Love Made Visible

Tiffany of Good Indian Girls Do Design! was so incredibly sweet. (With a teriffic name for her company!) Her work is hand screenprinted and has a great graphic feel. She had displayed a line of notecards which use retro Indian superhero characters in great offbeat color combinations. Pictured above are her Bug notecards and her Colors of India cards both of which use fantastic patterns and punchy graphic elements. Fantastic work.

Abby Jean Press makes some absolutely beautiful wedding invitations and social stationery that employ great typography and elegant patterns and borders. Abby Jean was one of a few that I noticed who use engraving techniques in a very modern way. The traditional typography is freshened here by modern color combinations. Loved the delicate flourishes and borders. The quality of engraving was so perfect: smooth lines, fine details were exquisitely rendered.

I went to the National Stationery Show yesterday and met so many nice people. I found so many letterpress and stationery studios that were new to me so I collected business cards like a fiend in hopes of sharing them all with you. Emerging trends this year: engraving making a comeback, chocolate brown is still here to stay, black+white, calling cards, hand lettering and calligraphy, ornate patterns, blind debossing, botanicals. All week I will be posting about these studios as well as highlights from ICFF. Enjoy!

Yiva Markstam from the Scandinavian Design Center sent me a lovely email introducing herself and the site which showcases the best in Scandinavian design. I found the above espresso cups while perusing the Glass & Porcelain section. Great colors with a graphic punch. There are way too many gorgeous things to post here from this site so please go and visit it yourself.

My fabulous coworker Stephen told me about Kaas Glassworks after shopping there in the West Village last weekend. Gorgeous découpaged trays, plates, paperweights and coasters with vintage graphics of flowers, plants and fashion. The above are coasters from the company that are being carried currently by Spiegel. If you’re in New York, visit the store… it is absolutely adorable.

The work of Tina Berning is absolutely fabulous. Love the color and the patterns. The textures are amazing. The variety of work in her portfolio is stunning from fashion illustration, editorial, fine art… It’s all there. Gorgeous stuff.