LET IT SNOW!

Here is a look at our personal Christmas cards for this year! They feature our little dude and our little dog making some snow angels.

**The drawing was separated into 2 images, one that will be printed blue and the other which will be blind debossed with no ink. This is a peek at the registration before the plate is ordered and made.**

**The 1st plate was printed using a hand-mixed icy blue ink.**

**These were printed on 110lb Cranes Lettra paper for a soft feel and a heavy impression!**

The 2nd plate was printed with no ink. This plate had the snowflakes and the snow angel outline on it. Just using the pressure of the press created a cool effect that looks like the "snow" of the paper has its own impression!

**I used the Kelsey press to print the backs of the cards and the return addresses on the envelopes.**

**Here's the final card. We sent them out in matching envelopes.**

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year! 2015 is going to be amazing!

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER!

This year being our 1st Christmas at Spofford Press we made Holiday Cards. We went with 3 different designs that all started as drawings. Once the drawings and the lettering were complete we had plates made to print the cards off of. We used Boxcar Press, a company that takes your drawings and designs and processes then into polymer plates. These plates are inked and printed in relief, the same as our engraving blocks and linocuts. Using plates instead of hand-carving blocks also allows for a deep impression in the paper: that heavy letterpress look we all love!

For the first card, we mixed a custom red ink. The traditional MERRY CHRISTMAS ornament design was printed using our etching press. The dark green branch was printed second, and then the radiating lines were blind debossed last. Each card went through the press 3 times, using 3 plates, one for each color.

Our second design was the snowflake card. We mixed a custom Silver oil-based ink with some fine mica, giving it a glittery shine! The silver design was printed 1st. We then printed all of the small snowflakes as a blind debossing. It added a fun element to the cards!

Our third design was the most fun! The Christmas lights cord was printed in the same custom dark green as the branch from the ornament card. This design trails onto the back of the card, where the strand of lights is plugged into a wall socket! The next color printed was the yellow for the light bulbs. We then printed a message inside of the card, which reads "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" in bright red.

Once all of the cards were dry and happy, the paper was scored and folded, corners were rounded out on the Snowflake card, and they were all packaged up with beautiful envelopes from French Paper Mill.