Threadbare

February 11, 2012 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

My embroidery obsession is waning. I don’t think I’ll ever give it up, but I’m not producing with the intensity I was a few weeks ago. However I have found a few great sources for supplies I thought I’d share with you! First up, I found a craft supply store—Lynn’s—that’s not only locally owned, but it also has a better selection than any chain store in my area. Lynn’s has complete collections from three or four different embroidery floss brands, plus framing supplies, paints, paper, specialty writing utensils and many other odds and ends that are often difficult to find—including the mini easel pictured below, which is a great way to display smaller embroidery hoops!

Before I stumbled across a local venue, I turned to the internet. I ordered bulk hoops from Create for Less so I don’t have to run to the store every time I finish a piece. I purchased three different sizes and I’m excited for the variety they offer!

Plaid Friday | Small Business Saturday

November 23, 2011 ~ 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!

Driftless Studio

May 18, 2009 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Anne Connor with her award-winning Boy Band — Anne Connor with her award-winning "Boy Band" photograph

622 press cards are now carried at Driftless Studio, which is owned and operated by Anne Connor. Anne is an amazing nature photographer, and the gallery exhibits much of her work as well as that of local and international artists. The shop carries everything from hand-woven rugs to unique jewelry to handmade crayons, and of course Anne’s photography graces coasters, mousepads, canvases and more.

She picked up my vintage owl notecard, plum and silver feathers note card and two colorways of my gone to seed note card. Driftless Studio is located at 2981 Cahill Main in Fitchburg, just behind The Great Dane on Fish Hatchery Rd.

Books and Brew, a delightful coffee shop in my hometown of Milton, WI, also decided to carry my cards full time. They picked up a few holiday designs last year, and the new owner Carla ordered a few of almost all of my notecard designs as well as one of each of the limited edition prints. She’s doing some really exciting things with the store including an expanded menu and earlier hours and giving the whole shop a facelift.

Miltons Old Junction Mill — Milton's Old Junction Mill

Books and Brew is located at 613 W. Madison Ave., in Milton’s recently restored Old Junction Mill, which is also home to The Red Rooster and Peddlar’s Loft. If you’re in the area you should definitely make a point to stop by!

Furniture Shopping

December 17, 2008December 17, 2008 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Since it’s been almost a year since we bought new furniture for our apartment, I thought I’d finally get around to shopping for the miscellaneous pieces we still need — a coffee table and an accent chair or two. This time instead of hitting the huge department stores, I thought I’d start out looking for something made by a real person. I still haven’t decided on anything, but I thought I’d share the shops that are at the top of my list:

Framework Designs coffee table (photo courtesy of Framework Design) — Framework Design's "coffee" table (photo courtesy of Framework Design)

This stunning modern coffee table from Framework Design is as clever as it is beautiful. The indented squares spell out”coffee!” in braille.

: Lunar Lounge Design

Lunar Lounge Design, while mostly out of my price range, has a fantastic collection of mid-century modern tables and seating that owners Colin and Jonathan make to order. Love their innovative designs and fab color choices.

On the other end of the spectrum are these gorgeous natural wood tables from Michael Arras. Each one is completely unique and custom made of organic oval discs finished with your choice of stain.

Revival Home Goods Petite Paisley Chair — Revival Home Goods' Petite Paisley Chair

I’m also loving the fab recovered chairs over at Revival Home Goods. Joan is an avid antique store shopper who finds pieces with great bones and gives them an update. I’m a sucker for all things paisly so this black chair is definately on the short list!

Last but absolutely not least: dust*furniture. Their complete disregard for the way furniture “should” be results in gorgeous pieces worthy of Dr. Seuss himself!

Iowa City

December 10, 2008 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I’m sitting in a room at the Sheraton in the middle of downtown Iowa City, and I think I’m falling in love. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all sappy on you, I’ve just spent the last two days exploring this fantastic city!

Surrounding our hotel is block after block of adorable boutiques and restaurants.I particularly love the Capanna coffee and gelato shop which shares its location with The Wedge Pizzeria. Our first night in town, we grabbed a quick slice at The Wedge — which was nothing special — but the next morning, I got a latte from Capanna (not bad!) and some of the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had from The Wedge. In place of a heavy hollandaise, they top off a perfectly poached egg with a lovely lemon herb cream sauce — so good!

I spent the rest of the morning shopping and made sure to stop by RSVP — an amazing stationery and paper shop. The clerk was incredibly friendly and we got to talking about letterpress and all the wonderful pieces they have. I also stopped by Iowa Artisans Gallery, which sells pieces by local and national artists, including one of my favorite Madison ceramicists. On the way back, I swung by the mall which houses a nice variety of stores for being so small — University book store, a cute imports shop where I got some great handmade scarves, Express which has the cutest New Years’ dresses, and a giant Dick Blick that I spent almost an hour in!

Anyway, if you happen to be in the area, take a half a day at the very least to walk around Iowa City’s downtown and enjoy the great things it offers!