funky print studio

Happy New Year!! I guess it’s not too late to say it, right? After quite a long time, we’re finally back with updates here as well. There were so many things that happened since the last time i posted!

First things first: website makeover!

Last time i was talking about the plans for a complete makeover of this blog / website. Well it’s happening all right! It’s still a work in progress, but the major parts are done: got the new theme installed and i must send a special “thank you” to the lovely person and fellow etsian who helped me out and got the theme from, Sophie of English Snow Designs. I wholeheartedly recommend her if you’re looking for a simple and stylish theme for your blog!

I’m still working on Funky Print Studio‘s logo as i keep having these thoughts: “Oh, i could change that!” or “Oh, that has to be replaced!” or “Oh, i don’t like how this looks!” Still, it’s coming together nicely and with a few more tweaks, i’ll get to the final form.

I have a bunch of updates to add at the Portfolio section and that will take some time. But we’ll get there.

Now let’s talk a bit about the sudden absence from blogging. Initially it was because of the whole makeover thing. Then, because the last 3 months of the year were extremely busy! Like really really really busy! We worked on a bunch of letterpress projects that i can’t wait to share, but we also had thousands (literally) of boxes to make and ship. We actually spent more time in the studio than at home! Don’t get me wrong, this is not me complaining, but actually me being proud of our little shops getting more customers. It’s an incredible feeling and i’m humbly thankful.

Our winter vacation was sooo needed. Work is good, but remember to rest every once in a while, yeah? And rest we did. Well now we are fully recharged and ready to get back to work!

I have some major goals for 2016, but the one i want to focus most on is making the most of it. Making the most of each day. That may have something to do with the fact that this is my 30th year on this Earth! :)

2016, please be good!

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October mood board inspiration. Hello, spooky October! Please, be good!

October 5, 2015October 22, 2015 Andreea

My October mood board inspiration is a bit on the dark, bleak, gloomy side. I’m pretty sure November will be even more so, but i’m getting a bit ahead of myself here.

(source)

I kind of started posting these mood boards at the beginning of each month. They pretty much represent how i see and how i feel each month. Well i have to say, despite the fact that autumn and these autumn months are not particularly my favorite, they are, however, very productive. Procrastination is long gone now and we’re on a full-scale working spree, just as i thought it would happen.

Our Funky Box Studio, our boxes and packaging supplies shop, is doing better and better (it’s just the beginning of the month, but we’ve already received 7 etsy orders and several more through direct mail. The same goes for Funky Print Studio, our letterpress printing shop. We’ve taken on a few very interesting projects that i actually can’t wait to talk about! We played with bold ink colors, we did some edge painting and we turned some letterpress cards into stickers!

My October mood board, however, doesn’t really share my enthusiasm over these things. And yet, the weather is a lot warmer for this time of year than it should be! And i’m thankful for that.

I’ve also set some major goals for October:

website makeover; i’ll have this website looking top notch. This must be done!
post as many of the projects we’ve already completed as possible. I even have the photos for them, so it should be easy…. right?
work on new designs for business cards and invitations
photograph and have up on etsy the bunch of new boxes we made.

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. (Roger Miller)

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

The Funky Studio team wishes you, as always, a colorful day!

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behind the scenes, etsy, funky print studio story, letterpress, letterpress cards, letterpress stationery, letterpress tags

[Behind the scenes] Custom letterpress hang tags for Lulu & Belle

September 24, 2015October 22, 2015 Andreea

We printed the letterpress hang tags for Lulu & Belle back in August right after we came back from our vacation. It was definitely a great project to transition back in to working mode!

Since we’re still quite at the beginning of our letterpress journey, each project still brings something new and exciting. This time around, we got to use our gold – copper – light brown ink that sparkles in the sunlight and i’m totally in love with! Also, there was a bit of die-cutting and hole punching as well so that we’d get beautiful and elegant letterpress hang tags to match the style of Lulu & Belle. Moreover, we didn’t use the standard 450gsm card stock, but even thicker 600gsm one. It was a real pleasure working on this project and i was really happy to find that the tags were very well liked!

Here are the short technical details for the custom letterpress hang tags for Lulu & Belle:

600gsm duplexed Snow White card stock, one side printing, 2 x 6 cm, one ink color – gold / copper / light brown, die cutting (rounded corners), hole punching

I was even happier when i received the first three photos with the letterpress tags actually being used alongside the wonderful Lulu & Belle jewelry. Thank you so much, Sandra!

Lulu & Belle is the place to go when searching for exquisite vintage jewelry. They search the world trying to find the best pieces out there and they restore them to their former glory so that they can be worn and cherished once again. You’ll surely find the perfect gifts for vintage jewelry enthusiasts, but also pieces that can be worn during very special occasions. Check out their website and get ready to be amazed!

The Funky Studio team wishes you, as always, a colorful day!

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behind the scenes, etsy, funky print studio story, letterpress, letterpress business cards, letterpress calling cards, letterpress cards, letterpress stationery

[Behind the scenes] Custom letterpress calling cards, our design for a neurologist

September 17, 2015October 22, 2015 Andreea

The custom letterpress calling cards i’m talking about today were created by us from scratch. I really enjoy creating designs for business cards, so when i was given a free hand with these i was ecstatic! I played with a bunch of various fonts in order to find the perfect one to emphasize professionalism and seriousness, while at the same time leaving a long lasting impression by adding the brain logo. I may not be a neurologist like the owner of these custom letterpress calling cards, but i’m pretty sure this is how one would like to come across as: professional, serious and reliable.

Creating designs for letterpress cards is definitely not as easy as it may seem as there are a bunch of things to take into consideration. Letterpress printing is completely different from regular, digital printing. The most important thing to mention is that if you searched “less is more” you should get “letterpress” as a result. You know how in fashion there was that thing that Coco Chanel said: “Once you’ve dressed, and before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off.” This works perfectly for letterpress printing also. Well actually doing it, actually creating a design that is airy, yet with a powerful impression, simple, yet elegant, well that is not that easy. Moreover, there are tons and tons of available free fonts out there. Some of them look a lot better letterpress printed than others, so you need to envision each one and carefully choose the best option. Proportions are also very important; while you want the information to be visible, you don’t want it to take over the entire space. At the same time, don’t let the logo entirely overshadow the information. There has to be a balance, you have to find the right proportions so that they represent your brand, company, profession as a whole.

I got a little carried away there, didn’t i? Well anyway, this template is available to be used for various other professions as well; i’d change the brain logo with another to accommodate the requested profession. Also, i absolutely love the color of the Biscuit card stock so i plan o recommending it whenever and wherever i can! Here are the short technical details about these custom letterpress calling cards:

450gsm Biscuit (light brown / chocolate milk) card stock, one side printing, 9 x 5 cm, black ink, custom design

I’ve already added these custom letterpress calling cards on our portfolio, so you can check out more photos over here.

The Funky Studio team wishes you, as always, a colorful day!

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