The votes are in: Odin is the Smock design of the month! From now through May 14, all custom orders that feature the bright and bubbly Odin design (wedding invitations, social stationery, save the dates, programs, menus, calling cards, hang tags, baby or graduation announcements, birthday party invites, and more!) will be 10% off (or 15% off for orders with 6 or more pieces!). Locate one of our amazing Smock custom dealers today to get started on your Odin stationery!

Thanks to everyone who voted, we’ll be donating almost $200 to the Earthworks No Dirty Gold campaign to help put an end to dirty mining practices that are devastating the planet. (Click here to read more about dirty gold and find out what you can do to help). To show you just how unique our Odin design can look with a few simple tweaks, our designers put together the stunning customizations below to get you inspired!

inks: ocean + saffron | fonts: parson + chaplin  | paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress| back patterning: van in saffron | invite size: s8

inks: eggplant and gold | fonts: elsie + lazlo | paper: 2-ply ivory | printing: letterpress| envelope liner: filby in eggplant | corner rounding | invite size: s8

inks: sand + pewter + peacock | fonts: alice + percy | paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress + offset | back patterning: everett in pewter | edge painting: peacock | invite size: s8-sq

inks: whisper + pink | fonts: percy + fairchild + louise | paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress| envelope liner: fleming in pink | invite size: s8

Stop in to your local Smock retailer to get started on your custom Odin order today!

Our Sutton design looks prominent printed in mint and navy inks and we think you’ll find it easy to agree!  Our good friend, Jessica at Salutations in Charlotte, North Carolina submitted this letterpress suite to us for printing.  The repeating Sutton motif looks almost floral as the invitation background pattern – adding to the ornate feel.  On the exterior of the pocketfold – we have offset printed our sinclair pattern in navy – and on the folio interior the classic feel is seen within our sherbrooke pattern also in navy.  Blues and greens can be incredibly versatile ink colors when it comes to wedding invitations.  Navy ink is a superb choice for a sunset ceremony whereas mint can match back to the fauna at the wedding venue.

inks: mint + navy | fonts: stock + smock spencerian | paper: 2-ply ivory | printing: letterpress| folio exterior: sinclair pattern in navy | folio interior: sherbrooke pattern in navy| invite size: 5.125 x 7.75

We’re always excited to see the creative and unique invitation orders from Michelle at Paperkiss in Balmain, Australia.  This beyond beautiful custom invitation is letterpressed in our glacier ink which adds even more to the nautical design.  Such a soft color palette makes this invitation even more charming!  We also feel the soft hue helps set a romantic atmosphere for the upcoming nuptials.  We’ve heard that starfish represent a love that cannot be measured – and this makes this invitation all the more sweet!

inks: glacier | fonts: custom | paper: 1-ply white | printing: letterpress | invite size: SQ8

How to vote: Visit smockpaper.com/wedding and choose your favorite invitation design. Roll over the photo and click the “like” button that appears. That’s it!

Why vote: For every vote cast through April 12, 2012, we’ll donate $1 to Earthwork’s No Dirty Gold campaign (up to $500) to help put an end to dirty gold mining practices that are devastating the planet.

What happens with the winning design? The invitation design with the most votes will be the next Smock design of the month. From 4/14 – 5/14, all custom orders that feature the winning invitation design (wedding invitations, stationery, save the dates, you name it!) will be 10% off (or 15% off for orders with 6 or more pieces!). You can place your order with one of our amazing Smock custom dealers.

So why should you care about dirty gold mining practices? If you’re engaged, there’s a good chance  you’ve already got a ring with some gold in it (and you may be looking to purchase wedding bands soon, too). There are certain dirty mining practices that have really terrible impacts on the communities and the environment surrounding the mines – did you know?

• The production of one gold ring generates 20 tons of mine waste.
• The drinking water in mining communities often becomes contaminated, and mine drainage can also raise acid levels in rivers and lakes that can be harmful to wildlife and people.  Some mines even dispose of toxic waste in rivers, lakes, and oceans on a regular basis.
• Some of the refining processes that are used in mines release chemicals that cause smog and acid rain.
• Many gold mines create solid waste, too: by employing a process known as heap leaching, these mines drip a cyanide solution through high piles of ore. The solution strips away the gold, but a lot of waste is left over from the process (read: the waste from these sites can sometimes reach over 300 feet – which is nearly the height of a 30-story building!). Many of these heaps are often abandoned because they are too costly to dispose of properly.
• Indigenous people around the world typically lose out when mining leases are granted. In rural communities, locals often become vulnerable to eviction without notice, meaningful compensation or an offer of equivalent lands in a new region because legal land titles aren’t always on hand (even if a family has occupied the same lands for generations).
• Mining is a dangerous job: rock falls, tunnel collapses, fires, heat exhaustion, and other dangers claim the lives of over 15,000 miners every year, and while the profession only accounts for 1% of the world’s labor force, it accounts for 5% of on-the-job fatalities.

Wondering what you can do to help? It’s really easy to take action. Sign the Earthworks pledge today, and be sure to support retailers who are actively pursuing clean gold sources. If you choose to work with a retailer who’s not on that list (like Macy’s or Costco – the only two retailers in the top 10 list that haven’t committed to sourcing responsible gold) be sure to ask your jeweler about the source for the gold in your ring.  Other ways you can help:

• Recycle old jewelry, and have old rings melted down to make new ones. Support jewelers that offer products made with recycled gold.
• Buy vintage or antique jewelry.
• Keep jewelry in your family and pass on to your children or grandchildren.

We have Liz at Paper Place in Austin, Texas to thank for submitting this bright and beautiful Dawson invitation to us for printing.  Lively and cheery are definitely adjectives that come to mind when taking a look these beauties!  We feel that pairing our ocean and yolk inks together is the perfect choice for a wedding in early spring.  When this is the time of year we’re used to seeing softer color palettes – pastels, too – it’s refreshing to see such a bubbly and bold invitation.  The couple also chose a custom letterpress sleeve which adds even more pizazz!

inks: ocean + yolk| fonts: smock clermont + carrington| paper: 1-ply white  | printing: letterpress| letterpress sleeve: custom pattern in yolk | invite size: S-8 for sleeve

Paper Place was also sweet enough to send along the accessory pieces they printed in house to coordinate with the letterpress wedding invitations we printed.  The reply card, information card and rehearsal dinner card were sent along with the invitations.  The larger reception invitation and registry card were sent separately by the groom’s parents.  We love that the vibrant color palette is maintained throughout this set.  We always adore working with the lovely ladies at Paper Place – and we’d like to give a huge THANK YOU to them!

Letterpress cards, notepads, and stationery in pretty shades of blue have been extremely popular this year, and it’s easy to see why! This on-trend color works in many different shades: a vibrant, true blue paired with crisp red and nautical patterns appeals to just about everyone, while a deeper navy and rich royal blues work well for men (or for women who like deep, rich colors!). For a fresh, feminine look, lighten things up a bit and go with turquoise. Which shade of blue are you?

1. Breakers boxes: Small $6, Medium $12, Large $18 | 2. Rhino Letterpress Cards $14 for a 6 count box | 3. Lobster Letterpress Card $4 | 4. Breakers Jotter Notepads $6 for a 2-pack | 5. Pearl Notebook $9 | 6. Phillips Boxed Offset Cards $12 for an 8 count box | 7. Talt Notebook $9 | 8. Chatham Scratchpad $7 

All Smock goods are made around Syracuse, New York with the planet in mind: our notebooks and notepads use 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, and our greeting cards are printed on our exclusive (and sustainable) bamboo paper.

Our Dawson design is one of our most popular here at Smock – and we always get really psyched to see the ways couples customize this suite to truly make it all their own!  Take a look at this rustic Dawson suite submitted to us by our friend, Jahna at The Pleasure of your Company in Lutherville, Maryland.  Not only does a fresh color palette make a set all the more trendy, but richer tones also have a way of bringing warmth to a wedding invitation.  There’s almost a comforting feeling in such an earthy and bold color palette.  Then toss in our sherbrooke envelope liner for even more sophistication!

inks: sage + midnight | fonts: smock spencerian + carrington| paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress | liner: the sherbrooke pattern in sage | invite size: S8

Our first Smock Design Contest for 2012 was a huge success — we were so excited to recognize the beautiful work that our amazing retailers have sent us over the past few months! Today we are thrilled to share the stunning plaques that the 10 winners of our design contest received — they were created by our talented in-house designer Lindsy Aragona and letterpress printed in Moss and Butter inks on our 2-ply white bamboo paper for a fresh look. The plaques feature elements from our ever-popular Dawson design, and Kelle McCarter hand calligraphed the names of all the winning store names onto the plaques in her Bescal style for a beautiful finishing touch.

Congratulations to all of the stores that were selected as honorees! The next Smock Design Contest will take place later this year – don’t miss it!

We are always amazed at the gorgeous letterpress invitations we get to print for Smock retailer The Wedding Company, but it’s not very often that we get to see an actual event that they put on. The Wedding Company is a full service wedding planning boutique based in Hong Kong, and recently they put on an incredible bridal showcase, complete with romantic décor, elaborate cakes, gorgeous tables and a sweet candy buffet. They even had time to put together an incredible Smock display, and created paper flowers and pinwheels with our double-sided, eco friendly gift wrap for the occasion! We were blown away by the end result — take a look!

Soft, subtle hues are what’s in right now!  Take a look at these trendsetter custom letterpress wedding invitations.  This whimsical set was submitted to us by our great friend, Kappy at Le Village Marche in Arlington, Virginia.  We love that our lyon border is featured on the left side of the invitation – adding to the modern feel of this suite.  Although this set is more on the contemporary side – choosing a softer color palette helps maintain a timeless and elegant feel for your wedding day.  We think these stylish invitations will surely delight their guests!

inks: yolk + pewter | fonts: louise + peale | paper 2-ply white | invite size: S-8 | printing: letterpress | corner rounding | liner: the granby pattern in dove