I'm so LUCKY!

Stay tuned for some exciting InkSpot Workshop news! or should I say, check your news stands in the next few weeks for the October 2009 issue of Lucky Magazine!

Winner Alert!

Congratulations Lesley!

We have a winner and it's none other than Lesley, from the great shop and blog Smidgebox. Leslie is going to be receiving a $50 Gift Certificate to use any way she wishes in my shop, plus will be getting a Body Balm and Spritzer from Sweet Petula, in her choice of fragrance. Thank you to everyone who participated in our FREE LUNCH giveaway and most importantly gave us some great ideas for holiday items.

Stay tuned because here on The Spotter there really is such a thing as a

FREE LUNCH!

iCANDY - 48th Edition

I thought I'd make this week's iCANDY part of InkSpot Workshop's launch this week. Usually I don't include myself in this weekly roundup, but what the heck? especially since the website really turned out to be a labor of love these past 6 months, just ask my family.

I designed a bunch of new goodies prior to the site going live and here are just a few of my favorites. Hope you enjoy!

Don't forget I'm offering FREE SHIPPING anywhere on the globe, just enter the coupon code SPOT09 upon checkout.

1. Daisy Calling Cards - Include handy, round carrying tin
2. Sock Monkey Invitation - Make great birthday invites too
3. Girl's Banner Note Cards - Have an adorable boy's set too
4. Oh Joy Baby Shower Invitations - Choose from 4 mod color combinations
5. Initial Folio Sets - Choose from 4 inspiring color palettes
6. Pinwheel Flowers Gift Stickers - Make great gifts.

InkSpotWorkshop.com is LIVE!

It's been in the works since the start of 2009....

And now...I'm so proud and happy to announce the launch of my very own

"secure" shopping site!

InkSpotWorkshop.com

is finally LIVE

We have tons of new stuff so please stop on by and check it all out.

In order to celebrate, I'm offering

FREE SHIPPING

Just For Blog Readers and Twitter Friends

anywhere on the globe!

Hurry, offer expires in one week (August 9, 2009)

Simply order coupon code SPOT01

for orders of $15.00 or more

COME HELP US CELEBRATE!

E-I-E-I-O

Meet my new friends! Brand new original designs from InkSpot Workshop and now available in my shop. The black sheep is my favorite:) Try them personalized.

Deposit #1

It is with great pleasure I bring you this post today. As I mentioned here last month, I have started a second Etsy shop called Fire Hydrant Press. This furry little division of InkSpot Workshop exists to provide dog lovers with fun and unique paper goods featuring their own pet's silhouette(s). As a side benefit, I chose Last Chance For Animals as this year's benefactor and 15% of all Fire Hydrant Press sales get donated to this wonderful organization that helps ALL animals!

Fire Hydrant Press opened in December, 2008 and every 3 months (quarterly) I will send LCA a check. My very first check just got mailed today for the amount of $150.00 and I sure am looking forward to seeing that number quadruple over the next few months. I will keep a running tally of all donations (year to date) both on my blog and on my shop announcement.

To celebrate, I'd like to offer

FREE LUNCH for YOU and A FRIEND !!!!

Simply leave a post here telling me not only your favorite item at Fire Hydrant Press,

but what makes your dog simply THE BEST.

I will randomly select a winner on Friday, March 19 at 9:00 am

the winner will receive 2 sets of my new Spring Fling, personalized stationery.

One for you and one for a friend. You pick the dog silhouette.

The winner will also get to have their dog's picture proudly displayed right here and on my shop's banner

Good Luck! and please help spread the word about Fire Hydrant Press. I want to be able to write a check to Last Chance For Animals in the thousands, not just hundreds!!!

Wrapped and READY

Giving InkSpot Workshop goodies as a gift? Check out my new

InkSpot Workshop Stationery Gift Box

Change is in the air

It's a NEW year and I have some new things in store for InkSpot Workshop. In addition to upgrading my printer I'm happy to announce I've also upgraded the thickness of card stock I had been using. Now, all flat note cards, invitations and tags previously printed on 110# smooth, white card stock will be printed on a "double thick" 110 lb card stock. I won't bore you with the details but I got a "gsm" weight education and learned that all 110 lb card stocks are not the same. WOW! what a difference this makes.

I'm super excited to announce that I have just started working on InkSpot Workshop's very own website with the talented team at Aeolidia Designs. I have been dreaming about this since I started my Etsy shop back in April, and know this is just the group to make my dream into a reality. I plan to keep a sampling of my popular items in my Etsy shop and offer a larger selection of items on my site. I first heard about Aeolidia when my friend Sara Tams, of the popular SarahandAbraham.com had them make her site. I instantly fell in love with how clean and easy to use her site is. When you shop online there is nothing worse than a cluttered, hard to navigate site, especially when you are dealing with customized products. Stay tuned for my unveiling which will also include some new products.

Lastly, I leave you with this image... It is something I'm working on that is fury and for charity:) I'm still not 100% ready to launch it to the world but keep checking back.

Thank you everyone for a successful first year of business and I'm truly looking forward to bringing you even more fun, hand crafted paper goodies to make you smile!!

Photo Credits: Sea.Benn, AJFishleder

Now Available Wholesale

One more task complete! I've been working very hard on InkSpot Workshop's new wholesale catalog. After many requests to carry my line from retailers, I figured it was time. These little buggers are very time consuming to print, fold, staple and send, but hopefully will be worth all the effort. Aren't they cute? just 5.5 x 4.25 when folded.

! FREE LUNCH !

Who says there is no such thing as a FREE LUNCH?

Today at Inkspot Workshop we're serving up a heaping helping of teal with a side of red! Lucky Duck Designs was nice enough to contact everyone shown in the picture to see if we wanted to do a collaborative project and here's the result. You get a chance to win your own variety pack of Etsy artists' cards.

Win All 6 Cards Shown

How? Just Post Here

Friday, August 22 - Monday, Aug 25

a random winner will be drawn by my trusty 2.5 year old assistant

Featured artists include:
Just Another Day Designs
Lucky Duck Designs
Yours Truly
Tatsuko
JMillen
Wine Makers Sister

GOOD LUCK!

Paper Everywhere! - Keeping It Organized

As my office is starting to take in more and more supplies {inventory} for my shop, I strive to find a balance between storing my medical supplies {day job} and ever growing paper stash. The garage is already overflowing with stuff for my day job, so my husband has placed me on restriction from placing even one more object in it.

My on going quest for organization lead me to The Container Store, where I visit monthly {at least} for inspiration - so lucky to have this store less than 4 miles from my house! This trip, in particular, was more inspiring than others because I discovered the niftiest invention ever! It's simply called "Stationery Organizer" how cool is that? Especially since this is precisely what I was looking to organize!! What makes it different from other "tray" style organizers is that the design has some style to it and it doesn't look like the basic items you find at every office supplies store.

The company who makes my latest love is called livingbox, based in Taiwan. Leave it to East Asia, to come up with some of the best storage solutions out there. I guess when you live in a country where real estate {space} in general is a premium and your living quarters mimic that of a cruise ship cabin, necessity really is the mother of invention.

My new stationery organizer has three trays measuring 12.5x9 inches and they are stack able. You can choose to have your drawers pull out either landscape or portrait orientation. I chose landscape {sideways} and it holds my A9 {5x7} paper perfectly!!

Check out these other fresh, colorful items from livingbox's young designer, Yira Wu, Jr.

FREE LUNCH!

FIRST GIVEAWAY

Chandeliers
Boys Popsicle Notes
Girl's Popsicle Notes
Chocolate Daisies
Daisy Bouquet
Pinwheel Ice Cream
Pinwheel
Pinwheel Flowers
Multi Language Thank You
All Occasion Set
Pink & Green Jax
Blue & Green Jax
Orange & Teal Jax
Damask
Monogram

That's right,

just for you special readers!

June 13 - 27

Simply post a comment telling me which set of stationery set you would like to win {see photos} and how you found Inkspot Workshop Blog.

Not 1 but 2 lucky winners will receive a free set of their choice! That's it, no strings attached. Now go tell your friends...there really is such a thing as a free lunch:*

You don't have to have a blog to win, just make sure to leave your email so I may contact you. If you win a personalized set, I will contact you for your printing specifics. Winners will be chosen at random by my 2 year old son.

Thanks and GOOD LUCK!

The Sisterhood

Just got back from a much needed "girls getaway" weekend in Chicago, with my gal pals. It was truly a vacation as I left my laptop at home, which rarely ever happens since starting Inkspot Workshop, plus working a full time medical sales job. We had a total of 6 of us representing Phoenix, Atlanta, Cleveland, DC, Richmond and Overland Park, KS. All of us have known each other since the 7th grade and a few in the group since kindergarten and grade school. We all grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio called North Olmsted.

The coolest part of this group of ladies is not just the fact we are still friends, but how much fun we still have together. It's a rare oddity {we know} to have such a tight knit group and we've been this way since the '80s. The reason for this trip is because we are celebrating our 40th birthdays this year. This is also the same group I spent most of my teen birthdays with too! We constantly discuss how we "look exactly the same" but are a bit confused as to how much of that is reality or the generous amounts of alcohol we typically consume when together.

Our trip consisted of laughter, funny stories from the past and present, eating, drinking and tons of walking! {not necessarily in that order} We happened to be in the Windy City during The Blue's Festival, so people watching became a popular spectator sport for us. Chicago is a major metropolitan town with it's fair share of crack dealers, sharp dressers and security personnel alike.

All kidding aside, Chicago is an absolutely beautiful, lakefront city and I was amazed at how clean it was, plus how well thought out are all the different flower beds and pond areas.

We started off the trip with a real treat of a dinner at Osteria Via Stato. All I can say is WOW! We did their famous "Italian Family Style" dinner and it lived up to all expectations. Our favorites were the Parmesan encrusted sweet onions, of which each of us ate no fewer than 17 servings. At the end of the meal the server brought out dark chocolate and some dried fruit and nuts and smashed it up on the table {cool effect} so we could have just a small nibble of salt and sweet, perfect ending for a perfect meal. Of course, I was wearing my new white jeans and crisp shirt and the chocolate was dark... that's all I have to say. Oh and then I had to buy a Tide Pen - coolest invention ever - Thanks Lisa!

Then off to Rockit Bar for some shots! 6 loud, lively, girls usually make quite a scene on a Thursday night anywhere, but here in Chi town, the locals dubbed us as the "Hot Birthday Moms" which we thought sounded much better than hot BMs:)

There is probably no such thing as a bad meal in Chicago and we surely had our fare share of tremendous food! Similar to Cleveland, Chicago has many different neighborhoods with small, "local" restaurants and taverns. Definitely something I miss here in the South. Some locals we met at the Blues festival suggested we try Mario's, in order to get a true taste of local, friendly and neighborhoody.

It was everything we had hoped for and MORE! Mario, himself greeted us at the door and enthusiastically gave us his favorite menu suggestions. Then off he went to the bar and appeared like a magician with 6 Limoncellos! I'm so glad he told us to "sip" them because all these years I have been downing them as shots. Ugh. Mario's pizza was wafer thin crusted, completely opposite of the well known deep-dish pizza found in Chi town pizzerias. It actually melted in your mouth and if you get the chance to eat at Mario's, don't be shy, you can eat a whole 10 inch pizza all by yourself. We also had some pasta dishes like the carbonara and by the end of the night and 27 different dishes later, we opted to walk back to the hotel. PS. we ordered his Tiramisu just for kicks and it was like eating air!! I'm also pretty sure there were 0 calories as a result of being so light?

Not having any pre-set agenda was our goal for this trip. The next day we spent walking around and investigating all parts of the city. Our resident lawyer and map reader got us these super cool shirts, which we proudly displayed all over the city. You too can have the artist make some up for your BFFs, check out the site http://www.firedaughterclothing.com/ They are not listed on the site, but you can send her an email.We were on the hunt for Oprah, because surely once she saw us in our cute shirts and heard our story, she would want to do a show about us? right? Ok, then at the very least she would want to give us new cars or something? Ok, you are right, once she heard we were celebrating our 40th birthdays, she would probably give us each a walker:) Instead we settled for an interview with Hugh Heffner at the local PlayBoy offices

Truth be known, the poor guy who took this picture was just innocently getting his dry cleaning, then was accosted by this motley bunch of tourists moms. His day could have been worse, right?

In fact, I liked these shirts so darn much I got inspired to make a new line of folded notes and you can get a set at Inkspot Workshop.

Another thoughtful girlfriend gift given was an adorable book called "Friends To The End" The True Value of Friendship, written by Bradley Trevor Greive.

This book is choc-full of cute pictures, just like the cover, along with cute captions relating to friendships.

I also wanted to help commemorate our 40th getaway trip and enlisted the help of fellow Etsy seller Christen Largent, of BD Designs.

Not only is she too from Ohio {how befitting} she is an amazing silver smith who made us each these lovely silver bracelets. My picture does not do it justice, check out her store where she has tons of great stuff, all able to be personalized/customized. She is a true artist! plus especially nice to work with.



Saturday, we took the Architecture Boat Tour along the river and it was definitely something for a first time visitor. My camera was dead, but will post pictures from the trip as I receive them.


When we were not having extravagant meals or people watching, we had a few sandwiches and cocktails/Guinness's at this fantastic Irish Pub called O'Callaghan's of course. Very cozy, like Cheers, only in Chicago.
Our final night and official 40th birthday party celebration was held at Aigre Doux. The chef made us this delicious birthday cake.

I wish I cold remember this dinner with vivid detail, however by the time we arrived we had already made a couple visits to O'Callaghan's. Not to mention the air conditioner was broken at the restaurant, meaning the nice, cold drinks went down too easily! Take a look at the tangerine, something, something we are all drinking on the table. It was made from fresh squeezed juices and some kind of liquor and was SOOOOO GOOD! and also the reason I am unable to recall with vivid clarity the dinner we had, but rest assured it was just as memorable as the rest of our Chicago trip.

As I draw this long memoir to a close, I again want to say Happy 40th Birthday to my N.O. Girls! I am so proud to know each of you and even prouder of the wives, mothers and friends you have become. I miss you and can't wait until out next get together. In fact, I'm starting to fast right now:)