Blowin' up the NewNew Blog

{Easter freebie over at the NewNew Blog}

Happy Friday! Once again, I've got a special post over at the NewNew Blog. Fellow teammate Simone from Etsy shop Groundsel has started a new series offering free printables from NewNew members. I got to go first with this Happy Easter banner.

Go check it out! If you email pictures to me of how you use it, or tips on how you hung it, I'll post them here on my blog. Happy Weekend!

Potato Stamping!

This morning is my day to post for The NewNew & today's topic is potato stamping. I think my cards came out pretty nice.

Check it out here.

Cards of the Week :: Easter is coming!

 {BUNNY HAT - Easter bunny hat - READY to Ship - baby bunny hat - bunny ears hat -3-6 month size by Luci Walker of CrochetedCuddles} ***

In a little over a week, Easter will be here. Where is 2012 going?? I saw some things on Etsy I wanted to share...

Peacocks :: building my obsession...

I was really excited to find this post on Apartment Therapy (via Pinterest) today. It continues my obsession with peacocks. Peacocks have a rich history in design as symbols of wealth, beauty & rebirth. Also dangerous pride, according to the article. Watch out for that...

{Silk Rug by Matthew Williamson at The Rug Company}

What drew me to the article was a pin of this rug by Matthew Williamson. Is that breath-taking? The entire thing is handmade, from the spinning of the yarn to weaving it on the loom. Exquisite! Also check out the Tiffany vase in the article. We all know that Louis Comfort Tiffany made beautiful glass lamps, but how about that vase?

 {Peacock, in the window at Hollar & Squall}

BTW, if anyone is looking for a taxidermy peacock to recreate the Anna Sui room, also shown in the AP article, there is a fabulous shop down the street here in Brooklyn called Hollar & Squall that has one. I'm not joking!! It's pretty amazing...

The Luck of the Irish...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Pinterest :: a plea...

Normally here on the blog, I'm all about rainbows & sunshine. I am naturally upbeat, smiling & generally pretty positive. Today, I just have to get something off my chest.

For the love of the hard work of people like me, PLEASE give proper credit when you use Pinterest.

Confused? If that's because you don't know what Pinterest is, check it out here. It's a visual bookmarking tool, organized into virtual bulletin boards according to subject where you "pin" things you are interested in. For example, I have one for "renovation of my dreams" and "things I want to make." You're smart people. You get it.

What most people would find confusing about my plea is that Pinterest is supposed to automatically remember the website where the "pin" came from. And it does! But what if you're not pinning this amazing (fill in the blank) from the original source?! What if you are repining it from someone else? Unless there is a URL on the picture or each person pinning the picture has mentioned the original source, it tends to get lost along the way.

What does that mean? I means that after 1 or 2 people pin my picture of my awesome new product on Etsy or cool blog photo, no one knows where it came from. All my hard work down the drain.

Now, there are some things that I can & should do about that. You'll notice that many of my pictures here (and in other places, like Facebook) will all start to have small watermarks on them, stating a url to find me. BUT!! As users of Pinterest, I think it's EVERYONE'S responsibility to make sure that proper credit is given to the work we are all enjoying. Find out where the pin really came from. Consider it a mini-bibliography.

I don't think this is anything that Pinterest users mean to do & largely I don't think it's malicious. Until Amy Locurto from Living Locurto started publishing about it (here and here),  I had taken it for granted that Pinterest was able to track back to the original source. I wasn't paying attention at all. Now I'm hyper aware of the situation. Yesterday I tracked a pin through SEVEN boards before I got to a pin that gave the original source. SEVEN boards!!

The moral of the story is: the right thing to do is pin from the original source. Please give the person whose hard work you appreciate the respect they deserve. How do you do that? Well, you could go all Inspector Gadget like I did yesterday OR you could start mentioning them in your description. Then, as your pin is repinned, your source will hopefully go with it.

I love Pinterest & will keep exploring how to use it (follow me here). And I recognize, as a blogger & business person, that part of the responsibility here is mine. I just want you all to be aware of how Pinterest works & how it impacts the sources of all that material you are growing to love. Give a girl a little help :) Thanks, peeps!!

Dry Erase the World!

Recently I discovered a new use for dry erase markers that I'd never thought of. I had cleaned off all the clutter on my refrigerator, cleaned it's shiny surface & thought - I bet I can draw on this with a dry erase maker!

Guess what else you can do with them...

New Year, Old Work

{Fred and Janie Tied the Knot - October 9, 2010 - the entire suite}

In October last year I had the pleasure of designing the wedding pieces for my father's wedding. They wanted casual, fun & sophisticated invites, representing the coming together of the things they love - riding horses & playing golf. It set up a great atmosphere for a casual, family-focused beach wedding on Bald Head Island on the North Carolina Coast.

Hello, Paper Lovers!

Hi Fans and Friends of K.Batty!

I'm Sara Stroman. Yesterday, Kerry very nicely posted a blog introducing me, but it seems to lack some information, so I'll post today about well, me and in my next post we'll get right to business on being obsessed with paper!

I am Sara and the owner of S2 Stationery and Design.I started the company in the late summer of 2009 and haven't looked back! The only unfortunate aspect of the business is that I am not 100% full-time; I run a part-time business while working a full-time job. It has it's good and bad and I've learned more recently to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier to get creative juices flowing before I lose them during the grind of the 9-to-5.

The legend behind the creation of S2 Stationery and Design is a bit fun. In 2009, while traveling around Italy for 15 days, after running the Rome Marathon, I had a dream that involved me opening an envelope and pulling out a note card. I do not recall what the note card looked like, I don't even think I saw the note card. Instead what I noticed was the envelope-it was lined and gorgeous- and it startled me awake from my sleep.

I knew in that moment that this was my calling. I also knew that I needed to figure out how to bring my love and passion for paper to my every day life and keep it a sustainable way of life and income.

Almost three years later, I am pleased to say my paper obsession is only growing. I had to put myself on a paper limit because I don't like using the paper I buy and my stock of one sheets are getting a bit out-of-hand.

Just to give you an idea of what I love about paper, I'm sharing photos of a few sets I've created that emphasis paper, both bold, quirky, and fun.

Starburst Purple and Yellow Stationery Set with Lined Envelopes - Paper from India

Black and Gold Flowers Layered Wedding Invitation with Lined Envelopes- Paper from Nepal

Blue Fern Upcycled Envelopes Set - Limited Edition - Heavy Paper Stock withFern Prints dated 1989

Personalized Large Blue Flowers Stationery - Flowers from Japanese paper, individually hand cut

I think I may have a thing for flowers and the color blue, right? Either way, I love paper of all kinds and you'll see that as we explore paper together.

My website has more photos of my work (that doesn't include flowers). You can also find more images and designs in my Etsy shop. I am so excited to be guest blogging on Kerry's lovely blog. I hope you find this topic as fascinating as I do and if not, well, maybe you'll be swayed just a twinge when I'm done.

Next time, I post, I'll be sure to share where I'm finding these gems, where you can too, what you can use them form, and include some history.

Oh, and please, I ask that you share any of your favorites and findings in the comments section. I like learning from others.