Hot Card of the Day (Back to the Future Edition)

Today's hot card is from Christie's in Manhattan Beach, California, and it may look a little familiar. That's because this event's save-the-date card was chosen as a hot card earlier this month. Like the save-the-date, it utilizes our new custom die-cut technology. And even though it counts as bragging, this is one heck of a card, if we do say so ourselves.

Hot Card of the Day (Mini-Me Edition)

Today's card, from Invitations and More by Bonnie in Purchase, New York, is an exercise in minimalism. Above, you'll see our lovely Luscious Verde models Megan (left) and Jaclyn. Megan has the tarjeta caliente in her crafty little hands, while Jaclyn is modeling the design it's based on. It's from our Bar/Bat Mitzvah catalog, and as shown in the catalog, it's a portfolio folder that's 6.25" x 9.75". But our hot card measures in at a charming 5" x 7," a perfect size for a perfect card, putting the "custom" in "the coolest company in custom stationery."

Hot Card of the Day ("Superman" Theme Music Edition)

Today's hot card comes to us from our friends in Charm City, Simply Noted. It's a stylishly different take on one of our most popular Bar/Bat Mitzvah invitations, with a great substitution for one of our discontinued paper colors. (It's shown in our catalog with Mud Mask paper, a choice that some time ago passed on into the netherworld of publishing.) We hate it when we have to discontinue paper colors, but it's a necessary evil every so often. This card also features a great use of monochromatics, and features a custom liner.

Christmas in July

A few weeks ago, we as a company decided to put together a pool to guess when we would receive our first holiday order. (It didn't involve money, just baked goods.) As you may or may not know, November and early December are bar-none our busiest times of the year. A few of us who have been here for at least one holiday season are already warning the newbies like grizzled 1840s prospectors warning young bucks coming from the east to make their fortune. Consarnit, it's not that easy!

Anyhow, congrats to production artist Nina, who picked July 18th. We received our first holiday order on Friday.

The 20th of July.

That's right.

A little over five months before Christmas.

Wow, we've heard of planning ahead, but this takes the cake. We give a hearty "huzzah" to the good people who put in the order.


-- Rob @ L.V.

Casual or Superhero Attire

Dress code miscommunication can make for knee-slapping stories, but when it happens to you, you’re not laughing. Tell us if this has ever happened to you: you invite some friends over to watch “Sunday Night Baseball” on ESPN. Clearly this is an event that calls for Sport Casual, and most of your friends show up appropriately dressed in khakis, casual skirts, denim pants, polo shirts, and button-downs. Then there’s the friend who just doesn’t get it; the friend who shows up wearing a sundress, cropped pants, or even shorts. You want to pull that person aside and ask, “Did you think we would be watching the ballgame at the beach?”

It’s this kind of faux pas that can strain and even break a friendship. This is why our most conscientious customers choose dress code phrases that are as specific as possible. We like Dress Untucked because we all know how embarrassing it is to realize that your dress is tucked in. Tropical Chic is a good one, because the attendees know to go straight for the machete and the safari hat. Barefoot Elegance does guests a service by assuring them that the reception venue will be free of cigarette butts, broken glass, and chaw spit. And Basketball Chic is executed to perfection by Eva Longoria at Spurs games. A clear dress code phrase will give your guests a much less stressful preparation for your event, and it may even keep Beach Casual out of your living room.

-- Ted @ L.V.

(P.S. Many thanks to L.V. superstar Rachel for her homemade paper dolls, shown above and below.)

Hot Card of the Day (Bobblehead Edition)

Today's hot card comes to us from Printemps in Westport, Connecticut. That's it. Look at that damn hot card!

Ingenious!

Who says Cleveland is boring? The third annual Ingenuity Fest, a celebration of the fusion of technology and the arts, got off to a stormy start (thanks to the weather) in downtown Cleveland, but the skies soon cleared. All of my senses, however, were on full alert, thanks to the plethora of exhibits, musicians, projects for young and old, and, of course, wonderful food.

After a 3-D slideshow and short film presented by the area NASA facility, I walked outside to find a Brazilian drum circle in full array. On a stage behind them, the Cleveland Jazz Heritage Orchestra was assembling for a later performance.

On another street, modern dance troupe 16 [R]evolutions (no, that's not a typo) depicted 100,000 years of human evolution and the tension between our intellectual and animal selves. All without using psychoactive drugs!

Those were just the tip of the iceberg. There were works of art for sale, and demonstrations of technological innovations for blocks and blocks. All the exploring made, of course, made me extremely hungry, so my family and I headed over to Fat Fish Blue. Thankfully, there are three more days to explore. I can't wait to go back and explore and expand my mind some more, and to try to find the world's biggest funnel cake.

-- Chris-Anna @ L.V.

Booty and the Beast

This is what happens when our owners, Chris and Wendy, and our operations manager, Liz, go on an "extended lunch break." Obviously, some of us have too much time on our hands.

Hot Card of the Mid-to-Late Week (Slacker Edition)

Today's hot card is from our beloved retailer No Regrets in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. It's a simple and understated correspondence card in a color scheme that's actually shown in our baby announcement book. Plus, the liner design is only shown in our holiday catalog. This method of putting together a card, using styles and colors from different sources for personal effect, is one of our favorites and is a great reminder that everything we do is completely custom.

Hot Card of the Day (Buckeye Edition)

Today's hot card comes to us all the way from Beachwood, Ohio. Luscious Verde quality control-person Genevieve ordered these for a party, and we have to say that they are objectively awesome. We custom-designed a skyline of Cleveland and made them using our new custom-cut magic stuff. Just consider the possibilities...New York...Paris...Chicago...Toledo. OK, maybe not Toledo, but you get the idea.

Rocking the River

Just as deftly as production artist Rachel crafts intricate cards on a daily basis here at Luscious Verde, she skillfully led a group of us through the Chagrin River in the Cleveland Metroparks' South Chagrin Reservation this past Sunday evening. I told her she missed her calling as a wilderness guide.

We donned shorts, bug spray, and water shoes and packed coolers full of chicken, burgers, zucchini, pineapple, hot dogs, and several vegan options to grill. With the food safely packed away in our cars, we waded into the river to embark on our journey to Squaw Rock.

Squaw Rock is an outdoor sculpture – the result of artist and blacksmith Henry Church’s depiction of the oppression of Native Americans. In 1885 in the looming sandstone he carved a quiver of arrows (with the four phases of the moon), a serpent, a woman with a shell behind her, a dog, a skeleton, and a baby in a papoose.

After trekking past the rock and over several small waterfalls, we made our way back to cook dinner together and explode things (we had a lot of extra 2-liter bottles of pop).

Jesse, our assistant to the plant manager, provided the liquid refreshments, and he got pretty creative. Don’t ask us about the milk-and-fruit-punch shooters or shotgunning blue raspberry Little Hugs. We’re still recovering.

-- Alicia @ L.V.

On the Job: Burden of Proof(reading)

We all knew that proofreader Alicia was the right choice for Luscious Verde when we received, after she was hired, two boxes of hand-delivered cookies thanking us for the opportunity. Anyone who wants to impress a future employer should definitely take note.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, and raised in rural New Springfield, Alicia graduated from Youngstown State University. She traveled extensively, as a result of her father teaching archaeology and anthropology. She tagged along with her father on a few digs, and she says the experience taught her to “appreciate other cultures. It makes you realize how small your personal world is and how big the world is.”

The path to Luscious Verde, for Alicia, is a familiar one: Craig’s List. In her first interview, she realized that Luscious Verde has a world-renowned low-key office culture, complete with flip-flops, off-key office karaoke, and impromptu dance-offs.

In her job as proofreader, she ensures that every proof (and thereby order) received by the customer is set up exactly to the specifications asked for. As head proofreader Ted says, “She has a passion for the English language, and is meticulous and organized.” We’re glad to have her aboard the good ship L.V.

FAVORITE BREAKFAST BEVERAGE: “Iced mocha from Phoenix Coffee, although the proofreading department is taking a self-imposed one-week break from coffee.”

FAVORITE COLOR: Ocean

FAVORITE “STAR WARS” FILM: “I’ve never seen one.” [Editor’s Note: For shame, Alicia.]

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Cougar

-- Rob @ L.V.

Hot Card of the Day (Second Weekend Edition)

This lovely save-the-date card is from Christie's in Manhattan Beach, California. It's modified from a design in our wedding update, using different paper colors and a different custom die-cut "H."

Hot Card of the Day (Nice Moves Edition)

Today's hot card comes to us from our good buddies at Kate's Paperie. They have a number of stores in the New York metropolitan area, but these are from their Third Avenue store. We'd write more, but someone's shooting off fireworks in our parking lot. Have a happy Fourth of July, and see you on Thursday.

Hot Card of the Day (Return of the Jedi Edition)

Today's hot card comes to us all the way from Open Dialog in Ambler, Pennsylvania. It's a rare twin B'nai Mitzvah card, and, although we say this about all of our cards, it's incredibly beautiful. The thermography, choice of paper colors, and impeccable typesetting give this card a wonderfully understated yet elegant look.

On another note, I'd like to thank Lindsay for the blog update during my vacation. It was indeed spent mostly watching forgettable cable television, housesitting a family member's cat, and eating a lot of junk food. It's good to be back.

-- Rob @ L.V.