Oh Happy Friday

This week has flown by. We had our meetings with the wonderful people of Kate's Paperie, tried on wetsuits for our upcoming Ironman (that was a treat), decided on some fun giveaways for a gifting suite we're doing next month in LA, and have nearly finished our holiday line. Oh, and that small decision to stay in Brooklyn for a while longer:) We've got lots of exciting things coming up next week, including a small unveiling of some of our recent social stationery projects, a magazine shout out, and if all goes well, the very first L&H contest. And of course - the first days of September - my favorite of all the months. So stay tuned and have a great holiday weekend!

[photo of our staircase & the great old wall covering I refuse to touch]

I am here - really.

I apologize for being a bit absent lately. We are a little crazy around here this week. There was the application we submitted for real commercial space here in Brooklyn. Then, of course, there was the oh s*** moment where we wanted to move to Maine... again. And now, after deciding we should stay put for the time-being, there's just the last minute deadlines for everything else. In the meantime though - I will continue to stalk the Maine real estate websites and live vicariously through Katy Elliott, who is leaving NYC and Domino to move up north. Some day, some day.

[Michaela Scherrer doily drapes via katy elliott and lisafontanarosa.com]

We Heart Kate's

I don't want to single out retailers for obvious reasons, and there are so very many that I love and ones that take extra special care of us, but because there's a history here, I have to say - I'm pretty proud to now be offering our custom collection in the very upscale, very paper-hip, Kate's Paperie, located right across the bridge in New York City. I remember going into Kate's for the first time about 10 years ago with my older sister and just drooling over the seemingly endless racks of paper goods. It left a huge impression on me - one that stayed with me through the years and played a big part in declaring very matter of factly in my junior year of college that I was going to design cards for a living. So, naturally, I was beyond thrilled when Kate's decided to carry our line. And then even more so when they asked us to come in to present our work to their sales staff. What a fantastic way to familiarize them with our work - how it all came to be, how we describe our aesthetic - the whole story. I was very impressed with this idea of presenting our work - and it makes me happy because it really just validates how I've felt about Kate's all along. Thanks to all the lovely women at Kate's we met this morning over bagels, muffins, D&D coffee and of course our very own L&H goodies!

[photo courtesy of racked.com]

Paddle Surfing

I'm back! I decided last minute to take a little two-day personal time to be with my family this past weekend. It's hard to believe - and makes me very sad to think - that I may not be seeing my older sister and her family (who live in London) until next June. Gives me a little pit in my stomach just thinking about it. But, happier times this weekend were spent doing this new sport my sister picked up this summer and can't get enough of - paddle surfing. If you're in calm waters, it's not so much surfing as kayaking standing up - but it was a cool way to get out on the water and without even really getting wet. I'd like to think I looked as cool & calm as Jennifer Garner here, but mostly I was hoping not to tip over:)

Liner Love

I am obsessed with mixing patterns - or at least putting them together like in this combo of coral-colored liners. So I'm toying with the idea of offering a selection of liner patterns in the same colorway. I think this would be a great way to change up your otherwise simple stationery set. I mean, when you order nice stationery, you're probably ordering 50 or 100 or even more. So why not have a little variety?

Hooray for the Deco File!

I have been a bookmarking machine the past couple of years - stuff like Christmas & birthday gifts, home accessories, furniture, patterns, recipes, dream vacation spots. You name it, I bookmark it. Domino has now launched a tool that allows you to do essentially the same thing, but with images. Genius! So your bookmarks become these thumbnails - much better for the visual person! It's like an online visual board. And so easy! Go check it out. If you're a bookmarker like me, you'll love it.

[My first images added to my Deco File from dominomag.com & my personal bookmark files]

More Gold & Turquoise

Oooh - Kathryn from Snippet & Ink and I are so on the same page. Love this, Kathryn!