White Christmas....Wintry Invitations

Well the big holiday is still a few days away, and while it looks like we'll have a white Christmas here in Chicago, not everyone will be so lucky. If you don't get to enjoy the white fluffy stuff in your neck of the woods, maybe these wintry wedding invitations can get you in that yuletide mood.

First wedding show of 2011!

Ah, winter. Your arrival is marked by sometimes beautiful (mostly gray and muddy) snow, an onslaught of Etsy shops we like to promote to you on our Facebook page for your holiday shopping (it's fun because it's like shopping without spending any money!) and our participation in a wedding show or two!

This year, the first will be the "Love at Breathtaking Heights" show in the Sears Tower (ok, ok! Willis Tower) at the Metropolitan Club on January 7th starting at 5:30pm. This is a tre chic show, so put your fancy pants on for this one:

We will be there with our friend Nina from Tweedle Press to debut our hybrid flat printed/letterpress printed style we've been cooking up. It'll be worth the visit!
See you there!

Red and Black Invitations

Check up the upper right hand corner of this collage created by Heather Parker for the Bradley/Holmes wedding from earlier this year...it's the red and black invite with wax seal we did for them. Thanks for including us, Heather!


Also featured are flowers by Wishing Well Florists, make-up by Briette Madrid, hair by Theodora Bourikas, and the Tower Club.

Invitations Inspire Crafty Presents

It's always nice to hear from our clients that their family and friends loved the invitations we did for them, but sometimes we're blown away by how much they seem to like them. Take Mary Ann and Darel's wedding for example. They had friends actually make them gifts out of our invitations!

First, the invitation that inspired the gifts.....


Here is a custom cake topper their friend Ty made for them....


And here are a couple of photos of a vase made from the invitation and their engagement picture....

Bright Lights, City Wedding

Check out the great photos by Edyta Szyszlo Photography from Kristen and Gene's wedding. You'll see a sneak peak of our "Chicago Theater" invitations- a visual focal point from the Wit Hotel where the wedding was. Love it when it all comes together!


It was nice to have an excuse to go downtown so we could take some pictures to use as inspiration for the invitation design.

The Eagle has landed!

It's official! We've had our first card spotting at Target!
There was a little bit of a delay with stocking the shelves (the Target elves were busy with holiday stuff I guess), but we can now OFFICIALLY say our Spilled Ink Press logo has landed at at a Target store near you!!

If you see these cards in the "Just for Laughs" section with other Recycled Paper Greetings cards, follow these instructions:
1. Pick it up.
2. Read it.
3. Throw your head back and laugh very loudly, vigorously enough that you cause a scene.
4. Put it into your cart and repeat.

inside: ...just be sure to save some cash for cake and ice cream.
Happy Birthday

inside: Consider these shots "cupcakes" and the rest of the bar your class.
Have another cupcake.
Happy Birthday

inside: Before your taste in booze gets more expensive.
Happy Birthday

Celebrate Early. Celebrate Often.

Just a few weeks removed from the last election, I thought we were done with political commercials on TV. I was wrong. Ads for the mayoral election have already started. It seems like it's always voting season in Chicago, but of course we can find a little time to fit in the Christmas season too. Sure, we're used to voting early and often, but we can also celebrate early and often. And what better way to celebrate the holidays in Chicago than with our Christmas cards that poke fun at the city's questionable political history.

Card inside text:


Card inside text:

And we're working on ideas for our 2010 Christmas card... no one is safe.... stay tuned!

Check it

Whoa... hello blog. How the heck haveya been? Last time we spoke it was... lets see... August? No? Really? Come on.
--gulp-- Ok. Well- the good news is we've been very very busy at Spilled Ink Press headquarters.
We did some invitations... or 2... or 100... we've been banging out greeting cards like we own the joint. It's good times, good times.

To prove it, someone in the "real" media actually took note of it. Our friend Sarah Terez-Rosenblum of Sun Times blog fame, "Our Town" asked us a few questions and we very happily answered.
Here it is folks.
Enjoy!

PS- Sarah is also an excellent writing instructor at StoryStudio. The winter classes are up on the block folks, get em' while they're hot.

Yes, it's a polar bear

We create lovely custom wedding invitations (at least we think so) and then hand them off to the happy couple to send on their way- into the trusted hands of the United States Postal Service. Our designs always start with the RSVP as a postcard. It's becoming pretty popular- you save postage ($.28 vs. $.44, which isn't much, but hey- it all adds up), and more importantly, you save a few trees.

But lately, I've heard more than a few brides grumble to me that they were a bit dissapointed when they got to the post office and realized all they had to choose from for the postcard stamp was this:

I did a little research and it appears that the USPS issues new postcard stamps every year or so. So the polar bear is here to stay for a while. I'm not one to pay attention to the stamp when I receive mail, but I know how the finer details can make a bride crazy (and after going through the fun process of customizing your invitation, I suppose Mr. Fuzzy here could be a little distracting). Sooooo, doing a little more research I found www.photostamps.com:

The cost per sheet of 20 stamps is $18.99 for the $.44 stamps and $15.99 for the $.28 postcard stamps. So your savings from postcard to regular stamp just went out the window, but the option of uploading ANY picture you want is pretty tempting! Here we have Captain Kirk and Uhura in a loving embrace. Yes, this is an image from our friend's Thad and Didi's invitations (blog post on THAT one to follow, can't resist bragging about a Captain Kirk invitation). But you get the idea. You can imagine how lovely your engagement picture would look, or maybe the graphic from your invitation even, oh the coordination will blow your guests minds! The website is pretty easy to navigate too.

So I say, what the heck, go for it. Support our nearly bankrupt postal system and create custom stamps if you don't have any love for the polar bear (it is kind of random, I have to admit).

Just a word of advise though- ORDER THEM EARLY. The website says it takes 3 to 5 business days to get them... but, um, well, it IS the USPS, so I would order earlier. When we meet with couples to review the final hard copy proof, I always tell them to take the sample as-is in it's completed state and have it weighed AT THE POST OFFICE to verify postage. Usually it's the typical stamp for the main envelope, but occasionally it will weigh more (as in instances of heavier booklet style invitations) and need the $.61 stamp
(at least they got you covered with this one!). But you'll know what kind of stamp you need for your RSVP no matter what, so have fun and get those early.

If you want the most options for your stamps, aside from the custom photo ones, go here and have fun perusing the selection: stamps
Here are my favorites, in case you were wondering (geez, my tastes are all over the place):

Happy Wedding Day, Lisa Simpson!

Spilled Ink Press would like to congratulate Lisa Simpson on her wedding today! We could have done a better job on the invitations though.

As Seen on GreenBrideGuide.com: Don't Let Your Accessories Go To Waste

Check it out.... the fine folks over at the Green Bride Guide asked Amanda to write a guest expert post on their blog. Here it is!

So you’ve received the responses back, have the menu figured out, the flowers on order, and the DJ loading up the playlist. The details are falling into place! “Day of” stationery needs are next on your to-do list. But if taking a look at this step with your green goggles on, you may hesitate at the amount of “extra” paper today’s bride could possibly divulge in. Just to start the list, you’ve got programs, place cards, menu cards, table numbers, favor tags… oh my!

Don’t fret, green bride. Verify that your printed products are at the very least printed on 30% post-consumer waste paper. This is the paper industry’s minimum to qualify for “recycled content” labels, so getting to 30% of the good recycled stuff shouldn’t be hard. The next question should be, “Is the paper recyclable?” (because not all papers are). In any papers that are “shiny” and metallic, the shiny content must be made of organic materials in order to be recycled. You can’t stick the glossy, coated, or otherwise “sparkly” papers into ye old recycle bin.

Ok, your paper is recycled, recyclable, and the next and final step is making sure you actually recycle it! Now this may take some creative thinking. How many weddings have you been to where, as you’re wiping your eyes and walking away from the ceremony, you look back and oh the horror! Programs are strewn all about! What do you think that wonderful church janitor is going to do with those? (Hint: Compost them to the parish worm bin is NOT the answer.) And the bride, of course, is thinking about other things. Like, “Oh my god- I just got married, where’s the photographer, is my grandma doing ok, how’s my lipstick look?” So put some time into the recycling thought process before the big day. And the answer is… a Recycling Ambassador! Ladies, let’s retire the useless “guest book attendant” role and start adopting the Recycling Ambassador. Be bold (and a tad bit ironic, I might add) and put the title and credit right on the programs. Say it proud!

What is a Recycling Ambassador, you ask? This person’s mission, shall they choose to accept, is to follow behind at each step of the ceremony and reception and gather up the paper products. The programs are distributed, and then immediately following the ceremony scooped up. Give them a decorated bin (most likely the same bin you brought them to the ceremony site in, no doubt) for depositing recyclables. After the meal, the menus can be collected, and toward the end of the night, the table numbers, place cards, etc. etc. At Spilled Ink Press, we always offer to take back the paper products from our clients and recycle them on their behalf. You know, so they can enjoy their honeymoon without recycling remorse.

If your stationer hasn’t offered this service and you don’t want to worry about it yourself, make sure your Ambassador has access to a paper recycle program- perhaps your venue even has a receptacle in the building. If this same person is going to the post-wedding brunch, where perhaps gifts will be opened and cards read- be sure those now disposed of envelopes and cards end up in the bin as well! How many showers have you been to after all where the little wide-eyed ones circle around the bride on the floor and want nothing more than to snatch up the ribbons and wrapping paper and be the “helper” of the day. Imagine granting your niece--who was too old for the flower girl gig, but too young to be a bridesmaid--the “Recycle Maid” position! Your wedding day will be that much more green, and your friends and family will be happy to fill this special role. Done and done!

Chicago Green Wedding Alliance: July 13th

Well, time flies when it's summer in Chicago!
Just a friendly reminder that our next Chicago Green Wedding Alliance meeting is Tuesday, July 13th at Logan Square Kitchen.

As usual, please feel free to bring a bottle or snacks to share.
We have a lot to discuss, hope all you green wedding vendors out there can make it!

Debbie and Ale

Debbie and Ale are planning a wedding that not only represents the union of their lives- but also of two geographies, Chicago, Illinois and Seville, Spain. What better way to represent that than our accordion invitation with the skyline of Chicago spilling into the skyline of Seville?! We literally split the panels equally between English and Spanish text- the English hovering over the Chicago skyline and the Spanish hovering over the Seville skyline.

Debbie sent me the inspiration board shots so I could appreciate the boldness of the blue they wanted to capture. Aaaah, bright blue- what a vibrant way to say "Welcome to Chicago! Welcome to our wedding!"
Thank you for another fun invitation Debbie and Ale!

Open House at Bloomingdale's

We'll be at the Bloomingdale's in Old Orchard Center for an Open House this Thursday, the 24th of June....stop on by and say hi.

Love and the forces of the Universe

"The four fundamental forces of physics: electromagnetism, strong nuclear interaction, weak nuclear interaction, and gravity. We’ve been talking here about the forces that bind the universe. But what binds humans? Love. Powerful in small spaces and yet with profound affect in distances, love defies time. Outliving its source and object, love is faster than light, for light requires time in order to travel through space but love reaches its object instantaneously. Love journeys forever into infinity and is here binding together two lives."

Ok- so I first saw this on one of our bride's wedding website and thought it was an amazing quote. So I googled it... and turns out it's from the TV show Numb3rs. So way to go random writer living in LA probably not getting any credit for this! Your words have traveled the blogosphere and in my google search it came up on A.LOT. of other wedding websites.

But it's so true and profound, so I'm happy to share it with you all. ESPECIALLY since we've been sucked into the land of "stupid busy", as another wedding vendor coined the phrase and haven't had any time to post. I'm going to make a point to snap picks of jobs as they go out the door though so at least you can be updated on what's shaking at Spilled Ink Press headquarters.

Chicago Green Wedding Alliance ...meeting number 2!

The newly named Chicago Green Wedding Alliance is meeting Thursday night, May 13th, at West Loop Studio. Any wedding vendors that are green or would like to be green are welcome to join us!

Date & Time:	May 13th, 2010, 6pm
Location:	West Loop Studio
Address:	17 North Elizabeth Street Chicago, IL 60607
Hosted By:	Spilled Ink Press, Pollen, and West Loop Studio

New Favorite Save the Date

All paper is 30% Post-consumer waste recycled paper (including the envelope)!
The image started as a shot I took from my crappy camera phone on my walk back from meeting with Brigette for the first time after she mentioned an affinity toward Birch tree's.
And viola!

Happy Anniversary To US!

Once upon a time...

Ok, so not our company anniversary this time... this one goes out to Tony and I. And those of you who were apart of and came to our beautiful and sweltering hot wedding in June five years ago are probably wondering what the heck we're talking about...

Well, our actual wedding anniversary is the day before my birthday, and although I'm certainly not one to be a drama queen, birthdays are important, and anniversaries are equally as much and that's just too much love to split between two days! So we've decided to celebrate the actual anniversary of the day we started dating in College.

Without boring you with the details, 14 years ago today (YIKES! Ok, so in our age defense we did meet when I was a mere freshman in college), Tony and I did what all of our friends knew would happen eventually- with the help of large amounts of alcohol, we took the flirty banter to the next level. Aaaaaand, well, we've basically been together ever since.

We really couldn't be any more opposite of each other on so many levels, but for all the right reasons, the stars aligned in this lifetime and it works.
I'll be the savory to your sweet any day darling, Happy Anniversary.

Everyday is Earth Day

Tulips on the walk back from the Perfect Cup in our hood

At 2009's Earth Day we initiated our "Green Story" on our website. That was just the beginning. This past year has been all about growing our company, learning all we can about keeping ourselves as responsible as possible (with ups and downs... we try, we try), and basically keeping it honest and real.

One year later, we'd like to up the ante a bit. We are working on a more serious "proclamation" of sorts. "Working on" being the key words.... but to give you an idea of what's in the works, here goes...

1. If it's not 100% recycled, at least 30% post consumer, and Processed Chlorine Free -OR- FSC Certified and Totally Chlorine Free... well, it doesn't exist. period. There are more qualifications on the list, but those are the golden rules.

Green Paper Company: check them out.

2. After a certain date... to be determined... we'll be switching to an off-site printer, an uber-green off-site printer. We have some logistics to work out first though, but we've seen their work, love how they do business, and love how green they will keep us. Our VOC contribution to the world will go down substantially. As we were told- using recycled papers is great, but that's half the battle. Agreed. Commencing the second half of the battle! More details to follow.

3. Hey SIP fans- meet Nina at Tweedle Press. Meet her and love her because you're going to be seeing more of her lovely letterpress stylings.

4. Get the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance show on the road. Remember, power in numbers. We're getting there- post to follow with details.

5. Finally get our updated wedding invitation book together, with new samples, new format, new green papers... and then out to the world. No's 1 through 3 need to get worked out first though.

6. Launch our Fair Earth paper invitation line, a fair trade paper made by women in Uganda will be made into our pocket invitations (perhaps our most popular line). So all you green brides out there... consider your invitations being green AND fair trade. Oh, it's not too good to be true, it's happening kids.
7. Sleep more. Ok, it's not necessarily "eco", but the ecosystem of my body would appreciate this one.

It's been posted. * It shall be done.
(or if I may... "Make it so, Number One"... ack! SUCH a dork.)