Category: art

New Work & Old Favorites

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

This Christmas, I gave myself a gift. The first part was to really, truly take four full days away from work. No email, no phone calls, barely a thought of the office. Sure two of those days were a weekend, but if I’m being honest, it’s rare that I even go a whole weekend without doing a little something for the magazine, so this really felt indulgent for me.

The second part of that gift was to spend much of that time printing. I had a few things I had to get done for Driftless Studio—a beautiful store on State Street in Madison owned by a talented photographer, writer and wonderful person named Anne. Her favorite design is my “Gone to Seed” dandelion print, so I printed up a bunch of those in light blue, plus some Happy Birthday bike cards, some blue and green grasses, love you. cards for Valentine’s and more.

Since the process of inking up, setting the plate and cleaning up is so labor intensive, I tend to print several different designs while I have a color on press. So while I was at blue and yellow, I also did a reprint of one of my fastest-selling designs that I’ve been out of for a while, “you are my sunshine.” I also did a run of a new “congrats” card that would work perfectly for a wedding or new home, plus started lots of recipe cards, limited edition prints and more.

Gift guide: For the birds

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Hello, my name is Kristin and I am addicted to bird-themed accessories. There’s a 12 step program for this, right? First step, admitting you have a problem. Truth be told, I have no less than two feather necklaces, one bird necklace, two pairs of feather earrings, a feather ring and a feather bracelet sitting on my dresser right now. Oh, and a feather-print dress in my closet. So anyway, I see no reason not to continue the theme!

We’ll start with something practical. This transparent resin bracelet by Rosella Resin features a polka dot feather from a spotted guinea fowl. It’s graphic enough to spice up any simple, modern ensemble, yet earthy enough to appeal to a granola girl as well.

Now for something a little more fanciful—amazing feather headpieces by Arturo Rios. I know hats are just starting to catch on over here in the U.S., but these are really just too beautiful to pass up. If you can’t imagine placing them on your head, what about on a table as your centerpiece or affixed to a light fixture in your home?

Feather hair extensions were very trendy this summer, but I think they’ll stick around for a couple more months. Many shops on etsy offer them, including this set from futska. I love the look, but I’m still trying to decide if they’re worth it! Luckily, these are so affordable it’s worth the gamble.

Twelve (or more) Days of Christmas

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Good morning dear readers! I have a confession to make: I haven’t sent out Christmas cards for two years. Somehow each December seems to fly by and before I know it, I’m heading to my parents for the holidays and my stack of cards is still sitting on the dining room table. But this year, in an effort to show how much I value those who make my life better, I’m going to try. I may or may not succeed 100%, but at least I’m making the effort!

Since I can’t send a card to each and every one of you (although if you email me your address, I’ll put you on the list!), my gift to you all this holiday season will be to give 110% on the blogging front. Truth be told, I’ve been saving up some awesome ideas for weeks now, so from now until Christmas, my plan is to post at least every other day (do the math, it’ll make the title of this post make more sense). From décor to gift ideas, I hope I can share a little inspiration and help thaw the brain freeze that can accompany trying to find the perfect present.

An aside: This year, I’ve chosen not to use the politically correct “holiday” in lieu of Christmas. Not because I’m ignoring the other holidays that fall at this time of year, but simply because that’s what I celebrate. Sometimes we take such drastic steps to make sure no one is left out that we end up over-generalizing or making the world feel like one homogenized landscape rather than celebrating what makes each culture unique. I hope you can use the ideas I write about in your own traditions this season, and please feel free to leave comments about how you’d use these ideas in your life!

Plum crazy

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Happy Cyber Monday! Yeah, apparently that’s a thing. I know I should be more enthusiastic about the retail surge this weekend but I just can’t bring myself to do it! If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that “it’s just stuff.” (And definitely not worth pepper spraying your fellow shopper over! Seriously lady?!?)

However, I was excited about being given the opportunity to put together a beautiful little gift set for a fellow etsian. She wanted two of each of my botanically themed cards in different colors. I had most of the designs already printed in a couple different colors, but I did get to put in several hours on my press this weekend. The results are quite lovely if I do say so myself!

It seems that whenever I work on a custom project these days, the stars align, the humidity and ink consistency and pressure are all just right and I can’t help but print everything in sight. This weekend was no different, so while I was all inked up, I worked on a couple projects I’ve had swirling around in my head for a while. Turns out, they all looked good in purple!

Plaid Friday | Small Business Saturday

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

So your turkey is brining, pies are in the oven… now it’s time to decide what to do with the rest of your week. If you’re like me, you stay at home on Black Friday. Sure, I could get a great deal on a new TV, but I’d also have to get up at 4am and risk getting trampled to death by my fellow bargain hunters. Uhhh… no thanks.

However, this year several shop local movements are tempting me to brave the traffic and push thru my day-after-Thanksgiving food hangover. I’m still not waking up at 4am though. You’re going to have to give me a lot more than a discount to get me out of bed at that hour.

Plaid Friday—the obvious alternative to Black Friday—is simply encouraging shoppers to swap the lines and crowds at your local big box shop for a more pleasant experience at an independent retailer. Not only do you eliminate the risk of a fight breaking out in aisle 87, you might actually get some decent customer service out of the deal and find goods that no one else will have. Plus, no need to be an early bird. Have I mentioned cutting your REM sleep to three hours to go shopping is insane?

If you simply must get your Black Friday rush, Small Business Saturday is for you. Same idea as Plaid Friday: support your local economy and celebrate what makes your town different from thousands of other mall-ridden cities. Take advantage of these opportunities to show your support for small businesses!