TOTA Press { handmade letterpress card subscriptions }

* JUNE 2010 * MAY » APR » MAR » FEB » JAN » DEC » NOV » OCT » SEP » AUG »

June 2010 cards

INSPIRATION
It's officially summer! What did you do for Memorial Day weekend? I stayed local {I love the quiet city of holiday weekends!}...so with a blanket, picnic, mini BBQ and frisbee in hand, I spent one of the days entirely in Prospect Park in Brooklyn with some close friends. On the actual Monday off, I had hamburgers and fries with my family, which is always fun. This month's cards are stripped down to simplicity, while using a new technique {for me} of a split fountain-type ink setup to create a gradient effect of summer colors.

The nice weather has prompted some strolls through the City that made me notice some new art. Specifically, there was the Affordable Art Fair {AAF} New York City Spring edition that took place. My eyes keep going to the art with subtle color changes. This created the abstract look of one card with the horizontal lines with the ink changing from blue to green.

Also, I'm noticing the summer skies full of beautiful colors. Dusk in Prospect Park, the sunset along the East River...I get to see these amazing yellows, oranges and mauves - and that created the card design with the diagonals.

With a minimalist design, these cards are true blank cards that can really be used for any sort of occassion. So send a thank you note or a hello! note - and perhaps you can make someone's summer day that much better.

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - June 2010 album »

inspiration June 10

INSPIRATION
The weather seems to be a bit confused right now, but that's spring right? When I was designing this month's cards, I had a few visits to some of the parks here in NYC, including Central Park and Riverside Park. And I was awed by all the different shades of green that the spring season was giving us. The color of new leaves is so refreshing and so this month's cards are all about that. One card is printed on white paper and the other is on a natural craft paper - with a few varying shades of green~

A quick uptown and run {106th and 5th Ave to be exact} and it's almost like you are not in NYC anymore~ There are these beautiful gardens in Central Park - and right now there are endless tulips, lilacs, azalea bushes and much more in bloom. And on a recent weekend, I passed by Riverside Park that was full of happy New Yorkers and families as they rode their bikes and walked around the Hudson River-side part of the City. My mom tells me that it's healthy for your eyes and mental state to see lots of natural greens...I think I'm all set ;)

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - May 2010 album »

inspiration May 10

INSPIRATION
You mention April to me...and what comes to my mind are sakura cherry blossoms. The mix of pinks - from really light shades where they are barely pink to a more rich plum pink - is something that can only be seen in the beginning of spring. And although last month's cards were created in the midst of late season snowfall {and rain and rain and rain}, we are now definitely getting a stronger promise that we can say goodbye to winter~ And with that, I bring to you this design of line-art cherry blossoms for this month's cards.

Right now I am visiting the city of San Francisco. Walking around the Nob Hill area, there is a little park that had a few but beautiful cherry blossom trees that are JUST starting to bloom. This reminded me of a few springs seasons ago, when I went to Kyoto with my parents and experienced the real deal in terms of cherry blossoms. We went to many of the old temples that had carefully curated gardens with willowing sakura trees over a pond and sakura trees lined up by a pathway. When we walked around the city, there were also grand sakura trees in the gardens of homes that made me wonder how long these trees have been standing there. In Japan, everything {the schoolyear, new hires for work...} begins in April - it is the equivalent of Septemeber here in the US. So when the cherry blossoms emerge in April, it is not only a welcoming of a new season, but also a symbol of new beginnings. And I love that something so simple and pretty can have such a strong sense of seasonality.

Personally for me, there just happens to be some new beginngings. One of the things is that I'm becoming an aunt for the very first time. So for happy times for our family and happy times for all with a warmer season, I bring to you some cherry blossoms on this month's cards in varying shades of pink, just how they are.

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - April 2010 album »

inspiration Apr 10

INSPIRATION
It's March and still snow in the forecast? This year, the east coast has gotten more than a full dosage of snow. But as the bright sun shines and the white melts away quickly, there seems to be some signs of spring approaching. With that anticipation in mind, this month's cards are inspired by that burst of light and color that the spring season seems to bring to us.

I've had a few days here and there where I've been awed by the bright sun shining through the trees, off the snow and onto the glass facades of our NYC skyscrapers. It seems to be most noticeable that moment you walk out of your apartment building or come up the stairs of the subway, and I find myself uplifted by the bright rays {even if my boots are still jumping slushy puddles...well, baby steps}. As the sun goes down a tiny bit later every day, I daydream about putting my flip flops on and doing summer strolls through the street while trying out a new gelato flavor~

As a designer, I also know that March and spring are here because my work load includes wedding invitation designs! June brides {congratulations to you~!} are getting their planning underway and wedding invitations are a fun step in the process. I recently completed an custom-designed and hand letterpressed invitation package for a couple getting married right here in NYC in June. As I peruse through websites and magazines for inspriration, my eyes are filled with soft color palettes, light fabrics, garden parties, bright flowers and more.

Winter is beautiful in it's own way, but at a certian point we are ready to move onto less layers and more time spent outside. So I bring to you a burst of yellow on natural craft paper, as well as a sprinkle of lavendar on the classic white paper and share the hope of March bringing some spring to us all very soon.

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - March 2010 album »

inspiration Mar 10

INSPIRATION
Although I hope that your 2010 has started on a good note, our heart goes out to the families, children and friends of Haiti with the devastating earthquake that has awakened so much tragedy and challenging moments on this small island. This month's card is a simple motif that is made up of many many many origami cranes. Senbazuru - or one thousand cranes - is a tradition of folding 1,000 origami cranes to grant a wish, such as hoping recovery from illness or injury or wishing for a long life. With those thoughts, our version of senbazuru as this month's design has been handpressed on each and every card to wish for health and longlasting recovery for the people of Haiti.*

The red + blue card are for the colors of the Haitian flag and the 2-toned blue card is to honor the UNICEF blue and their color of hope. All profits from this month's subscriptions will be donated to UNICEF for their efforts in Haiti. This donation from TOTA Press is on behalf of our subscribers as it is from their support that this is possible. So thank you to our subscribers...

And we want to share the message to you that every kind gift counts. For those interested in donating, please go to www.unicefusa.org or other websites that are contributing funds to the cause of Hope for Haiti Now.

Note to subscribers: Senbazuru is a wish for anything - not just for recovery. These cards can be used to wish a couple continued happiness, a person to land that dream job, someone a good day and much more...on that note, happy writing~

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - February 2010 album »

inspiration Feb 10

INSPIRATION
Happy New Year! Cheers to another start of a new year, where we can restart/reboot ourselves to plan and hope for a year full of goodness. I started my 2010 with a traditional Japanese new years feast {thank you mom!} full of symbolic foods such as ozoni {toasted mochi rice cake in a clear soup}, black beans {mame = which also means "health"}, chestnuts, seaweed {konbu = associated with the word yorokobu, meaning "joy"} lotus root {renkon = when sliced it lookes like a wheel with spokes and gaps, and wishes for a "clear, good future"} and nishiki tamago {an egg dish that separates the yolk and the whites, where yellow symbolizes "gold" and white symbolizes" silver"}. All Japanese families gather together {New Years is the biggest traditional holiday - almost the equivalent of Thanksgiving here in the US} for a meal heavy on symbolism to wish for a joyous, healthy and prosperous year.

Symbolism is a huge part of Japanese history and culture. During my last visit to Japan, I visited Nikko in the Tochigi prefecture, which is the home of Toshogu, a lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - justified by its beautiful grounds, rich history and presence of significant cultural relics. It rained for my visit, but I still enjoyed an inexplicably peaceful walk through the site and learning so much about it. One of my favorite new discoveries was one relatively small object - a helmet which was part of a Samurai war armour that Tokugawa Ieyasu gifted to his grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu. The helmet {on display at Taiyu-in in the complex} had a large gold dragonfly on the top center. Dragonflies fly directly forward never deviating from its path; Traditionally known as katsumushi or the "victorious insect", the dragonfly was a favorite symbol of strength among Japanese warriors. This philosophy - to be always forward-moving despite any distractions or barriers - was the message that a grandfather wanted to give to his grandson. Despite this being more for war fighting {which is not something I believe in}, I was fascinated by the symbolic creature prominently adorning the helmet. And at the time of a new year, I wanted to borrow that message for all of us to shed the past and move forward with strength and positive energy. So, 1 of the cards has a red dragonfly as a small accent motif with hopefully a bigger meaning.

Right now, the Met Museum has an exhibit "Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor", which I went to last weekend. Here, you can see a collection of Samurai helmets, armour, clothing, swords and their cases, saddles and artwork. Like the symbolic dragonfly helmet, you get to see many pieces that are practical warrior tools that also embody lots of symbolism. Every item is hand crafted with artistry, which shows the high respect and honor that was given to warriors. My favorites from the exhibit included a video that showed how 15 people and 6 months are involved to create 1 sword, as well as jinbaori {surcoats that warriors wore off of the battefields} that had amazingly modern motifs despite them being created in the 16th and 17th century. I recommend the exhibit for anyone who wants a glimpse of this realm of Japanese culture.

The 2nd orange card is meant to be a light-hearted design that was inspired by the fireworks, lights and party garlands {I am a long-time fan of the Fabulous Garlands by Sophie Cuvelier} for a fun new years party. The orange was the color choice to honor 2010, which is the year of the tiger {for the Chinese Zodiac}. May your year be fiesty, grand and exciting like our celebrated animal~

May this year bring you amazing experiences, joy, laughter and happiness in all ways~...cheers!

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - January 2010 album »

inspirationJan 10

INSPIRATION
Happy Holidays everyone~ It's that time of year where we wonder where time has gone and we are going in all directions to end the year right. 'Tis the season and NYC lights up to embrace the holidays and so this month's cards are delivered with some gold and silver shimmer in a subtle style.

I recently walked through Midtown and perused the holiday windows of Bergdorf Goodman - as they are always my favorite. This year's theme is called "Compendium of Curiosities" which I think is a loose interpretation of the Alice in Wonderland stories - there were windows that featured the red and black of playing cards, the rabbit coming out from underground, strange illogical adventures and more. I have to say that compared to other years, the windows {BG and others} are a little bit more "modest" {in a high-end luxury kid of way} but I think that might be an overall trend for the holidays this year...I still enjoyed seeing the glowing streets all lit up.

Also, just recently, I returned from a trip to Japan - and I am ALWAYS influenced by the beautiful aesthetic in the everyday, the understanding of simplicity, the care that goes into the tiny details and the respect for tradition while embracing innovation. Some highlights included a trip to Nikko where I stayed in a hot spring ryokan, the food {both the taste AND presentation}, visiting some 100+ year letterpress and paper shops, a vintage kimono shop and traditional paper fan store...the list goes on. Some trip photos »

I tried to capture that sense of simple beauty in this month's cards while keeping it festive {it is that time of the year!} with shimmer paper and metallic ink. Cheers to a warm, safe, fun, relaxing holiday season to you...

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - December 2009 album »

inspiration Dec 09

INSPIRATION
The late fall is the end of warm, outdoor-friendly weather here...but on a happy note, it's the beginning of cultural wonderfulness that the City has to offer. As my mailbox is filled with brochures for the NY Philharmonic, the Met Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Public Theater, NYC Ballet, Joyce Theater and more - I get really excited with all the upcoming programs and possibilities for my eyes and ears.

So far this fall season, I saw the Tokyo String Quartet perform Beethoven at the 92nd Street Y. The four members are so talented and amazingly nice people - and I enjoy their performances fully. Also, I went to see Regina Spektor {indie singer songwriter} sing many of her new and old songs at Radio City to a packed audience. I have been a fan of hers since her original days of smaller concerts in Brooklyn - and although at a much larger venue, she is an artist that stays true to her self and her music.

A wonderful visual discovery I recently had was Zaha Hadid's design for a concert hall at The Manchester Art Gallery in the north of England. “It is almost like being in a cocoon,” Hadid says of the curving, enveloping forms that now wind through the gallery. “If you are in a fluid space, the impact created is very different. The impression is more complex. You are perhaps more enclosed [than in a standard, rectangular concert hall], but in a soft way.” Not only a visually stunning space, but also a thoughtful concept that was executed through to the final design.

So with music and culture in my mind, this month's design is an abstraction of sheet music. The gray and black version has the horizontal layout of music with small circles {or the notes} bouncing off of them. The other purple card is a further abstraction of the design by printing it vertically. In this latter version, I also wanted to show the beauty of blind lettterpress that prints simply texture with no color. With a mix of horizontal and vertical play, I hope you enjoy the cards~

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - November 2009 album »

inspiration Nov 09

INSPIRATION
Wow...October makes an arrival with a hint of what's to come {winter} soon. But without getting too ahead of ourselves, this month's design is dedicated to the lovely autumn season here on the east coast. Introducing a new paper type {dark exterior with a light interior so you can still easily write on it}, the duo of cards create 2 very different moods.

This month was eventful. I had an amazing trip to the Euskal Herriko/Pais Vasco/Basque Country - both on the Spain and France sides - to celebrate my best friend's wedding. She got married on the coast of Guethary - a small, quaint and charming village between San Sebastian and Biarritz - with a ceremony along the sea and a reception at a local inn/restaurant. Trailing into the amour-filled wedding festivities, I got to travel to La Rioja wine region {having a glass of wine before lunch is fantastic!}, the desert dunes of Bardenas Reales, the film festival of San Sebastian, the countryside of Bidarray and much more. I could not help but notice the leaves changing colors as I strolled through vineyards and countryside. Food is such a significant part of the culture there {and for me personally!} and much of the cuisine and dining experience reflected the seasonal foods of the autumn. Everything was so fresh and I loved + appreciated the embracing of the new season.
Here in NYC, we have hints of fall too. Our days are getting shorter! But I did get to photograph some really amazingly pretty sunsets of the NYC skyline - taken from Queens. The bright orange sun lighting up the clouds and creating a sillouette of the skyscrapers is something we can never get bored of. Fall also means Fashion Week to show Spring/Summer 2010 trends. I can't quite get my mind that far advance, but in terms of trends, I notice SO much plaid motifs. Shirts, sneakers, scarves...and for types - tartan, buffalo, delicate, bold...all of it. So there is a little bit of deconstructed plaid that has made its presence on this month's design.
Also, I wanted to capture a sense of wabi-sabi that can be felt from a visit to the Noguchi Museum in LIC Queens. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that when defined is probably the beauty of things imperfect, modest and humble. Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, simplicity, modesty, and the suggestion of natural processes. The Noguchi Museum highlights a collection by the artist with pieces of stone, metal, wood, and clay. It is such a peaceful experience to walk through the museum and adjacent garden - and the falling leaves there is a definite mark of the fall too.
So with a single leaf - 1 dark and 1 bright - among falling squares, I hope that you all enjoy this transitional season...

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - October 2009 album »

inspiration Oct 09

INSPIRATION
Perhaps because of the pretty mild summer {yes, we had some hot hot days but overall it wasn't so bad}, it's hard to imagine that back-to-school-September is upon us. But alas, as people return to staying more local on the weekends, days get shorter, store windows take down their sundresses and replace them with jackets and long sleeves, summer is ending...and autumn is approaching.

Many things this month brought me to water. I strolled the High Line located at the former site of the elevated railway that ran along the west side of Manhattan. Among the preserved railway pieces and landscaped gardens, there are pockets of space created for sitting and taking a break - and I feel as though this park succeeds in celebrating the urban outdoors of NYC in a new way. One of my favorite moments is an art installation called The River that Flows Both Ways by Spencer Finch - a piece that subtly changes depending on the light that shines through and around it and is inspired by the industrial legacy of the Hudson River.
Any spare time there is, I think about my upcoming trip to the Basque country {both French and Spanish sides} for my dear friend's wedding. Inspired by their love for the ocean, the Basque culture and surfing, it is an intimate beach wedding in Guethary, France followed by a reception at a local inn that overlooks the coastline. Looking at photos + websites to help plan the trip, I look forward to taking in the food, culture, coastline views, wine...did I already say food?...and of course the celebration of this special time.
And recently on a weekday whim, I hopped on the ferry to go to Sandy Hook. The best part is getting to and from there - no car hassle, traffic or anything of the sort. Instead you get beautiful views of the city, while passing under the big 3 bridges in the East River...and even a far glimpse of Coney Island from the water side. The beach was not very crowded but I felt the energy of kids and families trying to soak in the most of the remaining summer long days. With a wave motif, this month's design is an ode to the spirit of water and perhaps not being able to see as much of it as the season changes - see you next year summer~

Many much more photos on our Facebook page - October 2009 album »

inspiration Sept 09

INSPIRATION
We are in the heart of summertime! I am a summer child and there is so much to love during this season in NYC. Some of my favorite things this summer: farmer’s markets, the ballet season, gelato, no more rain!, outdoor grilling...and so much more.

This month’s card is inspired by my family and nature. Being the debut card printed for TOTA Press, I think of my family - where not much is possible without their support. Earlier this month, my aunt gave me a beautiful postcard with the traditional Asanoha pattern dyed on a piece of fabric. The pattern partly reminded me of leaves that overlap each other in heavily tree-ed areas. It also reminded me of repetition patterns that one sees during the summer season...simple things such as vegetables lined and stacked up at farmers markets or skewers placed perpendicular on a grill. Thanks to my parents, I just learned that the traditional Asanoha pattern is an abstraction of a strong flowering grass. And because of its strong qualities, it has always symbolized "the strength to grow and endure." Apparently this is popular motif used for baby clothing becuase of what it signifies. Mysterious how things work out like that - a postcard from my family reminding me of the season and carrying the meaning of what I hope TOTA Press can achieve. Enjoy the summer~!

More photos on our Facebook page - August 2009 album »
August 2009 inspirations

back to top

WANT TO SUBSCRIBE?
We are accepting new orders for next month's card! Sign up for your very own subscription~ { Buy or gift a subscription }

EVERY MONTH NEW IMAGES OF CARDS & INSPIRATIONS WILL BE POSTED...
SO PLEASE VISIT AGAIN SOON. SEE YOU THEN~