From the Desk Fridays: Seeing Fluoro

I have been noticing a lot of fluorescent colors lately. I heard earlier this year that Jennifer Behr's fluoro headbands sell very well in Europe, which apparently means that that trend will hit the US about six months to a year later - or something like that. And then just the other day, was struck by the cover of Gourmet (usually am) and that same day, I read this article in the Wall Street Journal Style section about the Magenta trend for fall. I think I have a long way to go before I make a fluoro garb purchase, but I do like that we're breaking out of bland. It's so timely & refreshing.

Have a good weekend!

Blog Facelift and... Tweet.

It's been a while since I have updated my blog, so while I had a little time last night, I changed the header (our new Chandelier design) and added a few new blog reads: simplesong, bluepoolroad, Yellow Owl Workshop, Style Me Pretty, Smitten Kitchen, oatmeal & cinnamon, simple pretty and Oh So Beautiful Paper. These are all great blogs & voices of some seriously talented ladies.

And finally - I've caved. I'm now on Twitter. Which I was nervous about at first - but in my whopping two days on there, I'm pretty excited. I like to share personal photos & little tid-bits on here - but sometimes it doesn't quite feel appropriate or relevant that I think the women on The Real Housewives of New Jersey are complete train wrecks & that I stay up until 11pm watching them crash & burn. So, if you're on Twitter, follow me @lindaharriett. And if you're not - sign up! It's kinda fun.

[images above from Peggy's blog, blue pool road]

Daytrip Society & Wave

While up in Maine this weekend, I stumbled upon this gem of a shop, Daytrip Society. The owners used to live in Brooklyn - which I could feel almost instantly in the well-designed layout & the well-curated items. I left with a couple gifts for friends and this book Wave by Suzy Lee for me. I fell in love with the simplicity of it - no words and just two colors. It reminds me of my summers growing up on the Jersey Shore - that feeling of being a kid on the beach - playing in the sand, chasing sea gulls, jumping over waves, swimming away from the crabs nibbling at our toes, building endless sandcastles & digging swimming pool ditches. This book simply makes me smile.

Check out Daytrip Society's great online shop here.

Recharged

Every year after the NSS, I have a million things I need to do, but I'm always so beat. And I've learned that if I jump into all the follow-up work right away, I never recharge. This year, I took copious notes on everything that needs to be done so that I could take the long weekend to get in some r&r. And I'm a new woman because of it. Happy to be back in Brooklyn. Happy to be here.

From the Desk Fridays: What you Love

So this photo might be from my desk, but the words come from Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. I was recently forwarded the commencement speech he made at Standford in 2005 and found what he said to be very interesting and really encouraging. So I thought I'd let you all read it too in case you hadn't seen it. Read the text here or see a video of the speech here.

Have a great long weekend. Be back on Tuesday.

NSS: Wrap Up & Us

This is definitely not a winner photo of me - I blame Katie for not telling me my hair looked like a character from Fraggle Rock - but it was the only one I had of the two of us from the show. So here you go, world - Fraggle Rock hair and all. And Katie would like me to add that it was the last day, which was only three hours - so we knew it would be a ghost town and that we needed to pack up & move out -- so we dressed accordingly:)

I enjoy the show more & more every year as I've gotten to know a few other stationers and really look forward to catching up with them. Christine & Evan from Yellow Owl Workshop have got to be my favorite people of all time. And I am over the moon obsessed with Christine's work. It's also fun getting to meet people you only know from the blog world or only know via email. I particularly enjoyed getting to meet Jane, Suann, Nole, Peggy, Maria & chatting with Vané while we were resting our feet.

We'll be adding new stores to our list as we ship out orders over the next several weeks - but if you have a stationery store in your area that you absolutely love - let us know! We can't find them all and love getting recommendations for good ones.

Off to unpack our boxes & get this place back into order!

NSS: Last Day & Thank Yous

Today's the last day of the NSS. I've really enjoyed it this year. Maybe it's the slower pace and less frenzied bleary-eyed buyers, but I've gotten to talk to so many more people this year - which is a big part of why I enjoy the show in the first place.


So we wrap it up today and move out. But before we go, I have to tell you that our homemade banana bread by Lizzy was a big big hit! (Her batch was definitely better than mine - sorry, Sunday attendees.) The recipe is from her grandmother & got rave reviews -- from taking multiple helpings to people telling me it was the best carrot cake they ever had:) So a big big thank you to Lizzy & her Grandmom!!!


Another big thank you to Grace at design*sponge for stopping by our booth & her sweet post on L&H yesterday. We are thrilled that our 2010 calendar is getting such great feedback! (Better & more photos of that to come.)

Until then -- three more hours & then we're back to the studio!

NSS: Day Two & Three

Today is Day Three of the National Stationery Show -- the last long day since tomorrow ends at noon. I was going to post photos of my favorite fellow stationers, but there have been so many great bloggers coming through that I think I'll leave it up to them.

NSS: Day One

Well, by the time you are reading this, it'll be Day Two and I'll be on my way up to or at Booth #2059 at the National Stationery Show. These photos are from Sunday, Day One. Our rug was down & one wall was up by the time I remembered to take a before shot:


And a few shots of the booth now:




I was expecting crickets for the first day - but it was surprisingly busy. It's a smaller show that usual, which I think makes for more action for the exhibitors who are actually there. And it's probably a little easier on the buyers & press people navigating the rows upon rows of fluorescent green carpet - easier on their eyes, heads and feet, I'd imagine.

So far so good. I'm thrilled to have met a few fellow bloggers -- it's so nice to be able to finally meet someone, even though you already feel like you kinda know them. Catching up with some nice store owners is always fun too. I really love the NSS. Once we're in & settled, I'm really so happy to be there and meet people who are just as excited about design & paper & small business as me. Nerdy, fine. But I love it.

I'm hoping to take some photos of some of my favorite exhibitors tomorrow, so stay tuned.

NSS: Move-In Day

We're all packed up & ready to go. It's move in day for L&H. And lucky for us, we're getting a ride from our friend who has a van. How great is that?! No rental truck for us this year! I'm a little nervous about having to install our own foamcore boards that we saved from last year. Yikes! I'll try to keep you posted as much as I can.

So that leaves baking for tomorrow and then it's showtime on Sunday!

Have a great weekend!

Finding My Happy Place

I'm doing a million things this morning, getting ready for the big show. When I start feeling stressed, I turn on my 'hippie music'. I don't know what it is - but nothing soothes my soul like the Grateful Dead. I've got my Pandora Radio turned up listening to Row Jimmy right now and am feeling at peace as prepare for our NSS move-in tomorrow. I don't really get it -- but it works. What's your stress reliever?

NSS Prep: Recipe Postcard

We're baking up a great banana bread to give away at the show, along with a recipe postcard to go with it. The recipe comes from my friend's grandmother. It's a good one. And I'm happy to say I handled it without issue last night. (Phew!) Along with the generous baking help of my friend, we're on our way to have lots to share. So come by booth #2059, have a little treat and take a postcard to share the love.

NSS Prep: String

We're changing up our booth display a bit this year. To keep costs down, we're using many of the same elements: the rug, the foamcore walls that we saved from last year (because they are way too expensive to pay for year after year!), and the material we draped over the foamcore. But we're doing something fun on one of the walls using string that I'm really excited about because 1, the process has reminded me of my senior art thesis using mixed media (more on that another time) and 2, it drives home the whole idea of correspondence & communication - a big theme for us. Here's a sneak peek of our trial run. We move in & set up on Friday, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on how it goes.

Back to the list-making.

Artist: Jean Shin

I was in DC for a friend's wedding this weekend and stopped in at the Smithsonian American Art Museum to see the Jean Shin exhibit, Common Threads. Holy moly, I love her work. She uses found objects & uses them in this meticulous way that completely captivates me. I haven't been this impressed & inspired by a work of art in a long long time, so it felt really nice to experience it. If you're in the DC area, I highly recommend checking it out. Later this year, she'll be in NYC.

Also - Shin discusses her recent work on nytimes.com -- always super interesting to hear an artist speak about her own work.

Stay tuned for a full week of From the Desk...

From the Desk Fridays: 2010

This is probably my favorite From the Desk Fridays yet: a super sneak peek of 2010 Calendar that we're unveiling at the National Stationery Show (May 17-20). Designing the calendar every year has been one of my all-time favorite projects. I try to think a lot about the seasons, what they bring & what they mean. I try not to make it too cutesy or too literal - so I'll throw in some patterns and inject some different colors that are relevant but not obvious. For 2010, we decided to do things a bit differently. The design sensibility remains the same - but the function has changed. I think I'll wait til next Friday to show you what I mean. Until then, it's show prep time! Next week will be all From the Desk, all week. So stay tuned.

And have a great weekend!

InStyle Weddings

InStyleWeddings.com has featured L&H as one of four stationers on its wedding paper trends piece. Check out what they had to say about our custom collection here.

Jenny Lee-Katz

I'm a total copycat for posting these Jenny Lee-Katz textiles since Grace at design*sponge posted them yesterday, but I can't help myself. I love them. I'm always drawn to animal prints, but sometimes they can look too cutesy. These however, seem to stay on the more sophisticated side with a good dose of fun. And even though seagulls are kind of pesky, they remind me of summers on the Jersey Shore - chasing, avoiding, but never feeding those little buggers.

[images courtesy of jennyleekatz.com]

Paperfinger

A friend just told me about Paperfinger, a new calligraphy & hand-drawn design company based here in Brooklyn. I have a big soft spot for hand-lettering, especially when it looks like this. I love working with local calligraphers, so I'm thrilled to have found her. The owner, Bryn, also has a great blog.

Case of the Mondays

I apologize for the lack of posts last week. I had every intention of blogging from a bachelorette party in wine country -- but that was just silly. So now I'm back & counting down the days til the NSS. Still so much to do! Eeek!

Three of my favorite - and blog appropriate - photos from the trip: A chandelier at Brix. Tiny cracker dishes at Mumm in the shape of the grape transport containers (I really wish they sold these little guys!). A napkin pressed with the name of the vineyard, Shafer.