Letterpress Business Cards - Cambie Design

A few months ago, I had the supreme pleasure of whipping up some custom business cards for a great friend of mine. She left to go out east for the summer, working her creative design magic on a wonderful hostel, Skerwink Hostel, in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. The hostel is geared at a younger crowd but that didn't mean the owners wanted juvenile interiors. They commissioned Cambie Design to bring together a look that was thoughtful and whimsical while staying true to its coastal location.
I have been watching the projects develop all summer - you can check them out here! It's been such a treat to see Camille's creativity keep growing. She constantly surprises me with her fresh and clever ideas.

The blind impression

Hand-mixed ink

The inspiration

But back to the beginning of June. I worked on the cards above one night, literally between work and getting ready to leave town for one week. It was a bit of a rush job because I wanted the plates (for the printing) to be on their way for processing before my vacation so I could come back and print them on the last day I had off before Camille left town. After some brain-storming we ended up landing on the idea of doing a blind (no ink) impression on one side and her contact info on the other side, done in a pale grey, which was actually inspired by an Essie nailcolour we both bought at the same time in different  cities (weird, right?). I spent an afternoon printing them over at Snap & Tumble's lovely studio. I think they came out beautifully. Simple, chic and I like to think quite special.

Camille tweaked the backs with hand-applied watercolour. She's that good!

Handmade Gifting

Sometimes it takes an event to get inspired.
I put this gift together for one of my closest friends.
It was very nice to have a good reason to get my hands stained with ink.
I found a beautiful saffron scarf and printed it up.
I was pretty happy with the results. My humble little sketches looked kind of cool as a pattern.
I stamped the cards, scribbled down how great she is, and wrapped it all up with indigo twine.

Cute Couples

These little guys  from Lace and Rubbish make me very happy. They are beautifully crafted, quirky and clever. What a treat for a wedding cake!

Found them on Brooklyn Bride.