Letterpress, art, design > about us
We make it easy
for you to send delight
Your days go fast. You’ve got no time to be trapped in a dizzying aisle of mass-market, questionably-manufactured cards.
OR. Overpriced, bland stationery that just gets the job done. What’s the joy in that?
You want to let friends and family know how much you care. Because you do. But life is busy, and sometimes things fall through the cracks. Especially time for yourself.
We serve up letterpress & artist made stationery
Made with luxurious papers, coaxing old-world machinery into feats of modern design for discerning and not at all stuffy stationery enthusiasts.
so that you can
*Bring things into your world that make your heart leap
*Get inspired to take time for yourself
*Create tiny practices of gratitude
*Have stationery on hand when inspiration strikes
*Practice happiness. Because those moments add up
You have important things to do. Like making someone's day
I’m Julie Franklin and I founded Bumblebee Press to create things that are
beautiful & useful
for big hearted people
Over the past few decades, I’ve created, designed, and letterpress printed countless of thousands of projects for friends and clients who have become friends.
Personal stationery for A-list celebrities. Original art and decor for Ethan Allen, The Conran Shop, Sundance, + along with stationery for hundreds of retailers, designers, and boutique stores around the globe. Fun fact: my framed pressed botanicals appeared on Friends.
EVERY project that graces our door gets our full attention, inspiration, and dedication. We like it that way.
Let's get your good ideas out into this world
We opened our doors with a simple mission that still holds true:
Create beautiful things & nurture the relationships in which we engage
We’re a huge fan of simplicity and the highest quality of materials
We’ve always held firm that joy in the process is critical in creating beautiful work
Our vendors are our partners, and our clients, our muses —inspiring us to create new things and to do what we love
We're happy you're here
Our vision is this:
Create a business that leverages and shares the power of wonder, sustainability, and compassion on an individual, community, and global level.
Some have asked…
How on earth did you get into this?
Mmm. I’d say luck. I left my job in NYC to work on a family project back in Georgia. So I was out of work and very soon, flat broke. I know. Doesn’t sound lucky. But if I hadn’t had to fish for my supper… this card-carrying introvert would’ve never started selling that first collection of stationery.
Fairy dust all over the place
I put that card in a file when I got back to the shop [we were in full swing as a botanical press by then] and I’d pull it out every once in a while just to hold it. Look at it. How was it possible that a piece of paper could make me so happy? I bought my first press, a 1920s Chandler & Price Craftsman, from “Wild Bill” and I’ve never looked back.
You could say I've gotten my 10,000 hours in
And I’d say wonder is the bedrock of our company. It’s gotten us far; we’re keeping it. (And you’re invited.)
Come on in
Take your shoes off, grab a cup of tea. We won’t make you get ink on your hands or sit in a yoga pose (yet!) but we will dish up some delectable stationery love for you.
1
Find something you love
Grab a free resource, check out our subscription box, or window shop the collections
2
Bring a little joy into your world.
Make it easy to take time for yourself and connect with others
3
Smile
Because your butterfly effect of making the world better one small moment at a time… has already started.
Whatcha waiting for? Jump in
Get Peaceful, Write Notes
Never underestimate the power of your words to make a moment, a day, a life better.
