"Yay! Gay! Yay for Gay!"

It was a big big day yesterday. I had chills. I cried. I called friends and cried some more. And then I made this rainbow because it was hard to concentrate.

I am so happy & proud for all this means. For all of us.

[post title quote courtesy of Max from Design*Sponge]

Tiny Desk Concert

Have you seen this performance by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series?  It gave me chills. It's so awesome to see someone doing exactly what he's meant to do. You don't sound or move like this just because you sorta like to sing.

Enjoy.

We Think Alone

A friend told me about this cool project called We Think Alone - an honest look at how people communicate over email. Its creator, Miranda July, has asked nine people to submit emails they've written to people regarding a number of subjects, like "an email about money," with the feeling that people can communicate so differently over email than in person. As July says, "getting a glimpse of them from their own point of view." These emails will go out to anyone who signs up to receive them, starting July 1. Aren't you curious to read emails from Lena Dunham and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? I am!

Read a little more about the project here. And sign up here.

Thanks for the tip, T.

[photo above from Us Weekly]

WSJ: On Intuition

We recently started a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. (No, it's not all numbers all the time. And while I do quite like their Small Business section, I will admit that the Personal Journal is my favorite.) There is a great column in the WSJ Magazine called The Columnists, where they ask several professionals to weigh in on the week's topic. Last week, the topic was Intuition. You can read all the responses here, including a good one from Questlove. My favorite response was from Francis Cholle, whose response I've shown above. 

I've been a big follower of my gut for as long as I can remember - sometimes with wide eyes - like when I quit my ad agency job because no one around me was happy, and my dad thought I was bananas. Or when I signed up for the National Stationery Show for the first time and at the last minute with just six note card designs. Or last year, when I debuted an enormous wall calendar that doubled as artwork. Things don't always work out when you use your gut as your compass, of course, but it seems as though the odds are at least always in my favor. This week's WSJ piece on intuition reminded me how important that inner voice is. And it comes at an opportune time, as I navigate mothering two little ones while also trying to kick things up at L&H - and maybe in ways that seem unusual for what has primarily been a paper goods company. But sometimes, you just have to go for it, right?!  

L&H for Paperless Post: Baby!

I've added some new designs to my baby collection over at Paperless Post and have posted some here. I used india ink as the starting point for all of these designs. I love the quick brushstroke look - and putting many of the same images together really makes it sing for me. Except for the 1st Birthday design at the bottom - that one to me looks simple and awesome as is. Plus, a first birthday really is a big one! 

All of my baby designs for PP are available as e-greetings as well as paper. You can check them out here. Hope you like! And let me know if you use one or receive one - I'd love to hear what you think!

Brooklyn Museum: Workt by Hand

Last weekend, the weather was pretty crummy here, so to help stave off major ants in the pants, we took the kids (kids!) to the Brooklyn Museum. John took Griffin to the archive room where you can pull out drawers and shine flashlights into the cases. He loved it! (Hands on stuff is always a hit.) I took Louise (who saw the back of her eyelids the whole time) to see the Workt by Hand exhibit featuring some beautiful historic quilts. I don't know what it is, but I'm gravitated towards quilts. I was in heaven looking at all the amazing hand work. I could have looked at them all day long. But of course, Griffin got hungry and Louise woke up, so we went to the cafeteria for a stromboli and a beer. :) 

L&H for Galison: Labels & Note Cards

For the first time in six years, I did not exhibit at the National Stationery Show. As any exhibitor knows, the lead up to the show is nutty. There's so much prep work. So last fall when the deposit was due & my belly was out to Alaska, I decided to pass. Instead, I've been silently working on some new things that I'll debut this summer. (More on that later!) 

Towards the end of last year, I had the pleasure to work with Galison, a division of Chronicle Books, on some new designs for holiday labels and note cards - which I got to see in person at NSS yesterday. It was super exciting to hold them in my hands, and I can't wait to get some for myself! Sticker labels are SO useful. Especially when you give gifts to 19 nieces and nephews! When I was designing the labels, I purposely left a few blank instead of writing anything so that they could be used for labeling more than just gifts - addressing envelopes,  writing merry messages on wine bottles, lunch bags & gift boxes, or sprucing up plain gift tags. So obviously the labels are useful, but my favorite non-useful but fun feature of the label pack are the patterns on the inside flap - the candy canes, below - and then what I call the sweater pattern, which is used on the back. The whole thing is just so cute. Can you tell I'm so pleased with how it all turned out?! :)

They should be available for purchase soon - I'll be sure to let you know.