IN THE STUDIO // S A L E !

I am offering customers 10% off of my customizable letterpress holiday photo cards through November 6th, 2011. These cards are letterpress printed on 100% cotton card stock with choice of color, font and greeting and include white envelopes and self-adhesive, beveled photo corners. Check out the entire selection here.

Wouldn't these make a great engagement announcement or first-Holiday-as-a-married-couple card? Letterpress is a wonderful match for the artful photography that couples get for their engagements and weddings. Those photos are so special, couples want to share them and a luscious letterpress holiday card is a great way to honor the beauty of such a special time in their life together.

I have also had a number of people use these as a combination baby announcement/holiday card. At such a busy yet exciting time it is a great idea to send one card for both occasions.

These cards are especially nice for two reasons: first, they're letterpress. In a sea of canned photo cards it is so lovely to pull a hand printed piece of cotton paper out of an envelope. It's the best way to express warm wishes, I think. Secondly, and more practically (especially for engagement/wedding and baby photos), the photo is removable for use past the holidays. No more holiday cards stuck on the refrigerator taking up too much space, just the photo. And in the case of the reverse mounted cards the photos are frame size. The sender is not only sending a card but a small photo gift.

To get this great deal order at my etsy shop and then use the coupon code FACEBOOK. If you need larger quantities than what is there feel free to contact me at amy{at}armatodesign{dot}com.

Photo mounted on reverse of card.

Wallet size photo mounted on front of card.

IN THE STUDIO // BABY GIRL BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

We just finished printing this birth announcement for the newest member of the Pearson family. It is letterpress printed on 100% cotton paper in pale pink ink and comes with 4 old fashioned looking {but adhesive backed} photo corners per card so a full size picture can be mounted on the back of the piece. This way the photo can be removed for framing and there is no writing or additional design on it, just the sweet, little new face. Go to our Etsy shop for more information.

The photo above is the piece on press. Notice the inked photopolymer printing plate in the background as well as the rollers and ink plate. The photo below was taken right after the plate was set up with the right impression. It's printed with no ink, just pressure. Nice.

INSPIRATION FILE // HANDMADE HEART

I just ran across this gorgeous and oh so inspirational wedding at Etsy. This is truly a handmade work of heart and it speaks to this entire week's Wedding-Phile posts of branding your wedding. This couple's brand is easy to spot: everything has a handmade touch from the brides dress to the centerpieces to the lovely food. They spent the majority of their wedding budget on photography. And why not? If I made everything for my wedding I'd want some beautiful proof of the wonderful day that was shared by all AND proof that everything was made by a loved one's {or my own} hand.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the article:

"We came up with three essentials {for the wedding}: food, drink and shelter. Food and drink were easy enough. We decided that a giant tent was the best way to keep everyone warm and dry, in case of bad weather. We spent the majority of our budget on those three main points, giving us the opportunity to be creative with everything else."

"We wanted this day to be a true reflection of us as a couple. Time and time again we felt pressure to do things a certain way. In the end, the question we asked ourselves was, 'Are we doing this because we want to, or because we think we should?'"

What I like best about this wedding is that they focused on what was important to them and then played that up to the extreme. Not everyone can or wants to have this kind of wedding. Making everything can be challenging, stressful AND if not done well, can look amateurish. The point is this: find something that tells your story and make it the focus of everything you do for your wedding. From the stationery to the vows and the flowers to the favors, make your mark.

IN THE STUDIO // PAPER TOYS & GIFTS

With Christmas and the holidays coming up very quickly, I've been thinking about paper gifts as well as cards. Top is a thaumatrope which is a Victorian spinner toy. It will be available in the shop in October. Bottom is a cd sleeve complete with blank cd, ready for you to burn your tunage to. Available here, oh and here is another one.

SHOP // ADRIFT DESIGNS

Though I'm not a big gold person normally, I just adore this ring. It just looks like it wants to be worn for a really long time, forever, in fact. Comfy, warm, inviting...just like your to-be-wed. Find it here.

SHOP // AMBER SKY

If you are the vintage bride type this necklace is for you. It's new yet it looks old and it's blue. You're almost set. You can find this one at the Amber Sky Etsy shop. Really, you couldn't go wrong with any piece in the shop.

IN THE STUDIO // BAD BLOGGER

I was on such a roll with this lovely blog and then one long weekend later {oh yeah, and the Minnesota State Fair} all my consistent posting is *poof* gone. But I'm back on track now and ready to share what's going on in the studio right now: a couple of new mini card designs. Both available in my Etsy shop, here and here. Back next week with a bunch of new ideas for inspiration and shopping. Have a great weekend.

SHOP // MAKING THE KIDDOS FEEL SPECIAL

Today is my son's first birthday. I just had to get him a special party hat to wear for the countless pictures that will be taken of him today, so I got him the crown in the photo above. He looks so sweet in it. I was thinking however, that these would be great gifts for any kids in your bridal party or for kid guests to wear at the reception. They would make an older kid feel special and may entice him or her to behave while mom and dad have one more dance before hitting the road.

Available at Nifty Kids Stuff.

IN THE STUDIO // JUST IN TIME FOR SCHOOL

Admittedly these are probably better for that college age student in your life or for yourself to protect against that lunch nabbing co-worker. In any case they're pretty funny and available here.

SHOP // PEACOCK HEAD PIECE

This peacock head piece by Portabello is so lovely for a fall wedding and for that fun evening out with the girls or to wear for your first anniversary. I love wedding accessories that have future function and are not too precious to wear again after the wedding. They are nice reminders of your day without screaming W-E-D-D-I-N-G! Get it here.

SHOP // RINGS

These rings come from Elizabeth Scott Botanical Jewelry. I adore the organic shapes, the delicate qualities and, most of all, the non-wedding ring-y appearance of all of these. They don't smack you in the face saying "Hey, look at me! I'm big! I'm expensive! I am a wedding ring. ". Rather they claim a subtle awesomeness that says it's wearer appreciates the unique and the handmade.

SHOP // ME & MATILDA

Wedding party ties from Me & Matilda are simple perfection. I love the thought of these at a casual wedding or maybe a fancy wedding with a quirky and casual guy who wants to stand out just a little next to his bride. These are great and not too dressy for a day at the office. They also offer ring bearer pillows and the cutest bow ties for big and little guys alike.

SHOP // ETSY WEDDING ATTIRE GUIDE

Etsy has a fabulous series of gift guides including the wedding attire gift guide. Could it be easier for you to have something totally unique for your wedding and beyond? Now get out there and shop!

IN THE STUDIO // NEW MINI CARD DESIGNS

New mini card designs are now available at the Armato Design Etsy shop along with this and this design. Just let me know which one you want, what color, what font and what information and you're set with 100 cards for just $85 {plus shipping and sales taxes if you are in Minnesota}. All letterpress printed on 100% cotton paper measuring 2" x 2".

IN THE STUDIO // CALIGRAPHY TIPS

I am deep into a logo redesign for Armato Design & Press. I've got the bug. So today a quick link to a great Handmade Weddings post on calligraphy: different ways to use it and tips on working with a calligrapher. Happy weekend all.

SHOP // CAKE TOPPERS

I'm highly in favor of buying things for a wedding that also serve a purpose after the wedding, even if this means they will just sit on a shelf quietly reminding you of your great and wonderful day. Enter these very sweet cake toppers from Goose Greese. They can be purchased as a pre-designed set OR {my favorite} you can order a custom set and send them pictures of you and your to-be-wed. So nice.

SHOP // FASHION @ ETSY

Etsy has a lot of up and coming designers just waiting to make a veil or dress for your big day. What an incredible opportunity to have a couture dress or veil at NOT couture prices. I just happened to find these two. They fall in the category of "if I were getting married today" and "UGH, I wish Etsy would have been around when I got married".

Veil by Austie. Dress by Sarah Seven {actually the one in the veil photo below is Sarah Seven as well but is not currently listed in her shop. I bet you could persuade here to make one though}.

IN THE STUDIO // PERSONALIZED STATIONERY

How about these for your wedding thank you's? With both of your names at the top these would be perfect for thank you notes and beyond. I have sold more than a few of these as a gift for the newlyweds. They would also be great for bridesmaids and groomsmen.

All are letterpress printed on heavy, bright white card stock in your choice of font, ink color and envelope color. $85 for 50 cards and envelopes. Here they are.

SHOP // GIFTS FOR YOUR GUYS

It is often difficult to find good gifts for the guys in a wedding. Do they really use money clips? ties? Maybe, but here are a few more ideas that are a bit more unique, all are handmade and all are very useful {well, the mustaches may not be useful but are super funny and will give you some great photos}.

Mustache on a stick from Something's Hiding Here.

Deconstructed wallet from Scabby Robot. I love this wallet. Very guy and very stylish.

Palm wood cuff links from Lotus Jewelry Studio. Wear them at the wedding and beyond.

Sterling collar stays and guitar picks from Chris Parry. No one NEEDS sterling versions of either but giving your guys a touch of luxury will make them remember your wedding and how important they are to you.
And finally, who couldn't use knitted brass knuckles? This is a knitting pattern, so if you're crafty this is a must {though I would hazard a guess that you could order the finished product from the designer if you ask nicely}. From Needle Noodles.

INSPIRATION FILE // GONE FISHIN' EDITION

A great resource for all things handmade is Etsy's ongoing, you guessed it, Handmade Wedding series. Great ideas for a completely handmade wedding or even if you want just small touches of handmade. Enjoy!