Friday, February 27, 2009

its a sunny yellow kind of day


We have recently been setting up our studio and conducting photo shoots of all our recent wedding stationery packages as well as our exciting new range of products. This means trips to the florist and raiding their fridge of beautiful flowers. Oh how I love our florist, and how I especially love that after a photo shoot we have gorgeous bunches of flowers scattered around the studio and our office!

Today I thought I would share with you this sunny yellow and grey combination combined with a sunny yellow envelope lining. Such a beautiful surprise when you open up the invitation. Yellow is this years hit colour, and such a fabulous modern take on your traditional wedding colours. It makes me happy just looking at it!

Have a lovely weekend my friends, hope you find some sunny yellow to fill your days with too.

xox

Thursday, February 26, 2009

making lists of lists


Amongst all the crazy busyness here in the studio I have found that the only way I can actually switch my brain off and fall asleep of a night (which is more like of a morning) is by writing lists upon lists and getting my to do list out of my brain and down on paper.

But my lists have become lists of lists, so much so that I finished my list notebook today. It was quite a disastrous moment when I realised that my little book that contained all my brains tickings was finished. Thankfully I found sitting here on my desk a gorgeous little notebook given to me by a past student and lovely friend Angela. Its now my new list of lists book. Its pretty isn't it?

One of the reasons why we have been so busy is that we have been launching a new line of products for our wedding clients (more on that next week!) but we have also been madly preparing to attend the Marriott wedding showcase this Saturday in Brisbane city. If your getting married and are in town we would love to meet you! Drop by and say hello. You can email us at info@bespokepress.com.au and we can shoot you through all the info.

So now, back to my list, I must keep on ticking on..

finding time in the kitchen


Have I ever told you that I love bananas? Oh they are so good, but I must admit I am a terribly fussy banana eater. They must still have that tiny sliver of green left on them and still that tiny bit firm, which means there is about a 24 hour period when I bring them home from that shops that I consider them to be edible.

Now obviously this causes all sorts of dramas because although I do love them, really I don't love them enough to eat a whole bunch in 24 hours. So we end up with a whole heap of perfectly good bananas which I will refuse to eat as they have gone past that perfection point. Call me anal, I totally agree.

So we stash the bananas in the freezer and when my husband finds time he makes his oh so good banana bread which has the most deliciously crunchy brown sugar and almond topping. Mnn its delicious and just this once I can totally overlook that the bananas are all mashy!

55g (1/4 cup) firmly packed brown sugar
30g (1/4 cup) almonds, chopped
375ml sour cream
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line two 10 x 18cm loaf tins with baking paper. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar and almonds and put aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream and bicarbonate of soda, set aside for 5 minutes then stir in the melted butter, sugar and eggs. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Gradually fold in the sour cream mixture, followed by the bananas.

Pour the mixture equally into the prepared tins and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top.

Bake for 1-11/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Set aside and cool in tins for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

We toast our bread on the sandwich press and then smother in butter beacuse its not unheathly enough already!!

Monday, February 23, 2009

how i miss you







Friends, I miss you. I miss saying hello and sharing our stories, I missing reading your blogs and saying hello, I miss waking up each morning and thinking what shall I blog today. I miss raiding the not so great garden for my little gem of the day, please don't think I have forgotten you, im just temporally insanely busy with so many gorgeous things Im itching to find the time to tell you about.

But for now I must make do with some photos from our Sunday adventure. After 14 hours of foot treadling and hand feeding the press, it was a hugely productive day, but insanely exhausting as well!

Once our crazy print schedule allows I will be back again soon, I promise!

xox

Friday, February 20, 2009

painted with light business cards




Earlier this week I gave you a little sneak peak of the gorgeous canary yellow we had been printing for the lovely Lanne from Painted With Light. Well here they are looking more like business cards after they have been cut up and rounded cornered. They look just gorgeous and the simplicity of their design is so perfectly suited to the artfrom that is letterpress!

Have a most lovely weekend my friends. We have a crazy printing schedule planned so its no rest for the wicked. On most sad news, due to the busyness here at the studio I will be unable to attend this Sundays first meeting of the Brisbane Brown Owls. As I shed a tear, and pine away a morning of crafty loveliness and a cup of tea with new friends, I do hope that you all have a most gorgeous morning. I promise i'll be there next time!

xox

Thursday, February 19, 2009

im thinking of you.


My loverlies, how is your week been? Im so sorry, Ive been here and there and haven't found the time to share my daily adventures with you.

I picked this flower from the garden just for you to say sorry. Do you know what it is? It was living under our frangipani tree and is now living on our dining table, but I'll think of you everytime I see it, really if we knew each other in real life I would wrap it up and give it to you, but for now, we must make do with me looking after it for you.

But with news from our week so far - there have been some most lovely collaborations, some simply stunning weddings and lots and lots of behind the scenes business work which we are itching to tell you about... but will have to share the news a little later on!

It has also been the week that my new 21 students for the year started at Shillington College, what a gorgeous group, I cant wait to get to know them better and inspire them about the beautiful world that is design.

So my friends, once again I must toot off, i'll be back again soon. Promise!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

In the studio with hydrangeas


Today we are drawing hydrangeas for the most sweetest bride who is having the most amazing flower theme for her vineyard wedding. Hydrangeas really are such gorgeous flowers, and we simply do adore this process - that moment of joy finding the most exquisite flower in the florist, then bring them home and sketching them. Finally we scan our designs into the computer, reillustrate them and turn them into opulent wedding stationery. Such the loveliest way to spend the day!

Monday, February 16, 2009

in the studio with canary yellow



How have you been my lovelies?? Its been franticly busy here lately. So many meetings and so many little trips planning the most exciting new things for Bespoke. In all that huffle and chuffle I even forgot to wish you a lovely weekend, I do hope you had a nice one.

Over the last few days we have been printing some gorgeously simply business cards for the super talented Lanne from Painted With Light. Her gorgeous and stunningly natural photography combined with a lovely fresh colour combination of cool grey and canary yellow is simply the most perfect combination.

Lanne's photography of newborns, children and families is exceedingly popular here in Brisbane and last I heard she was almost booked out for the entire year - Now thats what I call Miss Popularity!

So now the cards are sitting here in the studio awaiting to be cut up and round cornering applied. Such a lovely job to work on, its almost sad when these gorgeous jobs come to an end!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

from the garden


How sweet is this new office decoration I picked from our garden today. I am not sure if you would call it a flower, its more a stem, but we hope that maybe shortly it will sprout little flowers.

We are yet to design and build our gardens as part of our mass house renovation, so the backyard really isn't what you would call a spectacle, but ever so occasionally the scraggy plants we inherited in the backyard do surprise me with their hidden beauty!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

In the studio today


We have had quite a lovely day here in the studio today - It has been photo shoot day taking lots of shots of all our recent wedding stationery packages.

My favourite part of the day? Going to the florist to request a few vintage looking buds, only to be invited out the back to the cool room and allowed to go crazy choosing all the most divine beautiful flowers you have seen. Simply lovely!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

lots more love


Design*Sponge we love you.


Desire To Inspire we love you.


La Maison Sur La Colline we love you.

Oh shucks, our hearts are just bursting with love here. And to all those from around the world who have bought our prints, from New York, Arlington, Georgia, Brooklyn, Vestal and Illinois USA. To Cambridgeshire UK, to Columbia and Ontario Canada. To Zuerich Switzerland and Zwijndrecht Netherlands. And closer to home in Victoria, Western Australia, Sydney, the Gold Coast, not to mention just up the road in Brisbane, we love you too.

xox

Monday, February 9, 2009

home beautiful we love you



Is it wrong to admit that as soon as I hear the postman filling up our mailbox, I rush outside with mad oblivion to collect our parcels of goodies?

Really that makes me sound desperate, actually even quite pathetic really, but I do just love getting mail, especially when its of the magazine variety.

But how does one contain their excitement when not only do you receive one of your favourite magazines that day, but you open up to page 34 and there is a half a page news report on Bespoke Letterpress.

Oh home beautiful we love you. kiss kiss kiss.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

brielle & stephen wedding stationery



Do you remember a while ago we were having a sea grass green day? Well I thought I would show you the wedding set we designed and have been printing in these gorgeous colours.

Brielle & Stephen are a super cute couple who are having a gorgeous classical inspired vintage-esque wedding theme. With their reception overlooking The Spit at Mosman (Sydney), surrounded by masses of orchid flowers, and a beautiful sea grass green colour inspired by the amazing view, their wedding sounds simply divine. We have loved working with them and cant wait to see photos of their perfect day.

Hope your having a most lovely weekend, and for our friends down south sweltering it out in 46'c (114.8f) we hope that you find a nice shady spot with plenty of water. We are thinking of you!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

new in our shop today!



Today we have listed our new letterpressed limited edition quote prints in our shop. Available in two kinds, each quote is one which is truly dear to our heart. They stop and make us think, warm our hearts and help us treasure life each and every day. Kahlil Gibram surely was a wise man.

Printed as a limited edition set of 50 each print comes numbered and signed. They are printed on our 100% Cotton Tree Free Papers. They each measure 8.5x11" and comes packaged in a protective sleeve with backing and are beautifully wrapped Bespoke style.

To celebrate for the next 3 days we are having a 20% off sale in our shop! Simply enter the code ILOVELETTERPRESS when your checking out and you will receive the discount. The sale will end at midnight on Sunday the 8th of February and is valid on all our items.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Blog loving


Here is a wonderful blog to inspire you all.

Toxteth is a blog created by Anna about her renovation of their massive block of land and rambling old Queenslander in Ipswich, Queensland.

Anna is a renovation master (her current house looks stunning), a professional landscape designer in a former life, and is an all round brilliant designer with impeccable taste.

Without a doubt this is going to be one gorgeous, gorgeous home, I cant wait to watch it evolve!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

seriously in love




I love ebay, there is no denying it, im seriously in love.

For just $31 this gorgeous antique Remington typewriter is our newest acquisition. I simply love its oldness, its vintage lettering and all my romantic notions of the beautiful thoughts, poetry and stories that it may have produced in its former life - im thinking rolling acres, a country homestead and Jane Austen style romanticism!

For now, its typing days are over but its destined to sit in our studio and fill our hearts with glee at its beautiful oldness. Its a treasure worth admiring don't you think?

Monday, February 2, 2009

Things a lady should know...


What do you know, its Monday again and time for our lesson from Things A Lady Would Like To Know Concerning Domestic Management:

The head of the house must also find time for her own toilet and make the best of her personal appearance. There is no occasion for her to wear costly apparel unless she can afford it, but she must always be neat and wear what suits here and looks attractive. A lady cannot expect servants to look up to her and pay attention to their dress is she goes about in slovenly attire: in this, as in everything else must be the example to be copied.

Off you tot ladies, go perm your hair and primp your dress. You don't want to be setting a bad example for your servants do you?

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