19 | A SUMMERSET + VERY IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT L&A CUSTOM PAPER

| FAVORITE SUNSET . shot july 2008 . CANADA |

It's the end of the Summer for LOTUS & ASH : and it was quite the summer.

With plenty of time for design and paper, LOTUS & ASH was able to add new designs to every category of paper - from celebrations to greeting cards, personalized stationery to hand-sewn books, the summer allowed for the L&A portfolio to expand gracefully.

Though the Summer is coming to a close, the Autumn is much anticipated. With the debut of the newly redesigned STANFORD INTERMISSION in September, a summer project by LOTUS & ASH, and the dates of the non profit events, including THETA BREAKERS, MUSIC for MATT, and IN THE LOOP, with designs by LOTUS & ASH fast approaching, it seems like the LOTUS & ASH SUMMER is becoming a LOTUS & ASH AUTUMN.

Lastly, BINARY PRESS is set to debut next month at the Cantor Art Center, the first letterpress project of its kind.

All in all, this summer has been simply splendid.

| COLLECTED SUNSETS . shot during Summer 2008 |

: : : NOTE TO ALL LOTUS & ASH : CUSTOM PAPER FANS : : :

At the end of September, I will be leaving California, to study at Oxford University until the end of the year. The good news? I cannot wait to spend countless hours in their libraries looking at ancient manuscripts, and studying their typography.

The bad news ... I have to leave my printer at home.

WHAT IT MEANS : I cannot fill ANY paper orders while abroad, until December 15th when I return.

So, IF YOU ANTICIPATE NEEDING ANY CUSTOM PAPER BEFORE DECEMBER, please contact me as soon as possible, so we can create whatever you may need.

It's me, myself, and my printer until I leave at the end of the month.

I WANT SOME PAPER!

14 | A LOTUS&ASH SUMMER

it's a lotus & ash kind of summer

before lotus&ash transplants itself to oxford for ten weeks this autumn, it needs to soak up all the northern california sunshine and air it can in the meantime.

the summer provides for perfectly-lit afternoons to have a paper & grass photoshoot, new and bright designs, and plenty of time spent in the new lotus&ash office.

plenty of time, eh? indeed. this summer, lotus & ash will be introducing new paper designs, and experimenting in web design with a revamped website.

also, i will be producing a cross-media project for the stanford cantor arts museum, provided for by the ASSU. BINARY PRESS will give me the opportunity to learn the craft of letterpress at the center for the book in san francisco, as well as develop my web skills further with a web documentation of my project's progress.

this summer will definitely busy with so many design pursuits and explorations! but, there will also be plenty of time for relaxation, reading, visiting farmer's markets, and cooking -- everything that a summer should be defined by.

| FRESHLY CAUGHT TROUT with FARMER'S MARKET ASPARAGUS cooked 06.2008 |

stay tuned.

| ALL PHOTOS by LOTUS & ASH 06.2008 |

13 | from a bean to a bean

It was over 10 years ago that the nickname came into use -  bean, the endearing name between my best friend, erica, and I has been long lasting. and, to celebrate her graduation from college, it was only appropriate to make her a bean-specific congratulatory card. thanks to the newest version of the adobe suite, making images for my greeting cards has been made SO much easier than before. illustrator's live trace and paint functions have become a lotus & ash favorite.

there's something special about custom work - whether it be a logo, an invitation, or a greeting card. custom means thought. custom implies a relationship between a designer, her product, and it's recipient. that's why lotus & ash specializes in custom work : to preserve the idea of thought in correspondence and communication. to get chuckles, shrieks, giggles, awwws and the like > > >

12 | graduations and celebrations

for lotus&ash this year, graduation was oh-so-bittersweet. but, designing and printing invitations and greeting cards distracted from the pangs of having to say goodbye to close friends. lotus&ash's cards celebrated their four years in college and wished them the best of luck in the real world, sans problems sets and all-nighters, but reminded them that they're always encouraged to come back and visit... often... very often.

graduation party invites came in three designs this year - a simple, and classy CHEERS!, a picture card that celebrated the friendship of three best friends, and the slightly more scandalous inside-joke invite that featured fond memories of pub nights, grey's anatomy and bottles of $2 champagne.

graduation party invites.

graduation 2008 party nametags and greeting cards

party nametags made it known who the graduates were, and that they were, in fact, graduates with a simple check box at the bottom of the tag. and greeting cards were aplenty in the lotus&ash office, remaining blank until the actual graduation ceremony. pauses between the wacky walk, president henessy and oprah proved to be the perfect time to fill up the blank space.