We are so excited to stock our shelves for 2012 with 10 new boxed letterpress designs printed right here on our own Chandler & Price letterpress. You’ll find quotes, baby motifs, typography designs, and everyday thank you cards. We also returned the ever popular eyeglasses card along with the heart cards, just in time for Valentine’s Day! For those of you who know the extent of the art and romance of letterpress, you’ll know that 6 boxes of 10 new designs took longer than one might think. From hand mixing ink to boxing and labeling them, they are truly printed out of a love for paper and the impression our photo-polymer KF152 plates can make.
We hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with love and laughter. Many customers ask what OUR cards look like. Well here is a little peak at how we chose to spread the cheer this year.
The holidays are almost upon us. There is nothing better than opening a gift that was carefully chosen just for you. While texting and emailing certainly have their place, there is nothing like sending and receiving REAL mail. You know exactly what we mean by REAL. When you leaf through the advertisements, catalogs or credit card applications, we all know we secretly look for a glimpse of hope that the written word remains. Provide your friends and family this year with the inspiration they need to keep in touch in 2012. Do so in style using unique monograms, envelope liners and colorful papers to create a personalized gift. Our favorites include classic correspondence from Crane & Co., vibrant patterns and colors from Boatman Geller, and high quality designs and papers with a contemporary feel from William Arthur (shown above).
Write on…
This year, spice up your Christmas card by trying something new. Here are a few ideas to get you started….
1. Baby got back.
In the digital world, printers can do just about anything with the correct types and sizes of files. Send a card that is also printed on the back, either with an additional photo or a fun pattern.
2. Letter rip.
If you are one of those people who write a Christmas letter every year, combine it this year with your card. That way your friends and family will keep it all on one card. Let’s be honest, 8.5×11 laser paper just doesn’t display well with all of your other beautiful cards. This card can also be customized with the breed of your choice and over 15 colors!
3. Handmade Holidays.
Hand drawn illustrations are huge this year. It’s a little bit folksy, a little contemporary, and these cards are sure to give you the warm fuzzies as you sit by the fire drinking your hot chocolate staring at the 1000 + lights you just put on your tree.
4. Pretty as a picture.
Can’t decide on one photo? Go ahead, choose a few. However, don’t get carried away. While your friends and family will love your photo card, they don’t need to see (or care for that matter) about every Kodak moment you had in 2011. That’s what blogs are for…
5. To DIE for.
Die cuts are also rising in popularity in shapes of ornaments, frames, and vintage accents. It also stands out from the standard 5×7 Christmas card. How cute are these mittens? We are loving the needlepoint detail.
Oliver's Twist at Holiday Mart 2009
It’s going to be a busy week here in the shop. For the 4th year, we will be participating in the Junior League of Indianapolis Holiday Mart at the fairgrounds. We’re switching things up a bit this year and instead of having our normal 10×10 booth, we will have two tables in the Mistletoe Madness. This means the WONDERFUL ladies in the Junior League sell our items and we gladly donate a portion of our sales to their organization. We are planning on one “kids” table and one “adult” table full of Oliver’s Twist best sellers including items from Curly Girl Designs, Compendium, and Linnea’s Lights. Get a head start on your Christmas shopping! Holiday Mart hours are Wednesday from 6:30-10, Thursday from 10-8, Friday from 10-8, Saturday from 9-6 and Sunday from 11-5.
The Ritz Charles here in Carmel has also asked us to be apart of their private bridal event this week at the Monon Center. Nearly 100 brides that have booked the Ritz Charles for their wedding and/or reception will be attending to view different table arrangements, taste different foods, and take a look at what a few selected vendors have to offer to make their wedding complete! We are so excited to be providing the menus, placecards and table numbers for the five display tables. We’ll also have some goodies for the brides who attend. We’ll be sure to post pictures later in the week of these immaculate place settings!
This last weekend I was honored to host a “sprinkle” for my dear friend Erin. The gender of the baby is unknown at this point so the challenge was to create a neutral theme. Chipboard with a paper wrap, buttons and rounded corners made up the invitation. We then used “poppy” Waste Not Paper envelopes lined with Smock wrapping paper and printed the addresses diagonally on the front of the envelope (USPS and O.T. don’t always jive. We “push the envelope” in more ways than one). Farmers market flowers, an applique craft, and a few personal touches here and there made our par-tay complete. Check out the photos above. We’ll be sure to post the baby announcement of this sweet little bundle who is due late September.
These clothes from KQO are every bit as soft as they are cute. Here is a preview of our first of 3 shipments for fall! Stop by to check out our collection!
We now have a selection of egg press cards in our shop. Never heard of egg press? These cards are designed and printed on an antique letterpress. Each is hand fed into the press, creating an image that you can actually see & feel.
The first thing I look at when I arrive at a wedding is the ceremony program. It satisfies my curiosity about who’s who in the bridal party and sets the tone for the ceremony. Wedding programs have long been a staple for the wedding ceremonies, allowing guests to know the order of events and the attendants, as well as a note from the bride and groom. Few brides and grooms elect not to have programs, mostly for non-traditional weddings or weddings in locations (like the beach) where a program isn’t conducive to the environment or occasion. I’ve also seen some that are lengthy, telling everything from how the bride and groom met to the upcoming menu at the reception. The key to a good program is balance. Make sure they offer enough information but their also short enough to keep guests focused on the event.
At Oliver’s Twist, our programs range from $1.50-$4.00 ea. Obviously there are so many variables that make up the price. Metallic paper, color printing, ribbons, and folds are a few aspects that would increase the price. We do about 75% of programs of brides who purchase their invitations from us. Many times the programs are made to coordinate with the rest of the wedding stationery. For those of you planning a wedding, below is a common layout of a program. If you are being married in a church, the officiant will most likely give you an outline of how they usually perform ceremonies. Everything else is up to you!
First Page:
Second Page:
- Order of Wedding Ceremony
Include music selections and readings with who will be singing/reading
- Optional: Information about a receiving line. Ex.: At the conclusion of the ceremony, please remained seated and the bride and groom will return to dismiss by row.
Third Page:
- Wedding Party/Participants
Be sure to include officiant, parents, grandparents, greeters, flower girl/ring bearer, ushers, musicians.
Fourth Page:
- In Memory Section with Grandparents/Close family members are listed who have passed away
- Thank you message from the bride and groom
- Address from the bride and groom
- Optional: Directions to the reception
The next post will include some of the programs we have done lately! We hope this helps!
At the o.t., which we like to call it, wedding season is in full effect. That means appointments, walk in brides, proofs going out, and orders coming in. We love this time of year to see the excitement on brides’ faces when they come across THE invitation that will set the tone for their big day. We are so excited about our new albums this year. Umi by Elum Designs is a letterpress album that offers their designs in flat printing for a more economical option. The other nice feature about UMI is they have their invitations in suites, which all include a save the date, invitation, menu, option for a pocket to be used, as well as thank you notes and escort cards. They have incorporated the use of Envelopments pockets and envelopes throughout their collection. Their designs are creative and unique, perfect for the bride that wants to make a statement.
We also are proud to have the latest Checkerboard album, called BRIDES. This just came out last month and we are thrilled to be apart of their latest release. Be sure to check out the ad in BRIDES magazine as well as ALLURE. Oliver’s Twist is thrilled to be listed in this ad. Checkerboard is a wonderful company to work with, making them our most popular wedding invitation company. They are reliable, accurate, and their customer service is top notch. Not to mention their designs are classic with just enough flare for anyone wanting an elegant and sophisticated wedding with a little TWIST!
