LINDSAY LETTERS HOLIDAY COLLECTION 2014 LOOKBOOK | Issue No.1
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, FRIENDS! I’m a mostly emotional person, but this time of year makes me especially so. Dugan and I just celebrated our 5th year anniversary, Eva turns three this month, and the Lindsay Letters Shop Website turns two. In the past 5 years, I feel like I’ve been doing a whole lot of building and growing. Building a foundation for our marriage, building my career as a shop owner, growing my skill sets, growing a human, growing in my parenting... With all growing, there are pains. But the really incredible thing is stepping back and seeing all of the beauty as a result of the growth. The growing, friends, is worth it. I hope this Holiday 2014 Collection represents where we’ve all come to, collectively. You’ve been growing and building, too. You’ll see classic styles that some of you are more attracted to, some fresh modern and graphic pieces, and then how all of these pieces can work together to create something truly unique and beautiful! Thanks so much for being on this journey with me, and I hope you are as blessed by these pieces as I am to have had the chance to create them. So grab a mug of something yummy, put on some Billie Holiday, sit back, relax and enjoy the first ever LL Lookbook! Grateful for you! And Merry Christmas! xo, lindsay LINDSAYLETTERS.COM P H OTO G R A P H Y & S T Y L I N G I N C O L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H L A R K P H O T O G R A P H Y.
RELAX CANVAS W H I T E w i th b l a ck l e tte r i n g, R e g e n c y G old frame
CREATING
My most favorite part of my work is creating new collections, and my most favorite days are the photoshoots – preparing them, styling them, the chaos and the creative energy. I live for those days. I start scouting months in advance for the perfect little things, and try to picture how everything will work together as a whole. I love the shoots because it’s then that I can begin to really see these pieces in your homes. They become less lettering on a page and really begin to come to life. We shot at Laura’s historic home in KC, and had lots of friends stop by along the way!
“CHRISTMAS WA V E S A M A G I C WA N D O V E R T H I S W O R L D, A N D B E H O L D, EVERYTHING IS SOFTER AND MORE B E A U T I F U L .” NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
FIG. 3 FRASER FIR A n ti q u e G o l d Fr a m e
LONG EXPECTED JESUS CANVAS NAVY, Gal l e ry Wal nut f ram e
Favorite hymns and verses in elegant and crisp white calligraphy, set against rich hues of the season. Choose from traditional Christmas colors like Evergreen, Holiday Red, and the ever-classic Charcoal. We’re loving navy, (always), but especially for winter.
PEACE ON EARTH CANVAS Antique G o l d f ram e
LUKE 2 CANVAS HOLIDAY RED, Re ge ncy Gol d f r a me
TARTAN HEART CANVAS Gallery G o l d f ram e
WHIMSY Christmas is a time for reverence and for play! So if ever a season called for a little whimsy, this is definitely the one! I ordered that cute peace sign hand from Pottery Barn Teen, and most other finds were thirift store or Etsy purchases. The thrill is in the hunt! Look for pieces that will make WILD & SWEET CANVAS EVERG REEN, A nt i q u e Gol d f r a me
people linger a little longer. After all, this is the holidays! Mix hard lines and organic shapes for the best compositions.
One of my most favorite things is seeing how people use their LL goodies and how they style the pieces in their own homes! Put on some tunes, deck your halls, take some pics and and then tag your photos with: #LINDSAYLE T T E RSHOL IDAY I can’t wait to see how you add your own style and flair to these pieces!
DOXOLOGY I grew up in a traditional Lutheran Church and, even at a very young age, something about this hymn seemed both so epic and so personal at the same time. Put this canvas on your mantle, an orange in your stocking, and you’re all set! THE DOXOLOGY CANVAS C H AR C OA L , G a l l e r y w r a p p e d
O H O LY N I G H T C A N V A S Gallery wrapped
H O L LY M A T H I S & T H E O H O LY N I G H T S T O R Y
Holly Mathis’ home interiors design blog was the first blog of its kind I remember reading. So when Holly emailed me in November 2011 with the idea to collaborate on a holiday project, I of course said (shouted) YES! She had a vision for a solid color canvas – taupe, actually, with white calligraphy of the first verse of O Holy Night on it. She had a vision for her mantle and couldn’t find anything like it and asked if I was up for the project. (Of course I was!) There was only one caviat – I was due to give birth to our daughter Eva in two weeks, and I was trying desperately to finish all my work. I could letter the canvas and give her a digital file, but that was all. I did the lettering late one night and, luckily, Holly loved it right away. (I say luckily because I went in to labor the very next day – two weeks early!) That December, Holly’s home was featured in a Welcome Christmas Home Tour, and on her blog was a photograph (page left) she shot of the canvas we created together. And–amazingly–everyone wanted one! People wanted to know where to purchase the canvas, and the emails started pouring in. I was flattered that everyone liked it, but I had never sold artwork in this way... up to this point, everything I made was custom. Our friend Emily Lex of Jones Design Company offered to help us out and make a print of the art available as a download in her online shop. (And the people rejoiced!) After having Eva, I quickly decided to make the transition from a custom lettering business to an online shop, and Holly’s piece was the first Lindsay Letters canvas ever offered. I’m so grateful to Holly for believing in my talent, for the way that this collaboration changed my business, and for the overwhelming support of the online interior design community. H O L LY M A T H I S I N T E R I O R S . C O M
VINTAGE
I just love this classic Christmas carol, dating back to 1865. It feels to me a bit like a lullaby – a simple ode to an unassuming town, in an unsuspecting stable, a Savior was born. Dusty white lettering on a distressed blackboard background set the stage for the starlight lyrics. The casual look and special song make this sweet new canvas a welcome addition to any hoilday hearth. (We love the contrast of pairing it with the walnut frame!) BETHLEHEM CANVAS G a l l e r y Wa l n u t fr a m e
WHITE CHRISTMAS QUOTE CANVAS Gall e ry Bl ack f ram e
HOME ALONE QUOTE CANVAS Gall e ry W hi t e f ram e
O NIGHT DIVINE CANVAS Gall e ry W hi t e f ram e
DO NOT BE AFRAID CANVAS Gall e ry w rappe d
Christmas gets a fresh coat of (black & white) paint with graphic text and fun abstracts.
A TOUCH OF UNEXPECTED
After creating the more traditional pieces in this collection, I stood back and thought: It needs something. A little something more. I wanted to push the envelope a bit. I want to continue strive to give you fresh, beautiful pieces – pieces of art that I would want in my own home. While my online shop started with lettering, I’ve been painting abstracts for family and friends long before I started calligraphy. It felt amazing to get back to my creative roots. Lettering can be perfect, but with an abstract there is no judgement, just glorious infinite possibilities. I think that’s what makes people drawn to them. Graphic black and white pops have always made their way into my own decorating and wardrobe, and thus, it seemed only fitting to carry that through to the shop. And that’s just the thing – these pieces are cool on their own, but when you begin to mix and match, that’s when the real magic happens! One of my favorite additions to the Holiday Collection are the movie quotes. These cheeky typographic canvases were inspired by the exhibition posters John Melin designed for Andy Warhol’s European solo show in 1968 at the Moderna Museet. I thought about these pieces a lot before creating them. I wanted to pay homage to the classic Warhol posters I love, with respect to the original designer. These unexpected movie quotes seemed like a perfect fit for a modern holiday tribute to an artist that inspired a movement. The canvas to the right is calligraphed with lyrics from a Rend Collective song called “Joy.” When creating this canvas, my thought was to make something special to put up in your home after the holiday decorations are taken down. A hope-filled canvas to ring in the new year! THE DARK IS A CANVAS Ga l l e r y B l a ck Fr a m e
Lyrics Copyright © 2014 Thankyou Music (PRS) (adm. worldwide at CapitolCMGPublishing.com excluding Europe which is adm. by Integritymusic.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.
ABSTRACTS
Originally painted with acrylic paint on paper, then photographed by April Walker and printed onto archival white canvas. Peppermint Moss. Black Splotch. Black Tree with Pink. Spark in the Woods.
DRAMA I love the look of flowers, but I don’t always have fresh cut, beautifully arranged florals in my home. The solution? Ressurecting the time-honored art of the still life. Florals on canvas add the perfect touch of drama and elegance to any room. EPIC BLACK FLORALS CANVAS G a l l e r y G o l d Fr a m e
FLORALS & SWISS CROSS My new friend, Amy, from Victorian Gardens
came
by
the
shoot
with bushels and baskets full of beautiful flowers. Crimson blumes, white bouquets, mini Christmas trees, oranges on stems (all the way from California!), magnolia leaves, and the most delicious smelling garlands. Her thoughtful and special touches brought such organic beauty to the collection, it just goes to show what a difference some fresh greenery can make! VICTORIANGARDENS.COM @VICTORIANGARDENS
The Swiss Cross canvas was the result of my scouring the internet for the perfect vintage flag, but to no avail. And so a canvas was born! Choose from a traditional Swiss Cross design or an inverted cross in Evergreen, Navy, Cobalt, Orange Crush or black. It adds the perfect little touch to just about anywhere! (Tip: The guys seem to love this one!) SWISS CROSS CANVAS OR A N G E CRU S H, G a l l er y Wa l n u t Fr a me
S PA R K I N T H E WO O D S CA N VAS Ga l l er y Wh i te fr a m e
LONG EXPECTED JESUS CANVAS NAVY, Ga l l e r y Wa l n u t fr a m e
SWISS CROSS CANVAS E VE R GR E E N, G a l l e r y Wa l n u t fr a m e
MIX IT UP! Classic and modern pieces play well together, especially when you work off of a common theme or color palette. For this look, we started with A Spark in the Woods and played off both the cool and warm tones in the painting to create an eclectic vignette of both kinds of styles.
LARK PHOTOGRAPHY Everything on these pages, and most of the work on my site, was shot by one of my dearest friends, Laura Kathryn. I loved Laura from the first time I met her. She’s encouraging, funny, direct, kind, motivated, hard working, and one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. When she’s not planting Church of the Four Corners in KC with her husband or playing with her kids, she’s shooting beautiful weddings, decorating,
and
answering
my
middle of the night text messages about what couch to get and if it’s a bad idea to letter a quote from “Elf.” Although we’ve always loved styling LL photos together, Laura joined me as an Art Director in creating this line, and I know it’s all the better for her talent and creativity. LARKPHOTOS.COM
O H O LY N I G H T C A N V A S CHARCOA L, G al l e ry w ra p p ed
RELAX CANVAS WHITE, Re ge ncy G o l d f r a me
HOME ALONE QUOTE CANVAS Gallery W hi t e f ram e
ART PRINTS
Luxe and lettered 8 x 10 Art Prints in shiny foil or traditional letterpress. Printed locally by our friends at Locust Street Press. They come sleeved in a glassine with a gold LL seal – perfect for gift giving!
AXEL CO. Those incredible bookshelves in Laura’s home were custom built by Kansas City local Axel Thiele of Axel Co. His shop is full of cool finds (mainly recclaimed wood and steel) for your space, and I want one of everything. He and his wife Kasey the nicest people. Please check out their shop, and be blessed. H T T P S : / / W W W. E T S Y. C O M / S H O P / A X E L C O @AXELCOUSA
GWEN HEFNER / THE
MAKERISTA
I love Gwen’s blog and style so much and was thrilled to finally get to meet her this last trip to KC. Gwen has been helping Laura with her living room makeover and was the perfect fresh set of eyes for us to style the bookshelves the two dreamt up. There is no end to Gwen’s talents and she’s just as kind as she is beautiful. Follow her, you’ll be happy you did. THEMAKERISTA.COM @THEMAKERISTA
HEATHER FREEMAN / DECOR FIX Since we first met, Heather has changed course from currating meals to currating homes, and I’m thrilled to say I enjoy her approach to interior design just as much as her approach to cooking! Heather specializes in creating custom virtual mood boards for clients around the globe, and we were thrilled to have her help out (and organize us!) during the shoot. Check out her blog for DIYs & inspiration! THEDECORFIX.COM @THEDECORFIX
Special thanks to our model Jodi, one half of the photography duo W W W.T I M F L E E N O R P H O T O . C O M
LONG EXPECTED JESUS PRINT 1 1 x 1 4 , G o l d a n d S i l ve r Fo i l
No. 25 CANVAS Gallery W hi t e f ram e
O H O LY N I G H T C A N V A S HOLIDAY RED, G al l e ry wr a p p ed
WHITE CHRISTMAS QUOTE CANVAS Gallery W hi t e f ram e
RELAX CANVAS BLACK , G al l e ry w rappe d
#IDHTBPTBB CANVAS + Also avai l abl e as an 8 x 1 0 d i g i t a l Ar t P r i n t
M Y Q U I L LY N S M I T H I LOVE The Nester’s philosophy for both decorating and life – “It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful” – and it’s forever changed my mindset and perspective on curating my own home. It was my joy to letter her book cover for her and we are thrilled to offer you this beautiful canvas collaboration! Myquillyn chose odd black and white dots to set the stage for her quintessential mantra #idhtbptbb, wrapped in laurels and perfectly imperfect. It such a joy for me to get to partner with a friend in this way, and it’s our hope that you will hang this design in your home and remember that there is beauty in imperfection and pretty in the midst of the mess. (A wonderful reminder, especially around the holidays!) Tag your photos with #idhtbptbb THENESTER.COM
d is c o un t s LL WILL HAVE A BIG, SITE-WIDE DISCOUNT ON BLACK FRIDAY, SMALL BUSINSS SATURDAY, SUNDAY BECAUSE IT’S THE LORD’S DAY, AND MONDAY. –THAT’S NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 1ST. #awesome h o lid ay d e live r y LAST DAY TO ORDER FOR GUARANTEED DELIVERY BY CHRISTMAS: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12TH.
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PHOTOGRAPHY Copyright © 2014 L A R K P H O T O G R A P H Y. DESIGNS Copyright © 2014 LINDSAY LETTERS, LLC.