The best part about owning your own letterpress printing studio is, you get to make stuff all the time. Once you get the hang of it, it can be really quick and easy. Like this card, for instance (click on the image at the left for a larger view). A couple weeks ago, one of my brothers cleverly said to me, “Everyone’s a winner in a bacon eating contest.” I laughed and agreed, but then later I thought, “Well, almost everyone.” So I invented this card. This afternoon, John printed it; Tuesday, you can come to our store and buy it. I’m not sure what occasion necessitates such a greeting, but I’m sure to find a good excuse to give it to at least one person. The bacon-eating-contest card is letterpress-printed in pink and brown inks on French whitewash 100% recycled cover, and folds to fit into a pink A2 envelope.

Love is in the air, and in the mail, and here at Lunalux too! We have loads of great Valentine’s Day cards and gifts for sale in our studio store, including several affordable variety packs if you have lots of love to give. Our card selection includes cheeky notes from Bella Muse, reproductions of vintage Valentines from Laughing Elephant, romantic glitter-accented LOVE hearts from FG & Co, and lovely letterpress cards made here at Lunalux. And don’t forget our selection of old-fashioned candies, including Conversation Hearts, Charms and Pixie Sticks – what a great way to tell someone that you think they’re sweet!

When Therese first visited Lunalux, she breezed through our sample albums while explaining the scope of her project – an invitation for a baby shower, something pretty and modern, here’s what it should say. In these early stages, clients are encouraged to offer specific direction regarding fonts, graphics, colors, themes, etc. But Therese didn’t want to micro-manage the shower invitation; she liked our samples, and trusted us to make something pretty for her. (Which we did – click on the image at the left for a larger view)

Clients come to Lunalux with a variety of needs and expectations. Some already have a clear vision of the finished piece, and it’s both a privilege and a pleasure to help make their vision a reality. But it’s most exciting (and challenging) to work for clients who appreciate the style and quality on display in our portfolios, and just ask for more of the same, please. This kind of openness often leads to the best work. Like this shower invitation, which is letterpress-printed on heavy wove-finish cover, in brown and apple-green inks. We also printed an extra set of cards with just the graphic, to be given as a gift to the mother-to-be. I think it’s beautiful, and apparently Therese was happy with it too, because we’re scheduled to talk soon about a personal stationery project.

Lunalux is featured in the February 1st e-mail newsletter from MinneapolisPicks.com. Have you seen this website yet? If not, you should check it out! It’s a great source for learning about local, independent shops and interesting goings-on, and this month we are thrilled to be the lead item. Thanks to Kara for including us!

The Lunalux Fortune Folio was recently added to productdose.com, a website with user-generated content about assorted retail products. Thank-you to Chandra at Greer in Chicago for calling this to our attention. The Fortune Folio also got shout-outs from two other design-focused blogs: Design Crush and BB-Blog.