Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks to Oh So Beautiful Paper for featuring Margaret and Patrick's custom wedding invitation set today on their blog. Read the full post here.

Happy 79th Birthday!

That's right! Our Vandercook Press turned 79 years old last week. We had a surprise party for her, complete with birthday candles, a letterpress birthday card and cupcakes (thanks Mary). She's still running strong and in great shape! Happy Birthday ole girl!

Prints, Peanuts, Popcorn and Soda Pop

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Moveable Type Event on February 9th. And Special thanks to Kyle from the Type- Truck. We had such a great time meeting her and hearing about her travels cross country.

The event was filled with good ole fashioned fun - printing, popcorn, peanuts and soda pop! Charlotte Elizabeth Photographer captured the evening perfectly. See more images from the event here. (password: sideshow).

Moveable Type - TONIGHT

Moveable Type

is coming to Charleston. Sideshow Press invites you to join us in welcoming the type-truck to town. Come see a fully functional letterpress print shop built into the back of a converted 1982 Chevy Step van. Come and try your hand at letterpress by printing a collaborative print on the type-truck and on our presses. We hope to see you out at the studio on February 9th from 5 – 8pm. Learn more about Movable Type, Kyle and her type-truck here.

Behind the Scenes Martha Stewart Weddings

A few behind the scene images from Katy & Jeff's wedding. Want to see more? Check out more behind the scene images from Martha Stewart Weddings.

2012 Wedding Templates

We're excited to share our first ever collection of customizable wedding templates. We designed each of these sets with different brides in mind - the romantic winsome, the age old traditionalist, the eclectic entertainer and for the naturally whimsical. Choose from our diverse designs of "Great Gatsby", "Hunt & Gather", "Town Square", or "Woodlands".

Martha Stewart Weddings Feature

The new Martha Stewart Weddings issue is out and on the news stands! We're so excited to see Katherine and Jeff's wedding featured. We had the pleasure of designing their Save the Date, Invitation and Weekend Materials for this cute couple's celebration. See images from Martha's feature here. Enjoy!

Also, see the full list of the talented vendors we collaborated with on this amazing wedding here.

White Mischief

Inspired by the movie White Mischief set in the 1940's, Sideshow designed and printed these mysterious invitations. These square invitations were 2 color letterpress (blind + black) on 220 Crane Lettra Paper and then edged in a mustard yellow. We love the simplicity and style of these vintage inspired invitations.

The Dieline

So pleased to see our work featured on the Die Line today. Read the full post here.

Baby Crawford

Sideshow Press just completed this simple and sweet baby announcement for Maxwell Crawford Brown. Blue pennants, handwritten type, stripes and of course letterpress! Welcome to the world little Crawford.

White Washing Wood

We love trying new things here at Sideshow. Our latest experiment; white washing wood for a invitation (we will share the full invite soon!). To achieve the affect we were looking for, the white washing turned out to be a 3 step process.

1.) We brushed on a thin coat of grey stain to blonde wood veener paper.

2.) We applied a watered down white paint over the top of the grey stained wood.

3.) We took to the sheets with a light grade of sand paper and spot sanded each piece.

The whole process was a nice reminder of how we love to experiment! The finished piece of white washed wood was letterpressed 1 color. We are thrilled with the out come.

Letter Perfect

We were thrilled to be included in Charleston Weddings article "Tips & Ideas: Letter Perfect".

Read the entire article here.

Calligraphy Map Invitations

A beautiful grey and yellow invitation from Melissa and Amy, the talented designers behind Atheneum Creative. We enjoyed being the printer on this job and bringing these thoughtful invitations to life.

From Melissa and Amy: Katy and Alex were look ing for a unique way to introduce and share their story—starting right with the invitation. Chicago is home to both the bride and groom; it’s where their relation ship began and it is where they will share their fist kiss as husband and wife. The city means so much and holds so many memories for them, what better way to tell their story than with a custom illustrated map of their personal Chicago land marks (such as their high rise apartment, the bench they got engaged on, the church and reception location, and many others).

The beautiful map illustration was done by Elizabeth Porcher Jones, stunning work as always.

Sideshow Press to speak at AIGA Charlotte

If you happen to be in the Charlotte area, we'd love to see you this coming Wednesday! We'll be speaking to the AIGA Charlotte chapter.

Top Ten: For the Love of Letterpress, 10 Fresh Thoughts on an Old Art

February 16, 2011 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

The ladies of Sideshow Press have a fresh perspective on letterpress in digital age. With a unique process and approach to letterpress, paper, texture and materials they strive to find the marriage and balance between modern design and vintage printing. Come join Amy Pastre, Courtney Rowson, and Virginia Gregg of Sideshow Press for an enchanting discussion on the love of letterpress.

Evening Agenda 6:30pm Doors open, networking and refreshments 7:00pm Presentation begins

Happy Holidays from Sideshow Press

Just putting the finishing touches on the Sideshow Press Holiday Happy! Thank you to our many clients and vendors we've worked with through out the year. Be on the look out for your custom letterpress lolli's in the mail soon!

Holiday Cards

If you're anything like the ladies of Sideshow Press (who are just getting to our own Christmas Cards) you may still be working on a plan for your holiday cards. If so, give us a call, we still have a few designs left in stock! Happy Holidays!

Recycled Liners and Handwritten Type

A save the date for a upcoming wedding to be held at a private South Carolina plantation this Spring. The bride came to us a with the request for an invite that would feel eclectic, beautiful, and sustainable. A few of the sustainable elements include, envelope liners from an Audubon book (purchased from a local book re-seller) and collected quail feathers from the family plantation. The type is handwritten then scanned in and foil stamped in gold. The less formal handwritten type, combined with the gold foil printing and Italian papers gives this set a beautiful and approachable aesthetic.