Paper Peace

If on the hunt for happy holiday gifts, we've designed two wall hanging art pieces for our Winter collection.

The first, our hand-drawn "Radiate Good Vibes" poster, is an expansion of our most loved greeting cards, manifested in a framable art print, hot foil stamped on natural white 100% cotton paper, and printed in a signed, limited edition of 200.

It's a deeply meaningful piece for us, as it was conceptualized during Nic's recovery from a serious hand injury last year. Thankfully, he's all better now, which we believe is due in part to the positive healing power emanating from this artwork. Available in two colors; matte grey, and metallic gold, ready to reflect positive light all over your abode. —$45 Ea.

The Peaceful Wall Hanging can be used as a holiday ornament, or inspiring wall adornment year-round. Roughly 7” x 10”, and hot foil-stamped on two pieces of sturdy recycled board, then hung with paper twine handmade in Vienna, each is displayed on letterpressed backing in a clear bag, and sealed with a blank corresponding "To/From" sticker, for easy gifting. It is available in 2 Colors—white on heavy chipboard, or camel on thick white matboard. —$25 Ea.

Both the Vibes print and Peaceful wall hanging (click images for detailed view) can be purchased through Dream Collective (L.A.), or directly through us by emailing thunderwingpress@gmail.com

Photos: Thunderwing Press

Card of the Rings.

Nic focuses his heart in two directions . . . toward our Thunderwing Press endeavors, and his students at the School of Visual Arts, where he is a professor of graphic design and typography. As a gift to his Senior Portfolio class, he created hand-crafted, lettepressed keepsakes, to hopefully inspire, and show his appreciation for all the heartfelt work they create. Here is Professor Taylor's description of the gift . . .

The goal of any educator should be: To empower young people – not just to teach subjects and material – to teach ways of thinking, modes of conduct and to convey an enthusiasm for living and a high standard of aspiration.

During my own on-going education, I came across A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi is known for many things; he was a skilled craftsman, painter and calligrapher, sculptor, writer and strategist, but he is best known as the undefeated samurai. Engaging in over 60 contests for his life, he was never once harmed. He survived 6 wars, and is famous for having defeated multiple opponents simultaneously. During his final years, at age 63, he retired to a mountain cave, where he wrote his book. He describes it as "a guide for men who want to learn strategy." 

Among the countless pieces of wisdom found in this book, I came across a list dealing with honor and conduct. The page with this list has remained dog-eared for years, and I have finally transposed the list into a gift for my students. 

I remained 85-90% faithful to the original words, but made changes, hybrids, and edits where I felt necessary. The product is a small, thick card in 100% cotton paper, painted with a jet black edge, then letterpressed in hand-set lead type; the old-fashioned way in 10 point Garamond. The card is angularly wrapped in hand-made Nepalese Lokta paper, and sealed with Chinese black paper twine.

Bellocq the Casbah.

We've created hand-letterpressed gift cards for one of our most aesthetically admired clients,  Bellocq Tea Atelier, using only the most luxurious of papiers, to accompany their exquisite pure leaf teas.

Each card was letterpressed on richly textured, recycled Reich Odeon paper in classic white. Where most papers are made to look handmade, this stock is actually created using old world papermaking techniques, giving it a historic-feeling felt finish.

 We recently visited Bellocq at their dreamy sipping salon in Brooklyn's Greenpoint, which is a must experience for any lover of special tea blends, and a decadently bohemian atmosphere. Entering the atelier is a truly special happening, where you feel as if you've discovered a French-Créole opium den, circa 1890.

Inside their romantically plum-plastered walls are antique wood curio cabinetry and velvety blush banquettes, where the phrase high tea has never felt so perfect. Their blends, with seductive names like The White Wolf, Gypsy Caravan and Hindu Holiday, are liable to change your life (we're serious!) . . . or at least make your day feel a little more exotic.

Bellocq sometimes hosts mad tea salons with inspiring guests, such as an artisan chocolatier, accordionist, or an antique tin type photographer. Be sure to tell them Thunderwing sent you. 

To view the letterpressed business cards we also created for them, click here.

Garance Doré visits Thunderwing HQ.

We were given the dream task of designing and producing personal stationery for fashion photographer, blogger, illustrator and CFDA award recipient, Garance Doré, who also happens to be the loveliest of people (and if all that weren't enough . . . naturally gorgeous too). After having a blast conceptualizing and oohing-and-aahing over various handmade papers in the NYC flat she shares with her guy, Scott Schuman (aka; The Sartorialist), we went with a soft cotton paper in warm white, to be paired with a recycled kraft envelope, each one foil-stamped in rich gold, the cherry-on-top being that every card is accompanied by a vellum print featuring one of her inimitable fashion illustrations.

After completing the stationary suite, her curiosity about our creative process was still sparked, so one perfect Summer afternoon she, along with her team, came up to Thunderwing HQ in Garrison for a studio visit, to capture the letterpress process though her trusty, magical lens, which she lovingly wrote about here, on her gorgeous site (click the arrows to view all the wonderful photos).

What was only scheduled to be a brief tour, turned into a full day of lively conversation over tea and locally baked gluten-free French macarons, and we set off on a gorgeous nature walk around Russel Wright's modernist woodland home, Manitoga, browsed for vintage in historic Cold Spring, and visited local artistic friends whose stunning custom-built homes we knew she'd adore. She even conducted an impromptu shoot and interview with our stylish and inspiring neighbor Doris! We were just so jazzed to share our special enclave in the Hudson Valley with Garance, which was even more illuminated by her beaming, inquisitive, positive energy. 

 

Photo captions, from top: Our look at the stationery suite we created for Ms. Doré; A peek at our archive of vintage letterpress blocks, which she featured as the Weekend Inspiration on her site, along with our now famous letterpressed sandwich card; Garance's image of us working in the studio . . . Nic printing on our beloved turn-of-the-century Chandler & Price printing press, Aka: Grandpa; Pretty Garance exploring Cold Spring's Main St., after lunch on the porch at our local hang, Hudson Hil's.

Letterpress love and hugs to our PR wiz Delinlee Delovely for making this awesome collab happen, as well as Garance's sweet dream team . . . Emily & Alex. Thunderwing vous aime!

Karen Walker's Little Aliens.

Being that Nic & I both wear Karen Walker sunglasses on a daily basis (his: Pilgrim, mine: Anywhere), we were over-the-moon when journalist and PR guru Linlee Allen (aka: Delinlee Delovely) asked us to create style cards for the L.A. launch of Walker's Little Aliens collection.

For the soirée in April at the Chateau Marmont, we letterpressed individual style cards for each pair of sunnies in grey ink, each card resting in a custom fabricated neon-green plexiglass disc (shown below). Our displays were placed in front of antennae-adorned glitter-and-sequined mannequin heads by Claire Cottrell, and alongside dreamy wildflower and spacey protea arrangements by Lili Cuzor. We were also elated that Karen included our letterpressed “Sending Good Vibes” cards in each gift bag, which were so sweetly written about on Cuzor's blog.

To view more photos of the event, check out photographer Jeana Sohn's Closet Visit blog, Aussie Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter (featuring an interview with Walker herself), and The Chalkboard (brought to you by L.A.’s awesome Pressed Juicery, who catered liquid goodness for the party).

Vive le Little Aliens!

Photos (from top): Karen Walker, Stephanie Keenan, Thunderwing Press, Linlee Allen

Emma + Ben

We were ecstatic to be asked to design romantic wedding invitations for the union of Emma Forrest and Ben Mendelsohn. Ben is an actor hailing from Australia (with an insanely long filmography to his name), and Emma is a writer I've always adored. If you haven't read her riotously personal and beautiful memoir, Your Voice in My Head, it's a perfect Summer read. They were married at the fabled Chateau Marmont, a location dear to Emma's heart, as it is essentially a neighborhood clubhouse/home-away-from-home for the couple, and was also featured in her first novel, Namedropper (released in 2000), which is what first made me fall for her word wizardry. So when Emma asked us to create something unconventional yet still full of classic old Hollywood romance, we were over the moon! 

Taking inspirational cues from the Chateau's storybook architecture, Film Noir, and a book the couple so sweetly sent us about the nuptials of classic Hollywood stars, we first designed a save-the-date featuring a 1940s photo of Bogie and Bacall that Emma & Ben adore. We playfully mixed the iconic Martinique banana leaf wallpaper pattern from the Beverly Hills Hotel, with a custom crest imbued by the Chateau's heraldic-style neon sign, to create a feeling rooted in Los Angeles folklore.

Being that both Emma & Ben are soundtrack obsessed, they also wanted us to instill a rock 'n roll vibe into the piece, so we designed the invitation as a broadside, inspired by '70s Rolling Stones tour posters, so each invitation would feel like a frame-able work of art when pulled out of the industrial mailers that guests received. By an act of kismet, my sister, Lizzie Brandt, emailed us a beautiful photo she had recently taken of swaying Santa Monica palm trees, which became the background image in silhouette, silk-screened on creamy sepia-toned cotton paper from France, in metallic gold by Brooklyn's Haven Press, along with the '40s Technicolor-inspired custom burgundy and sea-foam green shades we had chosen for the vintage customized type and crest designs.

At the bottom of the invite, we added two custom Art Deco monograms, as well as the RSVP date in roman numerals; each gesture inspired by the opening credits of classic films (see an example from the 1939 Claudette Colbert film, Midnight, below).

We're ecstatic to have taken part in the joining of two creative and passionate souls, who will endlessly inspire each other, and for eons longer than Bogie & Bacall had the chance to. Mazel Tov, you two!

Pyramid Scheme.

Being that we are longtime lovers of stained glass, we were beyond stoked when L.A. glass artisan David Scheid contacted us to create custom cards that represented his cosmic one-of-a-kind pieces.

Using Sol Hess's typeface SanSerif (based on the 1927 typeface Kabel by Rudolf Koch) and a vintage sunburst illustration, each card was hand-letterpressed with custom-mixed turquoise ink on recycled chipboard, then cut into a pyramid shape.

You can view David's work in all its technicolor glory at his girlfriend Kathryn Bentley's gorgeous Dream Collective boutique in Silver Lake, CA (as pictured below), and at Beautiful Dreamers in Brooklyn, NY.

Colby + Anna.

We're elated to see that Martha Stewart Weddings has lovingly featured the Santa Monica, California nuptials of our clients and friends, Anna + Colby (view the entire gorgeous gallery here). We had an especially inspired time designing the couple’s elaborate invitation suite, as well as the custom typography, as their desired look was dear to our hearts . . . a boho-mid-century mix of Native American symbology, early-California craft, indigo textiles, Scandinavian design and vintage Ralph Lauren vibes. Another aesthetic muse for the project was Anna’s parents’ historically-preserved Craftsman home, where the reception took place. 

Each completely custom invitation featured: a 3-page booklet letterpressed on soft cotton paper and hand-bound with hemp twine using an old Japanese technique, a map of Santa Monica, and a laser-cut RSVP card in a floral shape featured throughout the design. Each bundle was wrapped in a metallic gold kraft paper obi and hemp jute, then sent to guests in a kraft paper envelope with a letterpressed flap and screen-printed floral pattern. The final touch was a custom-designed stamp featuring Anna + Colby's '70s surf-inspired monogram.

After their vows were exchanged overlooking the Pacific in scenic Hotchkiss Park, the wedding party paraded though the grass, singing, waving flags, blowing bubbles and shaking tambourines, on the journey to the reception banquet, where the beautiful table settings included laser-cut and letterpressed place cards. 

The event's wedding planners, Bash, Please, creatively applied the custom monogram and typography we designed . . . for banners, menus, escort cards, embroidered table numbers, and a chuppah, all of which are featured in the Weddings story. We also outfitted the duo with letterpressed “Thank You” cards that they can use forever & ever. 

Hickoree Smoked.

We were honored when the founders of Hickoree's Hard Goods asked us to create a special limited-edition Thunderwing box-set representing "the spirit of letterpress printing", for their carefully curated online shop.

We decided to create a set of correspondence cards hand-letterpressed on fine Italian paper, paying homage to the beauty of lead typography and its original packaging (which those not in the printing realm rarely get to see), as well as the classic typeface Dante Roman in 10pt. (seen in its original lock-up above, and letterpressed below). And to further satisfy the souls of the type obsessed, we included a colophon on the back of each Collezione Dante card describing the history of its creation and a bit about its designer, Giovanni Mardersteig.

To read more about the creation of these limited edition cards, as well as to view additional photos from our studio, journey HERE to Hickoree's mailer.

Heather & Alec, Pt. Deux.

Our lovely friends, Heather & Alec, have held two beautiful ceremonies for their nuptials . . . one musical soirée in L.A. (previously mused about here), and a more spiritual gathering in the misty woods of Big Sur, California (see the digital save-the-date below).

For their earthy invitation suite, we had individual kraft-paper boxes created (in collaboration with West Dixon of ColorWest Packaging), to house the various ephemeral elements, each item specifically inspired by the majestic Big Sur landscape and its new age, beat poem-lauded history. On the top of each box we affixed a textural label hand-letterpressed with the wedding info, in a very 1970s inspired typeface.

Included in each box were small custom-designed books of flecked recycled paper hand-bound in jute, telling the story of their union through nature-inspired illustrations found in a vintage hiking handbook. We also penned a cosmically romantic tale about the couple's evolution to accompany the art. Also included in the boxes were; custom-designed maps of the wedding locations, RSVP cards letterpressed on textural sand-like stock, along with kraft envelopes. The contents of each box was then topped with a beautiful bird feather hand-chosen by the bride.

Wedding portrait: Lizzie Brandt Invitations: Thunderwing Press

Glam Slam.

Lovely new friends and newlyweds, Phil & Susi, asked us to create a formal, custom bound slam book (inspired by The Proust Questionnaire) for their Chicago nuptials (click images to view full-size).


After the lovely couple penned the queries, we designed two different double-page spreads (which included special spaces for drawings, and a Polaroid photo of the guest, to be attached with photo corners). After the pages of the book were hand sewn in six signatures, we padded the hard case and covered it in antique linen that had been foil-stamped in distressed forest green type.


As a final adornment, we adhered an antique sterling silver brooch, from the 1930s, to the bottom corner of the book, as our special gift to the sweet couple.