We're Moving...

Hi KBDS fans! I am proud to announce that this blog is moving! Onward & upward!

Actually we're just moving to a new URL. Blogger has been a WONDERFUL partner in starting my blog, but now it's time to combine the power of my blog traffic with that of my website in one neat space. Come on over to my newly-updated website which will now house the K. Batty Blog.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!!

This URL, where you are currently reading my blog & have been for the last 4 years, will stay put for now. Do not worry! I will not be posting here, but I will not be taking this blog down for a good while. All the printables, freebies & stationery stuff is staying right here. However!!! I encourage you to come over & check out the new digs. Especially because I'll be reposting some of my "greatest hits" from the last few years & offering new printables over in the new space.

**If you are reading this in an email, there will probably be a brief interruption in your Friday wrap up emails as I finish setting everything up. In the meantime, I hope you'll come on over & check out the new blog home, as well as the pretty updates to my website. It's soooooo pretty!! **

As always, thanks for reading. By reading my blog, you support me & my business. That makes so many things possible & I will never forget that. See you soon in the new digs!

Portraits by Eric Vitale Photography

In April, a good friend of mine took some photos of me & Sophia. You guys may remember Eric of Eric Vitale Photoraphy from the Mother's Day Trunk show I threw last year with some other seller friends. With a new look to my website coming, the National Stationery Show on the way & my husband's birthday coming, I had 3 good reasons for some nice new photos.

Let's start with that last bit - Mr. B's 41st. Sophia, as you are well aware, has been an amazing addition to our family. After our last dog, I thought it would be a while before we had another, but the stars quite literally aligned & Sophia became ours just a few months after Rose went on to the dog park in the sky.

To commemorate her impact in our lives, I made Mr. B a photo book for his birthday of pics from Soph's first year plus. I wanted to cap it off with a nice shot of me & Sophia with a little birthday message and guess what...not that many photos of me with Sophia. At least, not many that are in focus, high res & worthy of the occasion. I spend most of the time behind the camera. So! Eric came over & snapped a few.

Well, I thought, I don't really have any nice photos for my updated website or my press kit. So, excuses 1 & 2 were easily taken care of as well.

How do I look???

Eric is so easy to work with. He has loads of ideas, is very professional, clearly communicates his vision & delivers on expectations. Actually that last bit is a lie. He exceeds them. He's really a first rate photographer! Check him out! He's on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and Instagram. His website is eye candy!

Snail Mail Continues!

May birthday cards went in the mail last week! If your birthday is in June...or any other month for that matter...you can get a card in the mail for your birthday. Just sign up here!

K. Batty on Etsy Wholesale Tumblr

Wahoo!!! I was featured in a post on Etsy Wholesale's tumblr recently! Along with 60+ other Etsy Wholesalers, I am participating in a partnership with Etsy & the signature mix showcase (aka The National Stationery Show) to promote small businesses & Etsy Wholesalers.

I am in unbelievable company. There are four posts on the participants.

One
Two
Three (that's my post!)
Four.

I'm so excited to be apart of this group. I am incredibly lucky to have the power of Etsy behind me. If you're at the show, you'll recognize the participants by the signage we have in our booth. Plus, the Etsy Wholesale team will be walking the show with artist cards & information on how to find us.

See you soon!

NSS :: The Homestretch

It's almost here! Time to put all this planning & preparation into action. It's time to get down to business at the signature mix National Stationery Show.

Last week I:

Got my catalogs back from the printer!

Painted my signage

Finished letterpressing some samples. Still have one more to go. Come on paint guy, mail my ink already.

Ordered vinyl booth numbers for my walls.

Ordered the paper for my walls.

Made sure my furniture fits in my car. Was supposed to try the furniture in the car.

Arranged set up time with my wall vendor. (Note to self: have Monster Energy drink cold & ready for their set up coordinator. Insures I will be on her good side!)

Made business cards for my booth helpers.

Tried not to have any meltdowns.

I didn't mean to do some of these things so close to set up. Sometimes the universe has other plans for you. For instance, the hardware store didn't have the spray paint I needed for my sign. They ordered it & it didn't come in the shipment it was supposed to. I had to go to plan B & C when I went to Lowe's & they had one color but not the other. I tried to order my vinyl numbers weeks ago, but my guy has had some bad luck of late & been out of touch which lead to me not hearing from him. Fortunately I found a back up & she was life saver (knock on wood...my signage is still in the hands of the USPS so I probably should wait to celebrate yet.) The list goes on. The point is: I made it. I figured it all out. And anything else that happens before Thursday...and over the weekend…will be figured out as well. Problem solving is one of my better skills & something I feel confident doing under pressure. Knock on wood.

On the product front, I couldn't be happier with the designs I'm taking to the show. I reached my goal of letterpressing most of what I present. I'm so pleased!! I've got one more card to finish up before the show starts…

So, here goes nothing…National Stationery Show, let's do this.

For updates on how the show is going, who I'm meeting & what's hot in my booth, stay tuned to me on social media:  Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!

Nightly Doodles Blog Party & Book Launch

Last year when I started Tuesday Talk, I reached out to other Etsy sellers who I thought were worthy of some space on this blog. One of them was Jenipher Lyn from Nightly Doodles. Her illustration style is adorable & positive messages worth remembering.

This year, as she told us she would, Jenipher published a book called How Being Stubborn Depressed and Unpopular Saved My Life. It's a book for pre-teens & teens about navigating that time in your life when you feel like no one understands & everything seems to be upside down. It's the book she wished she'd had when she was that age & struggling.

To celebrate the launch & talk about the sections of the book, Jenipher asked some blogger/creative friends to help out & I was flattered to be asked to participate. Yay for positive messaging!!! Yay for supporting each other!! Yay for Doodle Dreams!

My doodle is going up today on Jenipher's blog, Cherry Runway. It is based on the first chapter of the book - Let's Be Unpopular.

In the 7th grade I got some of the best advice I ever had in my young life:

One day, you won't know any of these people. Maybe 1 or 2 of them. Your lives will move on & so will theirs. So don't worry about their bullshit. 

That came from my step-mom. If it had come from my parents I might have ignored it as so many kids do at that age, so if you are an aunt/uncle/step-parent/person on the periphery of a young person's life, you are in a unique position to make an impact. Know that kids they are listening to you. Her words seemed a little long for a blog graphic but I felt they could be summed up by something my grandmother used to tell me all. the. time. This too shall pass. We all know that nothing is permanent - even if it feels like it.

Anyway - it turned out to be true. The people she guessed I would still be friends with I am, in real life. I've connected with a few others on Facebook, which of course would have been hard for my step mom to anticipate in 1991. The point is - we all survived! Better than that - we all moved on.

Check out Jenifer Lyn's amazing book - How Being Stubborn, Unpopular and Depressed Saved My Life!!

Keep the Birthdays Coming! :: KBDS Birthday Card Initiative

This year I'm trying to get more snail mail into people's hands & send less Facebook birthday wishes. You guys, it's not hard! Here...watch me. I'll prove it. I'm going to send you guys birthday cards.

Sign up here to participate! Cards will be mailed. Wishes will be sent. Smiles will be had. Goodies may even be involved!

Anyone with a May birthday who signed up to receive a birthday card in the mail from me should start watching their mail box this week. I'd love to time it to your actual birthday, but due to the response, I have to pick a day to send them all. Sorry to be like your dentist.

Anyone with a June or July birthday should get on the stick! Sign up today!

Printing Playlist

The letterpress has been working hard lately & like most people, I think, I've been cranking the tunes to keep me going. What tunes you ask?

Pandora! All the time, the free subscription.

What are my channels? They vary. Greatly! From Captain & Tennille to Robyn to Ella Fitzgerald. And what do I play while I'm working? That depends, but lately there is a lot of samba & bossa nova coming out of my speakers. Like. A LOT. It always keeps me in a good mood. Not Carnival type - more Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto. Lots of Astrud actually...

Here's another taste:

Are you viewing this post in email or on a mobile device? Here are links to the 2 videos from YouTube that I posted:

http://youtu.be/qZx-Z3_n4t8
http://youtu.be/c5QfXjsoNe4

Mother's Day Gift :: Wine Charms

For my mom's birthday last summer, I took this idea from Oh Happy Day for Father's Day & whipped it into something more Mom-like. Wine charms!

Super easy! Follow the directions on OHD for making Skrinky Dink key chains, but insert a wine charm ring instead of the key ring. This thoughtful gift really couldn't be easier or more fun to make. My brother & my mom's best friend helped me pool photos. We all had a load of fun going through the finished charms, checking to see how they came out.

A few tips - photos with a lot of black or dark colors get really dark when you bake the material. Lighter photos or photos where your subject is wearing light colored clothing work best. Also! Words are super easy & shrink down well! Maybe think about writing Mom a little letter on her charm. Or draw or print out her monogram! Ooooh...Note to my mother: pretend you didn't read that. You might be getting another round of these!

Don't forget: Mother's Day is May 11! Best of luck! If you do this project, share your photos with me on Instagram or Twitter!

Resources: Shrinky Dink paper on Amazon. Wine charm rings from I Like Pie on Etsy

New & Improved Mother's Day Cards

I have successfully moved my Mother's Day cards to the press & now they are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Behold - the glittery Happy Mother's Day card & the also sparkley I Heart Mom!

Happy Mother's Day is letterpressed on #90 cotton paper in metallic gold. It comes with a lime envelope. Hot pink, white or kraft also available if you would prefer.

I Heart Mom has a fabulous new look in gold & rhodamine red. No envelope liner this time - just a crisp white envelope to keep complete the stunning statement on the card.

There is also a Mother's Day special on the shop as in previous years - one of the above cards PLUS any set of stationery in my shop! And! If you liked last year's cards & want a deal on them, they are on sale - $3.00 and free first class shipping.

Check out all the Mother's Day offerings on my Etsy shop!