Quote Keeper 101

I'm a mom of two boys (6 and 2 years old), and believe me when I say that I hear some crazy things around our house on a daily basis! For the longest time, I was sharing these quotes with friends and family on Facebook. I realized though that sharing them this way wasn't preserving them in a way that our kids could enjoy them years down the road. And more often than not, by the time I had a spare moment to get to my computer, I had forgotten what had been said!  

I designed our Quote Keeper ring to be an easy thing for moms, dads, or caregivers to grab in the moment and jot down that saying (or writing down that milestone) before the spaghetti pot boils over.  I've been using for the past year, and have shared some tips below! (scroll down)

It's the baby book for busy parents with funny kids! (is that you?)

 1. Be creative

I’ve found that baby books and scrapbooking can be overwhelming. It’s so easy to feel defeated when you stare at those empty pages. Consider the QuoteKeeper your 60-second baby book (or journal if your kiddos are older). Don’t worry about spending any longer than one minute on a single card. You can begin when they’re five days old, or five years old. Before your little one’s even talking, use it to record those milestones and little memories, fun things you did, or friends who visited. Just jot it down while the memory is fresh so it’s off your mind, and on a card!

 

2. Keep it nearby

Store your Quote Keeper where life happens. For me, this is the kitchen. I hang my ring on our fridge with a magnetic hook so it’s easy to grab. Your ring’s waterproof, tear-resistant cover is designed to offer extra protection, with rounded corners to prevent cards from becoming dog-eared.

 

3. Let it grow with you

Add re-fill cards in different colors to record quotes from each child, with divider cards you can customize with each of their names. Different colors can also be used to color-code sections of your ring for unique purposes: quotes, milestones, memories, and more! For our two boys, I use two colors on a single ring so it's easy to grab. When they get older, I can separate the cards and give them their cards as a gift... or keep them around for when they go off to college and I need to have a good cry.

 

Don't forget that we have a monthly giveaway going on. Snap a picture of your kid's most hilarious quote card and tag it with #QuoteKeeper and @InklingsPaperie and be entered into a monthly drawing for FREE re-fill cards!

xo

p.s. Click the image below to expand it!

Giving Hope

For the past few years, we have had the opportunity to help support a small orphanage in Haiti, Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage (EGO). We have come to know many of these little ones by name.

Belle Ange and Elisemene are two orphans who have grown up at EGO, and under new laws they are required to leave the orphanage at the age of 18. Where human trafficking is prevalent, the statistics are not good for orphans in Haiti. An education can change the trajectory of a young person's life, yet less than 2% of children in Haiti receive a secondary education.

Would you join us this Saturday as we help to kick off the fundraiser for their education? We are pledging an entire day's sales in our shop to Belle Ange and Elisemenne. Every dollar spent will be donated to their education. 

What this means is that you can get pretty paper in the mail, and send two orphans to college! It's like a double rainbow.

"Love in the little things" is a motto we've been using for Inklings over the past year. Not only is this all about pouring ourselves out into what we create, but it's also about empowering people to show and share love with others. It's about celebrating life and finding joy in every day, and it's about treating every person with dignity as someone who was made in the image of God. I pray that our business will be about more than just pretty little paper things. Because little things can change the world.

In the words of Mother Theresa,

"I alone cannot change the world,
but I can cast a stone across the waters
to make many ripples."

  

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DIY succulent terrarium

So I went to HomeGoods this week to get a birthday present for a friend, and of course came out with more than I planned to get. But seriously, this little glass terrarium was speaking to me. I decided to get a little crafty and create this for the studio! I don't have much of a green thumb, so I totally resorted to artificials. Hey, this mama ain't too proud for fake greenery.

Here's what I used:

Terrarium... $30

Succulents... $14

Floral Foam... $3

Natural Moss... $4

It took me all of five minutes to assemble. Can't wait to find a sunny little spot in the studio. To help the fake succulents grow, of course.

Have you gotten crafty lately?

DIY scratch-off valentines!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ah, I had so much fun making these little modified scratch-off Valentines with our little guy this past weekend, and wanted to share! As you know, Valentine's Day is quite the occasion when you're in Kindergarten. We made a special trip to Target to choose out goodies for the bags (which I had on hand for a rainy day), and designed the cards together on my computer. Here's my confession, to all you mommas: I had him hand-write his message on a single sheet of paper, and then snapped a shot with my iPhone so we could print it on the cards. Honestly, we've lived and learned. Little hands get tired. Next year may be different, but in this case I was able to take his handwriting, drop it in the file, and print out 25 copies of his little note. This freed us up to sticker them, stuff each of the bags, and tape them shut with some cute washi tape.

All of our paper goods in the Inklings shop are professionally printed, but it was fun to whip these up and get the instant gratification of printing them in the studio. Of course, we ran out of ink and I had to remind myself that 6-year-olds are more concerned with the candy than the banding. 

Wishing you all a sweet Valentine's Day this week with the ones you love!

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