Blog — "etsy shop"

Many of you have been following the recent pencil saga via Instagram and Twitter. About six months ago, I started to brainstorm ideas for products to add to my shop. This was when I was in the dreaming phase of quitting my teaching job and thinking about ways that I could expand to make this a reality. I began making lists of items and ideas that I wanted to add that made sense with cards and stationery, but I simply didn't have the time to do it. Over the past three months, and as the school year was winding down and I knew I wasn't going back in the fall, I started researching the possibilities of adding pencils to my shop.

At first, I looked into the possibility of having pencils imprinted based on words or phrases that I ordered from a pencil company. As I began looking into what it would cost to do this, I started to think that it just simply didn't make sense to go that route. First, the Etsy marketplace doesn't allow the resale of mass-produced items, and I'm not one to try to sneak around. Second, my business is a handmade business, so it seemed natural that I should stick to that. My cards are all cut, scored, printed, folded, and packaged by hand. My notebooks are all cut, printed, punched, and bound by hand. I wanted to continue the handmade nature of my shop since that's what I love about it most.

I spent the next few months trying to figure out what my next steps would be. I began reading about hot foil presses. I wanted to get a hot foil press, but the cost was exuberant. Then I ran across a few articles that suggested vintage presses. I began a new set of research to find out which presses performed the best and would most likely still be of use today. I finally decided on the type of press that I wanted and I waited until the right one came along. Finally, an amazing deal popped up. I waffled over it for about four days until Andrew, getting annoyed with my indecisiveness, finally said, "Just get the damn press! It's a hell of deal and even if it's a risk it's one that I know you can make pay off!" So I bought it. A Kingsley hot foil press that is probably circa 1950s, in near mint condition (minus a missing handle, hence the screwdriver).

I truly want to share more about this press with you all in another blog post. I will be taking photos of everything that came with the press to share with you because it is truly a piece of history in itself. But for now, after all of this back story, I want to share another true labor of love that I have added to my shop-- imprinted pencils. Each pencil has been hand stamped on my Kingsley press so no two are exactly alike. I'll be adding more pencil colors and phrases (trust me, I have a whole section in my idea book full of them!) as I am able. Here is a look at a few of the current options.



In addition to the pencils that are available ready to ship, I also have a custom option for those of you that want your own phrase or name on a pencil. The custom pencils are available as a minimum set of 10 due to the time it takes to set the type and press the pencils.

I know that I often say that I'm super excited about new cards or products, but this has to be one of the most exciting so far! The entire story of the press as well as the process for making these pencils is truly energizing. It truly is a creative process that feels incredibly rewarding on a personal level.

What do you think about the new pencils? Have you been learning or experiencing any new creative processes lately?

Last week, I introduced a new line of notebooks to my shop. I also had been talking about a new line of cards that I had been working on. I've had a lot of ideas in this little head of mine long before the school year ended and it's pretty awesome to finally see these ideas turn into the physical thing.

Lately we've been seeing a lot of throwbacks to my childhood and neon is one of those things. At first, I was hesitant to go back to what I'd already lived through. Then, the mistake happened. I ordered a pink tee online that I thought was just pink. It even looked pink on the website. But when it arrived in was neon pink. At first, I freaked out. Then I just decided to roll with it and finally embrace my second grade self again. With embracing that second grade self, I was inspired by this new neon line.
Bold black printed on beautifully thick white card stock complimented by neon envelopes of purple, pink, and green. These cards are bold and sassy in both color and wording. They're just fun! And I think that fully embraces that second grade me.

What do you think of the new neon line? Are you embracing the throwback to neon like I am?

Happy Monday my friends! And I say "happy Monday!" in all seriousness, not just as a formality! This weekend was ridiculously relaxing, which is a great thing, but by Sunday evening I was itching to get back to work. I actually wanted Monday to arrive. I'm not even sure when the last time I felt that way about a job happens to be. In fact, I may have never felt this way about Monday in my entire life.

I'm just a few days over a month into this new adventure of self-employment and so far it doesn't feel like work. However, the amount of work that I have accomplished in this past month amazes me. I've added a ton of new cards to the shop. I launched a new line of notebooks last week. I've been working on a new line of cards that will hopefully be ready this week. I have had new blog posts for you almost every day (that in itself is almost a miracle considering how hard it was for me to keep up while teaching). And, while I've been doing all of that, I was also whittling away at a new blog design.

Take a look at what the blog used to be.

Today I'm starting the week fresh by launching the new blog. However, I cannot promise you that all of the elements will stay. I've spent about three weeks going back and forth about what I wanted each of the elements to look like and I'm not entirely set on the header still. I am happy with it for the most part though. To be honest, I feel as though this design is lot more simple in style and reflects who I am much more than the old design. The color, aqua, is my favorite color and I tend to be a fairly simple girl, so the aqua and black just works for me.

What do you think about the new blog design? Do you like the new header? I'm not sure if that should stay or go.

One of the most fantastic feelings is having a creative vision and the end result becomes just as you had imagined. Over the past few weeks, I had been brainstorming new product ideas for my shop. Many of you mentioned that you love notebooks. I have to admit, I'm a notebook fanatic as well, keeping many on hand to make lists, jot down ideas, and sketch. I began doing research to find the best possible materials for what I had in mind. I wanted the notebooks to be stylish, whimsical, inspirational, environmentally friendly, yet affordable at the same time. I began sketching and designing the covers and waited for the rest of the materials to arrive. The end result is a line of notebooks that I feel have pushed me to become better at my craft.
Each notebook has been made of 100% recycled paper-- card stock, blank pages, and chipboard backing. The quality of the paper is some of the best I have worked with and has inspired many other ideas to evolve from this project. Each notebook has been cut, punched, and bound by me, making them a serious labor of love.
You can now view the entire line of notebooks in my shop here.

Now that my notebook line is finally complete, I will be turning my focus to a new line of cards that I hope to launch soon as well. I have a couple more fun ideas for future products for my shop, but would love to know what you guys would be interested in!

I haven't made a whole lot of new cards for my shop lately because I've got another new product in the works that I've been spending the majority of my time on instead. In addition, I've also been working on another new line of cards, but I am waiting for the envelopes for this particular line to arrive. I am feeling incredibly inspired by so many things around me. It seems I have all sorts of ideas these days, and I'm having a hard time staying focused on just one project at a time. I finally have the time to execute some of my ideas and so they are all trying to get out of my system at one time, which sometimes leads to less productivity in the end. I have been trying to continue feeling inspired, but take note of these inspirations instead of diving into them as soon as something pops into my head. Despite an inspiration overload these days, I was still able to get some of these new cards into the shop.

I've been really feeling inspired lately by new card stock and envelopes that I recently purchased, new fonts to play with, and colors that are on trend these days. As I prepare my new line of cards that I'm hoping to launch mid-month, you'll continue to see current color trends, but in a fun and bold way instead of these corals, mints, and purples.

What have you been inspired by lately?