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

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).

New Baby Shower Scratch-offs!

We're so excited to introduce the newest member of our "scratch-offs" family... our Pacifier Scratch-offs in Apple Green. Fashioned after our popular Tiffany Blue Bridal Scratch-offs, these sweet scratch-offs are a fresh and fun game for baby showers!

Each set of 24 is printed on premium ultra-thick satin-coated paper and sweetly packaged in a frosted plastic pillow box, and comes with 3 winning cards! (although you can customize the number of "winners" during check-out)

Also included is a coordinating Baby Bingo sheet (printable file provided).
You can view them in our Etsy store here.

Enjoy!

Announcing the Inklings Etsy store!

As many of you know, I'm a designer by day and a paper nut by night. I love creating sweet, spunky little paper products that make life a little more delightful. I've been working on a few ideas for some time now, and in a nutshell they're paper products for life's little (and big) celebrations.

It's time to share the paper love, and to celebrate the listing of my first products on Etsy we're offering FREE shipping with the coupon code "FREESHIP0412" now through the end of April!

Tiffany Blue Scratch-Offs (above)

These sweet little scratch-off cards make a perfect game at any bridal shower or bachelorette party! They measure 2" x 3.5", and are available in sets of 24 with each set containing 3 winning cards (convo me if you'd like a different number of winning cards). Printed on our luxuriously thick 16pt paper and packaged in a sweet frosted pillow envelope. 

Find them here in our Etsy store.

Pink & Grey Baby Shower Scratch-Offs (below)

These scratch-offs have a sweet pink and grey zebra pattern on the back, and are printed on luxuriously thick 16pt paper with a smooth satin finish. Every scratch-off purchase comes with a matching printable Baby Bingo sheet.

Find them here in our Etsy store!

Vintags paper wine glass markers

Vintags glass markers slip easily on your stemware for a fun way to identify your glasses. Packaged with a gift card for your wine bottle, it's a great gift on the go! Also available in a 50-count tin size. 

Find them here in our Etsy store!

Thanks for sharing the paper love!

oh baby!

A dear friend of mine is having a baby girl this spring! My fellow shower planners and I had fun perusing Pinterest for ideas on the theme. Click here to see our board of inspiration for what we hope will be a fun and super-stylish shower.

Shown below are the invitations (we sent out 120!), smoke-colored envelopes from envelopes.com, and the scratch-and-win tickets for a unique shower game!

So what's with the scratch and win tickets? I've had this idea brewing ever since I worked on these fun scratch-off shower invitations. A shower with 120 guests seemed to be the perfect opportunity to try it out. We'll be playing "Baby Bingo" during the gift-opening. The idea is that every time someone calls "Bingo", they will receive a scratch-off ticket with a chance to win one of a handful of really large prizes. It's a fun way to give everyone a little "something" (because really, who DOESN'T love to scratch?) while building suspense to the end of the game. We'll still be giving favors to all of the guests, but trying to do prizes for a group of that size was a little daunting.

Aren't these the cutest? They're printed on super-thick paper, and are custom-designed to match the invitations. The scratch-off area works just like a regular scratch-and-win ticket, and can be revealed with a coin. Below, every package of twenty would come with two winning tickets (in their own separate envelope so the party planner can mix them in or use them as they see fit), and of course a lucky penny! All would be packaged in a sweet pillow box.

I'm thinking of creating some different designs for other purposes and trying them out in my (currently empty) Etsy store... kids' birthdays, bridal showers, bachelorettes, or other milestones where people might like something a little quirky to hand out.

What other occasions do you think these would be well-suited for?

pillow talk

I just stumbled across these charming pillows today on Etsy! I've never been one to go crazy over throw pillows, but these felt more like works of art.