We’re so happy to be able to share more photos and highlights of our West Coast travels! It was such a treat to be able to visit Sugar Paper when we were in LA  – it’s the most adorable stationery boutique with so much style and charm. Chelsea from Sugar Paper gave us the scoop on what’s trending, what they love & how they’re making the world a better place.

Is there a cause or charity your store supports? Tell us all about it:

Sugar Paper donates to a myriad of charities throughout the year.  Our clients are very philanthropic and we support their causes through donations.  This year, however, we have chosen pediatric cancer as our personal cause.  Jamie and I are both new mothers and a close friend recently lost her baby to a rare form of cancer.  Her battle was a tough fight and loss of baby Quinn has left a mark on our hearts.

What about your store are you most proud of? What makes you unique?

We’re proud of the Sugar Paper team.  The invitation business is driven by deadlines and our days can be very busy.  We feel lucky to work with a group of creative people who work extremely hard and make us laugh every day.  Laughter seems to make the load lighter.

What do you predict will be the biggest wedding or stationery trend for 2012?

Hottest color palette right now?

If someone is visiting your store, what’s another essential stop in your neighborhood?

If you’re visiting our original location on Ensley Avenue, Clementine Bakery is a MUST.  The chocolate chip cookies are gooey in the middle and crisp on the edge – our favorite kind.  If you visit our Brentwood Country Mart location, the Mart is a destination in and of itself.  Caffe Luxxe serves artisanal coffee and Sweet Rose Creamery makes homemade ice cream that will knock your socks off.  The salted caramel is our personal favorite.

A huge thanks goes out to Chelsea for filling us in on everything Sugar Paper – if you’re in LA, be sure to stop in!!

**Be like Sugar Paper and support research for pediatric cancer by visiting any of the following foundations:

Pediatric Cancer Foundation

Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

While we were in Los Angeles for the Urbanic Summer Social, Lindsy and I made time to stop in and visit some of our lovely West Coast Smock retailers. One of our first stops was to Christie, located in beautiful Manhattan Beach. The shop carries a gorgeous range of unique gifts and cards, and there’s a great area set up to view albums and order custom stationery.

Here, Lindsy shows Kim and Mara the new album from our sister company and BFF, Bella Figura.

The ladies at Christie were also kind enough to share with us what they love most about the shop.

What about your store are you most proud of? What makes Christie unique?

We’re most proud of the fact that we’ve been in business for 26 years – we started out as a small card and gift shop in a smaller space down the street, and about 4 years later we moved into a larger space, where we were able to start offering custom printing to our clients. Our shop is located in a really cute little beach community, and our clients think we work in the happiest place on earth (and we agree!). People come a long way to see us here, and many of our clients say it’s like coming to Cheers – where everybody knows your name. We’ve printed birth announcements, Bar and Bat Mitzvah invitations and wedding invitations all for the same kids – we’ve seen a lot of our clients grow up.

What are some of the hottest trends you’re seeing lately?

We’ve seen a lot of navy and pink together these days, and monograms are still really big – we’re seeing monograms everywhere! We’ve also noticed that a lot of our brides are loving hand calligraphy for their envelopes – it adds such a nice touch to any invitation set.

If you’re ever in Manhattan Beach, we highly recommend stopping in to see everything that Christie has to offer!

As owners of The Enchanted Florist, a whimsical, flower lover’s dream come true,  Lance and Kim Williams opened the most charming stationery boutique in Burbank, California – An Open Invitation. This inviting space is nestled right next store to their flower shop, so visiting is certainly a treat!

About two years ago, I met the cutest couple ever at the National Stationery Show – guess who!? They both had the warmest personalities and a great love story! I was hooked! Lance and Kim had actually met and fell in love while working in the flower business together – adorable, right? And they just so happened to be overly intrigued by Smock – even better! They wanted to be Smock dealers right away and the rest is history.

Our adventurous trip out west in June lead us right to this enchanted world of flowers and stationery created by the Williams’. Surrounded by the scent of orchids, the textures of fine papers and sweet-as-pie gifts – I didn’t want to leave! You won’t want to either!

Be sure to stop by – the invitation is always open!

by Lindsy Aragona

Although it seems we have just kicked off the summer season, it’s time to start looking ahead to fall weddings that are only around the corner! What about fall inspires you — maybe it’s the foliage or the the cool nights or the feeling of change? One of the things we have been seeing a lot of lately is lots of jewel tones paired with light vintage colors and classic themes, these are all great inspirations for a lovely autumn wedding! We love this pairing of our Eggplant and Antique Gold inks letterpress printed in the Lashar wedding invitation design, submitted by our friends at Inklinations in Manhasset, NY.

inks: eggplant + antique gold | fonts: clermont calligraphy font + cooper | paper: ivory 2-ply bamboo | printing: letterpress

by Racheal Decker, In-house Designer.

On our recent trip to California, Lindsy and I had the pleasure of stopping by PS Paper – an adorable paper boutique in San Anselmo, California. The store recently relocated, and their new location is super sweet. PS Paper specializes in custom stationery and lovely gifts – they have an incredible selection of pretty paper goods.

While visiting PS Paper, we had the chance to meet with Johanna and her friendly dog Nyack – a loveable stray who was found (and adopted!) on a hiking trip a few years back.

We were thrilled to hear the story behind all of the beautiful paper cranes hanging in the storefront window, and Johanna was kind enough to tell us all about it – check out the video below!

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Our lovely friends over at Union Street Papery sure know how to throw a party! On June 12, Lindsy and I teamed up with Stacey, Nichelle and the rest of the team at Union Street Papery  in San Francisco to throw an amazing trunk show complete with sweet pastries, bubbly champagne and gorgeous new letterpress goods from yours truly. Guests had the opportunity to check out Smock’s new designs at Union Street Papery’s new location – a gorgeous little stationery shop with an upper level bridal bungalow and a charming courtyard to mingle in. Here are some photos of the sweet setup:   Lindsy, Stacey and I before the event! Union Street Papery carries a great selection of our eco-friendly Smock Everyday products – boxes, cubes, letterpress calendars, gift wrap, letterpress note cards & more can be found in this charming shop! Upstairs, brides & stationery aficionados had the opportunity to look over the brand new designs from our new album in the stunning bridal bungalow. We had so much fun getting to know the gals at Union Street Papery, and especially enjoyed having the opportunity to meet with some local stationery lovers and help them design their own custom pieces! A huge thanks goes out to Stacey for hosting such a fabulous event!

This stunning letterpress wedding invitation was submitted to us by our friends at Pretty as a Picture in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.  Jane and Ailbhe love to create custom designs that are intricate but still work very well on letterpress.  The simple Black ink on 2-ply bamboo ivory paper helps the focus remain on the detailed artwork which is what we think makes this invitation beautiful.  We’re also very excited for our Irish friends to come visit Smock in a couple weeks!

ink: black | fonts: cameron| paper: 2-ply ivory | printing: letterpress | invite size: s-8 |

by Nathan Fleming, Client Coordinator.

We are so happy to see that our friends at  Haute Papier were featured in Southern Living magazine! The post also included a gorgeous customization of our letterpress Helani wedding invitation design that Haute Papier submitted! Thanks Haute Papier and Southern Living!

Our wonderful friends at Pen & Paper in Byrn Mawr, Pennsylvania submitted this gorgeous letterpress wedding invitation in our Haddington design for Abigal and Andrew. Elizabeth Anne Designs featured the real wedding filled with jaw-dropping photos by Marie Labbancz of the bride and groom. We were equally blown away with the charm and elegance that surrounded this at home celebration!

To see more of this stunning real wedding go here!

Photography – Marie Labbancz Floral and event design – Evantine Design Gown – Oscar de la Renta Stationery – Smock* Catering – Peachtree & Ward Catering

Our friends at Haute Papier in Leesburg, Virginia recently featured our Smock Everyday Flounce Wrap on their blog- Haute Papier!

We love the Kusudama origami flower they created! For how-to directions please visit: Haute Papier!

(Our double-sided gift wrap, by the way, is made from 100% post-consumer recycled, FSC-certified paper, and is printed via wind power).