Monday, June 29, 2009

Moving Announcements

In an age of text messages and mass e-mails, unfortunately there seems to be a lack of pretty correspondence circulating the regular mail. Don't get me wrong. I embrace electronic communication whole-heartedly but there is something about opening the mailbox and seeing something handwritten or pretty among the boring bills and the grocery ads. I thought a moving announcement would be the perfect excuse to create something people would be excited to see in their mailbox. I developed the wording and the basic layout but I was having trouble with the illustration. Enter graphic designer Karisa Winkel* of Pretty Handsome Paper. She helped me execute my vision perfectly and was also a pleasure to work with! After I sent her some (very) rough drawings of what I had in mind, she created a PDF file with four announcements per page which I then printed onto card stock from my desktop printer. I glued a olive-y/lime green, textured card stock to the back of the announcement to give it a little more weight, cut them apart with my paper cutter and mailed them as postcards to save money on postage. Of course I spent too much time and money, but I say it was worth it. I also say two thumbs up for pretty correspondence!

*P.S. I don't know Karisa personally but several years ago I was fortunate to receive a beautiful wedding invitation she had designed. It was my first introduction to letterpress printing and I have loved her work (and letterpress) ever since. Although she specializes in wedding correspondence, she also gladly accepts smaller design jobs (like my moving announcement) and will also work within your budget. If you need a creative solution, I highly recommend!

6 comments:

Nicole Harris said...

The sentiment of thought and creation cannot be compared, and of course in the time of the electronic mail, I find that recieving a handmade or composed gift/letter makes me so happy :)

I'm a detail person and a lover of care packages and correspondence stationary. I literally have your moving card on my desk, just sitting there...like I am meaning to scribble your address in my book but I'm delaying it because I just want to savor the art. Thank you for your time and detail: it's worth the smiles and hearts you warm.

I know we just met but you have inspired me a great deal!

Margo said...

Kim, it was like sunshine receiving your super cute note. I loved it. I am sitting here on vacation in MI, having the best time. My sister Nikki is sitting her with me and she knows Karisa. She said she is super kind and talented. What a small world. I think that letter writing is a lost art. I really loved getting something besides a bill in the mail. Thanks for thinking of me. Love ya and miss you.

Thomas Family said...

got mine in the mail- loved it! And I agree, there needs to be more pretty mail in the world.

kcb said...

i loved your announcement cards and was thrilled to receive one! because it's so pretty i slipped it on a ledge in my bedroom partly behind a vase since it was so pretty. :-) love your class my dear!

Jessica said...

I still have it hanging on my magnet board. Love it! I will have to check out that girl's business. :-)

Vivilicious said...

Hi there Kim,

Came across your blog by accident and LOVE the moving announcements. May I know what kind of printer you used please? Thanks for sharing such lovely things ;-)