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Little Trees Studio

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Los Angeles, CA
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Retro Contemporary Letterpress Design and Printing

Retro Contemporary Letterpress

Little Trees Studio

  • Shop
    • Coasters + More
    • Stationery
    • Cards
  • Hello
  • About
  • Design
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  • Wholesale
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Tape

May 12, 2017 Teresa Tonai
Some of the tape stash

Some of the tape stash

Food52.com reposted in their daily feed, an article form February 2, 2016. It made me laugh! In that, oh I can relate a little too much, way. It was about tape. The color, width, cutting not tearing and placement of the tape. It was hilarious! Mainly because in my early career I used tape everyday to attach flap paper on completed mechanical boards. Those who worked in graphic design or advertising back when mechanicals were ruled and pasted up on boards, will understand. The hinging of the flap paper covering the tissue mark-up was very precise. Each studio had their own way and for some that was the ubiquitous black flap with black tape. At Motown we used "Chinese Red" Canson paper with black photo tape and a Motown sticker on the back (not the front like some studios). The back of the flap was 3" and mitered in 3" from the sides. It was taped at the back and inside the inside top to create a hinge but did not allow the flap to "flop" over. This protected the mechanical and gave a clean professional presentation when it went to the printer. The Motown sticker went on the back, so it was easily identified even when it wasn't face up. Maybe this is why I like two sided business cards. 

I still use tape quite often and have a rather large selection. It is great for labeling, holding things in place, I use it as a measuring guide and for packaging my orders. I have my collection of washi tape to add a little extra pop when I wrap up my orders. Just like chefs, I cut my tape, but I don't fold it over for easy removal (mentioned by Doug Flicker of Piccolo in Food52's article). I plan on getting custom tape made for me this year. Deciding on the design is the hard part. 

Washi tape collection

Washi tape collection

Washi tape in action

Washi tape in action

In Everyday Anyday Tags tape, design, inspiration, tools, colors, washi tape, packaging, letterpress, los angeles, california, littletreesstudio

Spring Flowers

March 30, 2017 Teresa Tonai
Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

After so many years of drought, California got some real rain this winter. The rain brought on a deluge of wild flowers. The flowers remind me of the ones I saw as a child while walking in the hills. Which also influenced some of my designs. So I decided to go to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve as the wild flowers were first blooming. It was so beautiful! My mom loved going to see the wild flowers bloom. All those hills filled with color made her happy. So this year's tremendous bloom was a little heart breaking. My mom hoped she would live long enough to see the spectacular bloom after the winter rains. But she left us in January. So I walked with my brother to see the beautiful flowers and thought of her.

I am working on some new flower designs, but in the meantime, here’s are some of my flower inspired letterpress pieces. You can find flowers in my cards, buckslips, notecards, coasters and journals.

 

Birthday Card and Dogwood Coasters

Birthday Card and Dogwood Coasters

Flower inspired Buckslips

Flower inspired Buckslips

Wild Mustard and Contemporary Flowers

Wild Mustard and Contemporary Flowers

In My Work Tags littletreesstudio, loveletterpress, letterpress, wildflowers, flowers, wild flowers flowers, cards, buckslips, notecards, coasters, antelope valley poppy reserve, los angeles, california

West Elm Los Angeles Pop-Up Sale with Local Makers

August 3, 2016 Teresa Tonai
Little Trees Studio - West Elm LA Pop-Up Sale

Little Trees Studio - West Elm LA Pop-Up Sale

Little Trees Studio - West Elm LA Pop-Up Sale

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Tags littletreesstudio, letterpress, west elm LA, Pop-Up, notecards, buckslips, coasters, cards

Milk Jar Cookies - A collaboration on the Miracle Mile

July 10, 2016 Teresa Tonai
Milk Jar Cookies - Coaster set and business card

Milk Jar Cookies - Coaster set and business card

Milk Jar Cookies is a cookie bakery on Wilshire boulevard in Los Angeles. They are on the historic Miracle Mile just down the street from LACMA. I walked into their store the day of their soft open and a wonderful relationship began! The charm of their store was obvious, but the uniqueness of their cookies stood out. I have made quite a few cookies during my life and so I could really appreciated theirs.

My first project was their gift card holder. I also had the chance to design and print their holiday card in 2015. But my most recent projects were a set of coasters on heavy weight cotton stock and business cards for Courtney, the owner (or as I like to refer to her as, chief cookie officer). I feel like part of their team each time I work on a project with them. They interviewed me for their blog on weddings. Check it out...

https://www.milkjarcookies.com/blog/spotlight-little-trees-studio

In Client Project Tags business cards, holiday cards, gift card holder, coasters, milk jar cookies, letterpress, cookies, miracle mile, los angeles, loveletterpress, littletreesstudio, california

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