tony's table {four}

Doesn't this make you want to go back to art class? Paper ghosts, hanging bats and a haunted house made of paper ... fun, fun, fun!

handmade dress giveaway

{photo courtesy of grosgrain}

I've been a lover of Kathleen's blog, Grosgrain for a few months now ... hello? free dress giveaway! She makes the most adorable, vintage looking, one-of-a-kind little girl's dresses ... they are all yummy in their own right.

I also get a kick out of how her daughter models each dress. I wish I could get my kiddos to play along like that!

Anyway, Kathleen makes these dresses, only to give them away. I think that's pretty cool.

I feel particularly in love with this week's dress and thought I should share it with ya all!

weekend greeting giveaway {nine}

Um, yeah.  I'm not going to explain how this sentiment relates to me.  This weekend greeting is from the witty humor of Mina Lee Originals.  We have people cracking up in our greeting card aisle whilst browsing this collection!

And now, let the commenting begin!  If you'd like to 'win' this card, leave me a comment saying who you would send this card to and why {by next Friday}.  I'll pick my fav and you get the card.  Find more rules here.

Since my heart goes out to Brittany Noel's mom-in-law {come on! the same office since she was 19?) ... Brittany is last week's winner!  Just send me an email with your address and I'll get the card out to you next week.  Oh! and be sure to follow up and let us know how she liked the card!

Thanks everyone!  Happy weekend! 

beautiful offset calendar

Letterpress not your thing? {not sure I'd understand that, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions ... not that there's anything wrong with that!}.  So if you're not into letterpress, how about this beautiful offset calendar from Egg Press?

If you love it, you can find it here.

more calendars

These classic desk calendars are from Cavallini & Co.  Each cover is different, and equally lovely.

lazy ...

Don't you love the way some photos look on your blog?  Well, I'm just going to admit that I love the images from the previous post, therefore I am leaving you with them for another day.  :)

Truth is ... {well, actually, that is the truth}, but the other reason is that I am just plain tired and have a full calendar tomorrow.  Enjoy!

so in love ...

{photos courtesy of design*sponge}

I sent this post around work yesterday with one caveat ... prepare to drool!  And drool they did.  These colors and styles are amazing ... and oh so inspiring!

Thank you design*sponge ... thank you Kelly {See Jane Work}!

letterpress calendar

In order to fully appreciate it, you have to feel the yumminess of this calendar {from egg press}.

a wooden calendar

This one comes straight from Birmingham, Owlabama!  Night Owl Paper Goods has done it again ... another lovely creation and you can get it right here.

please, please, please vote for us ...

We'd love to be voted Milwaukee's #1 wedding invitation source ... but we've moved out of first place!

If you think we deserve it {and I'm pretty sure we do} ... please take a moment and vote here.

linda & harriett do l.a.

{photo courtesy of popsugar}

I love Liz, her blog, and her products!  So couldn't be more excited that they were asked to be part of a pre-emmy style lounge.  And when I saw this photo, I just about jumped out of my seat.  I think it's pretty cool!

weekend greeting giveaway {eight}

Yeah ... not much to say about this one {in a good way}! The rest of the line from Lilywillow Paper & Press is pretty great too ...

So here's the drill ... leave me a comment about who you would send this to and why {by next Friday}. Then I'll pick my favorite and you get the card. Find more rules here.

And now for last week's winner ... Shannon!! Please email me your address by Monday and I'll send the card out to you.

Thanks everyone for playing and have a great weekend!

do good things, get good things

Remember the online auctions for the Nielson family?  I did some perusing of the auctions myself and bid on an item that Susann from Simplesong was auctioning ... personalized stationery!  She creates the yummiest letterpress stationery, not to mention she was an absolute pleasure to work with!

My box {literally} of goodies came yesterday ... my husband thought I was crazy for grabbing the stationery, my camera and running outside to take photos.  I was way to excited to wait.  "WHAT are you doing??" he asked.  "Stationery ... photography, what's the problem?" I answered.

I love how my cards turned out, now I need to get over the lusciousness of them and make sure I use them!

Susann also sent some extra treasures for me.  A letterpress camera? {sigh}  The list pad is pretty great too.  If you have a moment, stop by Susann's inspiring blog.

You can stay updated on Stephanie & Christian Nielson here.  And to see the amazing events still being planned in honor of them, visit here.

kinda cool ...

My daughter was traveling this summer with a friend to NYC and sent me a {phone} photo of this magazine article from the Northwest Airlines flight magazine.  Then, two more friends told me they'd seen an article about the store while traveling.  I didn't know people actually read those magazines!

On my recent trip, I was on a Northwest flight and got to see the article first hand ... that was pretty cool!

OH! and funny, embarrassing side note ... I'd never flown Southwest before {I was also on a Southwest flight}, so as we're getting on the plane, my ticket said A 8 ... so I'm on the plane looking for my seat, A 8 right?  I find A 8 and there are two fairly large gentlemen packed in my row.  I tentatively look at them and the seat between them and squeak, "I think I'm sitting here."  One of them looks at me and roughly says {you have to read this in a deep, impatient, man voice}, "there are no assigned seats."  I think he may have wanted to add, "idiot!"

I had no idea ... but I'll never make the mistake again ... and maybe I've just saved a few of you too! 

{loop} notes & giftwrap

It's not even out of the box and I'm already in love! I feel like I'd been playing tag with Elissa forever ... mainly because I can't get my ducks in order long enough to take some time and order some things I love! Well ... the time has come and the products are here!

I ordered only a few holiday things for now, but trust me, you'll be smitten. They're sitting in the box {as I type} and the bwp staffers are fawning over them!

I'll let you know when they're in our webshop. And if you have a moment, stop over at Elissa's blog to read what inspires her.

snow & graham calendars

Snow & Graham calendars are yours for the taking at bwp!  This is the mini desk calendar ...

This is the desk calendar ...

Lastly, we have the lovely wall calendar ...

I'll take one of everything please!

holiday cards

This beautiful custom holiday card is from Allie Munroe ... is the sock monkey the cutest ever!?! Stop in to see the rest of the collection ... and if you order during September you'll receive a 15% discount ... now that's some early Christmas shopping!

i'm a favorite!

Not sure if I should really admit this ... but I was too excited not to share!  Apparently, when you spend your life's savings at J.Crew, you become a 'favorite' ... and I'm one of the lucky ones!

They rewarded me with a $125.00 certificate ... yay me!!  :)

renegade craft fair

This is what my first experience at the Renegade Craft Fair looked like.  Oh my word ... we were soaked!!  I felt so horrible for the vendors trying to keep their wares dry ... do you know what water and humidity does to paper?

Despite the rain, we found some pretty awesome things ... I'm excited to get them into the store!

First up was Giddy Up Press ... located right in Milwaukee!  Carey offers some really unique journals and fun gift tags that I fell in love with.

Then we found Cutie Cooties {these sisters tout 'pretty little wares for your bad self'}.  They've got a great selection of handcrafted accessories for your hair, but I was particularly lovin' the fabric journals {above} and fabric covered wallets.  FUN!!

Next up ... not something I would get for the store, but maybe for my new addition?  These lovely canvases are from k studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  They also have an etsy site.

Then we ran into the lovely Amber J. Favorite.  Isn't that an awesome name?  The name of her company is a. favorite design ... I love it!  She had the loveliest note & greeting cards, but I was especially crushin' on this vintage {above} crayola box she used for a display.

Who doesn't love Sycamore Street Press?  I've been reading their blog for a couple months now and have seen many sightings of their work in the blog world.  So I was particularly happy to run into them.  I bought some great note sets ... and I also loved their displays!  Can't wait to get their goodies into the store.

And then we found sweet Donovan from 16 Sparrows.  I fell instantly in love with her booth and products!  It was also exciting to find out she's been a web customer of the store, and was very kind with her comments of our service & products.

A few other finds {but because of the weather conditions, I just wasn't in the mood to keep whipping out my camera} ... Denise Ann Simon; Michelle Brusegaard {she also has a lovely blog}; Circa Ceramics; and Lucky Bee Press.

Downside {besides the rain}?  Not so fun paying retail price for stationery! :)  Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted as we bring some of these new products into the store.

Special thanks to Heather {friend & ex-manager extraordinaire!} for braving the weather and keeping morning sickness at bay ... to tag along with me for the day.

mompreneur

{photo courtesy of amazon}

I frequently get calls and emails from women looking to start a business.  Sometimes the businesses vary, but mostly they are creative industries like stationery stores, or gift wrapping businesses.

I generally try to answer the questions as best I can, and give honest advice best I can.  I know I sure could've used some help when I first bought the store.

So when Jill sent me a note about a new book her friend just released, I thought I would put it out there for you all to take a look at.  The book is geared towards women and living out their dreams.  I think that's definitely worth sharing!

Thanks for the tip {and kind words} Jill!

i'm headed here ...

My first time and I can't wait to share my findings!

weekend greeting giveaway {seven}

This weekend greeting is from delphine.  I think it's no secret that I love Erika and her work.  I'm hoping ya' all have much to comment on this one!

So here's the deal ... leave me a comment {by next Friday}, saying who you would send this card to and why.  I'll pick my favorite and you get the card.  You can find more rules here.

On to last week's winner{s}!  Laurie, you guessed right ... Trish, you made me laugh ... and Sarah, you were my favorite {by default, I guess!}.  Email me your contact info and I'll get the card out to you next week.

Happy weekend everyone ... I leave you with a little display humor from the bwp staff.  You can find the election tabletopics here.

remembering ...

{photo courtesy of google images}

As I sit in the airport this morning watching news and remembrances of that fateful morning seven years ago ... I can't help but think ... I've forgotten.

We go about our busy day, our busy lives and we slowly forget ...

Today I will pray.  For the families of lost loved ones.  For those still suffering.  For our nation.  For our world.

heaven

So, this is my daughter ... in heaven!  Do you remember your celebrity boy crush?  Joey McIntire?  Simon Le Bon?  Jonathon Taylor Thomas {JTT}?  Justin Timberlake?  Paul McCartney?  Shaun Cassidy? Davy Jones?  Taylor's is Nick Jonas {boy to her right}.

Can I admit that mine was Scott Baio ... yeah, I just admitted it.  I was a Happy Days fan ... and then there was the oh-so-awesome spin off ... Joanie loves Chachi.  I am ROFL right now!  I just found this.  My sister and I used to spend hours perfecting this song!

Anyway.

Taylor was able to meet the Jonas Brothers at a recent concert and she was in absolute heaven.  I don't want to seem completely naive, but I love everything these boys are about.  They seem well grounded.  They wear purity rings.  They set up a foundation called Change for the Children to help different children's causes.  They tour with their family.  They've been quoted saying their favorite book is the Bible.  They bring their youngest brother {the bonus Jonas} onstage.  Their father introduces them.  Their mother stands off stage watching the concert.  I think we need to see more of this in today's entertainment industry.

I've struggled with posting my feelings, because they're more personal than inspirational ... although ... in thinking about it, I'd have to say they are inspirational.  I've seen these boys {or at least their persona} inspire my teenage daughter to be a better person.  I've found her kinder to her sisters.  More respectful to me.  She asked for a purity ring {I'll keep those details personal!}, and after finding a purity series for us to read and understand together, she's made the commitment and now wears a purity ring.

{photo courtesy of getty images}

Taylor and I recently watched part of the MTV Video Music Awards.  I'm still not quite sure who the host, Russell Brand, is or why he hosted the show ... but if I may be so bold to say ... I sure wasn't impressed.  The Jonas Brothers performed on the show and Russell pretty much tore them apart for wearing purity rings and being wholesome.  It may have been for the sake of comedy ... but I thought it was poor taste, and I guess I wanted to use this forum to say so.

We need to encourage today's youth {our future} to stand up for what they believe in.  It's not easy to be different, to stand out, be set apart.  And if these boys, and others like them want to make a difference ... I support that, and I encourage you all to too.

And just so this post didn't go all soapbox on you ... here's some fun ... guess who sat two rows in front of us at the concert?!?

i need this ...

This would be perfect in the hallway of our new addition!

new product crush

It took a while for these products to come in {ordered at the NSS} ... but oh, so worth the wait!

I love Dyna's story ... she started out with an art degree, working at a design firm doing retail/hotel graphics.  She got restless, so quit her job, missing paper, she traveled for 7 months through Asia & Europe soaking up all she could.  When she got back, she decided she wanted to design stationery.  With the help of supportive parents, Girl of All Work was born.

How did she get the name?  I didn't know this, but girl of all work refers to a domestic servant in 19th century Europe who took on different roles in the household and numerous tasks.  Dyna took the name, referencing all the women today who juggle a number of responsibilities ... hoping her products help us {yes, I'm one of those women!} organize our crazy lives or just offer a place to write down reflections at the end of a day.

Do you love it?

heads up

I'm going to be traveling the rest of this week, so posting will be light.  Although, I'm hoping to work on a post that's dear to my heart and I'd like to share ...

Where am I headed?  To surprise my hubby ... and I can't wait.  He's traveling right now, but will be flying into Vegas tonight for a business, trade show thing.  He'll arrive just in time for a presentation given by Chris Gardner {Pursuit of Happyness story} ... I'll be in our seats waiting for him ... I'm giddy thinking about it!

Then on Thursday, I'm headed to California for a lesson in photography with someone I majorly heart!

2009 calendars are trickling in ...

We've got some great 2009 calendars coming in, along with some great ones scheduled to come in ... stay tuned!

This one is from Crane & Co. {yes, they hopped on the calendar wagon} and you can get it here.

i want it, i need it ...

{photo courtesy of delphine}

I'm gonna get it!

bwp pick of the week {three}

Sorry it's been a couple weeks since the last 'pick of the week.' ... I'm learning it's hard to have a regular feature on a blog. Sometimes I just like to post willy-nilly stuff and when I feel tied to a promise I made, it sort of gives me unneeded pressure. And I realize it really shouldn't be all that dramatic ... no one really missed the weekly pick ... I didn't have people pounding down the door demanding the weekly pick. But if I say I'm going to give you a weekly feature ... then gosh darn it, I want to give you a weekly feature.

All that said ... I am now pleased to announce BWP's 'pick of whenever we feel like picking it!' {that made me smile ...}

And now on to the pick ... LobotoME's Check ME shopping pad. The objective of this pad is "to get you in and out of the store with healthy foods and mind intact." The pad is great for health conscious consumers, listings items like hummus, veggie burgers & free range chicken.

LobotoME's products are eco-friendly, made locally with recycled products. And to offset their carbon footprint, they donate to the Conservation Fund and the 'Go Zero' program. Congrats on making a great product with a conscious!

Jenny, founder of LobotoME also has a fun blog ... check it out!

weekend creativity

I've mentioned before what a budding little artist Piper is ...

I needed to print some photos yesterday for one of her homework assignments, and when I'm doing that {in the space where my printers are} the girls love to take full advantage of being in my 'craft' room.  I keep a separate stock-pile of all kinds of papers and scraps for them to play with.  So while I got busy printing photos, she got busy doing 'crafts.'

These are her creations.  When I saw them, I immediately thought of sharing with you all {which means I think I've officially become a blogger!}.  First she made a party favor horn {Jack & Lulu polka-dotted paper, and some left over ribbon}, and then this awesome hat {Jack & Lulu polka-dotted paper, and Heidi paper}.

The hat was constructed with 5{ish} pieces put together, leaving a center hole.  Then the cone type feature on the top.  She even put ribbon on as a strap.

I'm gonna hire this kid someday!  Watch out Tony, I think she's takin' over your table creations!  :)

do you know what this means?

Christmas is arriving at BWP!  Happy weekend everyone ...

weekend greeting giveaway {six}

This weekend greeting is from CopperWillow Paper Studio.  CopperWillow is a 'green' studio ... using 100% recycled paper and printing with soy based inks.

Here's the scoop ... leave a comment {by next Friday} saying who you would send this card to and why.  I'll pick my favorite and you get the card!  You can find more rules here.

And as a bonus this week ... the first person to leave a comment with what ROFL means, gets a card too!

you gotta bid on this!

{photo courtesy of snippet & ink}

Okay, so it's no secret I'm a huge fan of Snippet & Ink.  Could there be a lovelier, more inspirational blog?  I'm thinking no ...

So I was hugely excited when I found out that in an effort to help the Nielson family, Kathryn is auctioning off a custom inspiration board!  The bidding closes at midnight {est} tomorrow, so head on over quickly!

awesome staff at bwp

One of the benefits of our location {down the block from one of the best art schools in the country, MIAD}, is that I'm able to hire really creative people!  Creative people + love of paper = great displays!

Since we'll be working on a fall display shortly, I wanted to be sure to show you what we had up this summer in our front window display.  The beehive's my favorite!

Thanks awesome bwp staff!

sweet treats ...

{photo courtesy of suffix.abuse}

Remember this?  Now they're here ... I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!