Secret's Out!

Admittedly, we're not very good at keeping secrets, which is why we've been DYING to share this one with you! 


You may have noticed that we'd been (not so subtly) dropping hints over the past few days about a little surprise we had in store for you.  And if you were really paying attention, you may have also noticed that we've found a new blog that we're completely smitten with.  Have you checked it out yet?  If you have, then you already know what the secret is.  And if you haven't, then we'll just have to tell you ourselves. 

LBP is featured on THEFASHIONMAGPIE, a chicer than chic blog devoted to all things sartorial and style-related!  We were lucky enough to meet the owner/writer/style maven Jen through our Etsy shop theLITTLEBLACKshop and have been devoted readers of her blog ever since.  Not only do we love it for all of its eye candy, but for its clever name too.  As Jen explains it:

For those of you lost on the title:
Magpie (n) — a long-tailed black and white crow; used in similes or comparisons to refer to a person who collects things and/or is compulsively drawn to shiny objects.  One of a few species of birds that can recognize itself in a mirror.

So, what's in it for you?  LOTS!  For starters, Jen of THEFASHIONMAGPIE has AMAZING taste and has taken the guess work out of wedding-related wardrobe decisions by providing an entire wedding season's worth of stylish, chic and completely accessorized options.  We're drooling over the dresses she's picked out.  You're definitely going to want to add her blog to your list of daily reads.  Just check out this chic little ensemble she pulled together:

Earrings, Mariam Haskell. $280



Dress, Calypso. $299



Cuff, Alexander McQueen.  $670

Shoes, Kate Spade. $325

She's also hand-selected some gorgeous stationery gifts, perfect for the newly engaged, including our future mrs. notecards.  Want more?  THEFASHIONMAGPIE is giving away  a set of personalized notecards to one lucky reader, so head on over to her blog to enter! 

There may just be one more surprise in store for you, but you're just going to have to visit THEFASHIONMAGPIE to find out...  You didn't think we were going to give it ALL away, did you? 

LBP Party: Andrew's Christening - Paper Goods

A couple of days ago, we posted the invitations to Andrew's Christening, which were inspired by his mother's request to incorporate navy blue into the design.  We just loved the crispness of the color palette and wanted to make sure that all of the paper goods for the party reflected the same simplicity in design.  Sometimes less really is more (but not always!). 

Double-layer, die-cut "Andrew" invitations available at  theLITTLEBLACKshop

To start, we created a custom banner strung on gorgeous double-face satin ribbon to spell out "God Bless Andrew".  The banner features circles in Night (a gorgeous, deep navy blue) and the same script that was used on Andrew's invitations to create a cohesive look.  We also incorporated the same die-cut cross on the spacer to add a simple, elegant embellishment. 

Custom banner is the perfect accent to any party and is an ideal spot for taking pictures with the guest of honor!

A custom party banner a great way to create a focal point at your party and we love using this as a backdrop for taking pictures with the guest of honor!  And the best part?  Separating your message on two different banners allows you to repurpose the name as nursery decor or to use again for future parties! 



By putting Andrew's name on a separate banner, we've created the option to move the banner into his nursery after the party or use for future occasions. 

  Of course, no party is complete without some sweets and favors for your guests, so why not combine the two?  The candy bar is undoubtedly one of our favorite dessert options and is guaranteed to please party-goers.  Another bonus:  these are party leftovers you won't mind having!  To create your own candy bar, all you need are some apothecary jars, glass containers, bowls (whatever you have lying around the house!), some signage and treat bags or boxes for your guests to fill up with their favorite goodies.   

For Andrew's Christening, his parents chose a variety of their favorite treats including some to die for Italian chocolates.  We created tented cards that were set in front of each candy jar so guests could choose their favorites and made "thank you" labels that dressed up simple cellophane bags.

Tented signs for the candy bar tell guests what treats they have to choose from. 

Signage can be used for appetizers, entrees, desserts and beverages.  Also perfect as placecards for dinner parties or weddings. 

Congratulations once again to Andrew and his family!  We're so honored to be a part of your special day. 

LBP Party: Andrew's Christening - Invitations

We were delighted when we got a note from Andrew's mom asking us to make the invitations and party decorations for his Christening.  There's nothing better than being a part of our clients' celebrations, especially when it's an occasion as big as this one. 

Luisa, Andrew's mom (and one of our former highschool classmates), asked for something in navy instead of the expected baby blue, which we LOVED.  Navy is one of our favorite colors and looks oh so crisp against the superfine white cardstock.  Inspired by the crisp, clean color palette, we wanted to keep the design equally clean and simple too. 

The invitation is double layered cardstock and we die-cut a cross from the top layer to give it some depth and dimension.  We kept it simple with the text and introduced a slim, modern script to bring focus to Andrew's name.  The result is simply stunning. 



Above and below:  die-cut cross detail adds dimension to the invitation.



The slim, elegant script is a perfect contrast to the bold serif used for the remainder of the text.

Another thing we love about "Andrew"?  It's so versatile.  Swap the navy backing to plum, blossom or fuchsia for a girl's christening, first communion or confirmation.  Replace the cross with a turtle, whale or any other shape for a birthday celebration.  "Andrew" is available to purchase as is, or completely customized at theLITTLEBLACKshop.

And of course, no invitation is complete without an impeccably dressed envelope.   We used the same script as the invitation for the guests' addresses to resemble hand calligraphy and printed the family's return address on the back flap for a polished look. 

This script gives the look of luxe calligraphy at a fraction of the cost. 

Since LBP is a full-service design studio (and Luisa was busy taking care of Andrew, preparing for the christening AND baby number 2!) our signed. sealed. delivered. service took care of getting these in the mail for her.  We love the "celebrate" stamps for an occasion like this because they give your guests a hint of what's inside! 

Signed, sealed and ready to be delivered.

We hope Andrew and his family had a beautiful day yesterday and look forward to sharing the rest of the party details with you soon!

The Future Mrs.

Wedding season is just around the corner, which means our brides are busy attending vendor appointments, dress fittings, bridal showers, bachelorette parties and bridesmaid luncheons.  So many ocassions, so many thank you notes to write!  Although we can't write them for you, we can provide you with some absolutely gorgeous notecards to write them on. 

Introducing the "future mrs." notecard set:  chic little notecards perfect for sharing your gratitude (and your soon-to-be last name) with everyone who's making your big day so extraordinary.

 

Set of 10 folded notecards come with coordinating envelopes that have the bride-to-be's name and return address printed on the back flap for a polished look.  Of course we're partial to black & white, but the notecards and envelopes can be mixed and matched to compliment the bride's wedding or bridal shower colors. 

Click here to start checking "write thank you notes" off your wedding to do list.  Want to cross off "bridesmaids gifts" too?  Simply let us know what name/message you want to change the notecards too in the "message to seller" box during check out, or request a custom item.

p.s. - Some advice on tackling that list of thank yous?  Don't do them all at once.  This will keep your handwriting fresh and the task a little less daunting! 

LBP gets some new stripes

March was a busy month for LBP.  We can't believe it's finally over OR how it's ending...  not so sure about it being "in like a lion, out like a lamb" with the snow predicted in tomorrow's forecast! 

On top of the LBP friends & family birthday festivities, we've been hard at work creating and setting up our Etsy shop, theLITTLEBLACKshop.  What's with the name, you ask?  Well, imitation is certainly the sincerest form of flattery.  As you may recall us mentioning in our first blog entry, the definition of "chic", we've received a lot of compliments on our moniker over the years.  And apparently someone liked it so much that they decided to use it for THEIR Etsy shop, making it unavailable to us.  So don't be fooled, we have NO association with "littleblackpress" on Etsy; for all other intents and purposes, you can be sure that Little Black Press is ours.  Nevertheless, we're thrilled to finally have our shop up and running so we can share the chic! 



In honor of our new venture, we decided it was time for some new stripes, so redesigned our logo.  And of course, we had to change the blog to match!  We're smitten with the chevron pattern and hope you are too. 

The other thing we're really in love with are our new line of cupcake toppers and party goods.  Being as obsessed with fashion as we are, how could we resist the opportunity to accessorize our cupcakes too?!  (And of course, getting to eat the photo props isn't bad either!).  Our fellow Etsians have been showing us a lot of love and have featured several of the toppers from our Spring line:

Mini Pinwheels - set of 12 in the Gone with the Wind feature:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d91bf4a53de8eef623ec097/gone-with-the-wind#4d91fd68f7918eef7903929b

Easter Egg cupcake wrappers - set of 12 in The Easter Bunny feature:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8a1021c8036d91f0b9e6d9/the-easter-bunny



Elephants - set of 12 in the EleFUN feature:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d7bb2dc726c8eefe69e30d3/elefun

 

Bunny Ears - set of 12 (Pastels) in the hipHOPpity feature: 
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8d7a1893706d91b53bef12/hiphoppity
 

Bunny Ears - set of 12 (Brights) in the Fun Easter Finds feature:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8e00f82d446d91449fb537/fun-easter-finds#4d8e06d852e96d91d51ab3e6

Bunny Rabit - set of 12 (Brights) in the Rainbow Easter feature:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8c06f8f6f86d91e432582a/rainbow-easter

Baby Bird (Girl) - set of 12 in the Cupcake feature:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8131e5d2426d91ef5f0ae3/cupcake

We've got lots of designs in the works that we're very excited about, so keep popping in the shop to see what's new.  Have a specific design in mind, but can't find a match?  Let us know what you need and we'll create some custom cupcake couture for you.  

For Japan With Love

Please visit For Japan With Love to donate.  Proceeds from any LBP Etsy orders today will go directly towards emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies to Japan via Shelterbox.



Everyone's Irish on March 17th!

Even if you don't hail from the Emerald Isle, chances are you're wearing green today and plan on having a pint of Guinness (or two) tonight.  And why not?  Everyone's Irish on March 17th, or at least that's what it says in the Guinness factory in Dublin!  What better way to spread a little green cheer, besides the aforementioned pint, than to send a little luck to your favorite people? 

We love this St. Patrick's Day greeting featuring one of our favorite lucky charms and our new color, clover!  Not wanting to go overboard with the green, we kept the card clean and simple, but added a surprise pop of color by backing the card in clover.  With the green envelope and "erin go bragh" printed on the front, there's no mistaking that the leprechauns left a little pot of gold in your mailbox. 



And of course, no celebration would be complete without a cupcake!  

Visit our etsy shop the LITTLE BLACK shop to see this cupcake topper and many more! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!