Tag: small business

New Year’s Business Resolutions

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

Each January, there seems to be a surge in new business card clients, mostly small business owners or freelancers looking to finally get some professional business cards made. It’s one of my favorite influxes—such a fun way to kick start the year—and this year did not disappoint!

I still have a few projects in the works, but I finished the first two sets last week so I thought I’d share!

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Jori beat the rush by getting in touch on New Year’s Eve for her new cards. She wanted a very simple design with just the right typeface, and I loved her attention to the font we used. Most people don’t realize it, but a typeface often sets the mood for the design, so this friendly, modern, clean face works perfectly for her!

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Troy got in touch a few days later after purchasing a card from one of my Wisconsin stockists over the holidays. He had done his research, checking out my work on this very website (Hi, Troy!) and knew exactly what he was looking for. The parameters he provided were really inspiring to me, and I came up with a ton of amazing design options for him. I love the one he picked (above)—they just may be my favorite business cards to date!

I also thought I’d share a few of the other initial designs I created for him. I love them so much, I’d hate to never have them see the light of day, so if you’re interested in updating one with your information, get in touch!

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Watercolor Commissions

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Each year, a dear friend does a fair amount of her Christmas shopping from my shop. This year was no different, but instead of cards and stationery, she took advantage of one of my new offerings and commissioned several watercolor paintings. Now that the paintings are in the hands of their happy recipients, I can finally share them with you!

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It all started with the radish watercolor I sold last year. Brittney asked if I was planning on more vegetables, and when I said yes, she made a special request for beets! I especially love how the leaves turned out on this one—I made sure to keep the painting very wet and loose so the varying colors I added could flow into each other and dry with the natural variations that make watercolor so great!

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Next up: something new! That’s Deirdre up there, and she loves flamingos, so Brittney asked if I’d be up for doing a little something different, and of course I was! The texture of the feathers was a bit of a challenge, but I feel like I got it just right.

Don’t worry, I’ve saved the best for last (or maybe it’s just my favorite because it’s the one I finished most recently…). For this piece, Brittney sent a few inspiration images, and they were all sketches and drawings, so I decided to go with a different medium. I created an abstract background with blue, purple and green watercolor, then inked the drawing (which I had already sketched in pencil) over the top. I don’t draw much any more, and this reminded me how much I miss it!

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I’d love to do more commissioned work in the future, so if you’re interested in a very special gift, or artwork for yourself, get in touch!

Thank You Notes

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

thanks_9921As New Year’s approaches, I find myself reflecting on the year that’s passed. As I send out Christmas cards, I take the opportunity to tell friends and family what they mean to me, usually thanking them for various kindnesses throughout the year. This year I thought I’d do the same for my business. As I grow and put more of myself into 622 press/studio I find that the businesses and clients helping me realize this dream mean even more to me. Don’t worry, I’ll be sending cards, but I also thought I’d share here!

Iconi Interiors: About a million years ago, when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing business-wise, the owner of a gorgeous home interiors shop I truly admired took a chance on my work. I wrote about how absolutely floored I was at the time, but looking back, I realize her buy gave me the confidence to pursue all my other wholesale clients, which has become a huge portion of my business.

Driftless Studio: I’ve written about her a lot over the years, because the shop has been instrumental to the growth of 622 press. Not only does Driftless sell the most product of all my wholesalers, owner Anne is an amazing collaborator, never hesitant to share what she thinks will sell best, offering ideas and commissioning projects she truly believes in. And she’s always willing to let me peek behind the scenes of her business, which will quite possibly help me for years to come. As a creative running a successful retail shop, she has become a shining example of what I hope to someday grow up to be!

When Pigs Fly: This shop is owned by my friend’s mom, so it took me a long time to approach her about wholesale, but I’m so glad I did! Kim is always up for trying out new product and I love that! It’s been so important, especially in this year of growth. She’s currently the only retailer carrying my paper flowers!

Lark & Woods Grove: Both of these fabulous stores approached me out of the blue to carry 622 press goods. Just the fact that they were sold on the product alone has been a huge confidence booster this year!

Brain Mill Press: The projects Brain Mill Press sends my way make me feel so incredibly lucky to be able to spend my days doing what I love. With this second commission of art prints, I feel like a part of the BMP family: looking forward to our continued success and collaborations!

Card Club subscribers: Even though it’s a one-way relationship, I feel connected to the women I send cards to every month. I love thinking about what their stationery needs might be for the month, what pieces would round out their collection. Plus they help me keep my inventory in check, and for that I’m very grateful!

There are many more wedding and freelance clients that have really made a difference this year, and if you’re reading this you know who you are :) Thanks for an amazing 2015, here’s to another successful year!

Time to Step Up Your Stationery Game

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

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Guys, I hate to be the one to break it you, but there’s a pair of newborns out in the world totally showing you up in the stationery department. Several months ago, their mama-to-be got in touch about a custom order so she’d have plenty of paper for thank you notes before the babes were born. We chatted about options, I created a few designs… and then the communication stopped. One guess what she was busy doing!

We finalized the design a few weeks later and I printed these beauties in pink and blue ink with a blind emboss ampersand. Paired with snow white envelopes, they are as perfect as those new babies!

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Love Poetry Broadsides for Brain Mill Press

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

Now that the Etsy shop is closed up, I’m excited to share some of the commissions I’ve been working on! Truth be told, this project has consumed so much brain power over the last few months that I thought I’d already written about the first edition, but it turns out I haven’t, so here goes!

You all remember the limited edition of sweet little blind emboss prints I created for Brain Mill Press earlier this year, right? (If not, guess what? There’s a link right up there ^ ) Brain Mill Press is an independent publishing house in Wisconsin, started just a few years ago by two incredible women. They publish prose and poetry that offers an authentic view on the human experience—especially love. Please don’t let your mind go to tacky romance novels, though, these are incredible works by accomplished and novice writers alike.

Each publication is printed first in a fine art first edition, which comes with a special gift for the first 100 pre-orders. For a series of four poetry chapbooks, that special gift is a broadside designed and printed by yours truly!

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Each print features a commissioned illustration by Ann O’Connell and an excerpt from a poem hand-set in lead type. By some luck or fate, I just happened to have a font of lead type that is very similar to a typeface they were already using on their website! The drawer was fairly well stocked—meaning I have a lot of letters—but the poems were longer than I expected, so I ended up having to print each one in several sections as I ran out of certain characters, which was a bit of a challenge.

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Tanka, Seaborgium and The Presentation are finished and delivered, and I have one more to print in early January! I just love how they’ve turned out so far, I roughed up a digital design before I began each one, but nothing compares to the letterpress printed project: The paper is so luxe, the type has a great bite… they’re lovely. In fact, I’m considering hanging an extra Artist’s Proof (the not-quite-perfect prints that didn’t make it into the edition) of all four in our guest bedroom!

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I will be finished with this project in about a month, so if you’re interested in commissioning something similar, please get in touch!