Sunny Bloom is here

Our Sunny Bloom has arrived - and just in time for the sunny days of summer.

Tagged by Jane

I've been tagged by Jane to list 8 things (or habits) about me:

1. I have a bad case of New Yorkers Walk. I try to walk faster than everyone else on the street. Sometimes it's so bad that I run.
2. I love gardens and plants, but I can't seem to ever keep them alive.
3. I've run 2 marathons and am training for my third right now, which is listed as "hilly" and I think I'm crazy for doing it. But it's in Maine. In October!
4. My husband John and I are plotting our escape to our favorite state Maine. Like in the next year.
5. I make a really good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
6. I could have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day.
7. I love my dog Kinglsey, but sometimes I hate her. Like this morning when she shredded a whole role of toilet paper in our bed.
8. I like all soda/beer/pint glass labels to face out. They look neater that way.

School Days

There is something about these lines. Should I translate them into letterpress? note cards? notepads? personalized stationery? letterpress names or images on regular lined paper? what about a little combo of lined & graph paper for a stationery set? I'm loving the possibilities here. Stay tuned.

Thanks, Orange Beautiful!

I was away for a few days - enjoying some time with my nieces and nephews - so I apologize for the drought. Even though I wasn't posting, I still made sure to keep in the blogging loop and was delighted to see that Orange Beautiful's the SCOOP had posted about us on Friday. I'm still kind of a newbie in the blogging world, so I get very excited about these shout outs. Plus, I happen to read the SCOOP and value the point of view - so thank you!

Shipping Out

As I was getting these cows all ready to ship out last night and couldn't help but love the way they looked against my Surf-colored walls.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the cows' new home...

What Other Career Would You Choose?

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good” - Dr. Seuss

I was emailing with a friend who moved to LA earlier this year and is working on a new tv show while writing a tv and film screenplay. She's living one of my dreams - living out west. For years, I've longed to make the move. Just to try.

It got me thinking what else I'd just like to try. Two of my little pipe dreams are being a children's book author/illustrator and inventing my own candy. (The latter of which I'd like to consider myself a connoiseur.)

Anyone else have pipe dreams?

Rocky

I have re-occurring nightmares about racoons, mostly larger-than-life ones chasing me (WHAT is the significance there?) but I'm tempted to give this little guy a home. How cute is he? Get your own here.

Amy Underhill

print & pattern posted the works of Amy Underhill recently, and while I had an immediate attraction to her work, I am captivated by this particular one. It must be the graph paper. I loved shopping for school supplies when I was younger. There is nothing better than a brand new notebook - crisp cardboard cover, clean lines, fresh paper page after page! I loved it. This piece makes me feel that feeling all over again in a very new way. I wish I could put this in a white lacquered frame and keep it by me for peaceful gazing.

The Great Big Small Thank You Note

I love these Oversized Flats because you can fit everything you want/have/need to say very neatly. I love the space on all sides of the handwriting - no crowding, no squishing - which just looks sloppy. Not that I'm not guilty of the progressively smaller handwriting justsoitallfits... pheew! I do it all the time - mostly on my Foldover Note Cards. The little fold action is great for hiding all kinds of sloppiness inside - which can be nice - but sometimes I prefer my notes to be neat - which means the card & handwriting must all work together. And while this Oversized Flat looks like you would need more to say - I say the shorter, the sweeter. And neater.

Fun with Tags

Lizzy used our tags to pair wine & cheese she gave as a wedding present:

A simple way to say:


Tags as unpretentious place cards, toothpicked into tomatoes:

A fun decoration piece for my Linda & Harriett tote:

These tags are coming in mighty handy these days! And we just added two new ones: Strawberries and Bloom.

Artist Julie Goldstein

I'm headed to the Jersey shore for the weekend and while I'm there, I'm going to visit Long Beach Island, NJ - based artist, Julie Goldstein. Her work is fantastic - lots of beach/surf related images - but she has some great tree prints (I gave one to my brother & his wife for their wedding), people prints, bike prints and more. She can also custom design work as well. If you're on Long Beach Island, stop into the island's hippest restaurant, Blue, to see a whole collection of Julie's work. One of my favorite pieces of Julie's is currently on display at LBI's Foundation of the Arts & Sciences in an exhibition jurored by Starr Figura from MoMA. It runs through July 26th. If you can't make it to LBI, get in touch with Julie to see more of her work.

Moose Goes Notepad

He's here! He's here! Our very popular Mr. Moose has made his way on to our also very popular notepads. I knew I was a notepad fan - always jotting down fleeting thoughts & new ideas on mine - but I had no idea there was such a notepad market out there!

You asked, so I delivered. Here he is. For all those split-second mind-teasers that come in & out of your brain at lightning speed - you have somewhere to let them land. And now hang out with our friendly Moose.

Ode to Martha Wall

Remember the obsession with Martha's paint colors? They now watch over me:

I was nervous when I started this that I was doing something really dumb. BLACK lettering on a white wall? Everyone I told about this idea (albeit one nice blogger who said the project sounded "neat") just looked at me blankly not really responding - or cheering like it was the best idea in the world, which I, of course, felt was the appropriate response.

But these poo-pooers didn't hold this girl back. And while I did feel a pang of This Better Not Look Like Shit at the beginning, it quickly vanished when I got to the end of Gingerbread Man, took a step back, and realized no one else has the words "gingerbread man" written on their wall! (perhaps there's a reason for this) But it felt freeing at the time. The black paint, the white wall, written any way I like. I really enjoyed it.

I may have to wallpaper it in a year, like I wanted to do originally, but for now, it's perfect. Just like Milk Glass Pink.

An Extra Special Birthday Gift

At 11:41pm last night, my brother & his wife welcomed a little baby boy. Fisher. And I can't wait to get my hands on this little one - so my sister and I are headed to Philadelphia this morning. More to come later...

Happy Birthday Indeed!

Does it get any better than receiving Domino and Creativity on your birthday? I just don't think so.

Cake Stand Blue, Flour Sack, Snow Globe

I recently went to Lowe's to buy paint for my studio walls (I chose Surf) and fell in love with the names of the Martha Stewart paint colors. I couldn't get enough of them. John thought I was crazy when I met him in the light bulb aisle with a deck of these swatch cards. I couldn't leave some of these names behind to live in the fluorescent light saturated aisle of Lowe's forever! So I rescued as many as I could and have been waiting for the right day and right project.

Today is that day. It's my birthday. And the project is to fill this little alcove right near my desk. I was going to wallpaper the space, but now I've decided to paint the names of these colors in all black swirly letters, filling the entire nook. Can't wait to see how it turns out! Stayed tuned...

Just to give you an idea of why I'm crazy for these names and need to paint them on my walls:
Magnolia Blosson
Sleigh Bed
Bakery Box
Flower Bucket
Peony Red
Gingerbread Man
Chamois Cloth
Party Dress
Sugar Egg Pink

See what I mean??

Someone Else's Trash is My Treasure

John and I were on our way back from a bike ride early this morning and found this great desk on the sidewalk. I was immediately smitten and had to give it a home. Now I can't decide if I want to use it for my press table or as a side table. Thoughts?

I love these little cubbies:

It still has the alphabet tape on it, which I will have to leave for a while:

Happy Birthday Dad

My dad is the greatest. When I was little, I was amazed how he could fit a whole oreo in his mouth at once. I was in awe. I always wanted to be able to do that. (ahem, it's no problem, now)

My dad also happens to be the funniest person I know. I love Jerry Seinfeld and there isn't anything Jerry says that I don't either roar or giggle over. My dad (sorry, Jerry) is funnier. He's a classic storyteller. Just this past weekend, he went into the story from two Halloween's ago when he dressed up in his werewolf costume (He not only loves this thing, but keeps it hidden so my stepmother doesn't find it & toss it. His favorite part of it is that the jaw of the mask is strapped to his own for a more realistic effect). We've all heard the story before - many times in fact - but we're still captivated like we've never heard it.

So, the story goes.... he went over to his sister-in-laws house, who never gets trick-or-treaters yet keeps a bowl full of candy out just in case. Knowing full well she'd be so excited to hear the doorbell ring, my dad heads out in his costume - rings the doorbell and steps out of view from the peephole so they think it's a little kid. He can hear her inside, shuffling around for the bowl, so excited, and opens the door chanting Happy Halloween! - when my dad jumps out in the full get-up and scares her to the point of screaming and slamming the door in his face. He's cracking himself up telling us this story for the 100th time - and we're all laughing like it's the first time.

I love you Dad. I love you and you're crazy sense of humor.

Isn't She a Beauty?

Before:

and After:

You may not be able to tell from these photos, but my new little press looks a whole lot better after some tlc with the WD-40. (Thanks to Elisabeth at Black Pearl Press for the cleanup tips!) I also just ordered a whole bunch of missing parts from NA Graphics. The guy on the phone was so patient with me as I asked 1000 questions. I can't wait to get started! Check back with me in three weeks - August 3rd - that's my deadline for my first piece!

The New York Daily News chooses our "Frank"

Check out our little green guy, Frank. Pauline Montupet from the NY Daily News says our note cards are the perfect gift "For the Perfect Hostess." We couldn't agree more!

Paper Lantern Invitation

I just did these invitations for Kerry & Jeff, who are getting married in September - outside, near the water, under canopies of trees and brightly colored lanterns. Love this vibe.

Looking for an Intern

I need some help.

I know it's kind of late in the game to be looking for a summer intern - but it's New York, and in New York, people have all kinds of crazy schedules & situations that might just allow for this kind of thing.

Ideally, our intern is a college student looking for some hands-on experience building and running a new small business. And since this is a stationery company, it would be great if this person was also creatively inclined. Things our intern will be responsible for will include: card packaging, order filling & processing, and submitting press packets to publications and wholesale catalogues to prospective retailers. Through all of this, our intern will see how orders are taken and processed, how we bill clients, how our designs start as ideas and end up on our cards and invitations. Since this company is basically just me - this person will be intimately involved in everything that happens with Linda & Harriett in the next six weeks. And it's an exciting time here - on the heels of DailyCandy press, having fulfilled all our Stationery Show orders, and continuing to get more retailer business every week.

I'm thinking this will be a 6 week internship, 3 days a week, flexible days, fleixble hours but probably around 5 hours per day, and although the internship is unpaid, I'll gladly pay for subway fare and lunch.

If you or anyone you know is interested, email me at liz@lindaandharriett.com with your resume - and tell me a little bit about yourself.

A Happy Little Nest

I am obsessed with how these personalized note cards are looking in their sweet little homes, so I had to share.

I'm off to enjoy one of my very favorite holidays with my sister and her boyfriend (Happy Birthday to you!) as well as my brother and his very pregnant wife.

More to come next week: studio space facelift, letterpress tlc, and more announcements (one possibly being my newest nephew).

Happy Fourth!

Organized or Antiquated?

I just purchased this Rolodex the other day. My first ever. Well, I guess I had one at the ad agency I used to work for - but even then, I rarely used it, except to keep florists' numbers or my boss's Amex number (shhhh). But why do that? I have programs that can store this information alphabetically, color-coded, with notes in paragraph form if need be. And isn't this also the precise reason I bolster my email storage just so I can refer to emails sent two years ago? It's a lifesaver, that gmail.

But what do I do with all these business cards I've collected? I think I have 100 from the stationery show alone. Most I'd like to keep. I thought about getting one of those business card scanners, but those were $150 at Staples! The trusty pen on paper Rolodex was $15. So I decided to give this classic Office piece a try.

I'm a nerd aren't I?