Paper Porn :: Friends & Martinis

In honor of spending this weekend with 2 of my besties, I present this fun greeting card. Martinis are not likely on the menu but lots of beer, wine & stories will be. This card is by Mary Adam of buttrdpaper on Etsy.

** Love stationery & paper products? Submit something for Paper Porn: Kbatty {at} ymail.com or twitter @kmbatty **

Doodles :: Coffee Mug Morning Fun

It's been a while since I posted any of my coffee mug doodles. That is because it's been a while since I did any! These days, when the alarm goes off, our feet hit the floor & it's go-go-go in the Batty house. Until we drop.

I have purposefully taken a deep breath a few mornings in the last few weeks to make a few doodles on our coffee mugs. I love the mental exercise of coming up with something on the spot. Also, using a marker instead of computer mouse to create something is refreshing. 

From Memorial Day weekend! In honor of the official start of summer & the real meaning of Memorial Day, past BBQs & beer drinking.

I made my first jam in June!! Strawberry, 'cause it's my favorite, so now you know why I drew a strawberry on this one.

I tried to recreate my popular monogram design on my mug. I need to practice! Scrolly letters are hard on the slick rounded surface!

**If you try this at home, make sure you remove you doodle before putting your mug in the dishwasher. Remove it COMPLETELY! The heat from the dishwasher will permanently set any of the marker left on the mug. Learn from my mistake!**

As I have said on previous coffee mug posts, I generally take these pictures before I drink the coffee in the mug. Please forgive any blur, bad framing or lighting, etc. I am not properly caffeinated!!

What do you think? Fun, right?!

High 5 for Friday!!

1. Since listing them on Etsy, I've had a great response to my custom notepads! Filling orders like crazy = very happy K. Batty

2. We went fishing last weekend. Fun, even when you don't catch anything you can keep or want to eat.

3. Beautiful on the water - finally good boat weather!

4. Great times with my nieces in the water.

5. Pretend this is a video of Sophia learning "down" :) Yay!! It took a while to get her going, but she's getting it!!

As you can see, we have been on the water a lot in the last week. It's summer!! Yay! Have a great weekend!!

** Enjoy this ode to Friday? See more or link up your own High 5 for Friday post at The Lauren Elizabeth.**

Paper Porn :: Kate Spade Journal

Kate Spade Dots Journal

Oh, Kate, you classy lady, you! My notebook is running out of room. Perhaps your dots journal will help me stay cool & creative through the summer...

** Love stationery & paper products? Submit something for Paper Porn: Kbatty {at} ymail.com or twitter @kmbatty **

A new-to-me blog discovery :: A Thank You Note a Day

Oh be still my thank-you-note-loving heart!! I have just found an ENTIRE BLOG dedicated to thank you notes. Leah Dieterich of thx thx thx used to write one a day...or every so often as you see from the post dates... as an exercise in gratitude. She writes to the little things in life to thank them for their impact. It's a perspective we should all get on board with.

Her Twitter feed is treasure trove of fun notes. There is even a book of them! {squeal!!} A few that resonated with me:

Check out these lovely daily notes on thx thx thx!

Found via the always lovely Snippet & Ink

Make sure we keep up on Facebook in 3 steps

Do you "like" me? Well...clearly if you're reading this blog you like me, but do you "like me" on Facebook? Do you get K. Batty Design & Stationery updates in your feed? Here's how to make sure that you do!

1. Go to my page.

2. Underneath my cover photo, on the right, next to the button that says Liked with a check mark, there's a cog/wheel/settings drop down menu. (you can see what I'm talking about in my top picture on this post) Click that.

3. Add me to your Interests Lists. It should be the top choice.

If you & I do not yet have the pleasure of connecting via Facebook, you can follow the steps above, plus click "like" on the page. Allow me to give you a few pieces of motivation to click that button! I regularly post product updates, blog posts, market information, sales and thoughts of stationery & life. Like this:

And! Pictures of the sweetest dog in the world. Here...I'll prove it...

How's that?! She's pretty adorable, right? Hope to catch up on Facebook! Leave me a note to let me know you came by!

Flattered, Elated, Psyched for Myself

Maybe one day when I've conquered the stationery & paper products world, recognition by others will not get me as excited & giddy as it does now. But I doubt it. I always find it flattering & excited to see my work & ideas get the thumbs up, especially when it comes from someone whose taste & opinion I respect.

Which leads me to: Today I am the Shop of the Day on PaperNStitch. This will never get old. Ever. Happy 4th everyone!

PS I also have a product in the New & Notable section. TWO places for me on the FRONT PAGE of PNS. It's an excellent day!!!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you are having a wonderful Independence Day! Happy Birthday America!!! In case you need some help getting in the mood, here's my fave song for fireworks:

Invitations make a party

{Banner welcoming guests at client Michelle Augusty's home for her friend Margaret's bridal shower}

Earlier this spring, I took an order for bridal shower invitations from Michelle in Nashville, Tennessee. She was nice enough to share the "after" of our work together - pictures from the shower!

{Michelle chose the Celebrate Heart Bridal Shower invites from my Etsy shop}

{Great beverage station}

{I love the way the invite is incorporated as part of the decor!}

{Another adorable banner!}

{It's a party! All the hostesses with the bride. My client Michelle is in the yellow dress, the bride is in white of course!}

I am so excited to see how the shower came together & how the invitations played a part. Michelle & Liza, thanks so much for sharing!

Tuesday Talk :: Puddleduck Paper Co.

Welcome to a new Tuesday feature! Once a month, I'll be posting Tuesday Talk - a conversation between me & (usually) another stationery/paper person. We will talk paper. We'll talk life!

Mattie Tiegreen of Puddleduck Paper Co. is a Southern kindred spirit. Design-wise, especially. I love her use of color, type, envelopes as part of the design & not an after thought...

So! Let's chat...

Puddleduck Paper Co is such a fun name! Where does it come from?

My favorite question! As I’m sure you can imagine, I get it a lot. My mom used to call me “Puddleduck” after the character Jemima Puddle-Duck in the Beatrix Potter stories – favorite childhood books of mine. When I needed a business name, mom suggested the obvious. I thought it was silly at first, but it stuck! It’s definitely memorable.

We are heavy into wedding season! What kinds of choices are you seeing brides make this season? Any similar themes or colors this year?

Yellow is a wildly common color scheme in my recent designs – which I am loving. It’s my favorite color and can be seen in some of my favorite designs, Puddleduck’s branding, and in our own wedding a few years ago.

Did you design your wedding invitations? Can we see??

I did! However - if you can believe it - we have NO pictures of any paper from the wedding. I guess I had other things on my mind that day..? :)

I LOVE your envelope choices. Tell me about how you choose your colors.

Yellow! Just kidding. I think the envelope can make or break the wedding suite. The most beautiful card can get lost in a plain envelope if you’re not careful. I choose and suggest envelope colors based on the bride’s color scheme but tend to suggest a complimentary color as opposed to going the ‘matchy-matchy’ route. I like an unexpected pop of color.

Is that your calligraphy on your blog? If yes, when did you learn? If not, do tell where it came from!

That’s my handwriting. I am self-taught (and still learning!) and have such an appreciation for the craft of hand lettering.

How did the National Stationery Show go for you this year? This was your first year! Congrats! How did you prepare?

Thank you! It. was. amazing. I have been toiling over attending for two years and came very close in 2011. It just wasn’t in the cards for me then, but I’m a firm believer in a greater plan. 2013 was the year for me, I suppose.

It’s so much planning, organization, and – um – money. I worked non-stop from December until May printing samples, measuring and designing the booth, calling vendors, creating a catalog and pricing structure, and reaching out to other exhibitors for advice.

I still kind of can’t believe I did it. I am so, so grateful for those who believed in me and humbled by the response I received at the show. It was incredible to meet some of my greatest inspirations, make new friends in the industry and grow this little paper adventure of mine. I’m already planning for 2014!

Tell me your favorite/most memorable/funniest greeting card you’ve received.

My sister’s mail tends to make me cry – happy tears. She is my biggest cheerleader and seems to always know when I need snail mail. It’s almost always a Quotable Card or letterpress ditty that says just what I needed to hear. Sisters are good like that, huh?

Last year when the military separated my husband and I for five long months, she sent me this card (https://propertopper.com/store/item/quotable-larson-believe-in-yourself/in/263) It still makes me smile.

Do you have personalized stationery & what do you use it for?

I do! I send way too much mail. Our mailman is a rock star, bless him. I use my stationery for thank you’s, of course, but also for pick-me-up and just-because cards for friends and family. They can tell you, though, the designs change constantly. I get inspired and make new designs for myself before I debut them in the shop.

Who are a few of your favorite Etsy shops?

Oh, so many!

Gypsa // https://www.etsy.com/shop/gypsya?ref=pr_faveshops

Sara Bergman // https://www.etsy.com/shop/sarabergman?ref=pr_faveshops

The Boutique Minimaliste // https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoutiqueMinimaliste?ref=pr_faveshops

Coriumi // https://www.etsy.com/shop/CORIUMI?ref=pr_faveshops

Little Low Studio // https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlelow?ref=pr_faveshops

Edie’s Lab // https://www.etsy.com/shop/EdiesLab?ref=pr_faveshops

Charlie’s Nest // https://www.etsy.com/shop/charliesnest?ref=pr_faveshops

Should I stop? One More.

Quill and Fox // https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuillandFox?ref=pr_faveshops

You are a fellow Southerner. How do you stay cool in the hot Georgia summer?

We love hiking, so we tend to escape especially hot Georgia weekends with a trip to the mountains. The lake is another favorite of ours - nothing beats the water. If we’re in town, we tend to post up on the porch with the ceiling fan going and sip cold beer while our pups play in the yard. To us, that’s the good life.   

Oooooh...I miss a porch. We have a screened in porch at our place in North Carolina with a ceiling fan. I know exactly where you are coming from.

Mattie! Thank you!! Keep up the amazing work :) 

If you like Mattie's work, check her out at the following:

Etsy :: Her blog, somethings :: Puddleduck's website :: Facebook 

One-stop shopping :: Stationery at IKEA

Oh. Snap!!!! IKEA is carrying stationery! So far it is only launching in Europe but the posts I've read online all indicate that if it goes well, we could see it on our side of the "pond."

Their line, made with Swedish shop Kollo, pretty much covers all your paper needs - journals, wrapping paper, cards, washi tape, bags, boxes...the list of products is long. Check out more, including LOADS more product pictures, on decor8.