The pear in paper

We continue our Creative Collaborations series this week with an artisan maker very close to home. It is always a real joy to work with talented and passionate local makers but it's a particular pleasure to work with our friend Lynn Costello Erskine and her business, the pear in paper.

The power of a simple, traditional card is something we can forget about in the modern world of abbreviated texting and social media. However, we are strong believers in the tactile, things made with love and maybe even made to keep forever.

So, in the early days of Breac.House, to respond to requests from guests for gift vouchers, we wanted to do something a little bit special. When looking for a collaborator for our gift vouchers, we naturally wanted to work with a Donegal based maker who shared our passion for all things local, sustainable and traditional. We were delighted to find Lynn on our doorstep. Her story resonates very closely with our own, in particular, a desire to create a world class sustainable business in this special corner of Ireland.

In 2015, Lynn decided it was the right time to pursue her dream, to set up a workshop where she could create select pieces of letterpress stationery and hand-pulled lino prints.

With her background in environmental management, the business was always going to be an eco-friendly one. 2016 was a big year with the restoration of a treadle based letterpress platen (affectionately named florrie). Florrie, who can be visited in Lynn's workshop in the Donegal Craft Village, was built in 1872 and uses no motor or electricity - its 100% manual. So each piece is created with slow, deliberate execution and a lot of care. Lynn's business has developed every year with the arrival of another flatbed press and another restoration project in 2018 and the launch of a range of additional prints and greeting cards available at the studio and online. In 2019, Lynn was awarded The Business Innovation Award at the Local Enterprise annual awards. Not one to rest on her laurels, Lynn is now working on two more restoration projects with a new range of prints and cards on the way.

Our first project with Lynn was our beautiful quality handprinted gift vouchers for the Breac.House experience. These simple yet elegant, traditional cards frequently bring a smile to people's faces - a bit different to receiving a digital voucher by email, don't you think ?

We have since worked with Lynn on with some additional projects including handprinted menus for our special food events, bespoke signage and in-room information cards for our outdoor wood-fired sauna. All are made with love in Donegal and with great care for the environment.

You can check out all of Lynn's amazing work at the pear in paper or visit her studio at Donegal Craft Village, Donegal Town. To purchase one of our beautiful vouchers crafted by Lynn, you can go to Breac.Shop