The Milkfed Press Blog

End of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:11:00 +0000

It's been a lovely summer at Milkfed Press and I want to keep the sweetness going. I'm offering one set of my Artemis wedding suite to a lucky couple for 50% off! Printed on my favorite sexy French paper, it is made up of 4 delicate press runs/colors. Please contact me if you are interested. xo Victoria

Ye Olde Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:37:00 +0000

I was driving out in the countryside yesterday and couldn't believe my eyes when I came across this old barn. Painted barns are a rare breed these days, and it completely made my day to see this one in the world of websites, blogs (yes), Facebook and Twitter.

I've never seen a Bodoni Party Bus.

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:12:00 +0000

I saw this on the freeway yesterday, and had to share.

Aside from its size, what caught my eye was the fact that it falls under my, "Hey—let's name our business after the font we use" category. Hobo font? Meet Hobo Limo!

Laura and Ben

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Hello All,

It's been one heck of a Summer and here I am—2 months later. It's been crazy-busy at the shop and for this I am grateful. So much to post about but I thought I'd open up with some photos that my lovely client, Laura, sent to me. Laura and her now-husband, Ben, had a peacock-themed wedding and chose my Peacock invitation to set the tone. These are just a few of her photos, and her photographer from Love Life Images did such an amazing job! I love the attention to detail, and the pinata that Laura and her friend made is almost too sweet to hit.

It's always a treat to see everyone on their big day!

Happy Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:49:00 +0000

I know it's late in the day, but I wanted to post a Happy Anniversary to the amazing Suppenküche, in San Francisco. Celebrating their 16th year tonight, their parties are always magical.

I know I've mentioned before, but they truly have the. best. split. pea. soup. Period.

OK!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:23:00 +0000

OK! Magazine sent over a copy of my "Leigh" save the date card featured in their latest issue.

Here's to working internationally!

Postage Rate Increase

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Okay, while I may be a day late and a dollar short on this Cinco De Mayo thing, I won't be fooled by the Postage rate increase happening on Monday. Rates will increase from 42¢ to 44¢, so be sure use up all of those soon-to-be old stamps this weekends. Why not send out a little note to a loved one?

Lost and Found | Postcard Series

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:32:00 +0000

My husband found this copy in a used book store. Along with the great story, he found this lovely and touching inscription inside the front cover. I would love to receive such a note. This will be the first in a series of Lost and Found Postcards. If you have found any yourselves that you'd like to contribute to the series, please contact me! Read the inscription here:

There is nothing significant about giving you this now except that it is one of my all time favorite, that it is about a pure soul encountering new people, that it is long and you might have time before too many new friends sweep you away to read it. And just because I love you so dearly and had to give you something the nearest to the weight of a heart. I love you, D.

Slo-Baked!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:11:00 +0000

This is a snippet of a counter-top which extends about 12 feet long that currently sits in my shop. My studio is housed in a building rich in history. Part of it had been a grocery store from the 1950's, and at some point during the 1980's, the owners of the building just left. Everything sat as it had from 1950 on, until people started breaking in. Apparently, the owners did not believe in storing their money in a bank, so chose to store it in the walls, etc.. This didn't last long and the building was soon discovered as a free atm. The man who bought the building after all of this happened (gutting, fire, etc.) lovingly restored the building and put it back into shape.

When I moved in, he said, "Victoria, you like old stuff, right?". And he gave me this counter, along with some other really cool pieces.

The Flashdance

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:35:00 +0000

I've been wanting to post about The Flashdance for awhile now. I met Michael through the talented Michelle at Mint Julep a month or so ago. The minute I clicked on their website I knew they were on to something. Myself, I'm a total music lover, so all disclaimers aside, I have to say that this guy has impeccable taste in music. Truly. And I'm picky. Aside from playing music at cool weddings everywhere, he also puts together a monthly list of music which he will send to you. For real. Shown here is a cd cover that he designed and I printed for him which will house said-cds and will also contain some swag from his partners, Our Labor of Love as well as Max Wanger. These guys have definitely been making the blog rounds but I can also add that not only are they talented, they are kind. If I weren't already married I know who I would hire.

Giving Props

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:55:00 +0000

My friend, Nat told me about the work of Jim Flora a few years ago, and I'm constantly reminded of his inspiration and his work as I pop around the blogs today. This piece at the top, titled, "Manhattan" was originally created in the 1950's. It was a woodblock that had been hand-carved and then painstakingly hand-colored.

He worked as an illustrator for RCA and if you see some of the comments on his website, you'll find that he wasn't always well-received. I'd still love to find one of his albums.

Milkfed Press + Leigh Wells on Design*Sponge Today

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:50:00 +0000

A very big thank you to Design*Sponge for featuring my new collaboration on her amazing site!

This must be my lucky week.

I also want to give a big Thank You to Daily Candy SF for their sweet mention of Milkfed Press on their blog today. If anybody reaches this via today's postings, please shoot me a message and I will reward you greatly. xo Victoria

Hurrah!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Oh my goodness it's been a while. After a full week of printing and updating, I'm ready to pop my head back in and say "hello". I have a few new designs that I very recently (today) added to my Weddings Collection on my website. More to come soon! xo Victoria

PS. Thank you to Abby at Style Me Pretty and for everyone who has emailed me with kind words about my work!

Grain Edit Comes to the Press!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:54:00 +0000

A big thank you to Grace and Dave from the fabulous Grain Edit for coming to my studio a few weeks ago.They posted a little story and some pictures about their visit on today's blog.

I have been lurking Grain Edit for months, so it was nice to finally meet the faces behind it.

Leigh Wells + Milkfed Press = LOVE!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0000

This year is off to an interesting start for me and I'm super excited (shouting! from rafters!) to show off the latest suite in my new line of Wedding Stationery.

I've enlisted the help of the incredibly talented Leigh Wells, and she has created this very versatile suite exclusively for Milkfed Press. Shown above are her traditional bride/groom icons, as well as her groom/groom and bride/bride options. I think that Leigh's artwork and hand-lettering combined with the simple typography offer a fresh new option for the truly modern couple.

In addition, Leigh has graciously offered to pen the couple's names on their invitations (like the Invitation shown above) for an additional $150 fee (otherwise, names will be typeset by Milkfed Press, still using Leigh's artwork and hand-lettering where noted), and she may be coerced into hand-lettering your guests' names and addresses on the outer envelopes for an additional fee.

If you like what you see and think that this may be just the Suite to say, "We do!" please send me a note at victoria@milkfedpress.com to let me know. Please include the number of sets that you'd like to have, and let me know if you'd like to have Leigh pen your names on the invitations. ! xo Victoria

Silly Word Series

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:46:00 +0000

I'm admittedly in a silly mood today, but did I miss something? When did this become a word? I've heard it being bandied about for awhile now, and I think it's funny.

Like most designers I'm sure, I like to imagine the best font for a word (s). I think this is what it should look like (but I hesitate to put it out there, thus driving the word further into our collective lexicon).

Style Me Pretty Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:44:00 +0000

Abby at Style Me Pretty hosted a contest for her readers to come up with an inspiration board for a bride-to-be who is getting married next year. The palette is raspberry and I was happy to see that my little escort cards and envelopes showed up not once, but twice (I couldn't load up the second board, but go to her site.)! Thank you!

Resolution #1

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:25:00 +0000

We are well into the new year, and I thought I'd share a possibly incriminating New Year's Resolution. You see, I grew up writing letters. I love writing letters. One of the major reasons that I got into design and letterpress printing was because I absolutely love making (and receiving) great stationery. I love the USPS, I love shopping for stamps—the whole she-bang. But in the last year I've absolutely slipped with any personal hand-written correspondence.

I know—the shoemaker's shoes and all that. But here it is. SO, I'm outing myself and I've started a new campaign to encourage you, Dear Reader, to also start the year fresh with some hand-written notes.

How can you benefit? Simply send a 42 cent stamp to me at the above address and you too can join in on the fun. Make sure you send along your address, too!

New Directions

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:29:00 +0000

This is the back-side of some business cards which I created for San Francisco artist, Kelly DeFayette. The front-side has all of her information, and you can see here that the back has four different 'mini prints' which were created by Kelly. I had a great time working with her and her artwork (in my opinion) just begs to be printed letterpress.

SO... today we are going to meet and begin a new project which will be a collaboration of prints created by both of us. I love love Kelly's vibrant work, so I'm really excited to be working with her in this capacity. This is the first time I've done anything like this and again—I think it will be so fun. Look for more on this early next year!

'Tis the Season

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:11:00 +0000

This is a menu that I just finished this week. It's for a super-festive Christmas party, and it involves three separate colors/press runs. Typesetting menus is inspiring, for sure. I love adding the appropriate accents and learning exactly what it is they'll be serving.

Hey, I Know You.

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:02:00 +0000

I was browsing the webs and found this picture yesterday. It's a book that I custom-bound well- over a year ago, and it's so nice to see the handsome couple that I did it for.

It was the first project I'd worked on after having my baby, and it was deceptively complicated.

It's actually a square book (harder than you'd know) and I custom-backed both the outer cloth

and the hard-t0-see lining on the inside of the covers. And it's striped. Horizontally. In the end, it came out flawlessly and I wish I had a photo of it other than this! I'm happy to see it in 'real life', being used.

Series

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:48:00 +0000

Here is the second piece in the series I seem to be working on inspired by orange crate art.

This was created for the sweetest couple ever, who are getting married on a small farm in Winters, California. The bride-to-be really loved my Willa suite, and this little floral sprig is an offering of things to come with the invitations. The farm grows lavender, amongst other things, so this worked out really well.

Memory Lane

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:24:00 +0000

I recently found a box filled with some things my Dad had saved for me. In it were a few odds and ends and alas—some items from our family's desk! I had completely forgotten about this box of rubber letters, and am completely amused to find that I've not strayed too far from the 5- year-old kid who loved to stamp stars (exhibit B) and decorate envelopes. Along with the box of rubber letters, was a box containing wax sticks and a seal. I lit up the probably-30-year-old wax stick and enjoyed stamping the big "D" (my maiden name). Letter-writing was serious business in my family. My Grandmother had a typewriter that would type in script and it was always so exciting when her letters showed up. I think that has always stuck with me and I am grateful for the inspiration.

Self-Explanatory.

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Buy This Book!

noreply@blogger.com (milkfedpressblog) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:17:00 +0000

A few months ago, I'd printed some cards for the lovely Karima at Castle in the Air, in Berkeley.

They were lovely illustrations from a book that she and her husband had created—THIS book (!) which has been finished. There are two versions—a hardcover book and a softcover book. Both have been letterpress printed by my friend, Richard, and handbound by yours truly.

A true collaboration and they are now available on Castle in the Air's new website!