Back on Track

I know, I know... It has been a LONG time since this blog has been updated. Blushing Pearl has had a whirlwind of a year and the studio has been super busy. I've had a chance to post some pictures of letterpress projects, so here's a peek!

 

Adrienne from Tacoma Foodie (also from a Big Mouthful, if you also remember those beautiful business cards we printed in the studio a few years ago as well as her wedding invitations), has been such a wonderful client. She came to us with her newest endeavor. For those living in the Pacific Northwest, be sure to check out her blog!

DMC Studios

These business cards were designed with Mary's current theme in mind-- a modern, textile pattern. I like how the pattern bleeds off of the edge of the paper. Printed in sunburned,  on 118# Reich Savoy, in brilliant white.

If you are interested in updating your identity through calling or business cards, take a peek at my shop or contact me!

A request from London

This custom business card was printed for Alex, all the way from London! She had a certain style in mind and loved the colors teal + deep violet. I thought these turned out stunning!

If you are interested in updating your identity through calling or business cards, take a peek at my shop or contact me!

Grace Baker Interiors

Abigail approached me with ideas for her updated business cards. She wanted something sophisticated and modern. These cards were printed in fuchsia + deep violet ink on Reich Savoy #118 in brilliant white. If you are interested in updating your identity through calling or business cards, take a peek at my shop or contact me!

In The Biz

The studio has been super busy with business cards the last month. Here are a few custom designed business cards, as well as one of our "pre-designed" cards found in the shop.

Laura wanted a sophisticated and modern business card for herself. This card was letterpress printed on our new favorite paper stock- Reich Savoy #236, brilliant white with black ink and a blind deboss.

Jane chose one of our pre-designed cards from the shop. The final product turned out beautifiul! This card is 2-sided, with a textile pattern printed on the back. This was also printed on Reich Savoy #236.

This print is one of our most popular prints..modern and chic! Printed in a pop color- grass green.

*If you would like a few of your own custom calling or business cards, check out the shop or you can email me directly for an estimate!

{Real Business} St. Clair Events

Whitney approached me with ideas of a modern, yet elegant and chic business card for her event planning business. We went through a few branding options as well as modern/pop colors to compliment the design. 

 Here is her final choice! 

{Real Business} Marsais Leigh Photographie

Marsais contacted me with ideas for her new business branding: Marsais Leigh Photographie. She wanted a Shabby Chic style for her brand in shades of blue. I liked working on different variations of this style and will most likely be using more of it in future design work :)

 2-color, letterpress printed on Crane's Lettra #220 pearl white paper stock

 

Contact Blushing Pearl if you would like to update your existing brand...or if you simply want a new look!

Fast Eddie Films

Do you remember Tamiyah + An? I had the opportunity to design (a collaboration with BDC Design) and letterpress print their wedding invitations. I also printed their modern "Mr. and Mrs." thank you notes. This lovely couple had their wedding in Moab, Utah. With the beautiful, natural setting and Tamiyah's fashion driven style, this was a dream desert wedding.

I was so excited Tamiyah and An came to me with ideas for their letterpress printed business cards for An's film company Fast Eddie Films.  He has a feature film Single Tracks, which you can find on Amazon, as well as a short film called The Alice Winter. This 1-color business card was printed on 236# Reich Savoy paper stock...which I love. I think I've left Crane 220# in the back somewhere!

{Real Business} Nicole Palmer

I have had the pleasure of working with Nicole, of Gordon Palmer Design. She is an interior designer specializing in the Hollywood Regency style {very luxurious, vintage glamour}. Nicole requested a business card design that fully captured the style of Gordon Palmer, with initial color preferences of pink/black. I decided to show her a few other colors that I found prominent in the Hollywood Regency style, including pop pink, aqua, bright yellow, contrasted by a deep gray and black. Patterns and a sense of ornate decor are also found in this type of style.

Though I have a preference for the modern pop yellow/grey colors, Nicole chose a fog grey/black color combo with acanthus leaves, one of her favorite elements.

Kate Osborne Photography {Real Business}

1-color letterpress printed business card for Kate Osborne Photography. Kate approached me with a mix of her design as well as one of Blushing Pearl's most popular, textural pattern. I  like the vertical layout!

If you would like your own set of letterpress printed business cards, contact Blushing Pearl. Not only do we design custom-tailored pieces, we also take an existing design and offer our printing services (just make sure all artwork is original!).

Anna Mendenhall Photography {Real Business}

Anna loved the textural pattern of this design. Found at the shop, this design is one of our popular designs from our Pick Your Own business card listing!

Looking for a more customized business or calling card? Contact Blushing Pearl to explore more options!

Simply Poetic Events {Real Business}

Bernadette is one fabulous event planner! Busy as a bee, she is always planning some sort of event, whether it be a holiday party, wedding, or private party. Bernadette approached me with ideas of an updated business card for her newly established DBA, Simply Poetic Events. She took some elements she loved from previous pieces I have designed and asked me to create a business card with a modern, yet sophisticated flair. I really like the colors she chose- a deep plum with gold ink!

If you are looking to reinvent the look of your business through calling card or business card, contact Blushing Pearl. You can also check out some pre-designed business cards in my shop, if you are stuck on a design or idea!

{Real Business} Mary Tap

Mary approached me with her ideas of creating a product tag using one of her hand drawings she has for sale in her Etsy shop. She has plans to add more product to her shop, so be ready for this up coming, "hairlarious" artist!

If you are interested in having letterpress printed product tags or business cards to compliment your indie business, contact Blushing Pearl with your ideas!

{Real Business} Pick Your Own Option #3

Sara contacted me for letterpress printed business cards. She is just studying for the BAR exam and wanted stellar cards to market her profession as a lawyer. Sara decided she liked Option #3 of Blushing Pearl's "Pick Your Own" business card listing. Opting for a blind deboss textural pattern with her information in lipstick red ink, these cards look stunning!

*If you missed the earlier posting with business card options, click here...or take a peek at my shop for the direct listing!

{Real Business} DiVaunraVeled

Margie contacted me with ideas of her logo letterpress printed. She is planning on debuting her Etsy shop soon and is in the process of branding. Margie supplied me with her logo, a ball of yarn, unraveled. We discussed proofs and came up with continuing the  unraveled ball of yarn onto the back of the business card. Her artwork consists of knitted pieces in which she tends to use a "pop" color. We decided to incorporate a bright magenta into her artwork. I love the quote by Coco Chanel that Margie decided to use on her cards, "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."

*If you are interested in having your own letterpress printed business or calling cards made, contact Blushing Pearl to get started!

{Real Business} Bella Blush

I have had the pleasure of working with Sheena, of Bella Blush. She contacted me with her brand/logo and wanted 2-color, letterpress printed business cards in blush pink and gold ink. This was the first time I have printed with a metallic ink. I already knew the cotton paper stock would absorb most of the ink and that it would not turn out as metallic as it would on a smooth cover stock. I also printed these business cards on  Reich Savoy, a different paper stock other than the house paper, Lettra. It has similar texture and is 118# instead of Lettra's 110#. I loved the colors of Bella Blush, as it is similar to Blushing Pearl's colors :) I showed Sheena proofs with colors and some elements from her website.

*If you are interested in having your own letterpress printed business or calling cards made, contact Blushing Pearl to get started!

Submission Granted

I am super excited! I submitted Blushing Pearl's letterpress printed business card to Card Observer and it was chosen! Card Observer is a business card design gallery where they choose and showcase designs for business cards printed with various techniques. Take a peek here. Retweet and show some support :)

 

{Real Business} A Big Mouthful

I have had the pleasure of working with Adrienne on her custom, 2-color business cards. She already had a logo for her branding and wanted the tactile feel of a letterpress printed card. Her colors were yellow, dark brown, and red. I experimented with her logo theme, which I think is a great, tongue-in-cheek name for her business..."A Big Mouthful". Adrienne explores and records her adventures in cooking and food in her local community. Sounds yummy!

The Process of Reinventing

Since taking part of the Indie Biz 2.0 class, I've been busy with re-branding (again) and creating the "feel" for my independent business.This time I am approaching this in all seriousness.  This has been such a soul-searching task, to finally start paving my way towards fulfilling my dreams of art directing and producing design work that reflects my style, my colors, my technique...

I opened up my Etsy shop in October 2009, and since then I feel like I have been working non-stop, developing, branding, re-branding (oh the woes of self-criticism) and web coding), social networking, meeting fabulous people along the way who are supportive of my endeavor, and all the while trying to stay just as passionate and motivated as I can. I really could not have gotten this far, if it were not for this darn recession and last year's lay offs (very bittersweet..I don't think I would even have started my business then!) ,my Hubby (who has to hear me vent, stress out, move heavy machinery across 2 states! and up a very STEEP hill) and my family and friends. I hope everyone who is pursuing their passions has this amount of support to keep going and do what they love to do. I'll admit, some days I just want to throw in the towel , jump in a pool of freezing cold water, and take the easier way out-which would be to go back to 9-5, deadline after deadline, pressure on top of pressure, steady paycheck after paycheck. Don't get me wrong, I painstakingly give myself deadlines and put TONS of pressure on myself. I nearly wear  myself out, but it's all gravy... because it's something that I WANT to do. So here it is...My updated look, which I am hoping to keep for quite a while. :0)

*If you are interested in branding for yourself, Blushing Pearl can help create a cohesive look.

Hey Indie biz classmates! How are your business endeavors coming along? Caught up with  the very informative sessions? ( I am totally behind...) I am offering a package exclusive to Club Indie members! First, you must follow my blog :) Then, contact me on the Club Indie site to get the details on "The Indie Biz Start Up" package. Open your umbrellas!

How Sweet It is

I read somewhere that a "calling card" is the new "business card". What is the difference? Calling cards usually have a phone number, usually informal and more personal. Business cards have a more professional display of information, with all the forms of contact information needed (email, phone, fax, etc.) With the demands of social networking, it is very important to include an email address along with a contact phone number. I guess "calling cards" have an air of elegance where as "business cards" sound very...business? Any thoughts?

This calling card, printed for Sweet Anonymity Designs, was printed on 220# 100% cotton paper that is about 1/4" thick. It has a 1 color front print and a blind printed back design. What is a "blind print"? It is simply an impression made onto paper without the use of ink. This type of method can make a print look delicate and feel tactile. An issue I came across when printing 2 sided is one impression can push the other. I would have liked to have kept the back impression deep, but as I printed the front design, the two pushed against each other. I would not recommend a 2 sided print on anything less than 220# paper. If you missed the previous post with background on this design, click here.

 

Interested in calling cards of your own? Contact Blushing Pearl to discuss design and print options.

I have also created a few business card or calling card designs. It's easy- just pick a design layout option, color, and convo-mail me via Etsy the details. In a few weeks you will be getting your snazzy, letterpress printed cards, ready for you to distribute!