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).

first day of school

I had a moment last night, as I was getting things ready for our son's first day of Jr. Kindergarten. A moment where I wondered how on earth my little guy was old enough to be going to school. A real, full-fledged elementary school, with hallways and drinking fountains and an office. Wasn't I just carrying him in my arms? 


About a month ago, I shipped several sets of lunchbox notes out into the world. So last night as was in the kitchen making a little scratch-off love note to stow away in my son's pocket (he is in Jr. Kindergarten, so they don't stay for lunch) and I wondered how many other kiddos out there would be scratching off a little love note from mom or dad on their first day of school as well, and would feel a warm smile creep from their heart up to their face. I couldn't help but feel connected with so many other parents out there who might be packing a lunch or laying out an outfit (or in our case, new Spider Man underpants... yeah!) for the next morning. Parents who shared the same worries and concerns and hopes for their little one(s). 

I love to think that each little item that we create in some way connects us to others, and brings a little more joy to their day. A first day of school. A baby shower. A special announcement. So whether this is your first day of school, or just an ordinary day, warm wishes from my heart and home to yours!

20 + 20 (Mark's 40th Birthday Bash!)

My husband Mark turns 40 this year, and when I asked him how he'd like to celebrate it, he responded, "A day at the cottage with friends." So this weekend, we did just that.

Naturally, there was some paper prettiness that went down. He is married to me, after all. I joke with friends that my creativity ends when I get in the kitchen, so I tried to line up as much catering as I could so that I was able to focus on my forté: cute decorations, and good wine. Hehe.

For the theme, I started with a black & white chalkboard motif... but then I worried that it might seem too depressing (mostly black), so I threw some mint green in there. Where does the "20+20" come from? Well, he's as fun as two twenty year olds (I wish I knew where I read that...) so I thought I'd spin off of that for fun. I cut long runners (12" wide) out of chalk cloth that I found here, and then at the last minute I drew some fun swirls and numbers on the runners. It was an easy way to dress up our simple white tablecloths!

Our food was catered by the phenomenal chef Dino Grossi, a client and friend of mine from Volare Ristorante in Wixom. And together with the help of some friends and family, we pulled off a perfect evening and the funnest weekend filled with laughter, conversation, and good food to celebrate my hubby.

Looking forward to many more birthday celebrations to come!

Happy Birthday Mark!

 

 

Lunchbox Notes

School's coming (shudder), and I've got a four-year-old who goes to Jr. Kindergarten this fall. That's right folks... five mornings a week at a brand new school. I love my little skoober, and am always looking for ways to tell him... but as a mom with a toddler and a newborn, sometimes it takes a miracle just to get out the door. And while I'm blessed to be able to work from my home studio most days, on the days when I go in to clients' offices, I found myself whipping out a piece of construction paper and some markers from the craft drawer and making one of these:

While these are all well and good, this beautiful artistry (note sarcasm) takes time. And I found myself being tempted to re-use the signs. Because let's be honest... there are only so many ways to draw kissing hands.

But it won't be long before my little guy (who still adores finding these notes) will be embarrassed if one of these shows up in his lunch box.

That's when I decided that something had to be done. There had to be a cute, easy way for parents to create little love notes for their special little people, even while on the run. Something that was small enough to slip in a lunch box, without being a Post-it note (not that there's anything wrong with Post-its...). And best of all, something that was easy to give, and fun for a toddler to receive.

I knew that I had the fun factor down pat. My little man can't HELP but scratch off a card. Every time he finds a stray scratch-off card in our house, he comes to me and asks if he can scratch it. I call him our quality control manager. So imagine his surprise when he scratches a card and finds a funny cartoon, or a short little love note in mommy's handwriting, written especially for him! And thus, Lunchbox Notes were born.

The shot at the very top of this post is my little guy with the very first card.
Here it is again:

Disclaimer: I paid him $0.26 for the shot. I offered him a quarter if he would pose for the camera after scratching, and then I let him keep his scratching penny. Before you judge me for paying my son to pose for the camera, consider the shots below which represent our last attempts at a family photo during cottage week this summer. My son hates. having. his. picture. taken.

It's my own fault, I realize. After all, I did do THIS to him as an infant (see below). I'm not sure what finally broke him. It could have been the antique bonnet (which he clearly was embarrassed of, even at just 5 mos), the bear rug experience, the leg warmers, or the Anne Geddes-style "Baby-in-Distress" photo shoot attempt (lower left) which yielded shots that never made the birth announcement. Either way, getting a picture of my son is always a challenge. Thankfully, it didn't take much coaxing to get my son to smile with the lunchbox notes... and if you were there with me this morning during the shoot, you'd know that behind the card, that little stinker was sticking out his tongue.

But I digress. Back to the Lunchbox Notes. Here's a step-by-step look at how they work:

Each set comes with 20 cards printed on our premium, ultra-thick card stock, 20 scratch-off stickers, and a cute hand-stamped muslin bag that's perfect for stashing in your junk drawer until that moment when you need them most. 

Inklings Lunchbox Notes are available for purchase here. To my awesome blog readers, please feel free to use the coupon code "BACKTOSCHOOL201310" for 10% off your set!

So what will you write on yours?

cuteness, freshly minted

What could possibly be sweeter than our new mint green bridal scratch-offs, you ask? Nothing. Except, of course, an animated gif of a smiling baby holding them. It's all about cuteness today, my friends. It's all about cuteness.

And then there were four!

We're bursting with joy these days over the safe arrival of our little guy! We announced that we were expecting back in January with these wayward balloons. It's hard to believe that five months have passed, and that a new little family member has now joined us! We feel so, so blessed.

One of the best things about my job is being able to share in so many special events in people's lives, and make them a little more joyful, whether it be the celebration of an upcoming baby or wedding, a special announcement, or a milestone celebrated with friends over a bottle of wine. It's fun to be able to share our family's milestones with you as well through this blog.

I've been pretty reflective and sentimental these days. A few years ago, Inklings Paperie was nothing more than, well... an inkling of an idea. I had been a graphic designer and brand consultant for just over ten years, but couldn't keep myself from creating paper products that inspired me. I started designing paper products for friends' showers, and realized that there was a real need for fresh, sweet paper goodies for life's little (and big) occasions. Soon, we were receiving orders for bridal showers in NYC, baby sprinkles in Australia, birth announcements in Saudi Arabia, and even a Jerseylicious baby shower.

We decided to take a step of faith when my husband and best bud Mark left his office job in November of 2011 so we could devote more time towards our small-but-growing business, to our church, and to our little family. It's been an incredible adventure, and I still have to pinch myself some days. I get to create products that inspire me, and together we get to share them with all of you. So thank-you for making that possible!

Below are a few snapshots to share... my "bowling ball" belly, baby's nursery, and a shot of our sleepy little guy.

My cup overflows,

baby on the way!

The last few months have been quite a whirlwind. I'm pleased and excited to share that we've got a baby on the way... for all three of you who didn't know already.

After we told our family and close friends, I thought it would be fun to announce our news on Facebook in a fun way.  I credit the idea to this source. I'm not sure if they were the first ones to do it, but I thought it was darling!

Here's what you don't see in the picture:

1. The wind that October day, which seemed to make capturing an upright shot of a balloon (let alone FOUR balloons) impossible.

2. The tangled balloons, or the matchbox cars in the toes of the smaller shoes to prevent them from blowing away.

3. Two of the balloons actually blowing away, with mom-to-be uttering a few words which will not be repeated. I will not disclose which balloons blew away, for fear that the superstitious among you might think that it was in any way foreshadowing...

4. The looks I was given from neighbors walking their dogs around the commons. Who wouldn't slow to look at a lone woman laying across the concrete path, talking to herself, taking photos of balloons... tied to shoes? Yup. All in the name of creativity.

5. The hours spent later that evening in Photoshop to piece together this picture.

All in all, I'm glad I did it... because 1,392 pins later, I've FINALLY done something that I had pinned on Pinterest. ;)

And since taking this picture, we've found out that we're having another BOY. Very exciting. Our little guy (4) is thrilled about being a big brother, and has affectionately named his kid brother "Doodle". This could be interesting.

merry christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
Luke 2:10-11

Potty time.

So we're potty training in our house. In a burst of creativity and optimism, I decided to paint a potty chart. Our little trainee helped me pick the paper and accessories out, and I got to work.

The final product doesn't look much like a chart, and a month later a certain someone's still in diapers, but you can't say that I haven't tried.

Wham, Bam, Thank-you Jam.

Last week, we went berry picking for the first time. One would think that it had all of the right ingredients for a happy afternoon to share with a two-year-old. You have an open field, berries to eat, and friends nearby. Not so. It was a gripe fest through and through. Still, I got this cute picture of the little man with our boxes (which had only two dozen strawberries after an hour of picking).

To my surprise, we eventually left with three heaping trays of juicy Michigan strawberries for jam. I owe it all to a friend with a minivan with a DVD player. So much for quality time with the little man. Sidenote: he's since been pointing to the overhead light of our 1997 Jeep Cherokee and saying, "Is THAT a TV? I wanna watch a movie. I wanna new car." But back to the jam.

This wasn't your everyday jam. You're talking personally picked, strongly smushed, sweetly sugared, prayerfully pectin(ated), joyfully jarred Jam. Which I now like to call my very own "Wham, Bam, Thank-you Jam." The perfect thing to have on hand when a simple thank-you won't do. What can I say? I'm all about branding. And eating jam, as of late.

And thanks to this jam, breakfast is so much sweeter these days. As is my two-year-old.