Sunday 27 January 2013

The Cutest Tricycle Ever?

We have officially decided that this early 20th century tricycle that came into the store this week is the cutest tricycle ever! Everything about it is just so gorgeous, the style, the aged patina.  You can almost imagine the pure joy children have had tearing around on it in times past...




The arrival of our little tricycle has however, set off a craze for all forms of pedal power here at Flywheel as can be seen by our designs and printing this week....


                                                      

birthday cards

cute gift cards with envelopes

notebooks with printed bicycle designs

But what a wonderful appeal all the vintage bicycle designs have, maybe as they are reminiscent of different eras or the joy and freedom of riding your bike when you were a child, but they definitely have made us smile this week...

Until next time,

the flywheel team

Saturday 19 January 2013

Valentine’s Day Cards now at Flywheel!


That most romantic day of the year is fast approaching and here at Flywheel we have been feeling the love, with Rachel busily creating a range of Valentine’s Day cards for the true romantic at heart. 






The beauty of letterpress printing can be seen with the impression in the luxurious cotton paper…




With the gorgeous simple designs and sentiments, our letterpress cards are proving very popular with our customers for not only that upcoming day of the year...












So to all the romantics out there, wishing you all a very happy Valentine's Day for the 14th February!!


Until next time, 

the flywheel team

Saturday 12 January 2013

why letterpress....?


It has now been over four weeks since we opened the doors of Flywheel and what a amazing response we have received from all our wonderful customers!   

Most who know us are not surprised by the vintage items in the store.  The biggest surprise has perhaps been the letterpress studio and how we have diverged into this?  Well, it all started with our purchase of some antique wooden printing type a few years ago.  It was love at first sight for us.  The patina of the timber from decades of use, the exquisite craftsmanship in the making of the type, the designs of the typefaces... imagining the posters and signs that were produced using them...

fabulous large Cooper Black wooden type

wooden type with beautiful patina

The mystique of letterpress printing had captured our imagination.  Printing equipment seemed to be finding us or maybe we should just confess to our addiction... Our youngest sister, Rachel started to make lovely gift tags using charming vintage blocks and they proved very popular.  Soon Rachel, who was originally employed to be a retail assistant on a Saturday in The Drill Hall Emporium, was nowhere to be found as she was printing away in our very crowded office. 


some of our gift tags with a very vintage style

What really set the idea of Flywheel in motion was our purchase of a cabinet of lead type, which contained to us a fabulous array of different typefaces.  We were all literally hooked!   There has been lots of trial and error, practice, reading, researching and the undertaking of a marvellous practical course with an experienced letterpress printer since...   


lead type in our original cabinet 
but what a lovely process to use centuries old methods and antique equipment in today's world to produce something by hand that is tactile, authentic and hopefully charming and unique. 

Until next time, 

the flywheel team



Thursday 3 January 2013

Introducing.....Flywheel!!

We are so excited to introduce Flywheel officially in this our first post!

Flywheel is the sister store to our antique store The Drill Hall Emporium and is the result of a passion for great vintage finds, stylish stationery and letterpress printing of a mother and daughters team.  But, what better way to introduce Flywheel and what we are all about, than some images?

our gorgeous building...


beautiful & stylish stationery, gift wraps, twines....




all displayed amongst our unique and quirky vintage office finds....





and of course the letterpress studio where we will be producing our own letterpress goods in store...





We hope you will enjoy following our blog and share in our exciting new journey with our store with our latest news, projects, finds, loves and inspirations.

until next time,

the flywheel team