Rubber Stamps are a great way to save money on an invitation suite when you’re printing multiple sets of envelopes – for example on the back of your outer envelope, your RSVP envelope, even Thank You notes!

Contact the ladies to have your very own address hand lettered in a number of fancy styles!

Invitations by Ladyfingers Letterpress / Dish set by Marimekko / Balloons by Oriental Trader

Spring is here and wedding season is upon us!  If you are planning your big event and the days just seem to by flying by, let us help you!

Between March 29th through April 7, Ladyfingers Letterpress will ship you a set of FREE letterpress samples, a value of $15.  Like what you see? We’ll have a one-on-one conversation about your wedding and your paper related desires, and take your hopes and dreams and turn them into hand drawn one-of-a-kind letterpress masterpieces!  Our approach to design and printing is not what you typically find in wedding stationery: we’re hands-on, detail orientated, and ready to make your every wish come true.

Contact us today for your free set of samples and discover the benefits of Ladyfingers Letterpress concierge service!

Free PDF Download | 273 kb

Free PDF Download | 414 kb

What an electrifying moment! Right now, as I type this, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the Prop 8 case. Thousands of people have traveled to our country’s capitol to be a part of this historic time, some waiting on line for days through freezing rain and sleepless nights for a chance to bear witness to the augmentation of equal rights for all. Morgan and I woke up this morning and gave each other a big hug – we could feel change in the air. The time is now. It’s gonna happen. It HAS to happen.

In celebration of this momentous occasion, we are releasing some poster designs for free download. We encourage you to print them out and hang in your windows, post on your walls (virtually or physically), and proudly wave as a symbol for change. Show your support for Marriage Equality and Equal Rights for all people with these 11″ x 17″ posters.

Last Thursday, March 23, 2013, my wife Morgan and I did our part by testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing that would lead up to a vote on equal marriage in Rhode Island. We waited for 11 hours before finally testifying at 3am. Earlier in the week, we had been asked by Devin Driscoll of Rhode Islanders United for Marriage to testify, as we’re a couple of married ladies who wed in Massachusetts, we’re small business owners who contribute to the RI economy, and we’re both pretty damn charming, if I must say so myself. A few hours before the hearing, we designed a few posters and quickly printed them up in bright pink (Pantone 806) and anxiously made our way to the State House. Of course, as printers, we had to make something! We couldn’t arrive empty handed.

As we sat in a wood-paneled room and watched the hearing on a roll-away TV among other pro-equality supporters, we watched as a trade union leader referred to one of our signs in his testimony. He said “I saw this sign out there that really struck a chord. It said “Your life won’t change. Mine will.” and the room started to cheer. I was really proud! Our posters also found their way into the broadcast at other times.

It was an emotional roller coaster, as you would expect. The speakers would rotate in groups of 4 or 5 and each speaker was urged to keep their testimony under 3 minutes. Pro-equality supporters spoke eloquently, articulately and passionately, most of them keeping to the time limit. Then, the wave of 4 or 5 opponents would approach the bench and use the opportunity to speak for 20 or 30 minutes while quoting verses from the bible and referring to gay people as “satanists, communists, pigs” and “cancers to society”. Beastiality came up more than once, I regret to report.

It was a really intense thing, sitting there and listening to people who had such hatred towards people like Morgan and I. People they’ve never met and would probably think were nice people if not the fact that we were gay! There was a sentiment that especially bothered me: the people who kept saying, “We love everyone and people should do whatever they want to do, but we need to protect the sanctity of marriage, etc., etc.” Actually, no, I can’t do whatever I want to do because people like you are fighting against my right to do it.

The opposition’s testimonies had faded out at ar0und 1am and for 5 more hours the Committee sat patiently and listened to the stories and testimonies of  teachers, ministers, parents, business owners, priests, lawyers, and straight allies. I have to commend the Senators who gave everyone the chance to speak and who lasted for 14 hours into the early morning.

Photograph by Two Moon Photography

There may be video footage somewhere out there of Morgan and my testimony, but quite frankly I’m not that eager to see what I look like at 3 am after a stressful and heart wrenching night. When it came to be our turn, we threw our written testimony to the side and spoke to the Committee from the heart. Adrift from our script and in the bleary eyed early hours of the morning, I offered to make everyone dinner, Morgan casually offered to bribe them all, and we finished each others’ sentences. All in all, I think it went well, and we were proud to be a part of such a historic time.

Below is our written testimony:

“Hello my name is Arley-Rose Torsone and this is my wife Morgan Calderini. We are not native Rhode Islanders, but we are a couple of ladies who chose to follow our hearts and start a design and letterpress business as a married couple in this beautiful state that we have grown to love.

One of the reasons we started our business was because of the way we were treated while we were planning our own wedding. We got really tired of being asked by vendors if there was a groom and knew right there that we needed to create a business in the wedding industry that could help promote change and be a safe place for all couples to conduct business.

I am a designer who moved here from New York City and Morgan is a printer and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. We met while working together at the Providence-based arts non-profit AS220 and I guess you could say that our designer/printer relationship became something a little bit more than just a working relationship.

We launched Ladyfingers Letterpress in the fall of 2011 shortly after we got married in Massachusetts. We make no assumptions about the sexual orientation of our clients and only use gender neutral language in all our materials so that no one feels excluded or discriminated against. In fact, for every wedding invitation thats ordered from our company, whether its for a straight wedding or a same-sex wedding, we make a donation to local and national organizations who work on behalf of the rights of the LGBT community.

We’re extremely proud to report that in the short time that we’ve been in business, we’ve created three full time jobs and six part time jobs for the creative class. We have clients from all over the world who hire us for fine, hand crafted wedding invitations that can be found no where else but here in Rhode Island. Our award-winning work has been featured in national publications and shares the stage amongst some of the most creative and innovative stationers out there.

Sure, we could move our business to a place where the economy is better and we’d have equal rights, but we’re passionate about being a part of a positive change and making a difference in Rhode Island and we are committed to working hard until that happens. Thank you. “

As I sit here at my computer, my heart is with all those in DC right now, and hoping that our country has finally found it in their hearts to let go of their prejudices and accept everyone despite their differences. Perhaps one day soon this will all be behind us and we can spend our time contributing to society rather than fighting for our right to be treated equally within it.

]]> http://www.ladyfingersletterpress.com/ladiesinlove/?feed=rss2&p=919 0 http://www.ladyfingersletterpress.com/ladiesinlove/?p=915 http://www.ladyfingersletterpress.com/ladiesinlove/?p=915#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:24:24 +0000 admin http://www.ladyfingersletterpress.com/ladiesinlove/?p=915

Jungil Hong, one of our insanely talented press operators (and personally, one of our favorite artists), is part of a star-studded show called Dirty Fingers at the F.L.A. Gallery, curated by Cinders Projects.

Below is their press release, but really folks, this is going to be an amazing show and we wish that FL and RI were not so far away so we could go! If you’re in the area, go go go!

F.L.A. Gallery Presents:

Dirty Fingers
Curated by Cinders Projects

February 23rd – March 24th, 2013
Opening Reception Saturday, February 23, 7-10pm

Swoon, Elisita Punto, Maya Hayuk, Xander Marro, Micah Daw, Anders Nilsen, Neil Burke, Sto Len, Frederic Fleury, Leif Goldberg, Rob Doran, Jungil Hong, Brian Chippendale, Conrad Carlson, Megan Whitmarsh, Morgan Blair, Dessarae Bassil, John Orth, Kelie Bowman, Dave Kinsey, Edie Fake, Langdon Graves, Chris Duncan, Jim Houser, Mike Taylor, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, Matt Furie, James Moore, Michael Velliquette, Jesse Ledoux, Stephanie Hutin, Aidan Koch, Florencio Zavala, Alexis Anne Mackenzie, Allyson Mellberg, Jeremy Taylor, Brian Willmont, Jessie Rose Vala.

In an age of digitally manipulated imagery and visual consumption via computer screens, it is all the more important to remember to get our hands dirty and take a look at actual objects in the three dimensional world.

Dirty Fingers focuses on a group of artists that are continuing to use various forms of printmaking as a viable contemporary medium. Silkscreening, etching, stenciling, and woodblock printing are some of the methods used in this large group exhibition featuring a wide range of imagery and content. The immediacy and accessibility of printmaking creates a medium that can be mass-produced in editions and sold affordably. The process of hand-printing also adds the distinction of the human hand at work, revealing its slight imperfections and labor to be quite refreshing to see. Join us for a showcase of our favorite printmakers from around the world.

see preview of prints here:
https://cinders-gallery.myshopify.com/collections/dirty-fingers

F.L.A. Gallery
10 N Main St
Gainesville, FL 32601
www.rewildingfla.com
thurs-sat 5-10pm, sunday noon-5pm

We are thrilled to announce that we’ve won the scholarship to the one and only Trade Show Bootcamp, the small business guide to trade shows for the stationery industry.

We’re looking forward to their series of webinars where we’ll learn the ins and outs of “tradeshowing,” as the National Stationery Show will be our first show ever! We are grateful for this opportunity and excited to learn more about how to get our awesome stationery in your awesome hands!

Speaking of Found&Created, check out these awesome pics that Ellen Kyle took of her awesome neon-wrapped flora and fauna that she put together for our party, as well as other pics taken around at the party!

You know who else took some great shots? Aysa from Gleena Ceramics Studio. She wrote up a nice little blog post about her visit last night. Check it out!

Below are photos that I managed to take in between bites of delicious brownies and showing people how to print on the Vandercook!