Nothing makes us happier (really!) than sending something out into the world that our customer is just as crazy about as we are.  Even better is when we get to send something out into the world that, we believe, completely encompasses the mood of the upcoming wedding, party, or, in the case of identity design (yes!  we do that, too!), the business that it was created for.

We recently had the opportunity to work with the stellar Amy of Amy Allen Photography (check her work out right here: http://amyallenphotoblog.com/) to redesign her identity system to something a bit softer, richer, and more tactile.  When we sat down to chat about her wish list (something memorable!  business cards that would be held onto!  something polished!), I quickly realized that, for her, the solution lay in letterpress.

Oh what fun!  Oh what fun!  We can’t help but be smitten.

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There is a quote I love by choreographer Martha Graham:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.  And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and will be lost.”

-Martha Graham

I think, deep down, most of us know that to be true.  Aren’t there just days when you can FEEL the need to sit down and create something?   A little itch inside?  A small voice urging you  to put your personal stamp on something brand new?  Something that speaks of who you were or what you were feeling or how you were interpreting things in that particular moment?

So many times, though, another voice speaks up.  Oftentimes, it speaks a little louder and a bit more forcefully than the gentle guidance that tells you to create.  Yammering on and on about how you’ve got better things to do, that the end result won’t amount to much anyway, that you are not creative enough…

I must admit that I, over and over again, have give The Voice an audience.  And, many times, have actually welcomed it as a good excuse for laziness.  Actively observing the world around me and then going on to create something from that experience proves to be exhausting at times.  What I know, though, is that laziness quickly becomes a habit and so I do my very best to fight through it (despite what I’m sometimes naturally inclined to do, which is to roll over and go back to sleep, to stare mindlessly at the TV, to clean something or grocery shop or do ANYTHING but create…).  And these steps, sometimes, can be so, so small.  The process doesn’t have to be a big, intimidating thing.  It doesn’t have to result in a symphony or  a novel.  The bar doesn’t have to be raised Mona Lisa high.  After all, making things is supposed to be fun (remember?).  Have FUN!

One night, I stole a little roll of pretty masking tape from the shop (don’t worry–I left some for you!), and did nothing but tear little pieces off and stick it to things.  And just like that, the little voice was squelched.

What can you make today?  From string?  Or from twigs?  From bits of paper and a bottle of glue?  Tin foil?  Some imagination?

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We have been so, so excited to unveil the BIG shout-out we got in the Fall 2010 issue of DIY Ideas (run out, run out to your nearest news stand and pick one up!).  Late this Spring, miss ephemera got all dressed up in her very best, smiled her prettiest smile, and primped and posed for her four hour photo shoot.  YES!  A photo shoot!

And not only were the photos so, so incredibly beautiful, but the article, written by ephemera’s good friend Bethany Kohoutek, was just outstandingly written.  We are SO proud that we’ve got this little snapshot as to where we stand now and how far we’ve come over the last three years.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the lovely people of DIY who made this happen in such a perfectly perfect way!

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Miss Ephemera was gifted with gumballs!  Every color, every flavor, and only 1 penny a piece!  Just a little reminder that life is, indeed, pretty darn sweet!

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Is there anything better than little tiny boxes all tied up with string?  How about little tiny boxes all tied up with string with a treat inside?  Yup.  Now we’ve hit the nail on the head.

Lucky you!  We are now offering the sweetest of sweet favor boxes for all of your entertaining needs–so many shapes, so many colors, so many things to fill them with!

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Ahhhh…Spring feels just SO good, doesn’t it?  We’re brushing off our Winter-Time selves and are moving through our April Class Schedule with a brand new perspective and understanding of WHAT KIND of classes fit us best around here (everything is SUCH a learning process, isn’t it?!).  Our Springtime selves are craving new SKILLS.  The kind we can take an evening to learn and use and use and use FOREVER!  In this case, the kind of thing that would make such a perfect gift for EVERYONE you know.  Something USEFUL!  Something you can throw  in your tote bag to take out anytime you’d like to record all of the Springtime HAPPENINGS that are going all around you (“today, I saw the very first bluebells of the season!  Tulips!  I slept with the windows OPEN!”).  Made all the better by writing it all down in something created from a sheet of pretty paper and glue, something made by YOU!  We can’t wait to see you on the 13th

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Our next class involves a completely different kind of classroom mess-making than we’ve tackled before!  On Tuesday, April 6th, from 7-9 pm, we’ll be using old cigar boxes, some glass, grout, and a little imagination to create one-of-a-kind jewelry boxes.  To make it a little more personal, bring the stack of interesting pictures or newspaper clippings, fun paper and photos that have been longing for a home to incorporate into your piece.

The class is $30 and includes (most!) materials!

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I made many a mud pie in my youth (I bet you did, too).  Soupy soil all jazzed up with pebbles and violets, batter spread in old Pot Pie tins and baby food jars, and baked in the sun.  Perfection.

Today in the shop, the windows and door are open, our blue bench has found its way outside (complete with the hardiest plants we have that can withstand the wind), and these pretty porcelain cups have made their way to our shelves.  They are absolutely perfect for crayons and colored pencils, warm milk or tea, pretty herbs in a windowsill, or freshly made batches of wonderful mud pie.

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Yesterday I sat down with my set of watercolors and spent a short while painting yellow dots (if you’re wondering if painting yellow dots on a cloudy day helps change your perspective on things, it does!).  The yellow dots reminded me of our fickle friend Little Miss Sunshine and as soon as she made her appearance on my masterpiece, she demanded that I round it out with some sort of affirmation.  Ta-Da!  This is what I came up with:

I think that in the middle of all of the day-to-day “stuff” that happens around here–the phone calls and the e-mails to return, the bills to pay, the new inventory to price, the customers to chat with, and, of course, our new orders to take and design and print and assemble, it is really, really easy to let the actual CREATION of things lag behind and get lost in the shuffle.  And it is the Creating part, the really refreshing make-something-just-for-the-fun-of-it process, that led me to this type of work in the first place.  As it turns out, I NEED to play in this way, even if just for a few minutes.  When I do, I find myself so much more energized and focused and ready to take on the not-as-much-fun parts of my day (that would be the bill-paying I mentioned earlier!).

Remember when we had things like recess and art class and music class?  We actually had time set aside for us to run around and pump our legs until we could get as high as we could and paint self portraits and sing songs complete with clapping and stomping?  And then we grew up and all of those things that were a part of the routine just sort of went away for a lot of us?  Is it any wonder that so many people trudge around and wonder why their days seems so utterly short and unfulfilling and, well, just not FUN?

As we all climb out of our winter shells, I advocate play time.  Whatever that is for you.  For me, it has much to do with short little walks and colored pencils.  And for you?  Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we.

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Sometimes, when I’m feeling overwhelmed and a little to “in it” for my own good, something will stop me if I let it.  And I look up and look around and think about how, even in the thick of disarray and hustle and bustle and a big ol’ mess, there is more than likely something to be found underneath it all that is worth paying attention to. 

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