TURQUOISE UNVEILS CUSTOM HOLIDAY CARD LINE FOR TINY PRINTS
05 November 2007 — Seattle, WA
Seattle, Washington-based Turquoise Creative has entered a new relationship with Mountain View, California-based Tiny Prints, Inc., a leading online retailer of premium, personalized social stationery. To kick off this partnership, Turquoise’s founder and lead designer, Misha Zadeh, has created a series of custom holiday photo cards exclusively for Tiny Prints. The designs feature the elegant, modern style for which Turquoise is known, while introducing the brand to a broader audience through a lower price point. Turquoise has increasingly been asked to offer custom photo announcements and invitations, and now has found in Tiny Prints a partner that will continue to offer the high quality production and customer service that Turquoise clientele have come to expect.
After receiving several Tiny Prints birth announcements from personal friends, Zadeh realized the quality and overall aesthetic of the line would match well with Turquoise. She contacted Tiny Prints Vice President Laura Ching to discuss a possible partnership. Both parties are enthusiastic about working together to offer a wider range of fine stationery options to their customers.
In the next year, Turquoise plans to work with Tiny Prints to develop birth announcements and party invitations, as well as wedding invitations for Tiny Prints’ sister company, Wedding Paper Divas.
View the 2007 Turquoise for Tiny Prints Holiday line here.
About Turquoise Creative
Seattle-based Turquoise Creative, launched in 2001 by graphic designer Misha Zadeh, is known for one-of-a-kind cut-paper greeting cards as well as letterpress note cards and cut-paper fill-in invitations. A press favorite, the bold and modern Turquoise collection has been featured in magazines such as RealSimple, Lucky, Sunset and O, the Oprah Magazine. In addition to its signature greeting card collection, Turquoise licenses designs for printing and distribution, working with select fine stationery publishers such as Chronicle Books, Madison Park Greetings, Photoworks and Tiny Prints. Turquoise greeting cards are carried by retailers across North America and the UK.
About Tiny Prints, Inc.
Founded in 2004 by three friends in beautiful Mountain View California, Tiny Prints, Inc. is a web-based company comprised of two brands offering premium, personalized social stationery. Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from photo birth announcements to Christmas cards to baby shower and birthday invitations to photo holiday cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation's top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service, their designs have been lauded by numerous publications and celebrity parents. Tiny Prints finds great joy in helping their customers discover the perfect paper and design that will leave a lasting impression. Tiny Prints is also the parent company to Wedding Paper Divas, an online stationery site that serves all wedding stationery needs for engaged couples. For more information visit www.tinyprints.com and www.weddingpaperdivas.com
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Turquoise Participates in The Phinney Winter Arts & Crafts Fair
04 December 2004 -- Seattle, Washington
It's time again for the Phinney Neighborhood Association's Annual Winter Arts & Crafts Fair. Come meet us in person and browse through your favorite Turquoise card designs. We will also be featuring one-of-a-kind experimental pieces as well as some more elaborate framed works and a few painted bottles.
Enjoy special pricing (this weekend only!) and search through our "seconds" box for treasures and bargains.
There will also be 100 other booths with beautiful things to share. Do all your holiday shopping in one place and support local artists. The Fair runs from 10am to 5 pm Saturday, December 4th and Sunday, December 5th. Admission is $4 plus a canned food donation.
For more information, please go to the Phinney Neighborhood Association's Web site at:
http://www.phinneycenter.org/events/wf.shtml
"Santa Bird" figures prominently in Real Simple's feature on elegant holiday-card displays
21 November 2004
"Frog + Lily" letterpress note set suggested as a great "last-minute gift" by O Magazine
15 November 2004
ACCLAIMED SEATTLE DESIGNER EXPANDS FINE STATIONERY OFFERINGS
16 May 2004 -- Seattle, Washington
Turquoise Creative, a Seattle-based company owned by designer Misha Zadeh, returns to the National Stationery Show in New York City with a significantly expanded collection of fine stationery. Alongside fifteen new styles in the company's signature line of handmade cut-paper greeting cards, Turquoise now offers ten different letterpress-printed note sets as well as a small selection of designs photoreproduced in collaboration with Chronicle Books.
The newest addition to Turquoise Creative's catalog is an ensemble of letterpress-printed notes. Turquoise released this line in response to the rising consumer demand for letterpress, with its distinctively textured print and vintage appeal. Zadeh's original illustrations, which include spring-themed animal and botanical scenes, are imprinted from inked metal plates onto thick eggshell-finish cardstock. Adds Zadeh, "Our designs are bold and contemporary, something that you don't see often in the relatively traditional letterpress market. We use dynamic images that fill the page and continue beyond the edge of the card."
A second development involves a relationship with San Francisco-based publisher Chronicle Books. Two pairs of Turquoise's designs have been photoreproduced in color offset lithograph as part of the "Chronicle Notes" series (ISBN #0-8118-4144-8, #0-8118-4146-4). Marketed directly by Chronicle, the note card sets are available online through Amazon.com and internationally through distributors such as Pan Macmillan.
Experimenting with different print media has enabled Turquoise to offer artisan-quality design at a relatively low price point. Turquoise's bestselling mainstay, however, is its upscale assortment of individually assembled cut-paper cards. Pieced together by hand from colorful vellum shapes, styles include all-occasion florals, birthday and wedding images, and seasonal holiday motifs. Fill-in party invitations with hand-embellished details were introduced last year.
Zadeh began her business locally in 2001, delivering orders in person to Seattle neighborhood boutiques. Turquoise Creative now retails in over 60 different cities throughout North America. Locations range from high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York to small-scale specialty shops such as Los Angeles's Soolip Paperie & Press, Chicago's Paper Source, and Boston's Mary Baker Eddy Library Store.
Recently, Zadeh's design work has caught the eye of national fashion and lifestyle editors. Two of her cards, "Pink Dogwood" and "Blossoms," were highlighted in the February 2004 issue of Oprah Winfrey's O magazine. Other popular periodicals, including Lucky and Sunset, have featured Turquoise merchandise as well.
Turquoise Creative's full catalog is available for browsing and wholesale ordering on the updated company website (www.turquoisecreative.com). Retailers can also request a print catalog by phone at 206.783.5993.
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"Pink Dogwood" Letterpress Note and "Blossoms" Cut-Paper Card Highlighted in O, the Oprah Magazine.
01 February 2004
Turquoise Joins Local Artists at BD Pottery Studio Sale
15 December 2002 -- Seattle, Washington
Barbara Dunshee opened up her lovely Queen Anne studio to show her latest ceramic pieces as well as work produced by friends. The Turquoise card collection was a perfect complement to the colorful array of wares. Misha also enjoyed another opportunity to exhibit her brightly painted bottles.
Turquoise Participates in Holiday Boutique at Seattle's Historic Panama Hotel
01 December 2002 -- Seattle, Washington
The beautifully remodeled Panama Hotel + Tea Room in Seattle's International District provided just the right backdrop for this festive holiday sale, hosted by jewelry designer Rumi Tsuchihashi. Guests sipped fragrant herbal, black, and green teas while browsing booths of unique Seattle and Portland artists. Turquoise featured an expanded line of holiday designs, including the new "Santa Bird" and "Snowman with Fez" cards.
Holiday Art Bazaar at the Turquoise Creative Studio
09 November 2002 -- Seattle, Washington
Misha Zadeh and Ben Graham's Ballard home/studio was transformed into an eclectic holiday bazaar. Fifteen Seattle artists participated in the one-day event, drawing nearly 300 guests.
Participating artists were Sandra Burkey (bath products), Frida Clements (paintings), Barbara Dunshee (pottery), Lesley Feldman (journals), Jen Fujimoto (paper goods), Ben Graham (photography), Amy Hevron (paintings), Rachel Hoover (textiles), Shava Lawson (jewelry), Kim-An Lieberman and Quyen Hamilton (ornaments), Diane Macrae (textiles), Pari Azarm Motamedi (jewelry), Rachel Varga (jewelry), Kira Wakefied (accessories), Misha Zadeh (painted bottles) and Laura Zeck (etchings).
With catering by designer/gourmet foodie Kelly Okumura, the Bazaar guests enjoyed quite a feast. Menu highlights included a Toasted Goat Cheese and Beet Crositini and a sinfully rich Chocolate Torte beaded with Pomegranate Seeds.
Also on view, of course, was the whole spectrum of Turquoise cards — even some singleton and prototype designs straight from the studio worktable.
SEATTLE NOTECARD DESIGNER MAKES NATIONAL DEBUT
27 August 2002 -- Seattle, Washington
Seattle designer Misha Zadeh, founder of Turquoise Creative, introduced her new line of handmade greeting cards and gift enclosures at the 2002 National Stationery Show in New York City. After an enthusiastic response from buyers and trade professionals, the cards hit shelves this summer in specialty shops across the United States.
Formerly marketed only in select Seattle boutiques, Turquoise Creative is now expanding its reach to over 30 different locations across the country. New retailers include Kate's Paperie in New York City; Flax Art & Design in San Francisco; Virtu in Chicago; and The Artful Hand in Boston. Another new retailer, Soolip Paperie & Press in Los Angeles, discovered Turquoise entirely by chance: owner Wanda Wen received a card in the mail from a former employee who had moved to Seattle.
The product line, explains Wen, succeeds because it is "new and fresh. The graphic elements created out of the brightly-colored vellum cuts are very unique and unlike any card line out in the market." Turquoise Creative's notecards each feature a miniature collage, based on an original design by Zadeh and assembled by hand from delicate paper and vellum shapes. Styles range from everyday florals to theme-based designs for weddings, baby showers, and seasonal holidays. Though Turquoise's bestsellers are usually birthday cards, Wen's personal favorite is an all-occasion card depicting Chinese paper lanterns in vibrant red and orange.
The stationery line's national debut coincides with the launch of a new Turquoise Creative Web site (www.turquoisecreative.com). Visitors can browse through the entire notecard collection, place wholesale orders, or inquire about custom design work. Zadeh also stresses the importance of supporting the handmade product community as a whole, providing links to fellow artisans' Web sites.
Zadeh's next step is expansion into other aspects of the stationery market. She is currently developing concepts for a line of printed goods, including items such as boxed notecards, wrapping paper, and writing journals.
Company History: Artist and designer Misha Zadeh studied at the University of Washington School of Art and worked with several graphic design firms in the Seattle area before establishing Turquoise Creative in 2001.
SEATTLE DESIGNER BRINGS FINE ART TO THE GREETING CARD MARKET
13 May 2002 -- Seattle, Washington
Misha Zadeh, founder of Seattle's Turquoise Creative, is launching her debut line of handmade greeting cards this spring. Turquoise Creative is the latest addition to the expanding market for upscale stationery and paper products. Zadeh will be exhibiting her work at the National Stationery Show from May 19-22, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City (Booth #7259).
Reflecting her background in both graphic design and painting, Zadeh works with cut paper to create the seasonally themed illustrations featured in Turquoise Creative's line for 2002. The cards, which pair contrasting materials such as colorful translucent vellums and iridescent solid cardstocks, are individually assembled by hand. The current collection features over 40 different styles marked by Zadeh's characteristic use of clean lines and vivid color. Cards come in two different sizes: a standard 4x6 notecard suitable for correspondence, and a smaller gift enclosure.
Zadeh studied at the University of Washington's School of Art and worked with several award-winning design firms before starting Turquoise Creative in 2001. Her achievements in graphic design have been recognized by publications such as the Type Director's Club Annual, Graphis Letterhead and HOW Magazine. Zadeh continues to expand her repertoire by experimenting with new possibilities in paper and printing arts.
The name Turquoise Creative references Zadeh's own Persian and Turkic roots. Turquoise is a French word meaning "Turkish," describing the brilliant hue of the first dye that Middle Eastern artisans created for use in their celebrated tile and mosaic work. As Zadeh explains, "To me, Turquoise represents both a personal heritage and a historical beginning of beauty and design."
www.turquoisecreative.com