Mad Lonny Love.

Being that we're huge fans of Lonny mag, we were beyond thrilled to spot our arrow-comprised "Thank You" card featured in the March issue (see below)! To view the card in detail, be sure to visit the Thunderwing shop. Special thanks to Cat Dash for featuring our beloved design in her stylish wish list : )

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

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. 

Truly, Madly, Truman.

We were happy to see our letterpressed Collezione Dante card featured in a recent issue of Brooklyn Magazine, in a fun editorial titled Rooms of Their Own . . . a fantasy shoot imagining the decor of Truman Capote's one-time Brooklyn Heights apartment, as well as those of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Patti Smith.

Our limited edition Collezione Dante notecards are currently available at Hickoree's Hard Goods (Williamsburg, Brooklyn), in gift packaged sets of 5.

Fair Share.

Last weekend, after returning from a month-long European inspiration-vacation, we flew into DC to pick-up our beloved Pug (who was staying with family), and on the drive home to NY, we pulled-over for snacks on the New Jersey Turnpike, and I was surprised to see the October issue of Vanity Fair on the magazine rack, alongside pine-tree scented air-fresheners and Garden State souvenirs.

Even more surprising was flipping through the Fanfair section, and reading our name listed as stationer of choice to über-chic blogger/fashion photographer duo, Garance Doré and Scott Schuman = zut alors! And to be listed alongside Smythson of Bond Street truly made our hearts skip a beat.

So, merci, Garance & Scott! We're beyond honored to be admired by such discerning (and lovely) eyes.

Thunderwing in Bloom.

We're thrilled that one of our newest custom designs is currently being featured on writer/art gallerist/style icon Heather Taylor's beautiful blog, LA in Bloom. Heather is offering a 12-piece set of the special "thank you" cards in an exclusive give-a-way, so be sure to check her site for further details.

The design of the cards was a manifestation of our obsession with rare vintage typography, as well as our love of antique arrows. We created romantic customized type, which we hand-letterpressed using our antique Chandler & Price press, on Holyoke 100% cotton paper, printed in metallic gold ink.

So to those hoping to win a set . . . we wish you bonne chance!

Having a Moment.

This week was truly a dazzler for us, as we were featured in The New York Times style column, The Moment, in a wonderful story penned by Nancy MacDonnell about the beauty of letterpress printing , and its current renaissance. We're still jumping around our studio with happiness about not only being mentioned in the world's greatest paper, but that they showcased our newest greeting card, as seen below (currently available in our online shoppe).

The story was also featured today on Juxtapoz Magazine's blog, which was like the cherry on top of our already awesome Serendipity III sundae.

Special thanks to magical wordsmith, Nancy MacDonnell, and our gorgeous P.R. guru, Linlee Allen (of Delinlee Delovely), for making such an epic dream come true!

Thunderwing, The Movie.

The über talented fashion and lifestyle photographer, Tim Ashton, recently visited Thunderwing HQ, and filmed us in action, doing what we love most. We feel that in this short film, he beautifully captured the vibe of our creative process in the studio. Not to mention the dreamy way the sunlight streams through the windows, and if you inhale a little, you can almost smell the wood burning stove, printing ink and antique book dust.

Posted with special thanks to Tim Ashton and Liz Cresci.

On the same Page.

In the latest issue of German design magazine PAGE, Berlin-based type/graphic designer, Hannes von Döhren, has chosen our Thunderwing business card as an example of what he considers to be timeless and inspired design work, and we are quite honored by the recognition from a fellow type-enthusiast.

Here is a translation of the text:

Beyond Trends:
Great typography lives through the attention to detail, the creativity of the designer and the ability to choose the right font for the subject at hand. In addition, one must be able to choose the right material, color and even imagery if needed. Good typography is self-explanatory and communicates a point of view. The difference between good and outstanding typography is that the latter will still be relevant in 10 years. Outstanding typography is simply timeless.

This business card represents a perfect example for me: A powerful script typeface that above all seems to be hand-drawn by a true artist. Below that, a block of text made up of an unusual mix of sizes and styles - one that seems to break all the rules, but as a whole creates a truly beautiful picture. The perfect final touch is the material choice: Letterpress on handmade cardstock—a wonderful piece.

*Special thanks to Hannes for the kind appreciation of our work, Antje Dohmann of Page for sending the issue, and Dennis Seydel for the translation.

Candy Darling.

We're simply over the moon about a recent mention in Daily Candy's Fall 2010 Wedding Guide, and wanted to share the good news! We are featured as the current go-to designers for dazzling custom event invitations, bespoke bookbinding and letterpress wizardry.

And if you happen to be on Facebook (who isn't?), we'd be jazzed to have you as a member of our Thunderwing group, so come on over!

* Special thanks to the magical Candy ladies, Crystal and Heather, for granting a big wish : )

Style Me Thunderwing.

We are excited to hear that our work has been featured on Style Me Pretty, in a story about the gorgeous Palm Springs wedding of our clients and dear friends, Dennis & Crystal. Here are some pics from the story, which display our palm tree-adorned place cards and table-name cards (click to view full-size):

Photos by Belathee.

Going once, going twice . . .

It is with much love that we have donated a gift box filled with favorite pieces of letterpressed Thunderwing ephemera, for an important auction taking place tomorrow (Weds., Nov. 11th). This special boxed set will be auctioned during a gala event at the Museum of the City of New York to benefit the restoration of Russel Wright's historic woodland home, Manitoga, (which is located down the road from our workshop in Garrison, NY). Not to mention, we are quite honored to have our designs featured alongside those of Eero Saarinen, Massimo Vignelli, Jack Lenor Larsen, Eva Zeisel, and Mr. Wright himself!


Pre-bidding is available on-line, so if you are by chance seeking some hand-crafted letterpressed lovliness for the holidays, or would just love to have a hand in helping to restore a modern architectural landmark, raise your paddle high!

Mais oui, Merci!

We are absolutely elated to find that our Merci! card set has been chosen by House Beautiful for their November 2009 issue, in a feature story on "The 35 best Thank You notes", for the holidays and beyond.

(Click to view image full)

Our Merci! cards will soon be available for purchase through our Etsy boutique, as well as select retailers that shall be announced shortly. Vive le letterpress!

C'mon, Vogue!

We're stoked about all the glowing attention our client Zanzan has been receiving for their glam limited-edition sunglasses, as well as for their deluxe packaging, for which we designed and produced a series of letterpressed "certificate of authenticity" cards. Here are some exciting recent press clippings (from Vogue.com, Vogue Russia and Refinery29) featuring our shimmering cards:

C'est Zanzan.

We had the distinct honor of being asked to design and letterpress deluxe "certificate of authenticity" cards for ZANZAN . . . an ultra-chic new line of limited-edition (and decadently glamorous) spectacles, which are now attracting loads of attention, and being snapped up by fashionistas, the jet-set, and the haute monde alike.

View the fabulous sunglasses and our cards below (printed on shimmering Stardream paper), which feature custom borders in harmony with the back-story for each of the four different frames, subsequently named Rubirosa, Le Sept, Zazou, and Black Rio (click to view images in full detail);

Thunderwing in the Press.

We had the honor of being featured on journalist Lindsay Miller's wonderful blog today (she really digs Nic's "sandwich cards", which you can read about below). Merci Lindsay!

And now for Nic's newest lunch-time fix:

This afternoon I showed up at the deli and proudly whipped out my new sandwich card. The guy at the counter kindly gestured for me to put it away, assuming that I wanted my (now well-known) breakfast sandwich (see previous blog entry). I reemphasized the offer by extending the card again, which he then took. A big smile showed that he was glad to see the new edition. This week's BLT card came out beautifully and the sandwich was a knock-out. I didn't have a camera but you can take my word for it.

Look who's calling.

Custom letterpressed calling cards, for the very inspriring Lady Grady, and author Lord Whimsy:

And a tip of the ol' top hat to Mr. Whimsy, for very sweetly musing about our work on his wonderfully entertaining blog.