The Hungry Workshop & Koskela presents Rituals - get your letterpress on

If you're a fan of letterpress and Australian illustration, then you will love Ritual - an exhibit being held at Koskela as party of Art & About Sydney.

Letterpress cool kids The Hungry Workshop, based in Melbourne, have pulled together a stellar group of Australian artists including Beci Orpin, Ben Ashton-Bell, Drunk Park, Eirian Chapman, Georgia Perry, Kindred Studio, Lauren Carney, Luke Lucas, Malade Pathetics and Spew Corp for a hand-printed letterpress exhibition. The exhibition will feature limited edition prints and unique, one-of-a-kind overprints.

There are lots of other great actitives happening for Art & About Sydney, including some fun events that are child-friendly too. Organiser Jenna Hipgrave - one half of The Hungry Workshop duo - is a friend of mine from Brisbane, so I'll be heading along to the opening night on Saturday 22nd Sept 2012, 5-7pm - hope to see you there.

Update: The Hungry Workshop and Malade Pathetics are also hosting a lino and type workshop from 1 - 4:30pm before the Exhibit opening. Participants will be exploring the fundamental principles of letterpress, relief printing and typography, through simple, hands-on techniques. Check out the Koskela website for more details - looks great!

Image: The Hungry Workshop

Bespoke Letterpress Boutique 2011 Christmas Cards

Every year I like to feature the gorgeous designs and imprinted stationery of Brisbane's Bespoke Letterpress Boutique, and 2011's Christmas range is just as lovely.

Alischa, Hayden and team (let's not forget Ruby the letterpress studio dog) have released a range of beautifully pressed and printed Christmas cards and gift tags, along with their stock of baker's twine, Japanese washi tape, double-sided gift wrap, and ribbon (for all your gifting needs).

I've had such joy from my Boutique Letterpress Boutique stationery over the last few years; the cards and paper goods are truly Quality with a capital Q. I love this year's silver typography Christmas cards and Kraft gift tags that would match any wrapping. I know you'll love them too.

You can find the Christmas range in the Bespoke Letterpress Boutique online store. Lucky for us, Bespoke Letterpress Boutique are offering free shipping for Australian orders of $30 or more placed before 19th December 2011. Enter FREESHIPPING at checkout. International postage is $10 flat rate (excludes twine and gift wrap). 

Images: Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

Australian Christmas 2010: Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

Goodness, the letterpress goodness from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique just keeps getting better each year. For Christmas 2010 there is a gorgeous range of cards and gift tags that also double as ornaments and big spools of coordinating cotton baker's twine. The stationery goodies are lovingly pressed by hand on a vintage letterpress. Nothing mass-produced here.

You can find Bespoke Letterpress Boutique paper goods in the online store. (oh and don't forget the gorgeous prints which make lovely gifts).

Read more about Bespoke Letterpress Boutique here on Bondville. And check out more Australian Christmas 2010 ideas here on Bondville.

Images: Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

Brisbane ABCD Meetup Nov 09 Goodie Bag Winners

Well, the Brisbane ABCD Meetup Nov 09 attendees have voted, and the race was very, very close. But we have a winner! The favourite item in the Goodie Bag was:

The Pear Lavendar Sachet by Ellie and Danielle from textiles, patterns and craft kits store Selvedge House!

The very close runners-up are:
The beautiful letterpress Christmas cards from Alischa at Bespoke Letterpress Boutique;

and
The clever upcycled luggage tags from Bec of Little Brown Dog.

Congratulations ladies! Selvedge House has won 3 months of free advertising here on Bondville and Alischa and Bec have won the gorgeous ceramic magnets from Kim Wallace below.


Thank you everyone for the fantastic goodie bag entries; all were much appreciated and will serve as a great reminder of the friends we made on the night.

Until the next ABCD Meetup in February '10....

Images: Kim Wallace

Naomi Murrell online store now open

One of my favourite Australian artists and designers, Adelaide-based Naomi Murrell, has just opened her brand new online store in Australian dollars. Now you don't have to scour shops for her gorgeous designs - they are just a click away.

Current categories in-store include art prints, jewellery, cards, limited edition cushions and limited edition bags. There are a number of sweet holiday products available too like cute festive ornaments kit and letterpress cards.

Check out the store here, and subscribe to the mailing list on the Naomi Murrell website to receive a discount code for the grand opening and a chance to win a $50 giveaway. (the Etsy store is still open for all you international shoppers).

For more information about Naomi, check out the Bondville profiles on Naomi's jewellery and artwork.

Images: Naomi Murrell

Drool-worthy Design: Bespoke Press Christmas Cards

At the markets this weekend my lovely friend Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique very generously gifted me with a pack of her gorgeous 2009 Christmas cards hand printed on an antique 1893 foot-treadled letterpress.

Aren't they gorgeous? Each pack of six gift cards is limited edition, individually numbered and printed on environmentally responsible paper. You can find them in the Bespoke Letterpress Boutique online store soon and in the meantime, subscribe to Bespoke Press (at the bottom of the website) to find out when they will be released to the public.

I also received a lovely email from Bondville reader Jane Chambers from KatyJane Designs asking if I would be doing a round-up of Christmas cards this year. Fabulous idea Jane! I'll be putting together an overview over the next couple of days, so be sure to comment below or send me your favourite Australian-designed cards for inclusion.

Images: Steph Bond

Bespoke Letterpress Illustrators Project

My friend Alischa from Brisbane-based Bespoke Letterpress Boutique has just launched a fabulous project in collaboration with a group of emerging illustrators from around the world. After submitting their designs, Alischa has hand-selected a select few to launch the Bespoke Letterpress Illustrators Project - gorgeous illustrations by artists letterpressed by Alischa in limited edition runs of 150 onto cotton paper.

The ten different three-colour designs are beautiful and a great way for less well-known artists to have their work professionally printed and sold to a global audience. Each print is signed and numbered and ready to frame.

You can order prints from the Bespoke Press Illustrators Project on the Bespoke Letterpress Boutique online store. For more information on new prints and a behind-the-scenes look at a letterpress studio, check out the Bespoke Press blog. You can also enter a giveaway to win all 10 new prints valued at 650!

Images: Top: Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

New Bespoke Letterpress Boutique Prints

Lovely Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique has released two gorgeous new letterpress prints - antique chairs! How can you not desperately want one of these? Available in two colourways [charcoal + dark olive green + canary yellow] and [charcoal + dark olive green + magenta], the limited edition set of 100 prints come numbered and signed.

The new prints are available now from the Bespoke Letterpress Boutique online store for $30. And if you snap one up before midnight 17th April 2009 you'll receive free shipping within Australia and reduced international shipping. Delicious!

(Read more about Bespoke Press on Bondville here)

Images: Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

Droolworthy Design: Ruby and Scarlett letterpress paper products

I love the glamorous look and feel of letterpress, and when it's combined with cool design and silky paper, it's an absolute joy. I recently stumbled upon another lovely letterpress design studio - Ruby and Scarlett, based in Balmain, Sydney.

Founded by sisters Georgina and Sarah, Ruby and Scarlett uses a vintage letterpress and Japanese Gocco to whip up wedding invitations, announcements, personal stationery, cards, and paper keepsakes. A classic Ruby & Scarlett invitation has the design or illustration element printed in letterpress, paired with flat screenprinting for the text.

At the moment, the girls are accepting custom orders (such as this fantastic hen's party invitation - so chic!) and in early 2009 will be launching a collection of ready-to-print designs. You simply choose the design, colour-way and wording, and let Ruby and Scarlett do the rest.

You can order stationery on the Ruby and Scarlett Website. And check out the Ruby & Scarlett store on Etsy for a selection of greeting cards and other paper keepsakes. Just divine!

Image: Ruby and Scarlett