(drum roll please) Introducing Morgan!

We’re happy to introduce Morgan, the newest Lunalux intern. Morgan is a recent MCAD graduate, and has a wealth of experience in print-making and paper-making (she’s been interning for a while at Cave Paper). She’s a real gal about town, perhaps you’ve seen her waiting tables down the block at Joe’s Garage, or working the coat check at First Avenue. She’s been helping out around here for a couple of months, and we are thrilled to have her on board. She has a great attitude and we appreciate her cheerful, creative energy. You can see pictures of some of her previous artwork on her blog (which she doesn’t update very often, but nobody’s perfect). Until now, we’ve kept Morgan busy with the basics like packing orders and assembling products for the shop. But yesterday we finally set her loose in the type department, and she created a couple of great cards that we’re now selling in the Lunalux studio store. Both cards shown below were printed on our Vandercook proof press, using a combination of wood and lead type. So funny! We look forward to seeing more additions to her series.

Letterpress haiku posters

Last week we waved goodbye to Carrie Phillips. She interned here for nearly a year, after earning her degree in graphic design from the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2008. This week she’s headed to Seattle, where we hope she has great adventures! We’ve been enjoying the play-by-play of her Westward road trip, you can follow along too on her blog. Carrie came in for her final shift last Thursday, to finish the fifth in her series of haiku posters. We love the green and yellow inks on the buttery yellow felt-finish cover – the color scheme is perfect for this on-the-verge-of-spring time of year.

Carrie started her haiku series in November. Each of the five limited-edition posters is set in assorted vintage wood type. She printed them on the Vandercook and used a fun inking technique: a different ink color was applied at each end of the cylinder, so the inks mix together during the printing process. She’s pictured here with the very first haiku, which is still my favorite. All five haiku posters are for sale at the Lunalux studio store, for just $10 each.

New holiday cards designed by intern Carrie

As a normal human being, it drives me a little bit nuts that stores are exploding with holiday swaggery for two full months before Christmas proper. But as a store owner, I understand why this is – people want holiday cards and gifts, and they want them 6 weeks ago! So even though our hearts swell with love for the crisp leaves and earthy smells of autumn, we’re putting all of our holiday cards and wrap on the shelves as soon as Halloween is over! And we’re excited that this year’s holiday spread will include cards created by our newest intern (click on the pictures for larger views).

For the past few months, Carrie has been packing wholesale orders, setting type for Stationery Saturday designs, updating sample displays in our store, even making coffee on occasion. She’s also an avid knitter, and you can read about her creative exploits on her blog. Here at Lunalux, We finally put her designs skills to good use (she is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s design program, after all) on a series of modern holiday cards that we’ll be selling exclusively in our studio store this winter. They’re elegant, asymmetrical designs that make excellent use of negative space.

The snowflake card is letterpress-printed without ink on a bright white wove-finish card stock. Geometric shapes pressed deeply into the paper create striking shadows, really capturing the spirit of a brilliant white winter snowfall. My favorite is the ornaments, printed in rich black ink on a sparkling white card. The card feels very festive and wintery, without relying on traditional Christmas colors or motifs. Carrie’s most excited about the holly cards, which she printed in lime green ink on soft white wove-finish cover – it’s a fresh take on a very classic holiday icon.

2-4-6-8, who do we appreicate? Katie!

Please meet Katie, the newest Lunalux intern! Katie is a senior at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and she comes to Lunalux with much experience in illustration and stationery design. Though she’s only been here a few days, we’re already learned some fun stuff about her. To wit: she’s a twin, a vegetarian, and an avid bicyclist. So far we’ve kept her busy packaging various products for wholesale orders, but she’s chomping at the bit for some hands-on action, so hopefully she’ll get her first lesson on the Vandercook very soon.