Back from Japan

We are finally back from our trek to Japan. It was a wonderful trip and I think everyone should try to travel to Japan at least once in their lifetime to take in all the beauty that this country has to offer. In addition to being a very inspiring place to visit (especially for those involved in the arts or design), it is clean, friendly, and safe. Canada is quite safe, but we having nothing on Japan. Not once did I fear pickpockets, or have any worries about traveling on their metro systems. I was told that if you lose your wallet in Japan, 98% of the time it will be returned to you.

The food was outstanding, and the sights were breathtaking. Everyone is overwhelmingly polite. Tokyo is now one of my favorite cities - I just loved it there, and felt oddly at home amongst the hustle and bustle. There is so much visual stimulation going on that I could hardly contain myself. My poor husband had to drag me around sometimes because I'd be standing there just staring at all the signs and cool storefronts and other odd things that captured my interest.

We traveled from Tokyo to Nikko, to Kyoto, to Nara, to Osaka, to Koya-San, to Hiroshima, to Miyajima, and back to Tokyo.

Here are a few photos from the trip:









And I even celebrated my birthday in Tokyo before going home the next day. Here is my very delish "birthday cake" (strawberry, green tea and chestnut, and banana chocolate). The Japanese make the best cakes in the world, hands down! These cakes were from a department store in Ginza (the department store's 1st floor was all cakes and high-end treats to take home and serve - the packaging was out of this world!).


Since arriving back (and trying to get used to the time change) we've printed some custom cards for our client Andrea in Nova Scotia. I love how these turned out. Printed in a raspberry ink on Fluorescent White Crane Lettra.


If you are looking for custom letterpress stationery, please contact the studio. We are back and ready to print your project!

Happy letterpressing!

Monograms + More

© 2008 Sunlit Letterpress

It's Friday again - can you believe it? Where does the time go?

This week I worked on some new custom monogram orders (see photo above monogram in chocolate brown with kraft envelopes for Carron in Maryland). I also worked on a non-letterpress invitation for a luxury hotel in Victoria (BC) that is having an unveiling party for it's new renovations and restaurant opening. I really enjoyed designing that invitation - although I love letterpress, I do also design invitations for offset and digital printing - and switching back and forth is fun. When I get my hands on a hard copy of the invitation, I'll be sure to post.

This week I've been feeling a bit isolated - this happens every once in a while. Working for yourself is fun, but unless you have interactions with other people everyday, you can start feeling like a recluse. I guess it sort of comes with the territory - lots of designers, artists, and printers work alone. I've been looking at some local Etsy-related craft groups to join, but a lot of these are downtown, and I'm in the burbs. It would be great if there were a burb-centered group of designers that met every once in a while to talk shop. It would be an opportunity to meet new people who know what you're talking about (if I start talking about logo design with my friends and family, their eyes start glazing over). Where are all the suburban designers at? I can't be the only one :)

I've gotten a few questions lately from readers asking if they will be able to get a decent impression with a table-top press (specifically Kelseys). As I've noted in previous posts, the short answer is no. The long answer is - if you get good paper, pack your press right, print something with a small surface area, and try other tricks like dampening your paper before printing - you can sometimes get an impression. But, will you get an impression equivalent to what a floor model press could produce? No, sorry : (

In other news...One thing I am super excited about is that my husband and I finally picked dates for our trip to Asia in September. As long as I can remember I've always wanted to go to Japan. I have always been in love with Japanese design and art. My husband's co-workers tell me there is not only a printing museum in Tokyo, but also a paper museum. I can't wait to take in the architecture and bright signs and...I'll be on visual overload I'm sure.

By the way, if you are a member of Facebook and haven't joined the Sunlit Letterpress Facebook Group, c'mon down!

So that's it for now, happy letterpressing!