TRUNK SHOWS

Just a reminder ..... three trunk shows start tomorrow at the 64 Via Mizner Boutique.....we hope to see you there.

Susanne from The Printery of Oyster Bay will be in house to show you her extensive collection of bespoke letter papers.  Appointments are encouraged!

 

 Julian Mejia's exciting new woven placemats and linen napkins will be in abundance just in time for setting your Easter table.

Susan Palladino of Isabel will be tempting you with her gorgeous Cashmere wraps, scarves, ponchos and capes in many Pantone custom colors.

 

THE PRINTERY

One of our very favorite writing paper companies is coming to town again ! Susanne from The Printery in Oyster Bay, New York will be in our shop on Friday and Saturday, the 18th and 19th of March, to show you The Printery's  extensive custom stationery collection that is at your disposal and she will help you create a unique letter paper of your own.

  
 For those of you that have not been there, The Printery is housed in a quaint 18th century clapboarded building which was the original location of the local newspaper "Oyster Bay Guardian" that ran its first printing over 100 years ago.

Most of The Printery's prized work is engraved. Engraving is the process of cutting a design into a flat surface, usually metal, and then applying ink to the inscribed lines. When the surface of the metal plate is cleaned, covered with paper and put through a press, the ink remaining in the lines transfers itself onto the paper thus creating a raised image on the paper.

Gold Pineapple Engraved placecard

Some of their work is letterpress printing which was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century. It is a technique of relief printing using a press to transfer ink from a plate with a raised image or type onto paper . The pressure of the press leaves an impression in the paper as well. Basically it is the reverse of engraving.

Apple green Letterpress image

The owners, William Miller and Mary Abbene, have continued the printing tradition by creating the most beautiful and sought-after engraved and letterpress notecards, calendars, placecards, invitations....you name it.  In the world of the printed image, they are the top of the line.

We carry a large selection of the boxed notecards in our shop, as well as the placecards, enclosure cards and notepads. It seems, no matter how much we order, it is never enough. Take a look at some of the best selling images and it is easy to tell why.

Although most of what we order for the shop is geared to Florida life, there are many images that are perfect for all climates. Bison for Wyoming, Oak Trees for New York, Lobster for New England...

Please come and meet Susanne and view these amazing images. It is like taking a step back in time to an era when the niceties in life were celebrated and cherished. We who are paper fanatics still hold our printed papers near and dear and love to share them with our correspondents.

Call for an appointment because, although it is not necessary, it is highly recommended. You will be sure to get one-on-one attention from Susanne and learn a lot about the beautiful papers she works with.

XOXOX
LETA

ISIS CERAMICS

 

Isis Ceramics is a fabulous ceramic company created by a very talented woman, Deborah Sears. In today's world, the connotation of the name Isis is unfortunate, but this company was named many years ago and it was named after the section of the Thames River that runs through Oxford, England, and ultimately after the goddess, Isis.

Deborah and her team of highly-trained and extremely talented artists, hand paint every piece of ceramicware that will hopefully wind up adorning your graciously set dining table. There is a less expensive version being sold by Isis which has a different, less-formidable weight pottery as its base and it is only sold in 2 colors. It is not hand-painted, but rather mechanically transferred as one must do to produce bulk china. While it is a good fix for the Isis lover with a tight purse, I for one would rather slowly collect those that are created using the original, hand-painted process which produces a different result every time. The way the artist mixes the oxides and ground pigments, the way he or she holds their brush, their interpretation of the pattern all combine to give you a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Palladian Pattern

English Garden Pattern

Horton Hunt Pattern

The Monkey Collection

The Landscape Pattern

Currently, the Isis factory offers 9 different patterns, or themes. These include Palladian, English Garden, Horton Hunt, The Monkey Collection (a favorite in Palm Beach), The Landscape, Exotic Animals (we love this too.......I've told you before, we LOVE animals), Nautical, Tulip and Snowscape.

Exotic Animals Pattern

Nautical Pattern

Tulip Pattern

Snowscape Pattern

Each of the 9 different Isis patterns can be painted in any of 10 colours (notice how British I'm being with my spelling) which include Bright Green, Meadow Green, Raspberry Pink, Sepia, Scarlet Black, Ruby Black, Black, Saffron and Blue.

Bright Green

Meadow Green

Raspberry Pink

Sepia

Scarlet Black

Ruby Black

Black

Saffron

Blue

The range of products is immense. As a rule, my Boutique carries full stock of Sepia Exotic Animals and the Blue Monkey Collection dinnerware and then bits and pieces of Bright Green, Raspberry Pink and Saffron.  However, we can order you any colour of any pattern in any product that your heart desires whether it be plates for you dinner table, vases for your flower arranging or cups and saucers for tea time.

Start your collection with 1 piece and you will find yourself looking forward to planning the next piece to collect and before long Isis Ceramics will fill your shelves !
 

XOXOX
LETA

561.655.7367
betty@lafinpb.com

GREETING CARDS

Snail mail is alive and well at Leta Austin Foster Boutique. Thankfully, our customers embrace traditional etiquette when it comes to sending greetings for special occasions. For this reason, (and because we love all these cards ourselves) we search for unique and adorable paper card companies that will deliver your intended message in an artistic and creative way.

We order from a variety of companies with names like Meri Meri, Rifle, Great Arrow, Smudge Ink, Tokyo Milk, Paper Source, Lucca Paperworks and Maileg......no Hallmark here!

While most of our selections are sweet or nostalgic, we do have a wicked sense of humor especially about growing older as illustrated by the Skull and Crossbones card, which states, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY FRIEND, you are finally too old to die young". The card with the graphic shark says, " Getting older really bites."

There are lots of non-offensive birthday cards as well in all sorts of themes. These pictured are all animal-themed.....we DO love our animals!

If you are looking for a Wedding card, we have some elegant and ornate ones, some cute ones like this wedding cake and some clever non-traditional ones.

A Get Well card is always appreciated. Such a small gesture will do wonders for your intended recipient's spirits.

Our Sympathy card selections are not full of tear-jerking verses, but rather simple messages delivered on sweetly designed creations.

Anniversary cards should be purchased well before the date, otherwise, there is a good chance that you may forget. The card with the mice, created by a very creative Danish company, is our new favorite. You may not want mice in your pantry, but on a love note, mais oui.

A life saver for those of you that dread writing a long, hand-scribed thank you note, is a Thank You greeting card. A cute picture and to-the-point message leaves a minimum of space for a personal note.

We sell tons of Welcome Baby cards ! These two from Rifle have become our most popular ones.

If it is a very special Baby Announcement card or an Invitation to a Birthday Party card that you are looking for, look no further than these custom-made, hand-stitched felted wool designs accented with your own words and mounted on acid-free Italian paper. These are so loved that customers have framed and hung them or glued them into a scrapbook for a remembrance. Just a note to any of you that do scrapbooking.....Bravo to you for finding the time, the patience and the creativity! While all my photos are crammed into boxes (not archival, I'm afraid), I do plan on getting them into some order and into a photo album someday. Of course, I have been saying that for 30 years, so it may never happen.

However, what I have done is organize my Greeting Cards by occasion so that I will never be caught short. I urge you to collect cards as you find ones that you love or are perfect for certain friends or family and file them away for that special day. We do have many cards in the Boutique that can start you on your way to a fabulous collection.

XOXOXO,

LETA

betty@lafinpb.com

561-655-7367

LETA IS ON INSTAGRAM

Yes, you heard it right and you heard it here first ! Leta has taken another plunge into the pool of modern technology. She will be checking out all your Instagram photos and hopes to have you check out her postings as well.
We are all looking forward to glimpses into Leta's design world as well as photos and happenings around the shop and on her book tours.
Well done Leta !