Hot Card of the Day (Tenacious D Edition)

Today's hot card is a version of an announcement in our latest baby catalog. (For anyone out there interested in L.V. trivia, our very first catalog was a baby announcement catalog.) It comes from Scribe Paper and Gift in Marblehead, Massachusetts, where "The Good Son" was filmed.

Hot Card of the Day (Everyone Thinks It's Tuesday Edition)

Today's card is a variation on a design from our new wedding update. The customer changed the original design from horizontal to vertical, and changed the paper colors to complement their wedding. It comes to us from Marjie Allon Fine Stationery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Their Web site is under construction, but give 'em a call.)

Hot Card of the Day (Nashville Edition)

We're pretty proud of this one: an invite for the Academy of Country Music, honoring some great, great songwriters. This is the epitome of what we do: a client took an initial design of ours and fully made it their own. Thanks to You're Invited in Nashville, Tennessee, for letting us showcase this card.

Hot Card of the Day (Roses are Free Edition)

This great card is from the lovely folks at Hyegraph in San Francisco, California. We would write more, but we're too busy buying corn dogs and Faygo for our annual Memorial Day blowout. Have a great one!

Hot Card of the Day (Bryan Adams Edition)

Everything we do, we do it for ... our retailers and customers. Today's card comes to us from Alpine Creative Group in Englewood, New Jersey. It's a variation on one of our Bar Mitzvah designs. Who needs to memorize selections from the Torah when you've got a card this nice? (Actually, you probably still have to memorize selections from the Torah for your Bar/Bat/B'nai. Don't blame us if you get in trouble.)

Rest in Peace

We regret to inform you that we've had a loss in the Luscious Verde extended, non-traditional family: our valiant goldfish, Spartacus. He was about six months old, and died of natural causes. If love was a medical remedy, he would have lived forever. Godspeed, Spartacus.

Hot Card of the Day (Happy Birthday Alicia Edition)

This handsome card is from our buddies Notables in New York, New York, home of the best gyros in the world (the city, not the store). It's an example of our new custom ply paper, a three-ply, to be exact.

To enhance your viewing of the plys, click on the photo for a closer look.

Hot Card of the Day (Happy Belated Birthday to Tony Edition)

This bar mitzvah invitation is one of three different versions we made for the same family. It comes from the Dotted I in Concord, Massachusetts, birthplace of both Henry David Thoreau and Steve Carell.

Fit to Print

It’s that time of the season again – Toni (above) wears out the path between her desk and the printer, proofreaders Ted and Alicia are on high alert for subjunctive use, and our lead designer, Jason, hides in his car.

All this hurly-burly, however, is for our retailers – the summer edition of the Luscious Verde newsletter will be finished in the next week and will be on its way shortly thereafter. In this edition you’ll find:

• More information about our upcoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah catalog, to be released in August
• Exciting custom liner information
• A heartwarming and uplifting profile of our proofreaders
• A stunning investigative report about how buying custom stationery can actually lengthen your life

Okay, we’re lying about that last one. But all the other stuff will be in there. Be on the lookout.

-- Rob @ L.V.

Hot Card of the Day (See You Next Fall Edition)

This unique paper color combination comes to us from Social Graces in Hingham, Massachusetts. It's for a fall wedding, and the colors perfectly reflect that.

Hot Card of the Day (Date Night U.S.A. Edition)

This save-the-date comes to us all the way from India Ink Papers in San Diego, California. It utilizes our custom-cutting technology, and was converted from a wedding invitation. Have a great weekend.

Il Papa Bianco Grande (The Great White Pope)

A paradox of sorts, Amanda Pope,
Would say that Cruise is nuts but Lionel Ritchie
Is hot as Balzac or Chingy. Ask her which she
Prefers—the Cleveland Cavs or the chance to scope
My So Called Life on DVD. You’d hope
LeBron, but you’d be wrong. Her niche? She,
Remorseless, pirates music. Classics like Witchy
Woman or one of Highland's ballads? Nope.
And still, with motive unmistaken we
Exhume her image—peepers fixed on Knoxville’s
Magnetic frame. In all our dreams the bride,
She tutors Incan children in hard knocks ‘til
Our seaside B&B is Ritz. LV
Lusts for its Dr. Pope . . .and Mrs. Hyde!

-Carmine Gregorino

c. 1641

Hot Card of the Day (Potluck Edition)

This card doesn't have anything to do with a potluck, but we have it on the brain, as we had one today at work. Mmm, spicy meatballs...

Oh yeah, gotta describe the card -- this is a selection from our Bar/Bat catalog with some key paper color changes, enhancing it for a spring feeling. Mmm, spring... This card came to us from By Invitation Only Designs in New York.

Disco Toaster

Do you sometimes wish that your workplace had a device that would give you a pick-me-up each day? Like a transmogrifier or a Disco Toaster? We here at Luscious Verde do. Here are some of the amenities that some of our employees believe would make our workplace fitter, happier and more productive. Thanks to Rachel for the illustrations.

Mandy and Anthony: Elevator chairs to see each other when conversing (See above)

Genevieve: A lobotomy station

Kelly: Zombies (See above)

Melissa: A pensieve

Lisa: A corduroy kitchen timer

Nina: A tanning bed under production art table four

Megan: Porkchop sandwiches

Channa: A “60 Minutes” voice distorter

Laura: Pogo stick pokey tools

Sasha: A bleach dispenser in the shape of an Audi

Rachel: Llamas to transport supplies

Alicia: A people-mover to Liz’s desk

Toni: Real popcorn instead of packing peanuts (See below)

-- Ted @ L.V.

Hot Card of the Day (Peter Parker Edition)

This hot card of the day is fun, boyish, and perfect for the web-slinger in your life who's about to turn 13. There's also a pocket on the back of the card for that unique touch. A card like this will definitely do better than our previous "Howard the Duck"-themed invite.

This card comes to us from DY Ink in Briarcliff Manor, New York.

Hot Card of the Day

Today's hot card comes all the way from JAM in Beverly Hills, California, and incorporates our new custom-cut magic. It likes Greek food, long walks on the beach, and mimosas at midnight.

[UPDATE]: This hot card was too hot for the Internet. Unfortunately, we got some complaints about exploding monitors. We'll get a new card up for you tomorrow. Thanks.

Why Did the Pirate Ship Look So Good?

Today, we're featuring the Hot Envelopes of the Day (the cards aren't shabby, either). The pirate motif on the left is featured in our correspondence catalog, and is thermographed. On the right, the die-cut on the bottom left of the envelope goes through both sides, and shows off the attractive lime liner.

The cards featured today are from All She Wrote in Winnetka, Illinois, and Lee's Specialty in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

By the way, the pirate ship looked so good because they used ... varrrrrnish!

Hot Card of the Day

Damn. That's all we have to say about this one. Damn. (It incorporates stitching and our new, ultra-awesome custom cutting "magic.") It comes from one of our great Cleveland stores, Exclusive Invites Plus.

Also, we just realized it's only two weeks until the Memorial Day weekend. Nice.

Cute Is What We Aim For

Here are some more ridiculously cute pictures from the parents of Team Luscious Verde. Above, in order, are assistant operations manager Lindsay, graphic designer Mandy (who looks exactly the same now as she did then), and a picture of print production artist Lisa, who was previously featured. Hi mom!



-- Rob @ L.V.

Hot Card of the Day

Today's hot card combines two of our most popular items from our baby announcement catalog. If you can't choose just one of our designs, nothing says you can't get them both!

Kudos to Bunnies & Bears in Madison, New Jersey for their first HCOTD.

Mother's Dismay

With everyone’s favorite mother-related holiday coming up on Sunday, we thought we would ask around our campus for any thoughts about what our meres mean to us. What follows is a select compendium of Luscious Verde mother anecdotes and wisdom. After much due consideration, names have been left out to protect the innocence (or otherwise) of our families.

“Other than not being able to get a tongue ring or dye my hair teal, she raised me very liberally. She also made me think I could grab her legs and pick her up when I was five.”

“She taught me how to drive without taking my foot off the brake.”

“She made me always want more than what I’ve got. Isn’t that messed up?”

“She got me into fitness at an early age, and I still enjoy taking care of myself.”

“She gave me the world, and she taught me how not to manage money.”

“My mom’s nuts, in a good way. She’s creative, and she has no problem acting crazy in the car. She would pour a cup of ice-cold water on me just to see my reaction, and we would be cracking up for an hour on a long drive. After that, having soggy pants kind of sucked, but the first hour was funny.”

“She can make a mean spaghetti sauce. She also taught me to dodge wooden spoons, and she would deny that it was her throwing them.”

“She taught me math in the sixth grade, and it sucked. She also taught me not to say words like ‘sucked.’”

“She taught me how to survive on my own and how not to care what anyone else thinks.”

“She gave me the courage to slice men on blind dates. She still lets me do her hair and put crazy stuff in it. She also doesn’t believe in calculators.”

“She tried to teach me the proper usage of ‘lay,’ ‘lie,’ and ‘laid,’ and she has been unsuccessful for 22 years.”

“She taught me that you can always borrow sugar from a neighbor. I also remember one time when she and my aunt pounded on my head and chanted, ‘No sex!’ It was the best vacation ever.”

-- Rob @ L.V. (whose mother taught him how to parallel park, among many, many other valuable life lessons)

(P.S. That's our head proofreader Ted [at age 2] in the picture, with his mom Maureen.)

(P.P.S. This is our 50^th blog entry. Yay for us.)

Hot Card of the Day

Here's our latest Hot Card of the Day. It's a masculine version of a bar/bat invite from our catalog. We've seen multiple great paper color combos for this invite, and this is just one of them. It's a good visual about how a simple change of typestyle and paper color can really influence a card. It's from our retailer Folio in Larkspur, California.

P.S. We swear to the gods of custom stationery that we'll have something up on the blog tomorrow that isn't just the Hot Card.

Hot Card of the Day

We would write something witty here, but the air conditioning in the non-printing-and-assembly part of our building is on the fritz. It's as hot as a boiled owl in here, making it very hard to think.

Thanks to the Gift Solution in Livingston, New Jersey, for today's Hot Card.

Hot Card of the Day

This lovely piece of stationery comes all the way from...uh...the other part of the building, where cards get assembled.

Also, a tip of the hat goes to Legion Paper, who features us this month in their "Customer Showcase." It's nice to be noticed. Pizza party for all! (All of us, that is. Not you guys.)

Hot Guard of Toupee

Wait, we mean "Hot Card of the Day." Some of us might already be mentally celebrating the weekend. Have a fun one.

Hot Card of the Day

Here's an example of an invitation from our new wedding update that was changed by the final client, for a fall wedding. Below is a photo of Wendy, one of the owners of our company. (It's not a current photo.)

P.S. Check out our new YouTube channel here. Hey, at least we're trying.

Ode to Erin

Our heart aches for the one that got away.

No Rascal Flatts or Little John suffice

To bring to life our phantom limb. We say

That we’re, like, over thee. The sacrifice—

The sting of truth too sharp to take—she’s gone.

Is it fair? Brooklyn’s gain must be our pain?

It blows. Szorady won’t stop crying. Chris

Pretends that she’s moved on.

While Jason claims you drove a man insane,

Young proofreaders wish they’d stolen just one . . .This

Attempt to bring you back is just the point

That memory’s brought us to. The painful speed

At which you ate, when at the lobster joint,

Concavity, yoga, and auto-fear; they lead

This pen to page, enraged that fate could rip

Our precious E-Ring from her proofs. Since your good bye

The Luscious Verde soul’s grown meek. It craves

You like a bacon strip.

You’re right. The length that makes our tears run dry—

The distance that stretches from us to Erin Graves.

-- Keatz, 2007

Baby One More Time

OK, you knew that we had to do this eventually. Every Friday, we have a company-wide meeting called "Fun Friday," where we talk about the company, compare developments in departments, and generally waste time with quizzes and various activities.

This last Friday, Toni came up with a quiz regarding baby pictures many of us brought in from home. The assignment: Match up baby and infant pictures with who we think those people currently are. What follows is a choice selection of Luscious Verde baby pictures. Yes, we have absolutely no shame. (That's print production's own Lisa above, at five weeks.)



Here is our operations manager Liz as a toddler. What a smart little outfit!





This is a picture of Kelly from when she started at Luscious Verde. They grow up so fast!




Our own Toni, lounging in the backyard after a grueling game of "Candy Land."



And congratulations to Genevieve (below), who guessed every single person's baby picture correctly. (Everyone who took the test knew that this was Genevieve -- she still makes this face every day.)




-- Rob @ L.V.

Hot Card of the Day (Move It)

Here's a card from our new correspondence catalog moving update. Dandelions not included.

Hot Cards of the Day (Bookmark Edition)

OK, they're not actually cards, but these nifty bookmarks are sent out free with each order. They utilize our duplex papers and feature a quote from our very own Megan (pricing) on each one. Collect them all!

On the Job: Proof Positive

If Kelly is Luscious Verde’s younger sister, then 18-year-old Anthony (a.k.a. Tony), our newest graphic designer, is our younger brother. For someone so young, he keeps a remarkable calm under pressure, not the least of which is Lindsay’s propensity for giving him nicknames that reference his age. But, as Tony says, “It doesn’t bother me. Everyone who works here acts my age anyway.”

Tony was born and raised on the mean streets of South Euclid, Ohio, and attended Brush High School in Lyndhurst. He was in the chess club, but he is quick to point out that he only joined because they offered free pizza in exchange for membership. When asked for any memories of high school, he says, “I avoided doing as much work as possible. I’d actually rather not think about it – it was just a year ago.”

He attended Kent State University for a semester, but he “didn’t like it. I really wanted to work for a couple years,” he says. Despite his youth, he has ample design training, due to a two-year high school program in interactive media design.

His favorite part of his job is “when proofs are done. Seriously, I really enjoy talking to customers about design.” Outside of work, Tony is an avid record collector and was once in a short-lived rock band with his brother. “One time, 50 people came to one of our shows,” he says. “But they were our friends, and it was free.”

ALL ABOUT TONY

Favorite Non-Carbonated Beverage: Sunny Delight

Favorite Billy Joel Song: “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

Favorite Vegan Specialty: “Anything Middle Eastern”

Favorite Member of the 1997 Indians: Charles Nagy

Good Luck Charms: “My wallet was stolen a month ago. After that, I don’t have any.”

-- Rob @ L.V.