest loan is to Najibeh in Lebanon. Her lender page is sparse on details, but we know she is in the paper biz so she gets our support.
Good luck, Najibeh!

Here is the info from Kiva:

Name: Najibeh
Location: Location Undisclosed, Lebanon
Primary Activity: Crafts
Loan Amount: $1,200
Repayment Term: 14 months
Loan Use: Buy a paper-packaging machine

"Najibeh is a 50-year-old married woman and mother of four children. She has been working as a home-based bag producer to help her husband satisfy the household demands. Today, Najibeh is requesting to borrow $1,200 to buy a paper-packaging machine to develop her work in order to increase her income."

Please join our Kiva Lending Team.

Daily Paper: DIY!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I thought it would be appropriate to put a post up about how you can make paper, the object of my obsession, at home. I thought about how I could do a demo, photograph it, etc... but then I thought that I need not go through all that when someone like B_Zedan has done this already in such a marvelous way on Flickr! You must check out this tutorial photostream, including all the helpful instructions in the captions.

I'll be in my lair petting my own piles paper. GO MAKE YOUR OWN!

Daily Paper: Etsuko Ichikawa

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Oh, Etsuko, your work lights my fire.

Before meeting Etsuko Ichikawa (yes, this internationally acclaimed artist resides in Seattle and learned the art of letterpress where I print) I had never heard of the word PYROGRAPH:

The word, the way it sounds, its definition, and all the creative ideas that come spilling in when considering this "medium" intrigue me to no end. And then you see Etsuko's work, DEAI, and it all goes out the window because she just can not be outdone. Etsuko's pyrographs, created with hot glass and rolls of paper, are flowing, free form, illicit contradictory thoughts of water, not fire.

Check Etsuko's website for exhibition listing updates and when you see her work is coming to your town, light a fire under your butt to go see. It is not to miss.

Name our twitter account and we'll send you a tweet treat

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:28:00 +0000

It's time, folks, to start a dedicated twitter account for Uncommon Envelope. The trouble is that we have not been clever enough to come up with a memorable name within the twitter parameters. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Make a Twitter username suggestion for Uncommon Envelope in the comments below that fit in the following guidelines and we'll send you a substantial freebie in appreciation!

The username must be:

available
15 characters or less
cool enough for us to like it and choose to use it!

Thanks for your help! We are looking forward to hearing all your clever suggestions.

Daily Paper: Vintage Stamps

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:21:00 +0000

What better time to talk about the art of the US mint than 4th of July weekend?! It may be cliche at this point but I still love the look of a handful of vintage stamps plastering an envelope or postcard in lieu of a shiny new stamp (the new Love stamp might be the except to this sentiment).

Clockwise from top left: 1974 Continental Congress, 1958 Statue of Liberty, 1960 Credo, 1952 Service Women
(all currently available and courtesy of SeaJay Stamp & Coin)

You may ask, "can you actually use vintage stamps?" The answer is YES, as long as they are not already canceled. The value is the same as what is printed on the stamp.

Be prepared to spend a little more on postage. Vintage comes with a price, and that price is called "Catalog Value." Just remember that your stamp selection becomes a major component to your design. If you love the look of vintage stamps, just think of the extra expense as design-related, not mailing related.
This may seem obvious, but the value of the stamp as you are putting it through the USPS system is the same as the value printed on the stamp. They don't care that you may have paid more than face value.
Be prepared to remain flexible. You'll need to mix and match stamps and your selections will all depend on what is available at any given moment. It is quite possible to put together a collection of stamps that fit a color theme and/or topic theme. The fun is finding the best mix!

Here are places you can find vintage stamps:

Ebay. Of course. My favorite stamp shop on Ebay is SeaJay Stamp & Coin
Check the schedule of Stamp Shows in your area

If you become a serious stamper, you'll want to order the latest Postal Service Guide to US Stamps so you can see full size images of the stamps and reference their catalog numbers when working with stamp dealers.

Happy hunting! I feel a new (admittedly dorky) obsession coming on!

Oh, and have a beautiful and safe 4th of July weekend...

NY Times Article

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:48:00 +0000

I wanted to share this with you all:

The New York times ran this lovely article yesterday and I so related to many of the thoughts brought forth by other paper lovers. I, too, have a massive stationery "wardrobe" and when writing a note to a friend, client, or vendor I think long and hard about exactly which piece of stationery most suits their style and the sentiments I am trying to relay. I also do everything short of keeping a journal to take care to not send the same paper and envelope to the same person twice, and if I have it was a mistake...

Some would call this outdated, obsessive, or formal. I call it the reason I do what I do for a living. I not only love stationery, but I believe in hand-written correspondence as the ultimate way to show someone exactly how you feel about them, whether you are sending a thank you, an invitation, or just a postcard. And when I think of how often I receive half-hearted emails instead of a written note when appropriate, I am sad. A stamp costs 44¢ (for now) and you can find that hiding in your couch.

The article also touched on some technical aspects of what goes into fine, hand-crafted stationery. You wonder why custom stationery feels so special, or why it might be "expensive?" It is because in reality it is not REALLY stationery. Each piece is an individual work of art, hand crafted with love and attention to every little detail so it best represents who my clients are. I sincerely love what I do and I put hours of hand work into my orders. When you look at it that way, is it really expensive?

I encourage you to read the article to learn more...

Daily Paper: Colleen Baran

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

A girl can only hope to find one of these rings waiting inside a pretty little box for her anniversary or Valentine's Day or Birthday... (hint, hint). CUSTOMIZABLE love notes hidden within jewelry. OH, yum. These designs by Colleen Baran are unforgettable. If there are any men at all out there reading this blog, please keep these in mind for the ladies in your life. She'll know you're a keeper if you surprise her with one of these.

Daily Paper: Noriko Yamaguchi

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

When I find an amazing artist I have never come across before, I get butterflies. This is what happened when I found Noriko Yamaguchi. PAPER. BASED. INSTALLATIONS. I am really interested in the shadow play that happens when you light the pieces.
And if you love the work so much you wish you could wear it, you can. I just haven't figured out where to get the brooches. When I do, I will update this link. In the meantime, dream up the outfits they could adorn.