by MissMalaprop on August 18, 2010
I just added a new line of stationery and greeting cards to the shop, Dodeline Design, by Charleston, South Caroline based designer Sarah Early. Sarah’s work is so much fun – I hope you like it as much as I do! These pieces are so colorful and modern, but I love Sarah’s sense of humor as well. (And the Hey Y’all cards are perfect for Southerners like us!)
I also had the chance to meet Rachael of Ordinarily Urbane and Ruffian Swap yesterday evening, and we were brainstorming some potentially amazing partnership ideas. If you’re in NOLA and free on Saturday, August 28, I recommend checking out the first ever Ruffian Swap – it’s a cool new clothing concept that I haven’t seen done here in New Orleans yet. I’d love to go to the first one, but that’s David’s birthday, so I’ll have to wait til next time!
Also, inspired by Jess LC’s ambassador program, I’ve recently launched my own. It’s a little different than Jess’s program though – basically if you like what I do and want to refer your friends to my online shop, I can give you a special coupon code for you to give out. That way I can track the orders you send to my shop – in return for spreading the word, you’ll get 10% of the total sales you send my way in the form of a gift certificate / store credit. If you’re interested in being an ambassador, you can email me (mallory [AT] missmalaprop.com) or comment here and I’ll email you the details.
by MissMalaprop on July 22, 2010
I was recently contacted by PrintRunner.com, an online printing company, who offered to do a giveaway for 4 sets of 250 500 business cards! I know a lot of you have your own businesses and creative endeavors, so I’m guessing many of you use business cards to promote your work. [Update as of August 2, 2010 - I just got word from the folks at PrintRunner: "We are running low on coupons for 250 business cards, so we've upgraded the prizes of the giveaway on your website to 500 business cards per winner." Awesome!]
One question I always ask when I’m looking at companies that do printing is, do they offer recycled paper and greener printing options? I was of course happy to hear that PrintRunner is committed to greening their business practices. They offer a lot of recycled paper and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper options, and they have eliminated petroleum based inks, and use only vegetable-based inks for their printing. You can find out more about their commitment to environmentally friendly printing practices here.
Here’s what’s up for grabs: there will be 4 winners, randomly chosen, who will receive 250 500 business cards each. Here’s the technical info on the cards:
- Premium 14 pt. card stock
- Durable, water resistant UV-coating
- Choice of glossy or matte coating
- Full color, B/W or blank back available
- Rounded corners available
The cards, of course, can be printed on recycled paper. The winners will be able to pick this option by choosing the 100% recycled paper option on the dropdown menu on the right side of the page under the “Paper” option on this page.
To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here and let me know why you need business cards! Post your comment by midnight on Friday, August 6, 2010 (Central Standard Time – go here to figure out what time that is where you are).
The winner will be chosen at random from the comments. Please use a valid email address, as that’s how I’ll be contacting the 4 winners. (I won’t share it with anyone, I promise!) If you are chosen as one of the winners, you must respond to my email within 1 week from the date I send it, or an alternate winner will be chosen.
Official Rules:
- One entry per person
- Open to U.S. residents online
- Must be 18 and over and not an employee or relative of an employee of PrintRunner LLC
- No purchase necessary
- Shipping not included
PrintRunner.com is a Southern California-based online printing company that has established a reputation for providing high quality printed products at affordable prices with superior customer service. The company offers a wide array of printing services in addition to custom business cards, including full color brochures, flyers, posters, stickers, professional design services, and more.
by MissMalaprop on May 19, 2010
I’m a big list person. I’m constantly scribbling to-do lists on scraps of paper, updating my planner with upcoming events and things to do… I’ve got at least 3 different shopping lists going on right now on the fridge: one for the regular grocery store, one for Sam’s Club (I like to buy certain groceries in bulk to limit packaging waste and save on grocery trips) and one for Target. My methods work for me well enough, but they aren’t exactly pretty. I’ve actually been a fan of the organizational products designed by Jenny Newcomer for awhile now, so it was great to get a note from her about her line, LobotoME.
Jenny’s LobotoME (goods to keep ME sane) line of eco-friendly organizational products includes fun to-do list notepads and weekly planners made in the U.S.A. from recycled materials and printed with soy based inks. She has special notepad planners designed for meal planning, staying on track with your exercise schedule, and letting the babysitter/house sitter/pet sitter know exactly what you need them to know. I also love her checklists for packing for a trip and for grocery shopping. She even has a Twilight inspired to-do list!
In addition to selling her goods via her website, Jenny’s products are available via a variety of other retailers, and she also offers a fundraising program for schools and organizations to sell her goods. (Isn’t this a great alternative to those crummy candy bars and useless crap they made us hawk as kids?? I always hated those school fundraising things…)
by MissMalaprop on April 21, 2010
I recently got word of the R. Nichols spring collection of note cards. After looking around the site, falling in love the colorful, sweet and simple illustration style, I noticed that the illustrator’s work has been featured on Target gift cards, the cover of the book French Women Don’t Get Fat and in a monthly column for Southern Living magazine. Pretty impressive, no?
I think one of the things that resonates most with me about these illustrations is that every design begins as a hand cut collage. R. Nichols first learned to create these beautiful collages out of colorful paper in 6th grade! I’ve always loved collage work – collage was the first crafty thing I remember really doing a lot of – and I think this is a great example of how it can be transformed into something beyond what people normally think of when they think “collage”.
I think these cards are so cute! There’s a great Mother’s Day gift set, which includes this adorable red bee tote bag. R. Nichols also offers personalization of their note cards – for $2 extra any name can be added to any box of note cards. I think these would make such fun gifts, don’t you think?
by MissMalaprop on March 30, 2010
This weekend I’ll be out at Freret Market promoting my new shop and hanging out with some of my fellow New Orleans Craft Mafia members: artbymags!, greenKangaroo, She Loves Me Not Clothing Company, and Unique Products. The event typically takes place on the first Saturday of every month, which makes this Saturday, April 3, the next date! We’ll be near the corner of Freret Street and Napoleon Avenue from 12pm – 5pm. The Freret Market is always lots of fun, and it’s free to attend. It always features live music, this month by Tin Men at noon, Tanglers at 1:45pm and Sunflower City at 3:30pm. Check out some of the stuff you might find from us there:
Fleur de Lis Labyrinth Recycled Greeting Cards by Paper NOLA. I’m stocking these great handmade greeting cards made by my friend Karen Kempf in my new shop. Karen is one of the most environmentally committed artists I know… She goes so far as to collect rainwater to use in her recycled paper making process, in order to limit any sort of waste. She was someone I knew from the start that I’d want to have involved in my shop.
A couple of weeks ago, I helped my friend Mags of art by mags! with her booth at the Top of the Hops beer fest. I LOVE the new beer inspired folk art that she came up with for the fest! She loves incorporating recycled bottlecaps into her work (as do I), and I love this new direction that she’s taken with it. She managed to haul off quite a pile of bottlecaps from the festival to recycle. If you’re in New Orleans and want to save and donate your old bottlecaps to her, get in touch with her!
I’ve always been a HUGE fan of my friend Heather’s fused glass creations. I’ve got a few of them, and they’re totally worth checking out in person. You’ll have trouble deciding which one is your favorite! She’ll be at Freret Market this weekend, or you can also find her shop Unique Products at 2038 Magazine Street and online.
Rebekah of She Loves Me Not Clothing Company is our newest member in the New Orleans Craft Mafia. Her Etsy shop doesn’t do justice to her creations, so you’ll just have to come out and see her stuff this weekend! It’s going to be her first time doing the Freret Market, so show her some love! She’s a really talented seamstress, and she’s got a great style. Aren’t these pouches she made the cutest?
by MissMalaprop on February 3, 2010
You guys have been sending me such great eco-friendly and earth inspired finds lately for my Picked By You! series! Here’s a few that have been posted via Facebook and the Etsy forums.
PluckyMermaid picked these earrings made from real orchid leaves by MaD Earth, who make lots of other great jewelry from sustainable materials and natural elements. PluckyMermaid says, “I love this shop! Such cool items, so creative and beautiful!”
Teressa Foster of MisTeeK offered up these handmade gift tags crafted from recycled paper. She says, “I’d like to suggest one of my favorites, runonthesun, who makes price tags out of recycled just about anything cardboard. She hand punches them herself! I love them, and use them on all of my creations.” I love these too; thanks for the tip Teressa!
MarianellaStyle recommended a recycled paper coin purse by Lilith Creations. She says, “This purse is made with paper!! You can find more upcycled products in her shop.” So cute!
Thanks for all of the great finds!
Got your own amazing handmade or eco-friendly shopping find? Send it my way! You can email me a link to the item, one or two sentences about why you think it is so special, plus your name and a website/blog link so I can credit you to mallory [AT] missmalaprop.com and let me know it’s for Picked By You!, or you can post your picks in this thread in the Etsy forums or at my Facebook fan page. Designers, while I definitely encourage you to let me know about your own work as well, please note that Picked By You! is to showcase the work of other artists, so show some love for your favorite fellow artisans!
