It's March!

Happy March! Here is a smiling Toby to ring in the new month. I'm hoping to get some good posts in within the next couple of days....I've needed a bit of a break to handle a particularly time intensive project. So, in between rocking back and forth under my desk and working, I haven't dedicated much time to blogging.

The Patina Bride

Rosebud Design Studio is going to be taking part in a fancy-schmancy bridal event at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. The event is being hosted by Patina Catering and it will be held at the concert hall this Sunday, February 25th from 11am - 3pm.
You will be able to meet with professionals in invitations, entertainment, photography, fashion, florals, cake, and event design. There will also be food and drinks.

To RSVP for this event:
Tickets are $35.00 each** ~ Complimentary Parking
(213) 972-7565 or eventrsvp@patinagroup.com
**Cost of ticket will be applied to any events booked with the Patina Restaurant Group.

Daily Candy highlighted the event in their weekend guide here.

Rosebud Design Studio on Design*Sponge

Rosebud Design Studio was included in Design*Sponge's Letterpress Guide, which debuted today. Many thanks to Grace, both for including me and for putting together such a great resouce. You can check out the guide here.

Historical Maps

I've always been into old maps, I think they're cool. A while back I had to do a wedding invitation using some historical maps (I used to call them vintage maps, but the helpful librarian at the UCLA Maps Library told me to say "historical" instead). You can get some really great quality images online from the Navy (copyright free too!). The Library of Congress also has some really great maps in their American Memory Project collection.

Rosebud + Lisa Congdon + ReForm School = YES!!!

ReForm School hosted an exhibit of Lisa Congdon's work on Saturday. It was really fantastic, and if you're in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend hustling on over there and checking it out while everything is still up. In the above photo you can see not only Lisa's painting on the left, but some of Rosebud's Valentine cards in the case on the right. The Valentine Hearts and Vintage Valentines are featured in the case, and looks mighty fun with all that other pink stuff. Lisa was nice enough to let me use this photo of hers so I could show it off. You can check out more of Lisa's work from the show here.
Photo by: Lisa Congdon

Swarovksi & Tord Boontje!!

I wish I could see this in person. Check out the website here. In the pictures section, you can see a bunch of amazing images. I think Boontje might be the KING of awesome swirly madness. I love it!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. I hope cupid is good to you all...there are a few Valentine extras on the Rosebud website, under freebies. You can download new wallpaper, AIM icons, and gift tags for your Valentine.

More Nature!

So I've started this collection of nature photos that I've taken. I don't have a flicker account, so now they're just sitting on my computer while I decide what to do with them. I thought I would post some here, just because. This one was taken at the Jersey Shore. I swear I didn't use Photoshop to get that pink color.

Printing Terms - Volume 2

Recently, I've had some requests for "tea length" wedding invitations. Tea length is a fancy term for an invitation sized to fit in a #10 envelope (regular business sized) envelope. So, the invitation is usually sized about 4" x 9". There are two options for envelopes for tea length invites. There is the regular #10 envelope, shown in the top diagram, with a square flap. There is also the policy envelope, shown in the botton diagram. The policy envelope opens on the short side, instead of on the top. Policy envelopes can be hard to find. Paper Source has a great selection of them, in a variety of colors. I also found this website that has a nice chart of envelope sizes and terms that could be helpful.

Moon over New Jersey

Here's a photo I took while back on the East Coast for the Holidays. I was trying to photograph the moon through the trees, which didn't turn out too clearly, as you can see. But I sort of like the effect it created, with the trees on the bottom, going from blue to black.

Happy February

It's February! Above is the image I used for the Toby Calendar for February. So since Valentine's Day is on the horizon, I thought I would update some of the freebies on the Rosebud site. I have a new wallpaper, so you can decorate your computer appropriately, some AIM icons, and a PDF of downloadable gift tags that you can print and cut out. Click here for all the goodies.

Printing Terms - Volume 1

I'm not planning on listing an all existing printing terms, but I thought a few would be useful, because they pertain to wedding invitations. The following terms are processes that you can use to make your wedding invitations more exciting (from a printing standpoint). They're also useful to know when shopping for any kind of stationery or paper product.

Foil Stamp: In this process, a metallic or pigmented coating is literally stamped onto paper with a heated die. The stamping creates a slight impression, similar to what you will find with letterpress printing. Foils come in a rainbow of colors, some are metallic, some are pearly, some are matte. I'm a big fan of the foil stamp. Below are images of some of my products that use foil stamps (Collected Keepsake book and Daily Fortune Matchbook).


Emboss/Deboss: In this process, an image is pressed into the paper so that it creates a raised (emboss) or recessed (deboss) relief. You can use embossing & debossing in conjuction with inks or foil stamps, or you can use it without - which would be called a blind emboss. (Image below from about.com)


Die Cut: This terms refers to the cutting of shapes out of paper. For example, you could cut a flower shape out of paper, OR you could punch it out, and leave its negative image behind. Below are some examples from my line (Letterpressed Cupcake Cards and Die Cut Flowers).

What is Offset Printing, Anyway?

The above thank you card and dinner invitation set were offset printed. Many of you already know what offset printing is, but I thought I would do a post about it since I get enough questions, asking me what it is. In offset printing, film is created from the designs you create, and paper is rolled through the printer, where ink is directly applied. There are no raised surfaces, as in engraving, and there are no impressions created, like in letterpress printing. The ink sits flat on the paper. You can check Wikipedia's description of offset printing here.

Despite the "flat" nature of the printing, offset printing produces some beautiful results. You can customize colors, as in other printing processes. Additionally, offset printing can be a less expensive route.

If you are considering getting invitations printed (or anything printed, for that matter) you should consider what's important to you in terms of printing processes. You can have your designer or printer price different options for you so that you can see how it all breaks down.

ReForm School RULES!

I'm so excited that ReForm School placed an order! They ordered some Circus Baby Announcements, Valentine Hearts, Vintage Valentine Postcards, and a bunch of Daily Fortunes of various editions. This is one of my favorite stores in Los Angeles, so I am thrilled and flattered.

In February, ReForm School will be having a Lisa Congdon show, which I can't wait for. You can sign up for their email list to get all the latest news on the ReForm School website.
(image from reformschoolrules.com)