meet lola

You probably wonder why I decided to call my line Dear Lola (if that thought hasn’t crossed your mind, just amuse me for a minute). It’s a pretty simple answer. My line is modern, pretty and girly. Lola has always been a name that I thought was girly and fun. I mean, hello! There are plenty of songs that use the cute two syllable name: “her name was Lola, she was a show girl” and “la-la-la-la-la-la Lola.” So I paired an adorable name with a common salutation that is typically used to begin letters. And there you have it, Dear Lola was born. We even named our dog Lola because I love it so much. She’s not a poodle. She’s not a lamb. She’s a sweet little bedlington terrier.

[Lola by Next Exit Photography]

happy friday

I’m off for a little extended weekend vacay. Turquoise oceans and white sand beaches are filled with inspiration. Happy weekend!

heidel-what!?

I recently took a class on the type of press I'd like to buy, a Heidelberg Windmill. The class was held at The International Printing Museum which houses tons (literally, the weight of all the equipment in there has got to be in the tons) of antique printing equipment. They also offer classes and I got to learn from one of the best Windmill teachers in the biz! He’s so good that someone even came all the way from Texas just to take the class. And, he taught Rosario Dawson how to print so she wouldn’t look like a poser while shooting the film Seven Pounds. I’ve never seen the movie, but I often hear “ohhhh, do you do what Rosario Dawson did in that movie with Will Smith?” The class was amazing and I learned so much. Since then I’ve researched Windmills for sale and have driven near and far to check out three for sale. The first was way too overpriced, the second worried me (but then my teacher went out and tested it for another student and he deemed it a great buy…UGH) and the third had some issues, like tape holding pieces of it together and the registration was off. No thanks. But mine is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be saved. Besides, I only want to move the 3,000 pound beauty once, so I need to get this studio situation sorted out. Until then, here’s a looksy at a Heidelberg Windmill. Isn’t she pretty?

i have a case of the i wants

C always makes fun of me for having a case of the I wants. I want a letterpress studio/house, a Heidelberg Windmill made between 1954-1965 and a trip to Italy all in the same year. I’ve always been an impatient little dreamer that wants it all now (not a good trait for a yogi to have, but what can I say?). Also, I don’t dream about having a big fancy mansion. Just an uber cool modern home like this one. The back house would make an amazing letterpress studio. Don’t you think? Happy Friday all!

[awesome house via Apartment Therapy]

love at first crank

I remember walking into my first letterpress class almost a year ago, filled with excitement. I was THAT girl in class. You know? The one that everyone is super annoyed with because she won’t stop raising her hand and asking questions. I was thrilled that I was actually going to learn how to letterpress on a mysterious machine that I later learned was called a Vandercook. Vandercooks were actually used as proof presses back in the day, but nowadays artists use them for pretties of all sorts, you can read more about them here. I’ve come so far since then, now I have a lot (not anywhere near all) of printer jargon down. Which I’ll share as I post. But for now this post is dedicated to the Vandie that changed my life. I remember my first big project - 2 color thank you cards printed on Crane’s Lettra in Pearl. A really ambitious project for a first timer since there were 2 ink colors and with 2 ink colors you need to make sure your registration is flawless. I was in class for 6 hours and totally forgot that it was midnight on a school night, I had to get them done and I was having way too much fun to stop. Cranking that cottony paper through the press was so exciting and the fact that it came out looking like this made it even more exciting. You never forget your first crank on your first Vandie.

hello

My name is Sabrena and I am a letterpress and stationery junkie. I know, this sounds like the beginning of a fill-in-the-blank’s anonymous meeting. But seriously, most kids spent their allowance on toys and candy. Not me. Mine went towards pens, stationery and beauty products. More on the beauty products will get us off track, so I'll stick to the pens and stationery. I always loved doodling on my giant pad of paper with my even more giant bag of pens by my side. What’s mind blowing, is that even though that was my passion 20 years ago, it wasn’t until last year that I realized I can make a career out of my love for paper and pretty things. What happened, you may ask? I planned my wedding. It seems that so many brides these days become inspired and decide to pursue other interests post the creative fire of wedding planning. That’s me! So, basically I have my wedding to thank (and C for marrying me and being 110% supportive of my wildest hopes and dreams) for giving me what I need to move on and pursue my true passions.