I am passionate about letterpress. I don't know a thing on how to actually do it, but I love the look and feel and most of all, the dedication of the people who make it their livelihood to keep such a historic process alive and well.

One of those women is Nicole Monforti. She runs her own letterpress shop Headcase Press, all on her own in a 100 -year-old former textile mill.

Her ink printed collections of cards illustrate simple, familiar icons and sayings that are witty and playful. I love the simplicity of the Hello card and am thrilled to finally see not only a Congrats card for gay and lesbian couples, but a beautiful one. Woo woo! 

And while you think it might be easy, just check out how Nicole does it - she utilizes "antique metal and wood type and traditional printing methods to create modern, dynamic designs on vintage equipment. All printing is done on one of four letterpresses: a 1916 Chandler & Price platen, a mid 1940’s Heidelberg windmill, a 1935 Vandercook proof press and a 1953 Kelsey tabletop press." Yeah, this isn't just slapping together things on a computer screen. This is serious stuff.

Nicole also has ah-may-zing recycled letterpress type jewelry as well.  I am simply swooning over the Large Recatangle Letterpress Type Pendant (pictured above) that she's created (there are other pieces available - bracelets, cufflinks, hanging earrings, post earrings, and belt buckles as well!). I mean, it's like having the process right there with me!

All of her jewelry is made of assorted sizes and typefaces, so it's completely one-of-a-kind. The metal is coated with resin, so that it doesn't get on your skin and it's set in a 1" x 1.5" silver bezel. The pendant hangs from a magnetic stainless steel neck cable, but you can get a 16" hand oxidized chain if you prefer - just let her know when you place your order.

It has a wonderful weight to it as is so sweet and fierce at the same time. I love exploring all of the letters in different shades of metal - it feels like bringing the many authors and publishers who have letterpressed their works along with you every day. How moving is that? And appearance wise, it's both art deco and pop art, so whether you're rocking jeans and a tee or a dress for dinner, it looks spectacular.

It's more than jewelry, it's a work of art. And little pieces of history. And handmade. Sigh. It just doesn't just any better than that.

Shop Headcase Press now.