We made it! As this year of resilience and reflection comes to a close, I can’t help but reminisce on our accomplishments. When we were first confined to our homes mid-March, like the rest of the world, we channeled our inner Mister Rogers and created Neighborly Notes as a way to check-in with each other. We designed virtual gala collateral and helped nonprofits raise money for great causes. We made homeschooling more structured and fun for everyone with our photo banners and free downloadable materials. We closed one door and opened another, expanding our studio space after closing our retail shop. We swapped “Save the date” with “Change the date” as we helped our brides and grooms commu...

In the studio or on the couch, the creative mojo of the CBP Design Team is never compromised! While many of our clients have had to pause the planning of their upcoming events, the CBP Designers have managed to accelerate the creativity in their WFH environments. Designers turned school teachers, home decorators, perpetual chefs–their clever spin on everyday in-home activities or projects is certainly something to share. Kiddos in the house? Get ready to distribute hall passes and screen time tickets. Need to check in with a neighbor? Make a mini-paper plant for your frond. Want to revamp your bookshelf for those important Zoom calls? See what our in-house hand letterer has been up to. We...

THIS IS KENDRA, CBP Designer Let’s just get the whole potato thing out of the way. You see, well you can’t see, nor can we, Kendra works remotely from Idaho. She was here for years and has stayed on board, because she’s so sharp, is all about the details, ever organized and has a talent for retaining the history of clients that can’t be matched. Except maybe by her specialty as the master of print mechanicals. And did I mention her gift for mixing patterns, florals and stripes? Now for her desk: Potatoes you might guess. Likely just a prop, her favorite snack is salted caramels. And some postcards, mixed with some pics of a nearby place to kayak. Pens & pencils, yes indeed. A notebook...

THIS IS MEGAN, Senior Associate Creative Director A team member for ten years, that’s a decade of design, so it makes sense that she oversees the CBP brand and retail line! In fact, Megan was around in the early CBP “red table” days when there was just one cordless phone. She has quite the eye, you see, but let’s not lose sight of her other skills. She’s also clever with copy and hand lettering. Megan studied at Truman State University and got her BFA in Visual Communications after making the switch from biology/pre-med. No surgeries or symptoms for her, but bring on the design emergencies. Can one be defined by the contents of her desk? Let’s see what’s here. Let’s start with the llama i...

THIS IS LAUREN, CBP Designer Inspired by Mid-century design, Lauren sets herself apart by taking a modern twist on classic wedding invitation designs. Edgy, yet romantic, can we call that a category? But don’t box her in, she’s filled with ideas for brides and beyond. Let’s learn more about what makes her tick. What do we have here? It’s Lauren’s gear. Let’s dissect what’s in her desk: A journal, her diary, where design ideas abound. A calligraphy pen, she’s left-handed A brass box, maybe to store her expressive pin collection? Hand cream and nail polish make sense–she’s our in-house hand model. Lip therapy, you gotta look good! Perfume, and smell good. A champagne cork, Prosecco is her p...

THIS IS CARMI, CBP Designer Pen in hand before she could barely stand. She’s been drawing since age one and can't sit through a meeting without doodling. Around the office she’s known for her handwriting. She’s always up for custom-lettered designs on envelopes, menus, place cards, almost anything, it’s her thing. In her space, on her desk, most days you’ll find: Post-its, pens and Pantone chips. What more does a girl need? As well as: A rather airy plant, she’s keen on green. A hair tie to pull back her locks, change her look. A chocolate bar, for her daily dose. Clips to keep her projects in order. And a little something for her lips!' And I’d be remiss if sugar wasn’t discussed. Carmi ...

This is Taylor, Senior Designer Her desk is one to discover. There’s almost always a watercolor drying and paint brushes aplenty. And a snack to suit the moment. This is a popular one right now – she’s wondering what to do with all those little glass jars. Here are a few things she found in her desk, tools of the trade and some stuff for really any day. Paint supplies, just add water! Books, find four here, but there’s more for sure. The cutest tiny fruit erasers, no mistake, these are just for fun. A few animal moments. Enamel lips, for her hair, silly. Pens, there’s more where those came from! A petite pyramid, it’s no wonder. A bling-y calculator thingy, making math more fun. Taylor ha...

THIS IS MARY, CBP’s Associate Creative Director She’s who we turn to for dimensional projects with complex construction. She loves spatial thinking, in fact in college (Washington University in St. Louis) she started out as a math major. She was going to be an architect, but later found graphic design as a better fit –we feel fortunate that she made the switch. Here’s a few things she found in her desk, tools of the trade and some stuff for really any day: A French press because she’s not a morning person. A ruler (always) to be exacting. An X-ACTO knife to cut precisely. A loop to look closely. Ink cartridges for calligraphy. A stylus for lovely lettering. Go-to lipstick, client’s coming...

We created a brand video a few years ago. It was important for us to illustrate how interactive and expressive our work is. It can be difficult to capture the experience in a static photo. Our work commands attention – envelopes to open, textures to feel, inserts to discover, paper doors to open. Whether it's a design for a wedding, nonprofit gala, mitzvah, shower, or birthday, we think all occasions are special. So enjoy the music and see the team in action painting, planning, taping, typing, and talking. View our brand video here! If you’re in town, St. Louis, that is, stop by our shop or schedule a visit. If you aren’t close, we hope you can see what we do with this two-minute short. S...

The possibilities are endless with die-cutting! Die-cutting is a complex paper production process that allows us to create unique and detailed shapes using metal "dies" that are specially created for each design. We work with the best die-cutting vendors in the industry who take our design ideas and bring them to life. Sometimes it’s a simple shape that serves as an insert piece to an invitation set, and other times it’s a complex format invitation that unfolds to reveal a new shape and more information. We love incorporating die-cuts because they add an element of surprise and interest to any invitation suite. How fun is it to find a paper macaron in an invitation! Food is a favorite – w...

The Madness Upstairs refers to the CBP Production Department. They're housed on the second floor of the CBP studio, and they are the end of the line for all print projects. Therefore, the Madness refers to the craziness that happens upstairs to meet our, well, crazy project deadlines. This CBP Department is keen on quality control. They are sticklers for imperfections and fanatics for the finer points – an amazing crew with a varied mix of skills that see projects all the way through. But what exactly DO they do? Just to name a few: They double check and triple check, tie bows, fold, attach, stuff, stamp, pack and go above and beyond to get a job done. They are a key part of the process –...

In a recent staff meeting, one of the slides was titled, “What DO we do?” Although CBP is a decade+ old, the type of work we take on has continued to evolve over the years. Our focus in the early days was primarily wedding invitations. But now, it only counts for 50 percent of our revenue. So, I wanted to make sure that the entire staff understood what our company creates. And in doing so, it hit me. If there was a potential question internally about what we DO, there might be some confusion in the outside world. So, I present to you, the CBP infographic. I named the company Cheree Berry Paper because it started out just as that, me (Cheree Berry) focusing on print design (paper). But the...