Nothing is complete without the details! So, here they are…

Above, I added willow branches to intertwine on the canopy area of the crib (Bratt Decor’s Venetian Iron Crib). The bedding is from NurseryWorks and has since been discontinued, but I found it at a great discount on Overstock.com. It just happened to be the perfect shade & pattern for the room. I hung some great hand made paper mobiles from the ever-talented Michelle Moode from the crib posts. We had met while we displayed our sweet hand-made goodies at the LA Printer’s Museum, along with some of our L.A. letterpress peeps.

In all my spare time (my bowl is pretty full with sugar), I also freelance design for textiles and printed matter for small businesses (logos & identities, letterhead, business cards, etc.). The textiles on the Petunia Pickle Bottom bags hanging from oversized thread spools on top are some of my favorites that I have created…on the left, their delicious Cake Cosmopolitan Carryall Bag in Pistachio Layer Cake, and their Glazed Boxy Backpack from the Spring 2010 Collection, Tea on the Thames. All packed and ready to go!

In the middle picture are hand-painted watercolor bird prints from the mid to late 1800’s. I hung them on vintage clothing hangers (found on etsy) and used vintage spools of thread to cover the nails. The light fixture was the piece de resistance for me. I had seen, along with everyone else, the beautiful bird cage light fixture from Anthropologie. I thought I could make it myself (I’m still convinced I could). But, time was running out. So, I found one that Urban Outfitters made. But, it just wasn’t the same. It had the great structure, but needed some improvements.  So, I removed all the faux birds and copper perches it came with and replaced them with branches, more realistic faux-birds, butterflies, moss, nests & eggs. And, it came to life once we wired it as a light fixture vs. a plug-in fixture.

On the bottom picture (above), the shelves behind the door, hold felted birds (I had to learn how to felt, of course), along with moss, branches, a nest, a vintage brass birdcage, an old wood type W, and Sugarcube Press’s A to Z letters were used to spell out “Wren.” There’s also a print by Oh My Cavelier!, a couple circa 1850 vintage egg prints, and some silver spoons from my husband’s Grandmother’s Collection.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the sweetness! Now, off to have this baby!

We’re going to be welcoming a new baby girl into the Sugarcube Press world tomorrow, so we thought we’d give you a sneak peek into what we’re now referring to as “Wren’s Nest.” Now, if she actually sleeps in this room until a few months from now, we’ll see, but it sure is sweet-as-can-be. The inspiration was vintage 30’s, with pale pinks, creams, charcoal, and olive accents. Of course, it’s not perfectly finished…there’s always the two curtains on backorder that we’re waiting for!

My husband & I waited awhile between children. Our son, Beck, is now 5 1/2 (that 1/2 is very important to him) and knew this probably was going to be our last. I was in dis-belief, happy and scared (all in one) to find out we were having a girl. My husband, as well as my friends, are very concerned about how I’m going to handle the shoe and clothes situation…I’ve been known to harbor a clothing & shoe obsession for myself…what would happen when I had a mini-me to dress as well?

So, as the designer of the sweet girly duo, I set out to make Wren’s nest a few months ago. It was really an empty shell of a room, having been my past home office a year ago. There was not much in it, and badly needed to be re-painted. Having a baby is a good excuse to get the rollers out. So, after 2 coats of paint, and several trips to Lowe’s, the pale pink walls, cream baseboards and charcoal-taupe painted brick laid the groundwork for some furniture.

We were on a budget, so we had a lot of d.i.y. and re-purposed elements involved in this room. The glider (even though I really wanted a new one) was from my son’s nursery and is a olive green toile adorned with ruffled pillows from Pier One Imports. The walnut colored bird mobile, by Helen Ige, is also from my son’s room, but worked perfectly above the changing table. After all, I had stored these items all this time, I felt I should really use them again.

The industrial metal cart & vintage-styled crib found me at the LA Mart when I was picking up some letterpressed card samples at our wonderful showroom, The Lynn Mitchell Group. The room was built around those two pieces. It happened to be the sample sale week, so it fit my budget perfectly (as well as already being assembled). I really loved the metal and wood, as well as the heaviness of the cart, but also knew I had to even it out with something softer & lacey. I found the great tablecloth cover at Anthropologie (on sale, too!). It’s a linen cloth, along with creams & charcoal lace doily edging. The metal bins were re-purposed from my son’s room and were from Target. The cabinet above the changing area (purchased at Pottery Barn), holds antique and family curiosities, and is filled with vintage pocket watches from my husband’s grandfather, scales & silver spoons from his grandmother, spools of thread from my great-grandmother, and even a few hand-made owl plushies from our friends over at Night Owl Paper Goods (and the wonderfully-talented Lori Nichols). I used moss as a soft landing spot for many of the pieces. The lamp was purchased at Urban Outfitters and was used in my room prior, along with a lamp shade that was purchased from there for my son’s room. I used an olive tweed train case found on Etsy for all those baby-essentials and the beautiful print of the bird creating flowers is from Oh My Cavelier! on Etsy

Stay tuned for all the sweet details and more photos!

This card evokes summer lovin’…the layered look of wood type combined with the warm colors of California sunshine. Perfect for your sweet Valentine. But, you’ll feel the love all year long with our Everyday Love Collection. Look for it at your local stationery store. If they don’t have our Everyday Love Collection, ask for them to carry it!

“Neccesity is the mother of invention, and lately sustainability is a neccessity. Sugarcube Press’ Kelsie Zimmerman and Elizabeth Rittmeyer have always embraced green business practices, but their efforts didn’t stop there.

Enter Crumbs, DIY card kits available in several themes whose ingredients would have otherwise ended up in the recycle bin. Each includes letterpress clippings as well as two cards and envelopes. Stationery Trends interviewed Zimmerman to learn about how this line came to be. ” To read more, download a pdf of the rest of the Sugarcube Press Stationery Trends Magazine Article.

With us, along with some letterpress goodies, we hauled in our table-top “portable” press. At 180 pounds, it’s not too light, but well worth the fun and excitement that surrounded it all night. As a special treat, we brought down coasters, that we made into ornaments. Guests enjoyed imprinting a message onto the coaster, and adding our signature bakery twine to adorn the holiday home. Happy Hoo-hoo-lidays all!

xo, k & e

Oranges, yellows, halloween & holidays adorn the print studio & packaging area today. We said good-bye to our last halloween shipment of the year and are busy fulfilling orders for some sweet holiday cheer! Holidays came later this year (kinda nice), so at least we’re not in 100 degree summer heat printing holiday orders!

There is no holiday like Halloween. From the decorations to the elaborate costumes…make your féte the talk-of-the-town with these scrumptious letterpressed invitations. Licorice black ink on crisp 100% cotton rag paper with a deep impression. Pen it in silver or blood red ink for a real treat. Available at select retailers. Call us at 805.641.3933 or email us for one in your area. Happy Haunting!

This is a great 2nd year for Christine’s postcard and her great gothy-look at WORD Bookshop in Brooklyn, NY. Perfect as we head into the traditional holidays, especially in the Northeastern US with Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow), Salem and Sam Hain for Fall rituals. She keeps the postcard available all year.

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