With a pairing of our navy and azalea inks we have a real beauty on our hands!  These lovely letterpress save the dates were submitted to us by our great friends at By Invitation Only in Little Rock, Arkansas.  The couple chose our willoughby pattern for the top and bottom of their save the dates – which we think adds a real elegant factor.  We can’t get enough of this stunning color combination because it’s not overly feminine and has just a touch of boyish charm – within the navy ink.  And we’re all about couples sending their save the dates early – it’s customary to mail save the dates six months to a year before the big day.  This allows your guests enough time to book their accommodations, save enough spending money and request time off work.  Mailing your save the dates early also allows your guests to count down the days til the “I Do’s”.

inks: navy + azalea | fonts: cahun + shaw | paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress | size: S6

How cute is this paper holiday dress!? Jessica Sanders from Salutations in Charlotte is the dress maker extraordinaire behind this beautiful Christmas cocktail dress – made with our double-sided, eco-friendly Mistletoe wrap, this dress has us so excited for the holiday season! Those presents and custom holiday cards are pretty as can be, too — be sure to stop by your local Smock retailer to take advantage of our custom letterpress holiday promotion and stock up on holiday essentials today!

Have you created a masterpiece with our eco-friendly gift wrap? Share it with us! Get in touch with details and photos today!

Our latest Smock Design Contest was yet another success (THANK YOU!). We were so thrilled to see all the customizations, and the hard work from our lovely dealers certainly paid off! At this time we are pleased to show off the Smock Design Contest Winner Plaques! Designed by our talented in-house designer Lindsy Aragona, these stunning plaques are letterpressed in our rich ocean and azure inks on our 2-ply white bamboo paper.  The amazing Debi Zeinert adds her gorgeous touch of hand calligraphy. We gave these plaques to our top ten winners. Our next Smock Design Contest will be featured in 2012!

We were so thrilled when Lily Kesselman (the amazing photographer behind this next real wedding) shared her images of Katie & Jack’s gorgeous New York wedding. Katie worked with our friends at Judy Paulen Designs for their elegant Haddington wedding invitations, which were printed in midnight ink on our white bamboo paper.  This wedding is overflowing with preppy sophistication and we can’t get enough of it!

Katie and Jack were married at the Convent of The Sacred Heart on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. After the ceremony, the couple rode to their reception in style in an iconic vintage taxi, while the guests and bridal party headed to the reception on chartered Greyline double-decker buses – complete with champagne and a tour of the city!

It’s that time of year again — the Smock letterpress holiday sale is back! This year, we’ve got even more options to choose from for custom letterpress holiday cards, and to make the holidays even sweeter, we’ve got a special promotion going on! Between now and December 1, all custom letterpress holiday orders will receive free printing on our luxury bamboo envelopes.  All you have to do is purchase the blank envelopes, fill out a coupon with your local Smock dealer and we’ll take care of the rest. Need some ideas for your holiday cards? Check out some of the customizations below!

These are just a few of the designs available for the 2011 holiday season — check out this slideshow on Flickr if you’re looking for more inspiration!

We were SO excited to team up with Antoinette at Paperista for the incredible paper project that we’re about to share. The stationery boutique wanted to create a super-special display for a recent bridal event, so they teamed up with a local college design student to create fashion out of paper. Rika VanHeerde Snyder – a student in the Apparel Design Program at the University of Minnesota and intern at Joynoelle – created the most amazing, one-of-a-kind, letterpress wedding gown and cocktail dress for the display. The dresses were made entirely from recycled Smock stationery and invitations, as well as a bit of our eco-friendly gift wrap. We were completely blown away by the end result — take a look!

Rika worked with hundreds of scraps of bamboo paper to create the dresses.

The corset top on the wedding gown is completely stunning. The gown was crafted with our ivory bamboo paper, and some of the letterpress ink colors that are shown include raspberry, mango and taupe.

The cocktail dress was created with our white bamboo paper and features pretty hints of blue (our Ceylon gift wrap).

A huge thank you to the lovely ladies at Paperista for choosing to work with us on this incredible project!

{Photos by Erica Loeks Photography}

Amy Graham Stigler, Smock’s design extraordinaire and honored design contest judge, chose Urban Coast’s custom letterpress design as the FIRST PLACE WINNER!!! We couldn’t agree more.

Urban Coast in Belleair Bluffs, Florida proudly hosted an event honoring Bryan Rafanelli – a renowned event planner and founder of Rafanelli Events.

As you may know, Bryan Rafanelli’s exquisite sense of style, attention to detail and ability to transform clients’ visions into unforgettable celebrations have made him a go-to planner for the most exclusive and high-profile events. From Chelsea Clinton’s “wedding of the decade” to fairytale-themed galas for Massachusetts General Hospital for Children to celebrations for the inauguration of President Barack Obama –he has produced it all!

And Urban Coast chose Smock to create the beautiful letterpress invitations to this extraordinary event. WE WERE ECSTATIC!!!

The design itself is incredible. Layers of bamboo paper, die-cut into Smock’s new Chesapeake shape, fill a custom letterpress sleeve. The warm summer colors of papaya and taupe feel perfect for a June event. The Everett and Seneca patterns, all letterpress printed, create sophisticated textures as well. This set screams touch me, feel me, love me!

Mr. Rafanelli, I hope we made you smile!

inks: taupe + papaya | fonts: alice + century gothic  | paper 1-ply white | invite size: S-7 | printing: letterpress | die cut: chesapeake | custom sleeve: seneca pattern in taupe and the marsda cartouche in papaya

This design won first place in our Smock design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired designs submitted by our beloved dealers.

We are proud to announce that RSVP Today in New York won second place in the Smock Design Contest for their custom letterpress Bat Mitzvah Invitation! Playful, hand-drawn circles of the Piedmont design, in feminine colors of violet and pewter, really made this set come to life. Youthful, yet sophisticated – not a bad combination!

Deborah Hassan, owner of RSVP Today, shared with us a quote from her client illustrating the inspiration behind this design:
“For Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah, we wanted an invitation that would reflect the many levels of the day as well as the multi-generational nature of the event.  We worked with Debbie from RSVP Today in Manhattan to find something that was youthful and celebratory but which did not compromise the more serious elements of the ceremony. The bubbly circles on both the invitation and the envelope and the lilac color are so well-suited to Sarah’s joyous personality, but the heft and texture of the paper give it weight and depth.  We are also thrilled to support Smock’s environmental efforts and opted for a reply postcard to minimize paper. We just love our invitation!”- Jennifer and Sarah Hirshorn

Sarah, we wish you the best in all your future endeavors! Mazel Tov!

inks: violet + pewter + grass | fonts: smock clermont + graham  | paper 2-ply white | invite size: S-8 | printing: letterpress | corner rounding | liner: custom in pewter

This design won second place in our Smock design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired designs submitted by our beloved dealers.

At Smock our goal is to ensure that our brides have one of kind invitations for their big day. With that in mind, we often accept custom artwork to pair with our wide variety of fonts and letterpress (or offset) print in our luscious ink on our luxurious bamboo paper. The artwork submitted to us by Peabody Papers in Grandview Heights, OH once compared with all of the above, blew us away!

The 3-color offset invitation was printed on both the front and the back in pewter, slate and gold inks. The juxtaposition of the flat yet colorful imagery with the black letterpress text created such a dignified look. The subtle hint of masculinity is impeccable. Well done Peabody Papers. Well done!

Meg, from Peabody Papers had the pleasure of working with the happy couple and says, “Working with Shawna has been so much fun! She wanted to convey a sense of elegance while evoking thoughts of champagne bubbles. I drew the “bubbles” and decided that I would use the block for their names vs. a more traditional treatment. The last piece to come together was the kalogram – 5 sheets of proofs! It payed off though as she loves it and is using it & the dot design throughout the reception at the Statehouse. I have a degree in printmaking and enthusiastically convinced her that Smock letterpress would be the most beautiful printing option!!! She really loves the invitations – thanks for everything!”

Excellent thinking Meg!!! Champagne kisses and Caviar Dreams to you!

inks: black + pewter + gold + slate | fonts: cameron + indigo  | paper 2-ply white | invite size: S-8 | printing: letterpress + offset | edge painting: pewter | corner rounding

This design won third place in our Smock design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired designs submitted by our beloved dealers.

If you’re looking for an autumnal feel in a wedding set and still want an elaborate design, then look no further!  Shelby at Seaside Papery delivered a one-of-a-kind invitation set that pieced together tangerine, espresso, and grass inks in a way that just speaks to us.

Based on the Helani design, this one had a little bit of everything and has been used as a great example of how to celebrate in the fall.

inks: tangerine + espresso + grass | fonts: bescal + carlton  | paper 2-ply white | invite size: 7 x 7 | printing: letterpress

This design won an honorable mention in our Smock design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired designs submitted by our beloved dealers.