K. Batty = Wild Sucess!

{Our table - I shared with my bff Sara from Romey & Zoey Creations.}

Last weekend was the First Annual P.S. 8 Craft Fair & I couldn't be more excited about the results of the afternoon. It went well. Very well.

Let's assess...

My First Craft Fair. EVER!

View Larger Map

This Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. I will be at my very first craft fair. The P.S. 8 PTA is holding their First Annual Craft Fair at their school in Brooklyn Heights, on Hicks Street between Poplar & Middagh. See map above! It's easy to get to from pretty much anywhere in the city since all major trains stop somewhere in Brooklyn Heights.

I'll be selling lots of holiday cards (sets & individuals), monogrammed cards for gifts, thank you note sets. Plenty of things to choose from if you need to round out your Christmas shopping or find a hostess gift. I'll also be taking custom orders which will be delivered in time for the holidays! Come see me!!

I have no idea what other vendors will be there except for my girlfriend who I'm sharing the table with. She makes adorable diaper animals for baby showers. They are selling like hot cakes.

Hope you'll stop by!

PNS Holiday Paper Guide :: I'm in it!

 

Really exciting email waiting for me this morning in my inbox. Brittni of PaperNStitch included my Choose Your Own Holiday Greeting card set in her Best of Holiday Paper Goods gift guide. Yeah!!!!!!


Thanks to Brittni & PNS for all the support & flattering inclusion in the guide. Check it out here.

Humming myself a little song...

That's right! Today marks my 30...something...birthday! To celebrate I'm adding a new collection of birthday cards to my shop.

Introducing the Happy Something Birthday Collection!

 

 {The collection! Check them out in the Birthday section of my shop}

On a recent stroll through the greeting card aisle at the drug store I noticed how cliche some of the cards are. Plus!! There is a selection of age-centric cards only if you are 5 or 21. Booo!!! I wanted a card for a girlfriend that said happy 30 something birthday...so I made one!  Figuring someone else had had a similar experience in the card aisle I also made the design accommodate 20-somethings & 40-somethings. Additional decades to come. Check 'em out here in the Birthday section of my Etsy shop.

I hope everyone has a great day! Mine has been fabulous so far. Thanks to everyone who has sent, called or text birthday wishes!!

Gobble, Gobble, Y'all

{Thanksgiving Turkey Cake Pop by Monarch Cake Pop Company}

This year I am thankful for: my family, my marriage, my dog - which are just a few of my many blessings including my growing business. Thanks to the clients who trust me with their custom projects & those that shop my Etsy store. I endeavor to continue earning your business.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26

No doubt, if you've had the tv on for even a second, you've seen an ad for Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express. What do you think? Into it?

I HOPE SO!!

Obviously, I am. I'll tell you right now where I'm planning on shopping...I have my eye on some books at my local book seller. Perhaps a few of them are presents. I can't tell you as my family loves me & so they read this blog. (Props, Mom & Dad!)

The point is to support your local economy by placing your hard earned money into the hands of someone who lives where you live; someone who cares as much about what's going on in your town as you do. Speaking as the daughter of a small business owner...actually, my family has had a few small businesses...I can tell you how important it is to shop local, to be a part of the local economy, to meet your neighbors, to know their needs & the satisfaction that comes in meeting them.

Also, I have to point out...this is a GREAT excuse to avoid the mall. Hello, Insanity.

So, please!!! Please, please!! Support Small Business Saturday, November 26th. It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Start small...pick one small, independent business to patronize in your community & watch your $$ go to work.

Announcing: New Shop Items!

{my new holiday listing! Fala la la la, la la, la, la...}

Just a few updates to the shop...a new holiday card design first off - Choose Your Own Holiday Greeting. Last weekend I was inspired by...of all things...my Dunkin Donuts coffee cup & all the choices down the side of it. Boom!! An idea was born for a holiday card in a similar format; something that would cover more greetings that the obligitory "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanakkuh." Something with personality!

Did I already post about my new listing for Custom Holiday Cards? $30 covers your design fee on a 100% original design just for you & yours. Then you have an option...get your design in a digital file to print as many times as you like wherever you like or I can help you by getting them printed in a designated quantity. 

More to follow!

Cards of the Week :: Holiday Photo Cards

This week, Cards of the Week is getting a new look. There are SO many great photo cards available from Etsy sellers, I thought presenting them Treasury-style was a good idea. Visually pleasing, links included = perfect...Ta da!

'Sending Smiles :: Holiday Photo Cards' by kbatty

Welcome to Cards of the Week,Treasury-style

MERRY & HAPPY--- holiday car... HENANDCO $16.00	Photo Christmas Card, Holida... CardsEtcetera $15.00
Religious Christmas Card // ... Pearenthetical... $20.00	Joy to the World - Custom Ph... LexiJaynesDesi... $15.00
christmas cards happy new ye... minkcards $18.00	Modern Vintage Christmas Car... 7thavenuedesig... $20.00
Christmas card, holiday card... freshlysqueeze... $10.00	Simply Holly Jolly Photo Chr... MommiesInk $12.00
Photo Christmas Card, Holida... ScriptivaPaper $15.00	christmas cards happy new ye... minkcards $18.00
Custom Christmas Card--Yello... greysquare $12.00	photo christmas card - good ... westwillow $16.00
Christmas card, 2011 photo g... GoodFrau $17.00	Merry Everything Photo Chris... theteacookie $15.00
Gray and Yellow Chevron Thre... MommiesInk $12.00	Christmas Card - Chalkboard ... mwarnerdesigns $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Each of the cards above brings something fresh to the holiday photo card landscape - either fun colors, a twist on a card layout...something that doesn't remind me of the same old holiday cards I get in the mail every year. I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving yet & we're all talking about Christmas. However, if you're thinking of sending out photo cards this holiday season, these puppies should be on your mind.

Got a picture ready? Instead of combing through a year's worth of candids, Mr. B & I are having our pictures taken next weekend. Yeah!! Stay tuned...

Cards of the Week - Thanksgiving, Take 2

Essentially I wrote the last post so that I could write this post. These. Are. So. Fun...And they are not full of turkeys. Iconic? Yes. But, this time of the year it's as if the world has been taken over by images of turkeys. And (spoiler alert!) not nice ones like the one at the very bottom of this post which is rather regal if you ask me. Please people, try to keep the cheesey turkeys to a minimum.

{Thanksgiving Pilgrim's Hat Table Placecard by Picadilly Heart}

That said - Absolutely zero references to the holiday would be boring. So, how about these fun pilgrim hats? I can't quite put my finger on it...maybe because of their size?...but these feel like a great nod to the history of Thanksgiving while remaining solidly in the cool zone. You can find these on the Picadilly Heart Etsy shop.  She has tons of place cards if these aren't floating your boat. I also really liked the Maple Leaf ones as well.

Cards of the Week - Thanksgiving, Take 1

 {Thanksgiving Kid's Printable Party Pack - DIY Printable by Frog Prince Paperie}

Just 3 short weeks until we are all stuffing our faces with turkey, stuffing & cranberry sauce. YEAH!!!! I, for one, can't. Freakin. Wait.

The initial idea for this post was to highlight some Turkey Day invitations. What would be interesting, cute ways to invite your friends/family over to break bread on this fabulous holiday? And then I saw these...(gasp, placecards!)...I had to switch gears! But wait, I thought, people still need to get to the dinner! Ah, the voices in my head...

So, welcome to Cards of the Week Thanksgiving, A Post in 2 Parts.

Newsletter Goodies

Coming Tuesday, November 1 - a way to get a jump on the Holidays! Yeah!

But there is a catch. It's only for my newsletter subscribers.

So! See that Newsletter sign up box on the right hand side of this blog? Yeah you do...there it is. That is your proverbial velevet rope to discounts & news in your inbox from KBatty Design & Stationery. You will get a discount in my Etsy shop right out of the box!

So sign up by November 1! I want to make your holiday cards & gift giving easier this year. Please! Let me help you! I'm good at it, I promise!

PS If you are reading this post in your inbox through my weekly email wrap up, then let me say thank you for being a part of this newsletter! I'm giving you a virtual High 5 right now :)

Boo!! A Halloween Photo Card Freebie

HAPPY (almost) HALLOWEEN!! To celebrate, I'm offering you, my blog readers, some freebie fun - a 5 x 7 Halloween photo card template in an original design by moi. The only stipulation to use this is that you need Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to put a picture in the template. Here's how to use it:

1. Save the picture above to the location of choice on your computer - your desktop perhaps. Open it in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

2. Open the photo you want to put in the card & drag that layer into the file containing the template. Make sure your photo layer is BEHIND the template. Adjust to fit.

3. Save for emailing or print them out for cards, to display on the fridge or to send to out. Your choice!

Enjoy! If you use it, I'd love to see your pictures it in. Feel free to email them to me! If it's ok with you, I'll share them here on the blog.

Anyone dressing up this weekend??

***NOTE: All rights reserved by Kerry Batty of K. Batty Design & Stationery. By downloading this template, you agree to use this ONLY for personal use. Please do not distribute this as your own, use it for commercial purposes or sell it. Thanks for sticking to the honor system.***

Yes. I. Am!!

I have to love these! Not just because they are by Amy Locurto of Living Locurto & I {Heart} Faces but look at the message. You're So Batty! Darn skippy :)

"Like" Living Locurto on Facebook to download these Halloween freebies & check back here later for a little freebie action of my own.

Give a Chimp a banana!

MailChimp - these are for you!

I have to give a shout-out to the live chat team at MailChimp right now. Throwing you guys a whole bushel of bananas this morning!

Even though I have created a bah-zillion direct marketing emails for clients, I never had to code them, send them, manage the mailing list. In short, I just made them look pretty. Now the whole enchillada is up to me. And my eyeballs glaze over when people start talking about code & merge tags. Thanks to the live chat team at MailChimp, though, I am maybe, just maybe going to get the hang of this email newsletter thing. Thanks, MailChimp!

Want to be a part of the fun? There's a sign-up box on the right-hand side of the blog. And! There are goodies in it for ya when you sign up. Tempted?? Come join the fun!

Photo credit to Fernando Stankuns via Flickr

Rockin' the Web

Hey! I mentioned before, but thought I'd gently remind you guys, that you can also find my highly amusing writings over on the NewNew Team blog. I recently took a survey on who actually makes up our team (here) & also attempted to post on vacation from a PC last week (here). Maybe skip that last post...unless you like an example of a  Mac users unable to function on a PC...stupid machines...

Anwho, there is lots of interesting stuff going on over there! Enjoy!

Catching up: Bridal Shower Invites

Hey! Remember me? I write this blog. Well, when I can. Obviously. Also obvious is that I haven't been able to write much here recently. Guess why?? 'Cause I have been BUSY. It's been great!!

Let's start with something I did way back at the beginning of the summer & haven't had time to share. This was the kick off to my busy season...bridal shower invitations & coordinating gift tags.

My cousin, Kate, who I did previously discussed note cards for, came back with another project: shower invites for a party she was throwing for her BFF. The bride, Rachel, very fashion oriented, has worked for fashion brands & had picked some great dresses for her bridesmaids that we used as inspiration.

Cards of the Week :: Fall is here!

Thursday started out as a beautiful late summer day. The high was 80. And by 6pm it was 60. Holy-shock-to-my-system, Batman.

Ok, Mother Nature, I got it. Apparently it's time to get on with Fall.

(Autumn Leaves with Birds - Set of 8 Notecards by Dots and Dahilas)

While you can get these in any combo of colors, I love Autumn Leaves notecard set by Julia at Dots and Dahlias for Fall stationery. Add to the colors the bird & leaves...which are traditional symbols of Fall...and it's perfect for any message. Know someone with a Fall birthday? I may have just done your shopping for you!

Batty Photog Blog

Yes...I need another project like a whole in the head. But! A friend of mine has motivated me to shoot more often so to keep myself motivated (and to learn Wordpress another blog format) I started a photo blog. Posts may be few & far between, but I love photography & now I have an outlet for it.

So Batty Photog Blog was born.

Cards of the Week :: Back to School

(Teacher Silhouette Notecards - Set of 8 by Pop Heart Press)

Ok, vacation is over. Time to get back to everyone's normal routine & for me, that means back to end of the week posts about fun stationery/products. Cards of the Week!

Martha Stewart Crushes Escort Cards

Talk about shaking things up! When you walk in to your friend's wedding reception & see these to tell you where to sit for dinner you know you are in for one Hell of a good time.

What's more, you are only limited by your imagination with these escort balloons. You can use any combination of colors with whatever color paint pen you want. Whatever matches your decor. You can weigh them down with all sorts of fun stuff, as well. Ideas anyone? How about vintage paper weights?

Article from Martha Stewart Weddings, Darcy's Idea of the Day

K. Batty on the NewNew Blog

("blog" by Inju via Flickr)

As I'm sure I've said here or there, I belong to a seller's group on Etsy strictly for makers of handmade goods in the NYC Metro area. We are called The NewNew. We have a blog which covers all kinds of things. Who we are, where to find us, what we make, where we sell. And yours truly is the newest
NewNew Blog team member! Try to say that 3 times fast...

Newest NewNew, Newest NewNew, Newest NewNew...I can barely type that 3 times...

Anywho! My first post went up on Monday. It's a little glimpse behind the curtain on how I create my cards by way of a hand stamping tutorial. Check out here!

What I did on my summer vacation

(Mr. B & me with the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA)

Hi guys! Remember me? Your fearless blog writer??

Whatcha been up to? I've been on vacation - well, kinda. There has been work with the play but there has been LOTS of play...

(Dodger's game in LA with my Uncle Jim)

(The beach in Dana Point, CA after Mr B's cousin's wedding. Beautiful!!)

(The golf course, Bellport, NY, where we rent in the summer)

(The Great South Bay from Bellport, spent A LOT of time on the bay this year in our new boat, The Beach Buggy)

In between fun on the bay & our trip to California, I have been hard at work on custom wedding pieces. Really excited to share them as they are all really different & were fun to work on - like these menus for one of my clients...hand stamped doilies!

Stay tuned for more!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer!! Just Labor Day weekend left to go really, so get out there & enjoy it!!

Learning Letterpress

{One of the first designs I ever printed on a letterpress machine}

Love what you've seen on the blog this month? You can learn to do it!

It's not all that complicated, though there are many steps to the process and, much like sewing, most if it has to do with preparation. For me the biggest barrier to creating more through letterpress has been access to equipment. It's just not practical to have a press in my apartment, let alone anything for plate making or setting type.

There are however, a few places near me where I can rent press time. If you live in Brooklyn, or the NY Metro area, & are interested in letterpress, check out The Arm in Williamsburg. Dan is a great guy & after you take his Intro to Letterpress, you are eligible to rent time at his studio. There is a studio in New Jersey that I just learned of & have not had a chance to check out yet - The United States Business Card Company has classes & a good deal on renting a press there for a day.

Oh, also! My favorite place for almost any class is the Make Workshop in lower Manhattan. Awesome! Diana is so helpful & a great teacher, not to mention highly creative. If she isn't leading the class, have no fear. She attracts plenty of good teaching talent. Her letterpress schedule here.

I've also taken a class for letterpress at the School of Visual Arts in the Continuing Education department, but that's back when I was a freelancer with deep pockets. It's insightful. You learn plate making as well & get access to the studio during open hours throughout your class, but it can be crowded. And again, it's not a cheap class. If you're thinking of doing a DIY job on your wedding invites, this is probably not your option. Check this link later in the summer for their fall schedule - you'll find letterpress under printmaking.

Also, searching for letterpress on Etsy led me to Sycamore Press, based in Utah. If you're in their area, they offer classes that you can sign up for through their Etsy site. Check them out here.

In the past I've seen at home versions of letterpress machines. This one, similar to those I've seen, is quite an undertaking to make, but do-able. Most recently I came across one at Paper Source which is made by the same folks who created all those cool Cricut machines, called the QuickKutz Letterpress.

Hope this has been helpful! No ready to jump in? Totally understandable. There are tons of amazing designers & printers. Check out this earlier post for some of them.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

** P.S. Sorry if any of you are getting this post twice. It was meant as the final post of the month, but I wrote it weeks ago. Somehow Google misunderstood when I wanted to post it! Hope you have all enjoyed the letterpress deep-dive & that you are as in love with it & appreciating it as much as I do. See you soon!**

Break in the action :: SALE!!

{Get Well Soon (really really soon) - a new item in my Etsy shop!}

Hey guys! Don't forget there's a HUGE sale going on over at Etsy - the Christmas in July sale!!

Right now with coupon code: CIJ11, you get 20% off everything in my shop. There are lots of great gift ideas - personalized cards for instance - or a multi card set that I JUST uploaded, totally new to the shop.

To find participating shops search: ChristmasInJuly, XmasinJuly and/or newnewteam (if you want to see more things on sale from my Etsy team peeps).

Letterpress & Weddings - the perfect marriage

{My letterpress wedding invites. Designed by me, printed in Charlotte, NC. See more pictures here}

Right now, letterpress is mostly known for those AMAZING wedding invitation suites that show up in your mailbox in the Spring time. And while this so popular right now, I've waited to post about letterpressed wedding invites. It seemed...obvious. There are so many other beautiful uses for it!

However, there is no denying the truth that, on a wedding invitation, is where letterpress shines. There was not a question in my mind for me when I got engaged - everything would be letterpressed. Period. End.

So, brace yourselves...let's take a look at a few...


Been waiting to share this suite for at least a year. The blind letterpress with the taupe is unbelievable simple & elegant at the same time. I met Czar Press last year at the National Stationery Show. They have both printing and design services. Due to the fact that this post would be a mile long if I included all the photos of this suite, I'm only showing the RSVP card here, which shows the quality of the impression on the heavy cotton paper. See the rest of this suite, along with other amazing projects of theirs on their website and blog. Prepare for amazement.

{Era Letterpress from Paper + Cup - Edwardian Suite}

Minhee Park at Paper + Cup has a great eye & incredible talent as a designer. Her letterpress line is called Era Letterpress. Designs for all kinds of brides, they are all well done & quite frankly it's hard to choose a favorite. This one spoke to me because of the intricate design on the invitation card paired with the whimsical design (also letterpressed) on the envelope. Great combo!


I think I've talked about Goosefish Press before. Rob is the nicest guy in the world & has a great studio. He won the 2010 Best of Boston Award for Best Stationery - that's street cred if I ever heard it. Honestly, when I want to show his work, I have a hard time deciding what the representative piece should be. He is capable of such a range of amazing creations. Check out his work on his website.

{Multi Pattern Open House - The Happy Envelope}

The Happy Envelope is a great site that offers letterpress or flat printing. Let's be honest...letterpress is amazing, but it is not cheap. It will not fit into all brides' budgets and if the invitations are an after thought for you, it would not be money well spent anyway. But we're here to drool, so on with it! Letterpress is elegant no matter the simplicity or complexity if the design. This suite happens to show off the complex side. Check out all those fine lines. I just want to run my fingers over it & feel them. (wait, was that weird??)


Last but not least are Jake & Rachael from Pistachio Press that I have been featuring lately here on the blog. This year at the National Stationery show, they took home 1st prize Best New Product for their Marriage Telegram suite that I mentioned in an earlier post. See it here on their blog. And check out more of this color suite, Wistful, pictured above, on their blog as well. Keep up the awesome work, you guys!

I could keep going. Like with anything over at Bella Figura. Or any of these featured suites at Oh So Beautiful Paper. Oh, and pretty much anything at Mr. Boddington's.

Seriously, what you see here literally a tiny smattering of all the great things out there. Seriously, the tip of the iceberg. Crane's is a classic, and like all things, checks the letterpress box nicely with these very simple invites. So if you are looking for wedding invites, thinking about letterpress & the choices seem overwhelming, start there. You will catch the bug soon enough :)

Anyone reading have letterpress invites at their wedding? Share them & I will post about them here!

Cards of the Week :: Pistachio Press Follow-up

{Congrats to Pistachio Press for winning Best New Product 1st prize at the stationery show this year!}

A few weeks ago, I talked with Rachael & Jake at Pistachio Press. Love their work. There were a few questions I left out of the post, specifically as a tease to my next planned letterpress post - a barrage of amazing letterpress wedding invites.

Here's what I left out:

True or False: Letterpress printing is booming & clients are clamoring for it!

True! Super true! For the last 10 years or so, letterpress has been steadily growing. I don’t know if or when the market will top out, but there seems to be plenty of room left to expand as more and more people become aware of it. With the trend towards all things vintage, I think letterpress is uniquely suited to appeal to a broad range of people. Anyone who gets a little misty at an antique bicycle or the clack of a typewriter or someone who just appreciates fine craftsmanship can find something to love in letterpress. As people get sick of a mass-produced culture, they turn to craftsmen and small business people who can help them get exactly what they want. That’s us! We love our work and we love when other people do, too!

What trends have you seen through your work & sales in letterpress?

Like I mentioned before, people seem drawn to the vintage nature of letterpress. A lot of our design complements this trend and it fits our aesthetic perfectly.

I think people are starting to be aware of and understand letterpress more frequently, too. We find ourselves having to explain it less often these days as customers and clients become more knowledgeable.

Color trends are always interesting to watch. For example, gray and yellow are super hot this year. Rachael is really good at watching these patterns develop and being ahead of the curve on what’s popular year-to-year.

{Pistachio Press - Bloom invitation from their Signature Collection}

Speaking of patterns, Rachael has always worked with pattern both in her fine art and her commercial work. She’s always searching out interesting patterns whether we’re trolling an antiques barn or strolling through the mall. This is and always has been a big influence in her work. It’s not so much a new trend as a continuing trend, but she’s always updating and modifying to suit her latest curiosities and obsessions.

And finally, I covered this a bit in the previous question, but the biggest trend I have seen is growth. I’m sure some of it is our perception of growth as Pistachio Press has become more well-known, but there are always new letterpress artists emerging and the community keeps thriving. Ten years ago, there was no one but traditionalists who had been printing for sixty years and hobbyists in their basements. Now, with the flood of interest, old presses are being unearthed, young entrepreneurs are making a name for themselves, and the world of letterpress is being reborn! And if we have any say in it, it’s here to stay.

Agreed! Agreed!! The growth in the handmade market might say it all. Shoppers want to buy something from the person who made it & often someone who lives/works where they live & work. They love that personal connection they make when they shop hand made. And letterpress is a labor of handmade love, to be sure.

The product is well worth it, though. Don't you agree??