hip hip hooray!

Our customers mean the world to us! We are so grateful to each and every one of you. Thank-you for allowing us to do what we do, and for sharing your experiences with us so we can only get better for you. We read each and post every review that is left in our shop (the good, and the bad) and your words truly mean the world to us!

*UPDATE: Unfortunately this specific coupon code has expired, but worry not! Our Facebook friends receive a 10% coupon code... just visit our Facebook page here, "like" us, and send us a message before placing your order to receive your code! xo

Valentine's Day for the uninspired

 

 

Looking for something different this Valentine's Day?
Spice things up with Scratch-off Love Notes!

 

If you're familiar with our Lunchbox Notes, these work the same way. Simply write your own message in the box, and cover it with a sticker. This cute little bag includes 20 fun-sized notes (2" x 3.5") for you to enjoy together.

Here are five fun ideas to try this Valentine's Day:

LOVE COUPONS  |  Write "IOU's" or coupons on each one, filled with "gifts" or acts of service that can be redeemed in the coming year.

HIDDEN SURPRISES  |  Write a secret note and hide it in a work bag, coat pocket, the car, a laptop, or somewhere else where it will be discovered.

SPICE IT UP  |  While you're out to dinner together, split the deck of blank cards in half. Each of you will have TEN cards. On each card, write a fun or spicy thing you'd like to try (and yes, writing "Extra Hot Thai Peanut Curry" is completely acceptable), and cover your writing with a sticker. Shuffle the cards, and place them back in the bag. Pull cards from the bag when you'd like to spice things up!

DATES FOR A YEAR  |  Take turns writing down 20 different date ideas that you'd like to do in the year to come. Every few weeks, pull a card out of the bag and scratch it together to see what your next date will be!

POP THE QUESTION  |  Surprise your loved one with a proposal. Maybe you've been married for twenty-two years. So surprise her with a different type of proposal... a weekend getaway someplace you've never been. A honeymoon you never had. A thumbs up to start trying for that baby. Whatever you'd like to propose, a scratch-off is such a fun way to do it!

What are your ideas on how these could be used? I'd love to hear them!

xo

 

Marsala: Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year

Pantone has announced Marsala as the 2015 Color of the Year! Pantone has been inspiring the world as the standard for color communication and inspiration since 1963. Every year, their Color of the Year is highly anticipated, with Radiant Orchid reigning supreme in 2014! 

We've created this fun infographic to show the chosen colors since Pantone began this tradition in 2000. Many of these shades helped to inspire our color palette, and we've listed some of these colors at the bottom of the chart. Which Color of the Year is your favorite?

Pantone describes Marsala as a "naturally robust and earthy wine red."  Marsala has been met with a wide range of responses (both adoration, and criticism) as it comes across as earthy and muted compared to the vibrant, more optimistic shades in years past. We think that the shift to a more muted tone was bold and refreshing.

Inspired by Marsala, we're so pleased to share that our newest color offering is "Cranberry Marsala". Our Cranberry Marsala is a little bit less chalky than Pantone's Marsala, with raspberry undertones. We think it's so lovely with Champagne Pink, Tangerine, or Platinum Grey! 

Above, we've created a mood board with csme of our favorite color pairings for Marsala (above). 

Enjoy!

Behind the camera

Spoiler alert: the flowers aren't fresh-cut. 

But really, who doesn't love an idyllic little scene like this? A bright corner, flowers, and color-coordinated and thoughtfully-arranged desk accessories that are symbols of productivity. But as I was looking at these shots the other day, I felt compelled to share some of the things that too often we choose to edit out or omit altogether before we post or share with the world.

As a creative person, it's natural to want to share the beauty. But I also want to share the chaos in the beauty, and the stories behind what we do that make them more rich, more meaningful, and more human. I don't want to edit out the crazy, and often imperfect details of my everyday.

So yes, I will share shots that look like this:

 

...and this:

 

But I'll also share shots like this:

That's my one-year-old in his footie PJs. In the afternoon. He is determined to get to the boxes that mom worked on while watching Shark Tank re-runs the night before. Note the exercise ball in the background, which has not been used for anything exercise-related for quite some time (unless, of course, you count playing "catch" with a toddler exercise). 

Lest you think that I'm supermom and am able to run a successful business while caring for two active boys, I should disclose that we're blessed to have the most fabulous caregivers watch our littlest guy three days a week while his big bro is at school. He gets loved on and played with, and we get work done. I am also grateful for Mark, my fabulous husband and business partner, who helps me in countless ways and keeps our house (and our business) humming along. 

While the boys are at school and the house is empty, I'm not busy making batches of home-made yogurt or laundry detergent. I am not tending to live chickens, or planning the upcoming week's meals, or stirring the pot of home-made soup on the stove, or exercising (as I probably should). I'm sending e-mails, setting up photo shoots in our dining room, scheduling calls with our distributor, replying to Etsy convos, sketching in my notepad, meeting with our shipping manager, editing photos, listing products, posting on our social media channels, and basically squeezing in as much "heart and hustle" as I can for the business between 9 and 5 so that when my boys get home, I can be present for them. It doesn't always work out that way, and more often than not that means speed-dialing take-out, or a family dinner at IKEA down the road. And I'm usually picking up where I left off after the last story has been read and the final good-night kiss has been given.

 Above: Here is the same busy toddler next to the lines of boxes that stretch from our front entry and into our kitchen. To me, these boxes are a reminder of the shortage of space in our home-based studio. To this little guy, they're just a slam dunk waiting to happen. When each box of shipping supplies arrives, I open and inspect it in our kitchen before the items are stored. You wouldn't believe the things I find he's squirreled away in these boxes. A particular pair of Spiderman underpants comes to mind.

Too often these days, I find myself looking around and pining for more space. Wishing that my desktop always looked neat and orderly and photogenic. Longing for a warehouse to store all of the boxes coming in and out of our space. Heck, I'd just appreciate a buffer of space between work and home life from time to time. But I'm reminded to look at these sweet days and just savor them. To try not to compare my beginning to someone else's middle. And to thank God for the daily blessings that He gives rather than to wish for more (or less) than I have right now, in this moment.

Even on good days, our life is chaotic. But there's a beauty in that chaos, and I wouldn't trade this life we have for anything else.

Thank-you so much for joining us on this journey!

xo 

P.S. Click here to follow the beautiful chaos on Instagram (@inklingspaperie).

10 ways to enjoy scratch-off cards at a bridal or baby shower!

Every now and then, someone contacts us and says "These are SO cute! How do they work?" The answer is that there are countless ways to enjoy our scratch-off cards. We thought we'd share some of our favorites here on the blog!

1. Door Prizes

Hand a card to each guest as they arrive as a fun way to give away a door prize as an icebreaker! Be sure that the number of winning cards you hand out matches the number of prizes that you purchase. Winning cards come packaged separately for you to shuffle in, and we can include any number of winning cards with your order so you have exactly what you need!=

2. Virtual Shower Game / Pre-Shower Game

Include a scratch-off card with each invitation for guests to scratch ahead of time to give them a taste of the fun they'll have at the shower. Those with the winning card can bring it to the shower to redeem their prize! Or if you will be hosting a virtual shower (online), this is a great game to play with guests who may be scattered all over the country! Mail cards out to each guest and instruct winners to snap a shot of their winning card on their camera phone and text the picture to you in order to claim a virtual gift card or prize!

3. Diaper or Wine Raffle

In the invitation, invite guests to bring a pack of diapers (for a baby shower) or a bottle of wine (for a bridal shower) in addition to their gift to be entered into a raffle. Each guest receives a scratch-off ticket, with one winner to receive a grand prize!

4. Play with Gift Bingo

If you are playing Bingo during the gift opening, hand out scratch-off cards to bingo-callers in lieu of prizes for a chance to win a grand prize. It's like a game within a game, and is a great way to keep the fun going during the entire gift opening without the need to purchase dozens of prizes. Find our coordinating bingo cards here.

5. Set The Timer

Set a timer to go off randomly while the guest of honor is opening her gifts. The person whose gift is being opened when the buzzer goes off is given a scratch-off to open. This is a great budget-conscious idea for those who have a large shower with lots of guests. Our cards are available in sets of 12 of 24, which is a perfect quantity for this game. This is another great way to hold the attention of guests during gift opening, and guests will be all the more aware of who gave each gift!

6. Under the Seat Surprise

Tape scratch-off cards under each seat (or under select seats, if you're on a budget) with one winning card in the room. Guests must scratch to see if they've got a winning ticket!

7. Large Shower Budget Savers

Want to play lots of games, but don't have a huge budget for prizes to give each winner? Control your prizes by handing out a scratch-off ticket to each game winner for a chance to win a grand prize at the end of the shower. To keep the suspense, instruct guests to refrain from scratching until the last game has been played. Then all at once, allow each card holder to scratch to reveal the winner overall. Consider having smaller consolation prizes on hand for the other card holders.

8. Beat the Line

Place a card under each plate, and instruct each guest to scratch their card. Randomly distribute winners throughout each table. The table with the most number of winning cards gets to be first in line for cake! Or if you would prefer, award the table with a shareable prize (a bag of M&M's, mini hand sanitizers for each guest, or a bowl of snack-sized candies to share).

9. Centerpiece Prizes

If you have guests seated around tables, lay a card at each placesetting with one winning card at each table. The person with the winning card gets to take the centerpiece after the shower is over! They're a fun way to add color to the table and kick off the fun! Mix and match our cards (available in a variety of colors and styles) to create a look that's all your own!

10. Favor / Goodie Bags

Place a scratch-off in each favor bag for guests to scratch before they leave. The winning card holder can receive a prize on the way out!

We hope you have so much fun with these cards! Browse our entire collection here!

Party for a Prince!

Every now and then, a customer blows us away with their creativity and this is no exception! Pearl, the mother of this cute little one-year-old, contacted us all the way from South Africa to commission this great design for her handsome little guy! We illustrated a custom cameo of her son from a photo she sent, and then customized our Princess Party Collection to a more princely palette with our Jeweler Blue and Gold Glitter.

With the help of the party planners at Supakidz, some jaw-dropping cakes, and our printable collection (which her event planners used to create these custom-printed plates and cups), the royal bash was ready!

Pearl enlisted the help of an event planner for a lot of the extras to pull off this great look, however don't be discouraged... you can achieve a look that's equally adorable with one of our printable collections, a home printer (or a local print shop if you wish), and a few basic supplies to cut and assemble your goodies. You can browse all of our printable collections here.

The photography below is by Picharazzi. Additional credits are listed at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy!

 

Photography by Picharazzi
Event planning by Supakidz
Customized printable collection by Inklings Paperie
Cakes by Annika's

monkey business!

September's here, and with it comes new classmates and birthday party invitations! We're bananas about this brand new printable collection in our shop... introducing our Monkey Party Collection! This is so much fun for safari-themed parties or baby showers! We've included oodles of extras with this set, including cute monkey ear party hats, photo props, gift favor tags, and so much more! Below, you can see it in Pool Blue and Lemon Yellow. The collection will also be available in Blush Pink and Lemon later this month, so stay tuned!

In our next post, we'll also reveal the matching scratch-off cards that go with this collection. Enjoy!