Brick & Mortar: 2015 Daydreams + Unprompted Requests, Part 1

I’m a brainstormer and day dreamer, the old fashioned kind who stares out windows and loses hours (/avoids to-do lists). Lately, I’ve had the good fortune of being in your good graces, so each day brings gorgeous mail, thoughtful emails and social media hellos. It is the perfect amount of fodder for my product inspired daydreams. In these early 2015 days, I want to share a few things that I not-so-secretly hope you’ll make. I’m going to share it in two parts because, it turns out, my daydreams are far more prolific than my t0-do lists. Here’s part one! –Emily of Clementine

OSBPEmilyMcdowellIllustration

Illustration by Emily McDowell for Oh So Beautiful Paper

First, nota bene: these are my daydreams. As a shop owner, I have the luxury of ideating without the hassle of actual production.  These ideas may be impossible, flawed, or unmarketable. They’re also unprompted, they come from little sparks in my mind, not from customer requests or outside suggestions. This is to say: I send them with love but with absolutely no attachment.

PART I . Matchmaker, matchmaker. You know when you have two single friends who you think would be perfect for each other but you’re not sure how to tell them so you decide to do it on the internet without any warning? This is kind of like that except I barely know anyone involved (but if you know any single straight men in NYC, do I have a few amazing friends…).

  • Brown Parcel Press & Andie’s Specialty SweetsWhen I first saw the cards and prints from Brown Parcel Press, I thought: They look good enough to eat. Similarly, upon my introduction to Andie’s Specialty Sweets, I thought: That can’t be real! They look too incredible to eat! Both of these makers mold their material into a truly scrumptious product. I would love to see Andie’s base a little line of candies from Brown Parcel’s card lines. (I would admire them for an appropriate amount of time and then I would totally eat them up.)

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 Brown Parcel Press’s Grapefruit + Andie’s Specialty Candies marzipan fruit

  • Sapling Press + Notabli: Last week, while eating breakfast, my 3 year old turned to me and said “Mama, your eyebrows are too bright.” I reacted like many moms of my generation: I grabbed my phone and decided which social media platform deserved this quip. I chose notabli, a scrapbook-like app that saves your kids moments in photos, audio, video or just a little note. I love the note function because everyone always tells you to “write down what your kids say” and of course you never do, but now I finally am.

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Sapling Press card + a little shot of the Notabli App

A while back, I laughed through my entire Sapling Press order. So here’s my idea: I want these two to join forces. I want Notabli to hold a contest for parents to enter the funniest things their kids say and then I want Sapling Press to print them. Kids do say ridiculous things, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worthy of letterpress. (Spoken like a true parent, I know.)

  • Our Heiday + MCMCI’ve carried MCMC fragrances at Clementine for several years and Anne’s descriptions are just my favorite, vivid and lush, they take you right to a place. Last year, Pat from Our Heiday sent her beautiful intro packet and with each new card I found myself wanting another sense involved. They were like visual ingredient bouquets and I kept wondering: what would these cards smell like? I would love to see what these two would do together: a scent MCMC creates based on an Our Heiday illustration? Or Our Heiday illustrations based on MCMC scents? Either way, I’m in.

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Our Heiday’s Mom Card + MCMC’s Garden Fragrance

  • Anna Joyce + The Hive StudioI have horrible handwriting, so calligraphy truly is magic to me. Though I carry a few calligraphed cards at Clementine, people still think it is reserved for wedding invitations. I would love to see its application expand. Lindsey Buck of The Hive Studio was my Goody Goody Gift Swap mate and I was just floored by her calligraphy, it was bold and graphic, penning in a vibrant teal ink it was raised from the page and I wanted to see it on repeat. Anna Joyce‘s line of accessories has been a Clementine favorite for a while. Her contrast of her fabric and leather makes her accessories rise to art status, especially with her new hand painted series. It seems like a seamless jump to turn Lindsey’s wrapping paper into fabric for a special limited edition line with Anna’s skills.

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Anna Joyce Design’s Splatter Print Clutch in Yellow + The Hive Studio holiday wrapping paper

  • Red Cap Cards + Hygge & West: I spent my childhood skirting the edge of Vermont’s forests. My little friends and I built endless fairy houses and lived knee-deep in a land of make-believe. Whenever I find a designer able to capture the feeling of that time, I want to live in their world. This is to say: wallpaper. I want them to make wallpaper. Currently, I think Hygge + West is knocking it out of the park translating illustrated designs onto walls and I love scouring Red Cap’s line for illustrators who create the worlds I could live within.

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Becca Stadtlander for Red Cap Cards + Hygge + West’s Mint Peonies by Rifle Paper Co

  • Red House Inc + Swiss Cottage DesignsVermont is tiny state, with big state pride. Red House Inc, a fave local maker is creating some fantastic waxed canvas products. I especially love her thoughtful details, like her choices for liner fabrics. Courtney from Swiss Cottage Designs recently sent me a sample card from a Vermont wedding she designed. I was planning to crash the wedding (for the goodie bags) because I love LOVE, but then she wrote to say: let’s make something out of this and I thought: ug, where do I start? Well, I’ll start with fabric. (Then wallpaper, wrapping paper, notepads….). How about these two together:

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Red House Inc’s extra large tote + Swiss Cottage Designs Vermont illustrations

  • Little Auggie + Clap ClapLittle Auggie is creating some of the softest, sweetest bedding around. I’m especially grateful for their patterns for boys – which don’t fall into the easy rut of sport/superhero/truck themes. Instead each line creates a narrative that even parents can love . Similarly, Clap Clap Design‘s stationery stops me in my tracks with bold colors and a clear story. I would happily pull a duvet cover designed by these two over my head for a long winter nap.

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Little Auggie‘s Rabbit Patch Collection + Clap Clap‘s Greeting Cards

  • Julie Song + Pretty Plum SugarIt turns out, these two were well ahead of me. For Christmas, I was gifted a gorgeous robe from Pretty Plum Sugar (long live the pinterest wish list!). I returned to Clementine to find Julie had sent her beautiful 2015 Calendar. As I was dreaming up this post, I had a fleeting thought about how perfect Julie’s designs would be on these robes. Then last week on Instagram I saw that it had already happened, even prettier than I had imagined (and dare, I say the perfect get-up for 2015 tea-drinking bed-lounging daydreams):

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{Julie Song for Pretty Plum Sugar exclusively via BHLDN}

Join me back here soon to day dream about new and expanded products from some of your existing stationery lines. And in the mean time…What brands do you think could partner to create a new product?

xx 2015!

DIY Tutorial: Raised Wood and Glass Desk Organizer

There really isn’t a better time to get yourself organized and back on track the January! No matter how much you may want to fight the goals and resolutions, there is just something about flipping open your new calendar that screams ‘fresh start’! I spent most of the end of 2014 giving our living space a good cleaning and this month I will be moving that energy to my office. Being a crafter, I have lots of little bits and bobbles that need their places, so collecting jars and boxes has become a new hobby of mine. I also like a little height variation with the containers on my desk, so I thought creating a simple, functional, and also visually pleasing set of containers would meet all of my criteria! – Lauren

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

You can use almost any jar, box, vase, or container you have lying around. Here’s how to give them a little more personality and dress up your desk.

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Supplies

– Square wood sticks, about 1/2″ thick (lengths will vary at your hardware store)

– Several glass cylinder vases in different sizes

– Wood stain

– Wood Glue

Tools (not shown):

– Brush or rag for stain

– Hand saw (or just take your measurements to the store!)

– Clamps

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful PaperDIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Instructions

1. Start by measuring the width of the bottom of your cylinder, add about 1/8″ to each side, or a 1/4″ total. This is half of  the base that will hold your cylinder.

2. Create the 2nd piece that will cross and create an X to support the cylinder. Measure the width of your wood piece, subtract that from the total length of your base piece from step one, and cut. Then cut that piece in half. (So if your first piece is 3 1/2″ and the width of your wood is 1/2″, piece 2 and 3 shown above in the right image will each be 1 1/2″ long) These measurements should create a symmetrical X.

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful PaperDIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

3. Lay your wood base piece from step 1 under your cylinder. Set the uncut wood at a 90 degree angle and mark the height you would like your legs. Have at least an inch or two above the base to keep your cylinder secure, then the bottom measurement will be up to you on how high you’d like them to stand. Cut this piece 4 times to create the 4 legs.

4. These are your final cut pieces, 4 legs and 3 pieces to create an X base.

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

5. Center the 2 smaller pieces on the larger base piece to create the X, glue and clamp (follow directions for timing on your glue).

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

6. Once the base is dry, begin to attach the legs. I found it was easiest to set the base on an object and attach 2 legs at a time to ensure they were level and secure.

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

7. Repeat to complete your stands, then stain!

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful PaperDIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Tutorial: Raised Glass Desk Organizer by A Fabulous Fete for Oh So Beautiful Paper

I love that I can grab whatever jar I need and take it with me to work on a project. When you are done, just pop it back on the stand and let it blend in as decor!

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope it’s nice and sunny wherever you are. We received our first snowfall of the season here in DC and it’s still bitterly cold a couple of days later. I’m dreaming of warm soup and hot chocolate for the weekend! But in the meantime…

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No words, just so much sadness // Lettering by Shauna Lynn Illustration via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Check back this afternoon for this week’s cocktail recipe! Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

 

 

Seasonal Stationery: 2015 Planners + Agendas

A well-designed planner or agenda has historically been a design white whale: a rumor on the wind but nearly impossible to find in reality. But in the past few years designers have (thankfully) stepped up their game with some really gorgeous options! So here are a few options for those of you still on the hunt for a beautiful way to stay organized in 2015 – and you can find a few more (28 total!) in the full 2015 planner round up right here!

2015 Planner and Agenda Round Up by Oh So Beautiful Paper

1. The always gorgeous 2015 planner from Laurel Denise

2. The Ban.do 17-month agenda sold out super fast – but if you’re lucky you can still find some local retailers with a copy!

3. Fun preppy patterns from Sarah Pinto

4. This planner from Paper Source features a fun color palette of mint and gold foil!

5. + 6. Julia Kostreva has several gorgeous everyday planners that can be used during any year (I’m partial to this marbled indigo and gold foil design) and this minimalist 2015 planner

7. I love the cover of this Kate Spade planner!

8. The Day Designer – simply put: the most well thought out heavy duty planner I’ve ever seen (with gorgeous design to boot!) Most editions sell out super fast – so be sure to get on the waiting list if you want a copy!

Seasonal Stationery: 2015 Calendars, Part 4

Now that it’s officially 2015 – let’s take a look at a few more 2015 calendars! If you’re still on the hunt for your perfect calendar, you can find previous highlight posts here and the full 2015 calendar round up right here!

2015 Calendars via Oh So Beautiful Paper

1. Julie Song Ink floral watercolor calendar

2. Mr. Boddington’s Studio

3. Little Bright Studio hemisphere constellation calendar

4. And Here We Are

5. Linea Carta – I love the little paint splatters!

6. Mink Letterpress (incredibly intricate!) quilt calendar

7. Parrott Design Studio