An ultra sophisticated customization of our Tasha letterpress wedding invitations, this customization is printed in classic black ink on our ivory paper. The look is elegant and timeless, and perfect for a formal wedding with super chic style.
Located in the beautiful coastal town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Gus & Ruby Letterpress is another all-star stationery store we’re proud to call a Bella Figura retailer. Their shop specializes in artisan letterpress stationery, gifts and paper goods, with a focus on small, independent brands. Named after their super adorable dogs, Gus & Ruby is owned by friends Samantha and Whitney, a third generation letterpress printer. These ladies are a wealth of knowledge, ideas and keen design sense. If you’re in the Portsmouth area stop by to say hello!
Q & A with Sam and Whitney of Gus & Ruby Letterpress
What’s your favorite thing to do in your town?
An ideal Portsmouth day would include a trip to the farmer’s market, a puppy playdate for Gus and Ruby at the dog park, lunch on the decks and then some delicious ice cream from Annabelle’s.
What’s your favorite past time or hobby outside of work?
We both love to cook, bake and watch reality TV. What can we say? We have high-brow stationery sense and low-brow entertainment preferences! Whitney is a multi-sport athlete (tennis, field hockey and ski racing) so she enjoys some good competition and Samantha is an equestrian and spends her free time at the stable.
Can you share a recent favorite read or find?
We both share books back and forth all the time. Recently, we both read and loved Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.
An interest, hobby, or something you’re passionate about:
Our mutual passion is definitely our dogs, Gus and Ruby. They are our muses and our furry babies.
Five things you couldn’t live without:
Gus & Ruby (we’re counting them as 1)
Our moms (who each work for us 1 day a week)
Liz (our rockstar employee)
Flatbread Pizza
Glee
Around these parts, we can’t get enough of super cool save the dates. Add in great typography and these letterpress save the dates in our Lumos design are a crowd favorite around the studio. We printed them in a classic color combination of antique gold and black, paired with metallic gold edge painting for a look that is modern Art Deco-inspired and incredibly chic.
Simple and typographic, our new Collection letterpress invitations take on a sweet and romantic side when paired with pewter, wisteria, dusty pink, sand, and pale gray – perfect for a chic and elegant wedding. (Photos – letterpress invitations + Angelina Jolie + milk shake via Creature Comforts + newspaper.)
Over the coming weeks we’ll be introducing you to a bunch of our fabulous new retailers. First up, Social Graces in Nashville. This store ranks high on our list of must visit destinations the next time we’re traveling through Tennessee. In fact, we’d love to plan a trip sooner rather than later just so we have an excuse to go hang out. Social Graces is comprised of a team of super talented designers, a shop dog named Rufus and a love for all things stationery, weddings and vintage. If you’re in Nashville, stop by. Pay them a visit. Check out the new Bella Figura album. You’ll be glad you did!
You may have heard that starting this month you can now find Bella Figura at your favorite local stationery store! It is with love and and great excitement that we sent the first batch of Bella Figura letterpress wedding albums out into the world late last week. We are proud to have teamed up with some of the world’s best stationery retailers and thought we’d share a little glimpse at what went into making this album possible…
So now you find Bella Figura in California, New York, Texas, New Hampshire, Nashville and beyond! Of course, we always love working with you directly so be in touch to chat with one of our stationery experts. To see the album live and in person, find a Bella Figura retailer near you and pay them a visit!
To coordinate with their booklet letterpress invitations, we worked with Jennifer and Aret to create special letterpress pieces for their wedding weekend. A welcome booklet detailed weekend events and details and we also printed tea length letterpress dinner menus and table number cards. Oversized letterpress thank you cards (which will later hold a wedding photo) were the perfect finishing touch. Everything was printed in clover and blind deboss on our white cotton paper for a chic and completely sophisticated look.
Our Peacock Feathers letterpress invitations are edgy and chic in shades of watermelon, British rose, papaya, shell and blind deboss paired with glitzy metallic gold edge painting. (Photo credits: Invitation by Bella Figura. Lower images by Erin Hearts Court.)
We loved seeing this real wedding featuring an absolutely dazzling Bella Figura bride and her dapper groom on Style Me Pretty recently. They planned a Gatsby inspired affair, traditional, black-tie, and completely stylish. (Check out her gorgeous Oscar de la Renta lace dress and headpiece!) A garden wedding was followed by an indoor formal seated dinner, all filled with romantic details. Our Classic Calligraphy letterpress invitations set the stage, with gorgeous calligraphy from Bella Figura calligraphy Debi Zeinert of The Blooming Quill showcased throughout their stunning celebration.
You may have heard that starting this month you can now find Bella Figura at your favorite local stationery store. (If you haven’t heard, don’t worry. We’ll be talking a lot about our amazing retailers in the coming weeks!) This amazing letterpress baby announcement is the very first design we printed for a Bella Figura retailer, our friends at Byrd & Bleecker in Fort Worth, Texas. Featuring our New Calligraphy design showcasing stunning hand calligraphy from Debi Zeinert, it was printed in a custom hot pink ink. Many thanks to Libby and the team at Byrd & Bleecker for working with us on this gorgeous customization. We’re already in love with our Bella Figura retailers!
Title: Motivation a la Amos
Photographer: Chris, letterpress client coordinator champ
Medium: iPhone
@ Bella Figura since: 2010
As an avid blog reader, I have fallen in love with new blog Plenty of Colour. Featuring ideas and inspiration from around the globe, this blog showcases colorful hues in fashion, graphic design, photography and home decor. Or sometimes the inspiration is a study in black and white or pretty metallics. Either way, the photos are always awe-inspiring and I always feel motivated to repaint my house. Color is my favorite.
(Photo credits: Pantone chips + colorful type + paint chip business cards + bunting + fabric + confetti all via Plenty of Colour.)