Monday, November 30, 2009

Organizing the shelves!



We are printing, cutting, counting, gluing, folding, shrinkwrapping and organizing like there's no tomorrow. Check out our shelves. They starting to get full with the new sets and we still have a ton more waiting to be ready for temporary storage. I say temporary, because we are close to assembling the pages and doing the final prep for our new custom albums.

Here's a quick peek:



Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Wedding Library - Thank You!

This is the organized sister writing now that the creative sister had a chance to give her thanks regarding the Save the Date Passport. It's my job to stay connected with the retailers who sell our custom stationery nationwide. Many of the retailers who work with us know us as "little" Spark from the Midwest. We don't mind that at all because we appreciate our small, family atmosphere - and we know our retailers feel the same!

This week was a thrilling week for us as we watched one of our custom products gain national recognition. We owe an armful of thanks to The Wedding Library in New York City. Linda Hays, Director of Custom Stationery at The Wedding Library, put our Passport in Darcy Miller's hands at an elite bridal show. The Wedding Library is truly the "go-to" retailer for brides as they offer the best in everything bridal from gowns and event planning to custom stationery. Visit their website to learn more at theweddinglibrary.com.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Dreams do come true

This has been a dream week for all of us at Spark, so much so that we've had a hard time focusing on our work. We already were featured in the Destination Weddings issue of Martha Stewart Weddings on page 4 next to the fabulous Darcy Miller, but we didn't know that it could get better.

Today in particular, one of my professional (and a little bit personal) dreams came true - having something we created at Spark shown on the Martha Stewart Show. I've been tweeting about it and posting on Facebook and basically telling anyone who is willing to listen about our news.

I've always said that I would love to have some of our work on national television. But to have anything we've done held and complimented by both Darcy Miller and Martha Stewart, two women I admire greatly for their brilliance and contributions to the wedding industry, it just doesn't get better than that for me. Sure it's a quick few seconds out of an hourlong show, and of course I'd love to meet Martha and Darcy in person. However, I truly appreciate their sharing a bit of Spark with the Martha Stewart Show viewers.

Because of this recognition, we have had two articles in our local newspaper and we were featured in a local news story on our NBC affiliate, KDLT. We also found out that a few more of our designs are now part of a new image gallery featuring destination wedding designs on marthastewartweddings.com (we're numbers 22 & 23). The cool part is being featured alongside other designers we admire.

One of the best things about all of this hoopla is bringing recognition to the great people I work with each day. First and foremost, my husband and lead press operator, Jim, who is currently stressing over all of my 32 new suites of wedding and social stationery. My sister, Diedre, who somehow manages to work alongside me every day without strangling me for my oddities, such as verbalizing what should be my inner monologue and second-guessing every last design decision. And don't worry Mom and Craig - I didn't forget about you. Without your believing in our business we wouldn't be where we are today. My mom in particular has been striving to connect us with new retailers and she takes care of the financial side of our business that I work hard to avoid. We also are fortunate to have a wonderful staff who supports us in our efforts each day with great enthusiasm.

I'd also like to thank our current retailers and future retailers (hint, hint) for supporting Spark.

And lastly, in case you are someone like me who often wonders if all of this hard work and passion for what you do will pay off, the answer is resoundingly yes.

Have a great weekend!
Valerie

Introducing our Ava Wedding Suite

The Ava set featured below is a pink and navy classic. Peonies artwork may be substituted with floral artwork that suits your personal style, but then who doesn't love peonies?


Ava Invite Panel and Envelope


Ava Peony


Ava Envelope Flap


Ava Weekend Card


Ava At Home Card


Ava Wedding Suite (not all pieces shown)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Introducing our Valerie Wedding Suite

The Valerie wedding suite is part of our Wedding Love album, named after our very own art director and pressman - who are already husband and wife! Printed on 100% reclaimed cotton pearl stock in sour apple green and chocolate inks. Valerie created this look to be less frilly and more casually appealing. Check out the entire wedding suite on our website!


Valerie Invite Panel Option 1




Valerie Directions Panel on Sour Apple Cover


Valerie Menu


Valerie Note Card


Valerie Envelope


Valerie At Home Card

Monday, November 16, 2009

Introducing our Sarah Wedding Suite

The new Sarah set is simply sweet. Printed on pearl white reclaimed cotton stock in tiffany blue and taupe inks. All of our designs may be customized to suit your wedding style - change the colors, fonts, papers and even adjust the designs at no additional charge. Creating something custom has never been so much fun!




Reply card close up, love the birds in nest!


4" coaster on reclaimed cotton stock


Wedding Program, double-sided print on reclaimed cotton stock.


Gift tag printed on soft blue stock with silver eyelet.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Padma Wedding Love Invite

The Padma invitation suite from our Wedding Love album is Indian-inspired beauty. Created for Wow factor, Padma is perfect for a truly elegant affair. Printed on pearl reclaimed cotton stock in wine, brick and salmon inks.







Wednesday, November 11, 2009

We have a "look book" to brag about!!

Just today we finished a look book that has 10 completed suites from our new Wedding Love albums! We have shown you all a picture from each set so far, but now you can see how the pieces all fit together to create that extra special invite. See the invite, the envelope (+ liners!), tri-folds, and so much more.

We are so excited and wanted to share the excitement with you all!

If you are interested in having a look email us at:
spark@letterpresslove.com

Monday, November 9, 2009

New! Caitlyn Invite

Check out our new wedding suite for the wedding love album. The Caitlyn invite uses formal artwork and typefaces with a hint of modern styling. This suite is featured in one color letterpress, so this beauty is also budget-friendly. Visit the wedding page of our website to preview the entire wedding suite!







Friday, November 6, 2009

New! Hollie Invite

The Hollie invitation suite is new at Spark and will be included in the Wedding Love album due out in December. This sweet design has hugs and kisses written all over it! Visit the wedding page on our website, letterpresslove.com, to view the full wedding suite.



Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Spark News Article - Wedding Trends

Our new website has inspired us to write news articles from time to time. Check out the latest article posted today:

Spark Trends in Wedding Love Albums

If you would like to provide comments regarding our articles, please post to our twitter or facebook accounts. Thank you!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sneak Peek: Margaret Invite by Spark

The Margaret invitation suite by Spark is a new addition to our Wedding Love album due out in December. French-inspired pattern and fonts are sure to make an impression on paper. We printed this suite on white, 100% reclaimed cotton stock, as well as gray and butter cover stock. Check out our website at letterpresslove.com to view the entire suite. More pics of this suite coming soon!