Our collection of wood type has been a great source of inspiration for us lately, and it shows in this week’s Stationery Saturday designs. We filled a press with a bunch of orphan characters, and printed this mismatched pattern on folded cards. Saturday November 12, from 11a.m. to 6p.m., guests in our Minneapolis studio can get these woodtype cards personalized on the spot, for just $29. For the first time in Stationery Saturday history, two unique customization options will be offered: a monogram in bold aqua letters or a name/phrase in orange type. Here’s how this will work: first select tan or gray pre-printed cards. If the monogram design is calling your name, you’ll head to the Vandercook proof press where Morgan will be printing with aqua ink and sleek wood characters. If you need more than three letters to get your point across, Jenni will take care of you at the Heidelberg Windmill, with orange ink and a couple different 30-point lead fonts. You can tag along as we set type and bring your cards to life, or check out the holiday cards and 2012 calendars in our shoppe while we work the presses. And if you’re too busy to stay, you can place an order on Saturday and pick up your cards at a later date.

Can’t make it to our studio on November 12? You can still get in on this action! We will continue to accept orders (while supplies last) from customers in our shoppe, through November 18. Far-away friends can order online through the Lunalux storefront at feltandwireshop.com.

You’ll find details about this week’s designs, along with our plans for the November 26 and December 3 events, on our Stationery Saturday page. If you’re a facebook user, we hope you’ll connect with us there too. That’s often the first place we reveal Stationery Saturday designs, and we always create events listings so our friends can help spread the word. Visit the events tab on our facebook page if you’d like to RSVP to one of our upcoming events!

We get Twin Cities Business magazine each month, and always find interesting stories in here about developments in the broader community. We’re thrilled that a few of our letterpress stationery products were included in the November 2011 issue, in a story about holiday gifts in the work place. The story includes a brief Q&A with Daniel Post, the great-grandson of manners maven Emily Post. Mr. Post gives this advice regarding the best gift for a colleague or employee: “Stick to items that can be used in the office like stationery, paperweights, et cetera.” That being said, we’re pretty sure we’re ground zero for all your office gifts this year! Look for Twin Cities Business on newsstands near you, or check out the mag in digital format. Lunalux products are on page 26. Other recommended reading in this issue: there’s a story on page 16 about our pal Barry Rubin, who’s now both a pen seller AND a pen DESIGNER. Way to go, Barry!

Our call for interns this summer garnered a lot of compelling inquiries from interested parties. We were most thrilled to hear from Ritalee, who is no stranger to these parts. She is, in fact, a former client! She had fond memories of the wedding announcement we created for her in 2009, and her interest in letterpress was further fueled by taking a class at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. One brief interview later, and she was hired! She instantly fit right in. Since her internship began this fall, she’s been rocking the bottom spot on the Lunalux totem pole, attacking each task we give her with enthusiasm and creativity. Just before Halloween, she blurted out a great idea for a card and we said “Let’s make that happen. Today.” So a few hours later, her Crappy Halloweiners card was born. If you haven’t had a chance to meet this newest member of the Lunalux team, do look for her next time you visit. Tuesdays and Thursdays you’ll often find her manning the shop.

Many changes afoot at the Lunalux studio. John, our beloved printer who ran the Heidelberg here for nearly 10 years, has left the studio to invest more time in his own card line (you may have seen it in our shoppe – Dude and Chick). This left studio owner Jenni in need of a new wing-man. And we’re thrilled to announce that position is being filled by a familiar face, former intern Morgan. Morgan rocked the Vandercook for a year or so after graduating from MCAD and before pursuing an advanced degree. But grad school wasn’t her cup of tea, and it just so happened that we had a position to fill right when she wanted to move back to the cities. We’re thrilled to have her on the payroll now, helping around the studio with all manners of tasks, chores, projects and jobs: typesetting for Stationery Saturday, processing orders, cleaning up Jenni’s messes, and getting to know our excellent customers. Since she came back a few weeks ago, she’s already had her first lesson on the Golding jobber. Here she is scoring  Lunalux greeting cards on our hand-fed job press. If she keeps going at this rate, pretty soon she’ll be running the joint! Next time you visit, be sure to give her a high five and welcome her back to the Lunalux team. Watch for more personal news soon – we have at least one intern joining the rank this fall too.

As the summer winds down, we’re feeling nostalgia for mom-baseball-and-apple-pie kinds of comforts. With love of country in our heart and the national anthem on our mind, we created a series of four red-white-and-blue buckslip notecards. During the September 10 Stationery Saturday event, all four designs will be available for personalization while you wait! The 4×9 flat cards will be pre-printed with navy and scarlet icons. The Heidelberg windmill press will be loaded with gray ink, and our case of 14-point Caslon Italic will be at the ready. Stop by our shop between 11a.m. and 6p.m. and we’ll do your stationery biding – the name or phrase of your choice can be printed on a set of 10 cards for just $29. Cards will be paired with parchment-style number-10 envelopes (your choice: gray, tan or natural white). It’s gonna look nice and old-timey!

Our store is jam-packed with great greeting cards, notebooks and other papery treats right now, so there’s good shopping to be done while you’re waiting for your turn at the press. And we’ll have coffee and homemade cookies to share as well. There’s really no reason for you to not stop by this Saturday.

We’ve created a facebook event for this weekend’s Stationery Saturday, in case you feel like RSVP-ing and/or inviting all the stationery-o-philes you’re connected to. And if you can’t come in this Saturday, no worries – you can order on line! We’ve added this weekend’s designs to our online storefront at feltandwireshop.com.