Fourth Year Studio

Maxi and Seth are bicycle enthusiasts!   They were engaged on a bike ride and rode off in style on a tandem bicycle from their wedding reception in East Tennessee.   You may remember them from their wooden bicycle save the date postcard.  Their afternoon spring outdoor wedding was a sweet laid back event and it was important that the invitations were interactive and playful.   A mailer turned out to be the perfect format.  When unfolded the invite is laid out into three panels.  The top has a blind pressed abstracted bike tread detail with royal blue text.  In the center panel is a small gray envelope that houses a fabric map for the traveling guests.  The bottom is the perforated rsvp postcard.  On the front you indicate the ‘number on your bicycle’.   We were able to pack so much into this one piece without using an exterior envelope or additional postage.  The custom stamps also had a bike graphic to tie it all together.

My sister-in-law, Stacey, thought it would be sweet to have flowers, for a soft natural theme for her baby girl’s announcement. From there we decided a hand-sketched, abstract set of flowers growing from the bottom of the page would be perfect. After a lot of sketching we scanned them in and waited for baby. Once baby Emeline arrived we entered her stats and got her lovely picture to stitch on for family and friends.

{one color letterpress on 110lb cotton stock with stitched photo}

While ordering plates for a job a few weeks back we had a little extra space for something. Excited, I decided to do a little something for myself!

I love my new last name, I mean its nothing too special I guess, but its fun. Most of the time when I leave it for a reservation or tell it to someone new it gets a little confused, but its simple: Haire. I also love that is it the name of a cute little bunny!!! That’s where I got the inspiration for a thank-you. It may be cheesy, but I’m in love with how it printed on the woodgrain paper.

Happy Easter!! It’s the weekend everyone can join me in loving bunnies!

We have been fortunate to work with this wonderful couple, Andrew and Casey, who are having a destination wedding in Charleston, South Carolina this July.  Fourth Year Studio is working with them on their invitations as well as event coordination and design for their wedding weekend.  4th of July weekend is going to be such a fun time to gather with their friends and family to share the energy and excitement of the city for their big day.

Their save the dates weave the story of their relationship.  They met while studying abroad in Spain and have been traveling around the world ever since.  It just makes perfect sense that they are traveling to get married in one of their favorite cities.

The postcards were digitally flat printed with a matte finish.  Custom stamps with their silhouettes tie the design together and incorporate the peach tone that is carried through additional wedding details.   Attentive guests will notice the silhouettes next appearance at the reception.   We will be letter press printing their full invitations next week so please check back to see how lovely the entire set will be.

Some friends of mine are having their first baby in a few short months from now. Joey and Leslie are super special to Daniel and I because they sort of played match maker when we were first getting to know each other. They are having a baby boy and I am helping with her shower so why not make a letterpress invite!!!

Dianna and I have been dying to make some “baby” templates, and this is the first one. You will be able to order this one for yourself as a shower invite or a baby announcement so keep checking back.

So on to the pressing — proud to say this was Holland’s (our C&P) first job!!! Thanks to Daniel for getting him in working order. Everything went really smoothly and we are very pleased with the outcome! For this job we used Mr. French Muscletone 140# paper, process blue ink, and kraft envelopes… Super simple and absolutely adorable. Hope you enjoy them.

Last weekend Dianna and I attended a silent auction for Just Ripe. Dianna met Kristen Faerber, founder of Just Ripe, while volunteering with her this summer to raise money for Knox Heritage.  It was nice of her to think of us when coming up with her donation items. Many friends of Just Ripe donated some beautiful things to be auctioned with all proceeds going to this great new venture. Just RIpe is all about connecting the consumer and the grower. Started by the vision of 5 talented women, they use local produce, dairy, and regional products in their recipes. Their storefront space at the Daylight Building in downtown Knoxville, will stock local produce and offer delicious prepared foods, including a seasonal menu. While the storefront space is still under construction check them out at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Knoxville (Market Square wed & sat).  I hear their chocolate truffles are fantastic and would make any sweetheart happy on Valentines Day.

Fourth Year donated a pair of custom silhouettes, and while we were there we had the opportunity to do a little shopping ourselves.  I bid on a wonderful old storefront door with so much character. I look forward to getting it in place and giving you guys an “after” shot to go with the “before” picture below. Dianna was the highest bidder on a set of books “Keeping Chickens” and “Canning and Preserving” by Ashley English.  We really enjoyed ourselves – good food, good music, and great company.  We are thrilled that Just Ripe is opening up a storefront space and we plan to continue supporting them along the way.  If you missed your chance to bid on the silhouettes visit our etsy page or email us to order your own.

Last month a pair of our friends asked us to print letterpress bookmarks as wedding favors for their chic New Year’s Day wedding. Ashley and Erik studied Architecture at the University of Tennessee during the same period Emily and I were in school.  They were each top of their class, are positively brilliant, and without a doubt perfect for each other.

After we received the file from Ashley we got started. The design was simple and elegant with a quote from Lebbeus Woods.  It was a great job for us novice printers to tackle.  Our intent was to laser cut delrin to make the plate in a similar fashion as our business cards but the font was so small it would have been risky. We opted for a magnesium plate to keep everything crisp.  During this process the image is chemically etched into a magnesium plate and then mounted onto a piece of wood to get the type to registration height. At first glance the text on the plate looked far to small to print clearly but after inking up the machine it turned out to leave a beautiful impression on the Crane Lettra 100% cotton paper.  Although the tone was not as solid as one could achieve with other printing techniques the salty effect added a depth of color and texture in the areas of the solid black circles.

Not only was the mag-plate the best choice for printing this job but it is was also beautiful.  I included the plate as part of their wedding gift and I hope it is something they treasure.

Congratulations Erik & Ashley!  We are incredibly happy for you both and wish you a marriage full of love and happiness, thank you for including us in your wedding day.

Now I just need a good architectural design book to pair with my bookmark.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, it certainly feels like winter with all the snow these days.  Receiving one of these postcards may help you shake off the winter chill and look ahead to warmer days. Maxi & Seth are getting married this spring. They love cycling and he actually proposed as they were on a tandem bicycle ride.  Their wedding will be modern with a vintage undertone and and take place in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.  The invitations needed to be thoughtful and enticing.  After the design was complete we sent it off to be printed on a 2-ply wood veneer. They turned out wonderfully and I have been assured that the postal service can mail wooden postcards without a hitch. Would you like to find one of these striking postcards in your mailbox?

My day job as an intern architect typically keeps me busy with drawing, coordination, and sometimes actually designing but in December I have the opportunity to design our firm holiday card.  Last year (click CDP holiday card 2009) was the first time we switched from a traditional envelope and stamp card to an online version.  I have been thinking, for longer than I probably should, on how to build off the same character of last year’s but make this one even better. You may disagree if it is better, but I can assure you it was more complicated. Turn on your sound, sit back in your seat and enjoy this small break in your day.

What does this woodland scene have to do with architecture you might ask? As designers we are thinking year round about how to improve the spaces of others and during the holidays it becomes even more important to be sure you are surrounded by loved ones and decor help you feel comfortable and cozy. These little squirrels are improving their space too and working darn hard to do it, I respect their persistence and attention to detail.

How was this possible?  I designed the scene in Illustrator.  Then I separated each frame out in order to create the illusion of movement, in a similar fashion to a flip-book. Chris, a co-worker, used Flash to thread the scenes together.  There he added the zoom effect, falling snow, and the Nutcracker tune.  It is a really fun way to touch base with our clients and friends as well as make new ones. My hope is for it to put a smile on your face while “gearing you up” for the chilly winter and Happy New Year.  For more information about CDP (Cockrill Design & Planning) please visit their site.

Enjoy!

Dianna and I had really hoped to get “Holland” (our C&P letterpress) up and running in time to print Christmas Cards, but its not ready just yet, so I settled for a simpler technique — Potato Stamping! I’ve seen it done many times before creating some adorable fabrics. But here’s how I did it!

I started with some mini cookie cutters I found at Hobby Lobby (you can always draw your own design onto the potato), one medium/large potato, a pearing knife, an ink pad, and paper. First you cut the potato in half and take the cookie cutter of your choice, center it, and press down firmly into the potato. With the cookie cutter still in the potato, cut about 1/4″ from the top, throwing away all the excess potato edges. Remove the cookie cutter, and voila you have your stamp!

Next, choose your paper. I used some leftover paper from a wedding we did for a really fun couple (Jennifer + Brian). The paper was used as confetti for when they walked down the aisle and it has wildflower seeds in it! Cut the paper down to size (mine are 4″x6″ postcards) and stamp away! Make sure to ink your stamp well the first time and maybe use some test paper too.

What do you think? While I was at it I also made some gift tags for Christmas presents! Try it yourself the possibilities are endless!