Search Results for: hello brick & mortar

About

Welcome! Oh So Beautiful Paper is a leading lifestyle and design blog that makes beautiful design accessible to everyone. Since 2008, we’ve been sharing awesome entertaining and DIY ideas, gorgeous paper goods, beautiful wedding invitations, home décor inspiration, and original cocktail recipes. We’re all about bringing an extra dose of fun and beauty to everyday life. Please have a look around – I hope you enjoy our posts and archives! You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

About Oh So Beautiful Paper

Launched in 2008, Oh So Beautiful Paper reaches an audience of more than 100,000 unique monthly viewers and is a daily read for creative people around the world. Oh So Beautiful Paper also has a loyal social media following, with more than 150,000 Facebook fans, 58,000 Pinterest followers, 16,000 Twitter followers, and 62,000 Instagram followers. Our pins on Pinterest reach an average of 4.2 million monthly viewers, and pins from Oh So Beautiful Paper reach an average of 435,000 daily viewers.

Oh So Beautiful Paper readers value beauty and fantastic design, and they want beautiful things in all aspects of their lives. Our readers are interested in everyday design, DIY projects, food and cocktails, home décor, fashion, travel, and more. 85% of Oh So Beautiful Paper readers are female, and the majority of readers are between the ages of 25 and 34.

Interested in working together? Oh So Beautiful Paper offers sponsored content opportunities (blog posts and social media posts), traditional sidebar banner ads, and styling work (prop and food styling). We’ve worked with a variety of brands, from small independent stationery and design studios to large ‘household name’ brands, including Home Depot, Post-it Brand, Fiskars, and My M&MS. Get in touch with us here for more info!

OSBP-Family-Photos-Charlie-Juliet-Photography-17

Photo by Charlie-Juliet Photography

About Founder + Editor Nole Garey

Hi everyone! I’m Nole Garey, and I like to say that I’m a recovering diplomat turned full time creative blogger. I previously worked in international diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State from 2003 – 2010 before leaving to pursue Oh So Beautiful Paper full time. I hold a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Central Florida and an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University (where I met my husband Andrew), but I’ve been passionate about design and all things paper my entire life.

I fell in love with the world of wedding invitations and stationery while planning my May 2008 Washington, DC wedding and started Oh So Beautiful Paper in large part to help connect other engaged couples with talented designers. Andrew and I welcomed our first daughter Sophie (you can see her awesome birth announcements here) in 2012 and our second daughter Alice (you can see her beautiful birth announcements here) in 2014. We currently live in Washington DC’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with several adorable cats.

Our Philosophy

At Oh So Beautiful Paper, we believe that stationery is an extension of your personal style. It’s a nice and all too rare treat to come home to a handwritten letter or card. We believe sending paper – taking the time to buy, write, and send a card – has enormous interpersonal value. Sending handwritten mail has become a signifier: a mark of the importance and value that the sender places on the relationship with the recipient.

We believe stationery has a role to play in a beautiful lifestyle. Our goal is to help you find paper products that represent you and your personality, whether you live in DC or California or Australia, while also helping to support local businesses, small businesses, and eco-friendly businesses. It might not seem so at first glance, but stationery supports all of these goals. We’re not focused on the mass market, but on stationery that is unique and different, just like you and me.

In The Press

Print

New York Times (June 2016)

The Chronicle Herald (January 2017)

Brides Magazine (April 2011 and November 2012)

Southern Weddings (2010, 2011, and 2014)

Stationery Trends Magazine

Online

The Huffington Post: Caipirinha Recipes You Should Be Downing During the World Cup (06/2014)

The Etsy Blog: Guest Curator, Stationery to Make You Smile (05/2014)

Imbibe: The Summer Rose Cocktail Recipe  (03/2014)

The Huffington Post: Brunch Cocktails: Booze Recipes for the Time Between Breakfast and Lunch (08/2013)

The National Stationery Show: Capture Press Attention with Booth Design (03/2012)

The Etsy Blog: Guest Curator (09/2010)

 

Contributing Editors

 

Emily Blistein / Hello Brick + Mortar

Emily Blistein owns Clementine, a little shop in Middlebury, Vermont where she curates an ever-changing collection of goods to help feather your nest, delight your loved ones and swaddle your little ones. She is a letterpress admirer, typewriter enthusiast, recovering lawyer and lobbyist for women’s health, advocate for small businesses and cheerleader for things handmade. She lives with four boys (aged toddler to husband), is an ENFP (which explains why having a brick & mortar is heaven), and she really, really likes to laugh.

View all of Emily’s Brick + Mortar posts right here!

 

Megan Soh / Behind the Stationery

Megan is obsessed with beautiful stationery, which makes her the perfect author for our Behind the Stationery column! You can find Megan on her blog, Petitely, and on Instagram.

View all of Megan’s Behind the Stationery posts right here!

 

Andrew Whitehead / Cocktail Contributor

Andrew Whitehead is a DC-based cocktail enthusiast (and just happens to be Nole’s husband). You can find him on Instagram, where he shares cocktail recipes and a behind-the-scenes peek into his liquorary concoctions.

View all of Andrew’s cocktail posts right here!

 

About The Design

The design and layout of Oh So Beautiful Paper® was created by Nole with hand lettering and watercolor graphics by Liz Libre of Linda & Harriett and web development by Eli Van Zoeren. For those of you obsessed with pretty fonts like me, I have featured many of of the fonts used on Oh So Beautiful Paper in a weekly column here. If you have any questions or would like to say hello, please email me!

Thanks for visiting!

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Stationery A-Z: Engagement Congratulations

Wild guess, but do you know someone who just got engaged? I’ll bet you do, as we’re currently in the midst of engagement season (no, really – 40% of all couples get engaged between the months of November and February). Before all the bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and actual real life weddings start consuming the majority of your free time, why not sit back, pick up your trusty pen, and send that dear, newly engaged friend a heartfelt letter of congratulations? Today we’re sharing a quick engagement congratulations card round up with a few of our favorite picks to help celebrate this momentous occasion:

Engagement Congratulations Card Round Up

From top left:

1. Celebrate your bestie’s engagement with illustrated confetti and general exuberance with this design from Smudge Ink.

2. Spending two months salary on one item is no joke, so why not honor the generosity of that purchase with this bling-ed out foil stamped design from Wrap Magazine?

3. Love this sweet watercolor illustration from Golden Fox Goods. No sentiment needed.

4. Don’t forget to accessorize with a fun illustration and a punny messaging from Hello!Lucky.

5. I wouldn’t think twice about saying yes to gold hologram foil. From The Social Type (if you are in the Los Angeles area, be sure to check out their new brick and mortar location!).

6. One Canoe Two has got your reaction down pat. Plus diamonds.

7. This card from Our Heiday honors engagement with a soft abstract painterly design, a touch of gold foil, and a celebration of the impending marriage.

8. Let’s call a spade a spade: some occasions just require a giant sparkling ring (a classic from Snow & Graham).

9. This Ferme à Papier design is great for its gender neutral palate and casual sentiment. I also really like that it addresses both members of the couple – after all, they’re both getting married!

10. Finally, what better occasion for some IRL confetti? Those party experts at Knot & Bow have got you covered. Literally.

Next week: the Valentines extravaganza begins!

Brick + Mortar: How to Submit Your Line to Retailers by Mail

“How should I reach out to retailers?” is a question that looms large in both casual conversations and my professional consulting with product based designers. As a retailer, it seems obvious which approaches will work and which won’t, but through conversations with you, I realize it’s not so clear. With that in mind, I began breaking this topic down to give you real examples. My first post here discussed how to get a shop owner’s attention. More recently, I wrote about How to Submit Your Line to Retailers by Email. Today’s post will talk about when and how to submit your line to retailers by mail. Email is great, but sometimes there’s just no substitution for presenting your products by good-old-fashioned snail mail. –Emily of Clementine

OSBP-Hello-Brick-and-Mortar-Clementine-by-Emily-McDowell-Illustration

Illustration by Emily McDowell for Oh So Beautiful Paper

 

Ok, let’s dive in to reach out:

  • WHAT does it mean to submit your line via mail? Submitting your line via mail means that you send a small selection of your physical products via USPS/UPS/FEDEX to a new retail shop with the hopes that they will pick up your line. It does not mean you hand-deliver your products to a shop. It does not mean you send your catalog in the mail. It does not mean you e-mail a link to your catalog. (And yes, you should put that phone down.)
  • WHY should you send physical products and not just a catalog? Crafting emails to a large group of potential retailers is a great way to cast a broad net. But emails get lost in the shuffle and simply don’t have the same effect as seeing work in person. You should consider sending an introduction by mail if:
    • You want to pick up new wholesale accounts.
    • You want to capture a retailer’s attention/get on their radar, even if they don’t pick up your line immediately.
    • You want to gain social (or traditional) media attention.
    • You didn’t have a great response to an email mailing.
    • Your products don’t translate in 2D/online nearly as well as in person.
  • WHEN should you submit by mail? Submitting your line by mail is vulnerable and time consuming. I recommend making a plan and a timeline to hold yourself accountable. Consider timing it as part of a marketing plan or other external event to create a reference point for your work.  When is the perfect time? When some combination of the following happen:
    • You’re launching a wholesale line and want to reach out to potential retailers.
    • You are launching a new collection in your wholesale line and want to reach out to potential retailers and treat existing retailers.
    • You’ve done your homework on which retail shops would be a good fit for your line.
    • You’re skipping a trade show.
    • You have the money to invest.
    • You have a wholesale line that you are confident has depth, variety and something new to add to the wholesale marketplace.
    • You have the inventory to fulfill potential orders.
  • WHEN shouldn’t you submit by mail? Retailers all have slightly different schedules for when they’re not looking to pick up new lines, but I would generally avoid:
    • The winter holiday season (Thanksgiving - New Years), because we’re just incredibly busy.
    • Directly after a big national show, because we may have spent too much money.
    • When you don’t have the inventory in place to fulfill an order, because there’s nothing that will turn a retailer off faster than getting in touch for an order and being told many items are out of stock or it will be several weeks before the order can ship.
  • WHO should you reach out to by mail?
    • Retailers who you feel confident would carry your line at their store.
    • Retailers who have reached out to you, who you met at a creaft/gift show, or have expressed an interest in another venue (maybe even social media).
    • Retailers whose aesthetic you are so smitten with, you want to gift them with samples from your line even if you aren’t confident they’ll pick you up.

Hello Brick + Mortar: How to Submit Your Line to Retailers by Mail / Emily Blistein for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Hive Studio submission: product samples, wrapped in fabric gift wrap, catalog and note: submission perfection!

  • WHAT should you send? Introducing a wholesale line by mail can look very different from line to line. I recommend creating a budget for this mailer and a goal for the impact you want to have. Then, divide your budget by the number of stores you want to mail to and sketch out what to include. Consider including:
    • A selection of products that highlight your line, especially those that don’t translate well in photographs/online.
    • Products that are tailored to a retail shop owner’s interests, geographic area and/or other insights you have gleaned about their shop.
    • A physical catalog.
    • A handwritten note. What should you say? Something similar to what you say in your email, but in your own handwriting!
    • Details that reinforce your brand: Ribbon, wrapping, swag, and extra touches enhance the experience of meeting your line and may be the reason you are picked up.
    • Clear, easy contact information via every social and traditional channel.
    • A promise to follow up.
  • HOW should you follow up?
    • By email, one to two weeks later

I hope that’s enough to get you started. Remember: Reaching out by mail takes effort, so make it count. Please ask any follow up questions in the comment section! xo Emily

p.s. Want more on this topic?

Happy Weekend!

We’ll miss you, Prince. But in the meantime…

A Strong Spirit Transcends Rules / Paperfinger via Instagram

Image by Paperfinger via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week! Check back in just a bit for this week’s cocktail recipe! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! And guess what? Today my husband and I are celebrating the ten year anniversary of our very first date! Ten years! We’ve been through grad school together, major career developments and changes, several cat adoptions and rescues, not to mention a wedding and two kids. It’s been a wild and crazy first ten years, but I’m so excited for the next ten and beyond. But in the meantime…

OSBP Office Sneak Peek / Instagram

A favorite corner of my office in late afternoon light, from my Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week! Check back a bit later for this week’s cocktail recipe – and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo