where we blog from

loving the 'where we blog from' series from jane over at ill seen and ill said.

maria of vintage simple...

caitlin of sacramento street...

chelsea of frolic...

jill of 36 shea...





images from respective blogs

owl always love you

remember this post? (hint, hint: look at #04)

well, i cleaned out and organized a random drawer and look what i found...a gocco'd valentine i printed for my husband two years ago. what joy!

abstract expressionists

mark your calendars!

as i was perusing USPS for stamp recommendations for a client, i was pleasantly surprised to see that the collection of lovelies below will be in stores come march!








image from USPS

the poppies, update

i want to take a moment to thank everyone for nominating SweetBeaker as your favorite handmade paper goods artist/designer/shop. it truly means a lot to have your support. unfortunately, SweetBeaker did not make it to the final voting stage. why's that, you ask? well, i made a mistake :) i thought you had until the 15th to nominate and it was actually the 12th. so, even though many of you did nominate/leave a comment, the nomination(s) didn't 'count' (but sure did mean a lot to me) since they were technically received 'late'.

there's always next year!

anne elser calligraphy

i mentioned in an earlier post that i'd like to take a calligraphy class. well, i was doing a little research and came to the realization (much like homer simpson, "doh!") that a great resource has pretty much been right under my nose the whole time. anne elser.





anne was one of the most inspiring and artistically free spirited instructors that i had the honor of studying under while a student at PC. she is now, while still actively teaching at PC, offering courses at Binders! yippee!







images from anne elser

wonder thunder

we were lucky enough to spend christmas in pa with family this year. in all the hoopla and craziness of packing up the car to drive back to georgia we forgot a couple of stocking stuffers that mom and dad were nice enough to send down to us this past week. in the box - a wonderful little gift i had completely forgotten about. a gift that excited me so much when i opened it that i exclaimed, "i've got to blog about this!" and i got even more excited all over again when i 'reopened' it!

what excited me so much? a set of 4 reusable veggie bags. yes. seriously. veggie bags - who would have thought they could be so exciting? well, just take a look for yourself...









hand screen printed yummy goodness all sewn by hand. i was/still am stoked. pretty great, huh? i did a little more googling and found that the company (wonder thunder, hence the name of this post) has a lot more to offer here, here and here. and they're getting some pretty great press too. how'd i manage to miss all the hype? good grief.





image with veggies is from wonder thunder

shoppe update

two new items are in the shoppe - check 'em out...chevron flats in goldenrod or smoke sold as a boxed set of 8.





and, handwriting paper flats; also sold as a boxed set of 8. remember the big, blocky handwriting paper we all used to learn how to write? well, here it is again - just a bit more modern.





boxed sets come with kraft envelopes and are enclosed in a clear, acid free box. need 'em personalized? no, problem, just ask! and, if you just need a single, that's fine too - just let me know.

enjoy!

boden catalog

just got mine the other day and can't get enough (you can sign up to get yours here). the colors, patterns and detail - oh my! it's tiny and purse size and, it even has a fun mini-logue in the beginning. sure makes me ready for spring to arrive already.



you see all those post-its? i plan to own each and every item on each and every bookmarked page...



...wishful thinking at its best, folks.

indie fixx

just wanted to share that i'll be over on indie fixx (this whole month) showcasing goods in the winter love galleria! want to see? here's a direct link. show your love! support indie! thanks, jen!

one year

let's celebrate! SweetBeaker is one this week (well, technically last week but with the valentine push and getting back in tune from the holiday it totally escaped my mind)! happy day! many thanks to everyone, old and new, for your support - please enjoy 10% off all goods in the shoppe from now until Monday, January 25th. use coupon code SB ONE in the 'notes to seller' section when checking out.

looking back, it's been a tough year. i started in the frame of mind that once my shoppe was open, people would just naturally find me - just because - overnight. and, that everything was about your number of sales. eek (not so!). to sum it up - i pretty much hit the ground running and then did a gigantic belly flop. A. REAL. BIG. ONE. i was crushed and immediately crawled into a little hole.

it took a little time. a little pushing from my support team. some soul searching. and then it struck me - the real reason why i started doing what i do. i do it because i enjoy it and because i just can't help myself; it's part of me and who i am. it's about passion, and sharing and community. you'd have thought i reinvented sliced bread - it was such an awakening. and, i completely started over - much slower, mind you, with some thought, product and presentation realignment too. i jumped back in folks. and, let me tell ya - it's so much more enjoyable. no more crazy thoughts of stuff happening overnight. just doing and being and participating in the world because it's me, and gosh darnnit, i like it.

so, what's in store for SweetBeaker this year? lots of new ideas and products are in the works. maybe a little blog face-lift too and who knows what else. why not hang around a little longer and find out?

the poppies

be sure to head on over to poppytalk to nominate SweetBeaker as your favorite hand-made paper goods artist/designer/shoppe! thanks so much for your support :)

yours truly, Karly.

photo holder project

seriously great photo holder project seen on inchmark and inspired by the one seen here. i've got a couple Mimi's, Nana's and GG's who would LOVE something like this - mother's day isn't too far away!



image from brooke reynolds

press :: SB on gift card girlfriend

thanks, shelley, for showing SB on your site!

no sew, no-adhesive bunting

thought i would share with y'all how i put together the bunting for my daughter's second birthday party (seen here and here)...



SUPPLIES
8x8 paper pad, brights
t-pins
sugar'n cream yarn
x-acto knife



THE HOW TO
01. cut paper in half so you have 4x8 strips. fold your 4x8 strips in half again so you have 4x4 squares. how many will you need? it depends on the amount of space you need to cover.



02. hang yarn. start by tying a knot at one end.



stick a t-pin through the knot and anchor it to the wall.



unravel the rest of your yarn and drape to the next anchor point. tie another knot. use a t-pin to anchor again. i really winged this part and used the chandelier as a center anchor. you may or may not have a center anchor.

03. place 4x4 squares at even increments (i visually guesstimated) along anchored yarn. you might notice that you'll have to adjust the yarn tension once the 4x4s are in place - they weigh it down some.

and, voila, you're done! no sew, no adhesive bunting!

valentine goodies...

...are now in the shoppe - get 'em while they're hot! personalized heart flats come in a boxed set of 8...



a set of 5 love minis with coordinating red envelopes...



valentine jotters with sturdy chipboard backing...



and, last but not least, one that you can personalize with your own greeting, message or poem - all tucked neatly into a mini envelope...

press :: SB on find the pretty

thanks, erin, for spreading a little SB love!

christmas card 2009

we all take a couple steps forward and then a couple back. well, here's to a couple back - our christmas card for 2009. we finally had some sun since returning from our holiday trip and i was able to take a couple snap shots!

the whole suite - 5x7 greeting with wraparound band, a hand-lined envelope, coordinating stick-back mailing label and photo. note: santa did NOT go so well this year...



wraparound band and greeting flat...



back with SweetBeaker logo tag...



more santa photos. more photos of card.

press :: SB on party perfect

charlotte's dora party was featured on party perfect! thanks, sara!

nice to meet you: fog and thistle

what with the holidays and all, this one has been a long time coming! without further ado, i'd like to introduce you to rachel of fog and thistle, a cut paper art and lighting studio...

01. tell us a little about yourself...

My name is Rachel Weber and I am the sole proprietor of Fog and Thistle. My main focus these days is blending the traditional art of papercutting with lighting.

02. where does 'fog' and 'thistle' come from?

'Fog' and 'thistle' came out of a brainstorming session with my husband. We liked the mysteriousness of fog and the sharpness of thistle seemed reminiscent of papercuts.



03. how did you get started? when? obstacles?

I was a blocked artist for many, many years. Halfway through my second pregnancy, I wanted to create some original art for the nursery and my daughter's big kid room. I was inspired by some cut paper illustrations in a children's book, This Little Pirate, and picked up my knife and gave it a go. My own style quickly emerged and my inhibitions dropped as I was forced to make decisions and stop second guessing myself. There isn't a whole lot of room for revisions or edits when papercutting.



04. where do you seek inspiration?

I get a lot of inspiration from the many blogs I like to cruise as well as seeing what my kids like. My work tends to work best in kids rooms and nurseries so that has guided a lot of my direction.

05. what's a typical day like at fog and thistle?

It's hectic. I only have small windows of opportunity to work and I have to make the most of my time when both kids are out of the house. Because of this, I have to check in through out the day and get a heads up on what to expect as far as outgoing orders. On a productive day, I have my orders printed out and I try to gang them up according to color so I can print out a few templates at a time on a single sheet. Finding shortcuts helps tremendously. When I can make mail pickup by noon, I give myself a big pat on the back on my way out the door to get the kids.



06. what does the future hold for fog and thistle?

Ah, this is a question I ask myself ALL the time. I've been working my head around doing full lampshades, both child and adult oriented. I keep hitting road blocks as far as streamlining the process and supply issues. But at least I have a couple prototypes under my belt!



07. can you offer advice for other first time shop owners?

Persevere! Make attainable goals but keep pushing forward new ones. Find people you admire as role models and dissect what they are doing to be successful. I find a great support system is imperative and I'm lucky to have that both at home and online through social networking like blogging and Twitter.

It's also important to be open to new opportunities. Even though I was highly focused on working on night lights, I jumped when I was offered the opportunity to illustrate a corporate calendar. It gave me a huge creative jolt.

08. if you could pick one place to be right now where would it be and why?

My ongoing fantasy is the Tuscan villa in the movie Stealing Beauty. Complete with daily siestas. The Italians do know how to live! An afternoon nap followed by an amazing late dinner with plenty of vino. Yes, that would do!

e: rachel@rachelweber.com
b: http://www.fogandthistle.com
s: http://fogandthistle.etsy.com
t: http://twitter.com/fogandthistle

thanks for the interview, rachel! it's great to 'meet' you! i admire the patience you have developed for your craft. waaaaay back in art school one of my assignments was to complete an 18x24 paper cut olmec head in varying shades of gray - i ran out of patience quickly!
____________________

if you'd like to submit a shop for the Nice To Meet You collection, send an email on over to sweetbeaker@gmail.com

images submitted by Fog and Thistle