it's all in the family

{photo via iphone, action via totally rad}

Remember this beautiful diaper bag?  I was so excited when writing the post, I failed to mention all the 'bells & whistles' of the bag.  As seen here on Piper, there's a great clutch that detaches from the bag.  I got a kick out of seeing Piper with it when we went to McDonald's the other morning.  I guess style can come at any age!

OH!  And speaking of style at any age ... have you read this blog!?!  Tavi, author of style rookie, is twelve.  un.be.liev.able.  And awesomely cool!  Be sure to stop by and give her some love.

tony's table {two}

Another great display from Tony, sales associate extraordinaire!  In keeping with this month's design tip, Tony put together this awesome display.  Do you love it?

stationery trends magazine

I forgot to mention in this post that Stationery Trends magazine has a regular feature, the Hit List, relaying feedback directly from retailers on what's happening in the industry.

In the current issue, they asked for three favorite things found at the May NSS. My answer was: anything with marine life; millimeter/milligram; and pink loves brown.

As mentioned here, I love delphine and her gorgeous collection of stationery. My kids are fascinated with marine life ... we could watch The Blue Planet for hours! So when I saw these greeting cards, I was immediately attracted. Who doesn't love a letterpressed jellyfish?

And have you seen mmmg? If not, you're missing out. My fellow bwp'ers had to stop me from buying everything they had! Really awesome planners of every shape, size, and color. The above collage are shots from inside the grafik planner ... a fav of bwp customers. All the mmmg planners are perpetual ... and beautiful.

I was so excited to find Pink Loves Brown at the show. Her stationery is lovely and has gotten some cool press, but I have to say ... I'm especially fond of the pocket mirrors and bookplates. If you have a moment, check out her blog ... for some great bits of inspiration.

talking on broken glass

I'm an iPhone fanatic.  Make that an iPhone{aholic}.  Anyone that has one ... is.  I seriously wonder how I ever lived without it.  I mean, what did I used to do with my one & a-half minutes at a stop light?  Did I seriously just sit there without being 'connected' in some way?

I bought an iPhone the minute they were first released.  Then I upgraded to the 16GB when it was released {I do gots a lotta photos you know!}.  And then ... I was smack dab in the middle of the 3G fiasco a few weeks back.  But ohhhhh ... it was SO worth it!  Ain't it grand?

{photo courtesy of apple.com}

So ... a little tip for you ... the new phones are slippery little suckers!  I've never used a case on mine, I think they take away from the look of the phone {yeah, I guess I'm an iPhone snob}.  And let me tell you, I dropped my previous phone plenty and it never looked like this ...

{photo courtesy of miss teenager}

But the other day, miss teenager had to jinx me and ask if I've dropped my new one yet.  As I answered, "no," I knew she had just jinxed me ... big time!  The next day, I find myself at the entrance of the grocery store {3 little girls in tow}, trying to stay out of an elderly lady's way, while trying to get a grocery cart.  Oh yeah, and the little girls are whining to me about wanting the 'car' cart ... when my phone rings.  I answer it {said teenager on the line, not liking my answer 'no' to having a friend over}, put it on my shoulder and do the ol' hold the phone between my shoulder and ear trick.

As I'm in the middle of a 'discussion' with Taylor ... the slippery little thing falls and hits the ground face down!  Oh man!  I pick it up {girls still whining for the car, craziness still in the entrance of the grocery store while more people are lined up behind us trying to get a cart and get on with it!}.  So, I pick it up to see that it's shattered.  Shattered!  But working.  Totally working.  I carefully slide it on, as there are shards of glass ... yes, glass ... coming out of the phone.  Can you believe that?  I would think there should be some sort of safety regulation on that?!?

The best part {dripping with sarcasm}?  I was able to get my phone 'repaired' for only $250.00.  The repair was actually a swap for a new phone {$300.00} ... so I saved $50.00.

It was a sucky grocery trip ... I'm ordering Peapod next time!

rules

{view of our greeting cards from the hallway of our building}

Duh!  I suppose it would help to have some rules for the 'weekend greetings' contest.  Sorry about that!

Every Friday I will post a new greeting, and with that post, I'll announce the winner of the prior week.  You'll need to email me {tracieatbroadwaypaperdotcom} by the Monday after the announcement, with your name and address.  If I don't hear from you by Monday night, I will announce the next-in-line to win on Tuesday morning.  U.S. addresses only please.

I think that's everything?  Thanks for the responses we've had so far ... there's still time to join us if you're lurking in a corner somewhere.  :)

subtleness

So ... Emily, who is the new Eric, and now in charge of web store upkeep, is subtly trying to tell me that I should go yellow & grey in my new office.  Duly noted Emily!  :)

paper+cup

Megan, one of our lovely bwp associates loves Paper+Cup Designs! She diligently shows their beautiful Era album to every wedded couple-to-be and recently wrote her first order. We were all pretty excited around here ... but not as excited as when the order arrived today! I can't wait to show it to Megan. Do you love it?

I also love Minhee's blog if you have a moment to check it out.

back-to-school {sort of}

I know all you paper fiends will relate to this ... because I know your paper addiction started at a very early age!  Do you remember the first day of school and the smell {yes, smell} of all your new school supplies and how you spent days organizing them and reorganizing them and couldn't wait to start using them?

Well ... today's the day I've been waiting for!  For about a month now ... maybe six weeks even, I've been fondling my new MomAgenda, the crisp, clean, cover and unused pages ... transferring over pertinent information, writing in the kids names.  Sigh ...

Today starts a new year with a new MomAgenda.  Do you use one?  The idea is brilliant ... a place to write all the kids activities, a spot to plan dinner {um, yeah, I don't think I've used this feature, but it's great to know it's there} ... I only wish the to-do space was bigger.  I end up with post-it notes all over the book.  Oh!  And it would be lovely if Broadway Paper were listed as a fav website in the stationery section.  Kate's?  Come on ... they've got nuttin' on us!  :)

I'm an electronic kind of gal ... have been for years.  But when these agendas first came out, I really wanted to use one, so I bought one ... lime green ... and I loved it.  From a distance.  I never used it.  I kept it for a year and had every intention ... after all, the idea really is brilliant!  The year came and went, and so did my unused agenda.

Come Fall 2007, I tried again ... and this time succeeded!  I gave every inch of my agenda the love it deserved.  The struggle was and is, that I'm still an electronic gal ... my husband and I have this device where we can view each other calendar's, so I still need to keep an electronic calendar.  Which can get tricky when I'm in a hurry or feeling like I'll add the entry later, so I've missed a few appointments here and there.  But my vow is to be better this year.  Stay organized {just like I vowed that with my super cool new school supplies I would get all my homework done and be a super cool student ... that didn't happen!}.

Last thing I love about this agenda is that you can track miscellaneous things that are more difficult to keep on an electronic calendar ... when library books are due, or class treats, or dress up days, etc.

Bottom line?  If you want to organize your life ... start by getting one of these {and if we can dream big, a cook would be fun too, wouldn't it?}

can one message make your weekend?

Just as I was leaving the store Friday afternoon I received a fax from Erika at delphine with this little note on it ... and can I say ... I just about peed my pants with excitement!  Sadly, I couldn't share my excitement with anyone, as they had all left for the day, so I've decided to share with {lucky} you!  Am I a freak for being so excited?  I think not ... you know you'd be just as excited.

I love, love, love Erika's work and even better {or icing, I guess} is her blog.  So to see she *hearts* the bwp blog, made my weekend.

{view of milwaukee's skyline from the marcus amphitheater via my iphone}

Here's where it gets better ... I was on my way to see The Police in concert {I do treasure the 80's after all} where we had decided grass seats would be the best way to see the concert.  You know ... funny smells, mosquitoes and the big screen!  We were having a good time, when two women who work at the venue offer us seats in section 1.  WHAT?  Up close & personal?  Um, gee, let us think about that ... OKAY!  {and we're talking 14 tickets here ... when does that happen?!?}

So off we go with our comped tickets in hand to see Sting sweat up close ... what an unexpected surprise.  And I'm pretty sure I owe it to Erika for making my weekend!  :)

weekend greetings!

In a land of contests and giveaways, I decided to start one of my very own! I've got a whole lotta lurkers out there reading this very post, this very minute ... and I've decided I want to hear from you!

So how's this going to work? Every Friday, I will feature one of my favorite greeting cards, and all you have to do is comment telling me who you would send it to and why. I will pick one worthy commenter and send it out to you! Fun, no?

This week's greeting is from PearlMarmalade. We found them at the NSS in May and they've got some pretty cool greetings ... take a look!

a few good men

{eric's good-bye lunch at marchese's olive pit}

It's not often you find a man who has a true appreciation for paper, but somehow we've managed to locate a few of them over the years. And Eric was one of the best ... by far. Sadly, he's leaving Milwaukee and heading to Minneapolis. Today's his last day as a b-way-p'er. :(

Eric started at bwp 5 years ago {I can't believe it's been that long!} as a sales associate. In that time he's been promoted to a lead associate and then assistant manager. And okay, I still can't believe it's been 5 years ...

Anyway, we spent some time talking to Eric and thought you'd enjoy getting to know him too ...

How did you find yourself at bwp?
I graduated from Madison in 2003, and on a visit to Milwaukee I happened to stop in the store while checking out the antique stores in the ward. I found a huge selection of letterpress stationery, and I was hooked! I knew that I had to apply for a job, so as soon as I got back to Madison I sent my resume. When I interviewed with Heather, it turns out we went to the same elementary, middle, and high schools—so I was pretty much hired. What a strange coincidence!

What has been your favorite thing about working at bwp?
The people & the product. The people I’ve had the opportunity to work with have been amazing. So many great personalities—I’d never have met them all if I wasn’t at BWP. And to top it all off, we all got to work around some of the coolest paper goods I’ve seen in any store. Small companies, local companies, cutting-edge design—who could ask for more?

You have quite a record collection...What is it that draws you to vinyl? What types of music do you collect?
Vinyl just sounds better. MP3s and digital music has a unique form of distortion that can sometimes alter the music. Of course, vinyl isn’t without its weaknesses (it scratches, warps, pops, etc.) but there’s something really wonderful about putting a needle on a record and letting it play through. In the age of the iPod, I feel like there aren’t many people who still play an album all the way through (or at least through side A).

I collect Brazilian popular music from the 1950s-1970s, which can be extremely difficult to find in the states, so I’ve occasionally imported it. Joao Gilberto, Jorge Ben, and Gilberto Gil are all in my collection, and they sound amazing on vinyl! I also collect piano jazz recordings from the 1950s and 1960s, mostly Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson. I also collect more contemporary music on vinyl as well, and will get a vinyl copy of any new album that’s good enough to take a place on my vinyl shelf. Sufjan Stevens, Beck, Jose Gonzalez—I’ve gotten all of their recent work on vinyl.

You've worked in letterpress, archives, bookmaking...what is it that draws you to these handmade methods?
Written on one of our stationery boxes once was the phrase “Made by hands.” I always thought that was a great way of putting it—I like the idea of a person sitting down to create something unique. So much of what we consume these days is mass-produced in factories overseas—I’m always looking to support people that are making their own goods. Luckily, at Broadway Paper I can say that I’ve personally met the creators of many of our lines.

What's your favorite karoake song?
I think my biggest karaoke triumph was singing Superstar by the Carpenters. Great fun. Don’t try to picture it, it might make you laugh...

Favorite Cosby Show episode?
So difficult to choose! But I think the one I’ve always loved was the one where Vanessa gets drunk on bourbon at a party. Chug-a-lug!

3 things you can't wait to do in MN? 3 things you'll miss most about Milwaukee?
1. Go to a show at 1st Ave or 7th Street Entry. I know I’ll never get to re-live Purple Rain, but I’d still like to say I’ve been there!
2. Take a class at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
3. Use our dishwasher. We’ve lived for 2.5 years in an apartment with no dishwasher. I think I’m ready for some dish-washing luxury!

1. Lake Michigan. I live very near to the lakefront and I’ll truly miss the cool lake breeze and seeing the sailboats in the summer.
2. Alterra Coffee. My favorite coffee is their Organic Mexican Kulantik—and not being able to get it right away will be tough! I’m stocking up before I move!
3. The unique mix of people. Milwaukee people are truly a unique breed, and while I know that Minneapolis will have their own fun folks, I’ll definitely miss the unique mix of people in Bayview, Riverwest, & downtown.

Favorite books, movies, food or tv shows?
My favorite book is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami. My favorite movie is a toss-up between Woody Allen’s Manhattan or David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabee’s. Very different movies, but I love them both very much.

You've had some incredible adventures...what is the next place you will travel to and what was your favorite place to visit?
With the move looming, I’m not sure when I’ll get a chance to venture abroad again, but I’m thinking the next trip will either be to Belgium or Germany. My coolest trip was probably to Tokyo & Kyoto last year, but my favorite place to visit will always be Paris. I’ve been twice so far, and it’s the top of my list for the next trip—despite the fact that there’s so many other great places to see. Nevertheless, I’m on a mission to see the Albrecht Durer self-portrait that hangs in the Alte PInakothek in Munich, Germany—so I think you might see me in Southern Germany before too long.

Snail mail or email?
A mix of both. I like using Facebook and I like blogging as a means of keeping a personal journal of sorts, but I do send letters to close friends while on vacation or just to keep in touch. The urge to send an e-mail is always great, and sometimes I cave in and send one, but I love getting mail, and I know that if I send more letters I’ll get more letters in return.

Favorite designer/line at bwp and why?
That’s really tough, but I think my favorite designer at BWP is Egg Press. I’ve always loved their design aesthetic, which has a bit of a 60s/70s feel. I think also I appreciate their work because they don’t take themselves too seriously—they do great work and seem to love what they do. When I’ve met them in person it seems like they’re living their dream job (or at least my dream job!) and I’ve always thought that was great!

Any final thoughts:
I’d just like to say thank-you to everyone that I’ve worked with over the years—coworkers, designers, vendors, customers—you made my job a lot of fun! I’ve learned so much from all of you, and I’m proud to have been a part of this amazing store. I’m not quite sure yet where I’ll end up in Minneapolis, but I hope we cross paths again someday!

{P.S. If you're in MN and work with unique, quality paper-goods ... I have a feeling Eric would love to hear from you and possibly work for you!}

ta-da!!

I know I've kept you hanging from my previous post ... but good things are worth waiting for! We now have a full wall of Waste Not Paper! Isn't it beautiful? And I don't think the picture completely depicts it's full glory ...

Thanks go to Miss Nellie {awesome designer} for whipping these out of nowhere {in no time flat} for me ... enjoy these great samples using WNP products. Hope they inspire you to create something fun!

new dress & a photography lesson

I am a lover of photography.  I can spend hours completely engrossed in stimulating images.  I've had this yearning, for years, to better my skills.  I purchased the New York Institute of Photography self-learning program eons ago {it's on VHS if that gives you any clue}, and it's still unopened, sitting there on my shelf taunting me.  I just never seemed to have the time.

While I've always enjoyed photography and spend too many hours and too many dollars on this hobby, I've recently been pushing myself to learn more.  To move from automatic mode to manual ... not an easy task when you have little brain capacity left!

With my recent blog addiction, I've discovered amazing photography sites ... and don't even get me started on the flickr subject {one complete day can be gone looking at photos found there}!  I've listed some of my favorite photography blogs under my inspirations ... I truly find myself inspired daily by these photographers.

One of my favs, Me Ra Koh sells instructional DVD's.  I purchased a couple of the DVD's a few months ago and finally had the chance to watch one the other night.  Once again, I was inspired to grab my camera and get to work.  {I urge you to check out Me Ra's post today and if you have five minutes, you will love this slideshow.}

Anyway.  Where is all this rambling taking me?

Once a year I have the girls photos taken from the lovely Bloomers Photography.  And am always on the lookout for 'photo worthy' outfits.  Exhibit A below ...

{last year's christmas card from wiley valentine | photos: bloomers photography | outfits: chasing fireflies}

This year, I've somehow found too many outfits, but there's one I'm partial to.  And after watching Me Ra's video, I was so inspired to do my own shoot {although, I know I'll still be calling on Jodi} that when my husband left the other morning for a meeting {that'd be my photo-phobe husband ... thinks I'm torturing the kids when I'm photographing them ... and maybe I am when I take 20 shots of the same position trying for that elusive 'money' shot!} ... so when he left for a meeting, I put the girls in their dresses {miss teenager still sleeping} and took them outside to play.

The key here, is that I took them outside to play.  One important thing I learned in the video from Me Ra is to just capture the moments.  Many a precious moment is lost when you ask a child to look up and "say cheese."  I had a great time letting them play and they were equally cooperative letting me shoot away because I wasn't demanding smiles from them.

The other thing I learned is that 'details' are very important.  When I look back on my photos someday ... I want to remember the gorgeous ruffles and use of fabric on the back of this awesome dress; I want to remember the way Piper was playing with the dog; Hunter's chubby hands & feet and the way she wouldn't let that flower go, and would stop and pick a petal off of it to give to me.

After the shoot, I couldn't wait to download them and take a look.  I love them ... all!  I realize I'm partial, they are my girls and they are my shots ... but still ... it's a blessing to learn something, put it to practice and get excited about the results.  Isn't it?

adding more space

My husband built his {our, pre-me} house in 1987 with an architect by the name of Charles Moore. The style is scandinavian barn-house. There are beautiful elements all over the house that are unexpected and fun to discover. 2001{ish}, enter me ... and we decided to gut the interior of house and give it a fresh start. We had two children at the time and didn't necessarily plan on more, so the number of bedrooms worked. When Wynter was born, it still worked ... we moved Piper out of the nursery and into the 'big girl room.' When Hunter was born, she got the nursery and Wynter moved in with Piper. I'm getting visions of Peter Pan here scooting these children out of their nursery!

Things worked okay ... but in the back of my mind, I was dreaming of adding more bedrooms to the house. As the baby got older and joined us in the girls bathroom on school mornings trying to brush teeth, comb hair, take care of business ... it got quite crowded! Many times we'd find 5 of us squeezed in there trying to get everyone ready for school.

The time came when I was finally able to convince my husband to add on to the house! Score one for me! And I somehow convinced him to include a new office for me. We currently share an office ... I have to fight for my desired lighting, temperature {I'm freezing as I write this}, etc. Double score!

Anyway.

When we met with the builder {a woman} to discuss our plan, I had a crazy idea to put all three of them in one room and use the nursery as a guest room. I talked it over with her and some of the pros & cons. This statement sold me, "It depends what you want to foster in them as they grow. Do you want them all together? Or do you want them to have separate rooms?" Bingo ... into one room they go! And so we started ...

We enlisted Genesis Architecture, who we used in our first remodel and finalized our plans. Ken was awesome to work with the first time around. His primary concern was maintaining the integrity of the house and original work of Moore, and was very careful to preserve it. In fact, this past week, architect Steven Harby who studied under Moore, contacted us asking if he could visit the house as he was passing through town. His life goal is to visit every Moore building. I explained to him, it may not resemble much of Moore's original plan, as we have done a lot of renovating. He assured us as he toured the house, he could see many of the things that Moore was famous for and that he would've been pleased.

The new construction is going on right outside of the girls {old} bedroom, so they were able to watch it closely from the beginning. I can't believe how excited they are! Although, given how excited I am with my new office ... it makes sense. OH! And the fact that hammering and pounding starts at 7:00 am right outside where the girls are currently sleeping? Not so exciting!

Their bedroom has now been demolished and will be rebuilt into my new office {I'm even getting a fireplace!!}. In working with the builder and architect, I was careful to think about the things that girls {sisters} would argue about. I've got one sister and we argued plenty! So I knew closet space and bathroom space were priorities. We designed an amazing space that will allow each of the girls to have a closet with dual entry ... one going to the bedroom space and one going to the bathroom space. In the bathroom, they will each have their own sink & 'vanity' area, two toilet areas, and two showers. Can I move in?

I've tried to keep the decorating for the girls room pretty simple and girly ... mostly Pottery Barn Kids stuff ... pinks, greens ... and I have most of it purchased and planned for. My office on the other hand, is still causing me some grief. I can not decide on a color theme! First I thought a beautiful shade of granny smith apple green ... but now I feel that might be getting old. I love yellow & grey. Blue. The list goes on. I've been closely monitoring the inspiration boards at Snippet & Ink hoping something will scream out to me, "pick me, I'm the color{s} you can't live without!" But the truth is, that happens with every post they do.

I've included some photos of what we're working on and I look forward to giving you updates in the future.

{view from inside girls old bedroom & view from construction into their old bedroom}

{view directly outside of the bath tub area & view from the playroom ... we're blessed to have a nicely wooded property}

{view of closets & view of bedroom area}

yummy new find!

{photo courtesy of suffix.abuse}

A big thank you to suffix.abuse for this post!  I'm definitely going to be tuning in on Saturday's for saturday.shop{etsy} ... and I'm definitely going to be contacting treatzone ... and I'm definitely going to find a way for you to get them at bwp!

new paper at bwp

We've got a paper project ... stay tuned!

a real paper wedding

{Photos courtesy of betsydollar.com}

I'm finding it hard to believe this wardrobe is handmade entirely of paper!  Thanks to The Crane Insider for this post.

I encourage you to view the complete wedding party at Betsy Dollar's website.

paper's gotta brand new mag

I am so excited about this magazine! I just received my first issue {missed the premiere issue} ... I saw it around at the NSS and knew it would be different. It's just a fresher look at the industry today and seems to have more focus on small boutique owners {love their use of 'mom-preneur'} and small design companies.

And really, isn't that what we're after? Unique and exquisite products? You're not going to find them at the Louie Awards {don't get me started ... that's a whole other post!} or the previous conglomerate industry mags.

I especially enjoyed reading "To Blog or Not to Blog" ... For me, starting this blog was a hard decision {and a bit of a costly nightmare to design a seamless look with our website ... thank you imagehat studio}, mostly because I hadn't yet been drawn into blogosphere when we started talking about it. Eric had the idea, and as I researched more about blogging 'professionally' {as I have a personal blog, that's sole purpose is to keep family & friends up-to-date on the kids} and got addicted to bloglines and my favs while our site was being finished ... I decided it would be a refreshing addition to our website and the store.

It's much more work than I anticipated, and more addicting than I ever thought possible {am I a freak??} ... but also rewarding. It's a great spot to tell more about who I am and why I'm doing what I'm doing.

The thing I've really been struggling with {and have from the start} is how much personal to throw in with the 'professional.' I mean ... with 4 kids, 4 dogs, 2 horses I'm not without personal blogging material!

But anyway, the reason I enjoyed this article so much was the take-away ... Ez from Creature Comforts said it well, "Successful blogs make someone feel a personal connection with the writer, so if it's just to drive sales, it may not get many hits. Don't make it about the products, but what inspires them. It's easy to tell if a blog is forced, and it quickly becomes obvious over time."

Holly at decor8 summed it up best for me ... "And while it's great to talk about your business, don't make your work the entire focus of your blog."

And so my friends, while I promise not to over-indulge myself with potty training, pre-school starting, big-girl bed stories {well ... maybe big-girl bed stories}, I do look forward to sharing a bit of my personal adventures, design, and life inspirations with you. In fact, I've been holding back sharing photos and info on the addition we're working on ... I think I'll put together a post on that over the weekend. Thank you Stationery Trends for helping me out!

I really have enjoyed sharing with you over the last couple of months. And the response I've seen has been overwhelming to me. So a huge thank you to all of you that have been tuning in! God's blessings to you ...

i'm happy again

I snuck out of the office for a bit this morning for a little hair therapy. Then needed to head over to the Public Market to get some wine & cheese ordered for an after hours shopping party we have scheduled next week at bwp.

I was feeling a tad down on my way to the market, so as I passed Anthropologie I was lured in for some retail therapy. There is nothing about Anthropologie that displeases me. And today's visit didn't disappoint!

Is this mug not beautiful? And I was lol at this! I definitely have been known to suffer from 'inshopnia' {n. a disorder marked by making unnecessary online purchases in the wee hours due to insomnia}. Wanna know what a 'moose hoof' is? Sorry, at the risk of having my mom read this post ... you'll have to get yourself the book ... but I promise it's worth it!

I love our cute little neighborhood and was my cheery self by time I got back to the store. Happy Weekend!

granny's feedsack quilt

I love to hear the stories behind why a product is made.  And at May's NSS, I enjoyed hearing how BirdDog Press was inspired.

Their Impressive Imprintables &  Granny Couture Noteset designs come from feedsack quilts, pillow cases and dresses made by the owner's Granny, who lives in a cabin in South Carolina that is full of fabric.

These feedsacks are most remembered from the depression era when women needed to make due with very little.  Feedsack fabrics were actually from sacks of flour, sugar and animal feed.  Generations of resourceful women recycled the fabrics and used them for clothing, quilts, curtains and more.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is not a new concept.

BirdDog Press is committed to the environment with a highly impressive {green} resume that includes their inks, plates, cleaning supplies, papers and bags.  

Awesome design with a conscious?  I love it!

we wanted it, we got it

We have been teased for the last few months and I'd finally had enough!  This stuff was popping up everywhere!  I had to get my hands on it.  I kept emailing the company for information to no avail ... no one was interested in me, or listening to me.  :(

Step in new sales rep ... "oh, and I also carry Orla Kiely" ... um, what?  Thee Orla Kiely?  I'll take one of everything!  {and seriously, I did ...}

I swear at least one person a day, coming into the store has one of the bags.  I've seen the stationery everywhere ... uh-hem, but won't mention the stores.  And now we have it at bwp.  My fav is the debossed address book ... I could touch it all day long ... sigh.

And can someone help me out? Is it KEEly?  I think it's KIely ...

happeez

What's not to love about a product called Happeez?  I love these things! They were made to use on stainless steel refrigerators {no magnets allowed}.  With a non-adhesive, miracle material backing, you can stick them to any slick surface.  The fridge, mirror, glass, iMac!  I love it ... and ... it makes me happeez {sorry, couldn't resist!}. 

mama's got a brand new bag

Did I mention I also have a thing for diaper bags?  I won't tell you how many I own, but it would definitely rival my fleet of strollers.

I just found this one ... and ain't she grand?  I found her while stalking {from a non-stalking distance} Gavin Rossdale.  We thought he may have gone into a cute children's boutique down the street, Freckle Face.  You know, to pick up some goodies for the pending arrival.

Anyway, we were sad to learn he hadn't been there ... but so happy to visit Freckle Face's new location.  It's a pretty little boutique and perfect for a mom who can't part with the fact that her baby isn't quite a baby anymore.

Point?  I bought a stroller blanket too.  Trust me, my two {plus} year old, is not in need of a stroller blanket! But this one was calling out to me and I couldn't pass it by.

And when I tucked little Huntie into her crib tonight and covered her with this cozy blanket, I decided she will be a baby for as long as I want.  Why?  Because I said so!

i can't believe i forgot!!

I'm claiming temporary insanity! In the craziness of packing four kids, myself, camera gear, carry-on bags, diaper bag and genius stroller for our European vacation ... I completely forgot to give an update when our new Snow & Graham goodies went live. So sorry! And happy shopping!

more swag

I got to work this morning and remembered, I completely forgot about our lovely Linda & Harriett swag!  This calendar is yummy!!  I have this hanging on my wall above my computer, so it's in my peripheral vision most of the day and that makes me happy.  :)

nyss swag

One of the things I love at the Stationery Show is the swag.  The last couple of years, one of our favs has been a calendar put together by most of our favorite designers.

We visit each participating designers booth, and are handed a delicious calendar page that has us set til next year's show.  I thought it would be fun to start showing each new month ... this month {and June's} is from one of the very first letterpress lines I brought into the store {maybe 5ish years ago!} ... Two Piglets.  I love catching up with Jesse at the show ... and he got bonus points this year for noticing my haircut!  :)

greeting cards with spark!

I love these new cards from Spark Stationery!  Their Bittersweet Ink line ... so cheeky! And who doesn't love a wiener dog!?

This is our puppy pebbles ... renamed puddles ... who I fondly call "no puppy!"

gavin rossdale. gwen's hubby.

It's celebrity central here at bwp and this time I didn't miss it!! So I'm in my office and Eric comes back and tells us {real slow like} "Gavin. Rossdale. is in the store ... ?" {with a question mark}. We tear out into the store, but slow down just in time to play it cool. When we're not spotting him anywhere, we get all anxious asking where he went. He had already left, but was headed down the street. So yeah, we go outside and spot him walking down the street of our quaint, little, historical block. We cross to the other side of the block and hope to meet up with him as he circles back. Check-mate! Our plan worked and sweet Jesus, he's pretty! Gwen, you are one lucky lady!

{photo courtesy of gavinrossdale.com}

Okay, so back at the store we grill the associates that checked him out ... tell. us. everything! We got his receipt {and signature on his cc statement} and located the greeting cards he picked out. Great taste! He was even talked into taking advantage of our Stationer's Dozen promotion {buy 12 cards, get one free ... hey, even celebs like a deal!}.

Are you dying to know what he got, or am I the only freak? Just in case I'm not the only freak, this is what he got {designs shown above}: Kate Funk {bwp's very own designer}; SusyJack*; Night Owl Paper Goods; Fiddlesticks; Cecily Ink and a black ball-point pen.

Once again my friends ... your E! News of the day ... happy weekend!

a young lady's room

I've mentioned that I'm in the process of adding a new room to our house for my three little girls ... and that's left Taylor asking, "What about me?" She was seven when we moved into the house and I admit, she has pretty much outgrown her hot pink, zebra striped, moroccan themed room. Yes Taylor, let's redecorate! I had her start by picking out new bedding {gotta love PBteen} and together we decided on colors of paint; where to put each color; etc.; etc. I had some suggestions for her on how to have some fun with the colors and I really enjoyed 'designing' it with her. Since we were going to be gone for 2 weeks, it was a great time to have it painted ...

When we got home yesterday, we both ran up to her room to see the results ... beautiful! It fits her perfectly. She's just turned 13, not a super girly-girl, not overly stylish {yet!}, and seems to prefer a clean look. I'm so excited with the way it turned out.

The best part was that she seemed to really value, want, and trust my opinions. Maybe I'm a cool mom after all? {Don't tell her I said that ...}

I was late in my planning of all this, so didn't get to the window treatment part of her room {which explains the sort of barren look ... well, that and the fact that she's in the process of organizing everything as she puts it back in her room. which she was supposed to do as she was taking things out of her room, but instead threw out into the living room in a heap! okay, maybe I just lost my cool mom status with that ranting ...}

These are the fabrics we chose for window treatments. I can't wait to see it all come together!

{and um, yeah ... that's camp rock playing on her tv. hail to the jo bros.}

add spark to your favors

We featured these party favors as a design tip last year, and Brides.com just posted our idea using them as a wedding favor. It got me thinking ... wouldn't it be fun to have sparklers at a winter wedding?

au revoir

In an hours time, we'll be on our way back home. We had an awesome time, but everyone's ready to see our dogs, taylor's horse and sleep in our own beds. Although ... the girls current bedroom has been demolished {for the new addition} so they have a brand new bunk bed awaitin' on them ... in the baby's room! Not sure how that's going to work out for me ... fingers crossed until November when the new {larger} room is ready.

On our walk to dinner the other night, I spotted this paper store. It didn't look too outstanding to me and we didn't have time to get back to it when it was open, but I did quite enjoy seeing the Moleskine's in the window! And who doesn't love the word 'papeterie' ....

i'm in love ...

all over again with Elum! How awesome are their new products?!?