Use a custom embosser to dress up your event!

We've all seen the trend to create a logo or monogram for your wedding or event and use it in a variety of places. It's a great way to tie everything together and create a cohesive look. One easy way to do this is to order a custom embosser from Wilshire Graphic Press . You can either choose one of their layouts or send in your own artwork like we did for our client Nicole on her invitations. I also love using the embossers for your return address for your invitations and thank you notes--it's something you can use again for holiday cards and all of your other correspondence.

Come find us on facebook too--we're going to have some specials coming up only available to fans. Hope to see you there!

upcoming changes to our website!

We're working on making some changes to our website to better display our options and custom projects from previous clients. A big first step in moving forward was hiring a photographer to do some product photography for us! Sarah Maxey Photography did a wonderful job of capturing the texture of our papers and the impression of our letterpress projects and we're so excited to be able to feature her work! You can check out her blog for some more of our shots and adorable family and baby shoots she's done. For those of you in the Kansas City area, she's running a great special if you book by July 31st--$75 for a session fee and you get an image release and CD with all of your pictures for printing. Contact her today--baby pics, engagement sessions, family pics, whatever. And......be on the lookout for more updates at Paper Mill Designs!

Lipstick and Flower Stems inspiration board on Inventing Weddings

{inspiration board courtesy of inventing weddings}

Many thanks to Inventing Weddings for featuring our sage green Olivia letterpress invitations in one of their latest inspiration boards. How cute is that little clutch as well? All of the items featured can be found on etsy and Inventing Weddings has the direct links for all of the items. They are posting a ton of inspiration boards so it's a great place to get ideas. Check them out!

personalized stationery gifts

We love working with previous clients on additional projects. I met Megen at the Bridal Show in 2008 and we whipped up some fun, wintery-themed invitations for her January 2009 wedding. When she got in touch with me about putting together a gift for her friend Robyn, a PhD candidate, we came up with a package of items Robyn will hopefully be able to use as she moves forward in her career!

We did custom letterpress notecards with a bird theme, and then two custom-printed, handmade spiral bound books--a notebook and an address book. We really enjoyed working on this project and hope Robyn enjoys using her new stationery items as well!

Contact us today if you're interested in other custom stationery options. We welcome your ideas and look forward to working with you!

pick up some blooms for free!

The American Institute of Floral Design (AIFD) is hosting their annual symposium in Kansas City this week. Check out some of these beautiful photos of their creative designs and gorgeous blooms. It sounds like if you're hanging out around Crown Center and the Hyatt the next few days, you might get lucky too--in addition to donating the flowers to meals on wheels, the conventioneers will take the flowers used in the exhibits and instead of throwing them away, they arrange them into bouquets that are handed out in the afternoon free! The convention goes through Thursday. It doesn't look like the event is open to the public--I'd love to sneak in and check out new floral trends from designers across the nation. :) Look at those feathers!

**all photos courtesy kansascity.com see more photos in the gallery here**

real weddings: chris and claire

{photo credits clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4}

A lot of clients aren't sure what to expect when it comes to working with a custom stationery company. What exactly does custom mean? For us, it means we want to work with our clients to make sure that not only do they love their stationery, but that it coordinates with their overall vision for an event.

A perfect example of this is the stationery package we created with Chris and his lovely fiancée Claire. Chris is a friend from high school. When he proposed to Claire, he had a ring custom-designed from Visionary Jewelers, another friend of the couple. When I began working with Claire, she floated the idea of having her stationery design inspired by her ring. After rounds of proofs, I think we found a great representation that compliments the beautiful detail from the ring. We ran their invitations and thank you stationery on our antique letterpress in beautiful navy and kelly green ink.

Enjoy these beautiful photos from Chris and Claire's wedding by the talented Leda Vander Laan of LVL Photography. Congrats again to the happy couple!