original short: Lunalux from mn original on Vimeo.

Clear your calendars, pop some popcorn, and get ready to watch some letterpress action on your TV tonight. Twin Cities Public Television launched a new program last week called MN Original, which highlights the diverse arts community of our fair state. Tonight’s episode will include a segment about Lunalux! We spent a few hours filming with Mark Fischer and Chuck Olsen back in January, when the show was still just a glimmer in the production staff’s eye. So we’re excited to see what they’ve put together for broadcast. To whet your appetite, they’ve created this video short in which the sounds of our Heidelberg Windmill mingle with the music of Savage Aural Hotbed. The show airs at 7:30 p.m. tonight (that’s Thursday, April 29) on TPT, and there are a few rebroadcasts scheduled throughout the coming week. The full episode will also be posted on the show’s website, mnoriginal.org

Is there a mom, gramma or baby momma in your life that deserves a little recognition? Tell her how great she is with a sweet Mother’s Day card. We think this year’s selection of cards is the best yet. You’ll find cards from Dude and Chick, a. favorite designs, Hello Lucky, Dee & Lala, Lunalux, and more. Mother’s Day is Sunday May 9, so there’s still time for you to swing by and pick up a card or three. As these photos show, we also have some swell gifts that we think your moms will love. All the cards and gifts shown are available in the Lunalux studio store – click here for store hours and directions. Top photo: wood-type card from Cheap Crap Card Company, plus Japanese Washi tape and wax paper stationery from Tinted Mint. Bottom left photo: name game buckslip card from a. favrorite designs, plus Emilie Sloan cherry blossom make-up case and Lunalux scratch pad. Bottom right photo: floral card from Dee & Lala, plus fabric-covered thumbtacks and magnets from Girl of All Work.

One of the best parts of my job is that it affords me the opportunity to meet and work with wonderful people. In a recent week, we printed personal stationery for two new customers who I had great fun working with. The clients and their projects couldn’t have been more different! First we worked on notecards for Tim, a priest turned copywriter who was on the cusp of returning to work in the church again. Though our interactions were relatively brief, it was a treat to talk with him, and we think he’s been converted to a loyal Lunalux fan. His new correspondence cards feature the crest of the Episcopal church, letterpress-printed in black ink on hefty kid-finish cotton cover, trimmed to a generous 5×7 inches (plenty of room for musings spiritual and otherwise). When he picked up the finished product, we were tickled to see him looking so sharp in his new black and white uniform.

Next we moved on to personal stationery for Elle, another new friend of the studio. Elle has been on our mailing list for years, but we just started getting to know her in recent months when she’s come in for Stationery Saturdays. We were delighted when she asked us to create custom thankyou notes for her. While Tim’s crested cards are somewhat sophisticated, this gal needed something colorful and sweet to match her big personality. “Grazie mille” (“thanks a million” Italian-style), her favorite expression of gratitude, is letterpress-printed across the top of these 4.25×5.5 flats, with her name at the bottom. We looked at a few different decorative fonts for this simple design, but settled on Suburban because Elle loved the look of the double-Ls.

Are you dreaming of the perfect personal stationery? We’d love to make something special for you! You can read about other clients we’ve worked with in our blog archives, or click here for some general information about our custom design and printing services.

It’s a beautiful spring day here in Loring Park. We spent the afternoon puttering around a quiet studio, doing a little of this and a little of that. Some valuable work got done today, but our favorite project was this off-the-cuff print, with TRUST YOUR GUT letterpress-printed in milky aqua ink on striped translucent sheets. We love the big fat letters printed in such a pale color, on ethereal paper. And we want you to have a copy to hang in your cube or on your fridge. Just stop by the Lunalux studio store on Saturday, April 10, between noon and 6p.m., and you can have your own copy. We’re happy to be here and think it will be more fun if you stop by.