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!

My First 2-Color Job

I've been spending lots of time on the press lately & am super excited to show my first 2 designs that I printed in TWO colors!!

Look at that registration. Man, that makes me happy. This is a new design - love, from me. Now that I've inked it, it's time to take some photos & put it on Etsy!

I've learned some neat tricks about setting up my designs for easy registration. Glad to be putting them to use AND that they work. (as I wipe my forehead with relief & exhale...) I'm also super excited to move my Mother's Day designs to the press. YAY!!!

Also! I'm trying a new color on the press - metallic gold. Seeing my press all shimmery in this color makes me so happy, I'm practically giddy. You'll love it too, I'm sure...as will Mom which is why I chose Mother's Day cards to debut it. Special ink for a special lady!

Notice the square format of my photos? Well! These are all things I posted on Instagram  over the weekend. Come join me! It's my social media outlet of choice at the moment.

High 5 for Friday :: March 29, 2013

1. Look at this face! Sophia is here!! Last night...her first here & away from her liter mates... was rough, but after a few hours she stopped fussing in her crate & Mr. B & I got some shut eye. Thanks to Bridgette & the Leyendecker family from Great Lakes Gun Dogs for everything!!

2. What a week! If Sophia wasn't so cute, this would have been picture 1. Lots of work at VMG and orders to fill for K. Batty Design & Stationery. Yay!!

3. On Sunday last weekend, Mr. B & I took a drive through Green-Wood Cemetery here in Brooklyn. It is a historic site on so many levels & boasts some great sculpture...albeit they're grave markers, but beautiful nonetheless.

4. The great letterpress adventure continues! I got some more ink this week, as well as Super Soap, gloves & wipes to aid my clean up routine.

5. I love this graphic from Calypso's Pinterest boards. I do love the life I live!! I hope you do too. 

Happy Weekend!

Join the linky party here:

High 5 for Friday

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
• My calligraphy is coming along in a short time.
• Had a great time making envelopes for my Valentine's Day cards!
• Chez Batty will soon be Puppyville.
• Oh, did I mention that I letterpressed my Valentine's Day cards?! I think that post is still a draft...Stupid busy week.
• Yesterday I took Molly for a bit while her big sister was at Daisy's. Big cookie for a little girl...

Happy Friday!

Setting Up Victor...

{Valentine's Day cards from a previous letterpress printing sesh at The Arm}

I've had lots of questions about my press in the last 2 weeks. Here's the update:

1. Have I started printing?

Not yet :( I have tons of supplies to order. A base to put my plates on, ink, pins, plates to print with...there is a long list. I've been looking at this stuff for weeks & I know what I want, but since I was sick & then filling that Hammock Pack order all last week, I just haven't pulled the trigger on purchasing what I need.

2. What am I going to print first?

Great question! Since Valentines' Day is around the corner I'm ordering plates for my You're Cool & Smooches cards. Plus, I thought it was high time I made stationery for myself. Lastly, my mom said she needs a reorder of the stationery I made for her a few years ago, so perhaps I'll whip something up for her.

3. What does this mean for my business?

As I said in a previous post, I've been designing with this type of printing method in mind for a long time. Several of my designs will become available in letterpress, plus I'll start offering custom letterpress stationery.

But not everything will make a made dash to the press. Some of my cards work well because of their use of color & type together in a way that will not make sense to print on my press at this time. Figuring  out what makes the transition to the press will take some time.

Bring on the wedding business! One of the most common questions I get is if I can make letterpress wedding invitations. I've always said yes because I knew I could rent press time somewhere. Now, the answer is YES!!! All caps, in bold! It will take some practice, but by the end of the first quarter, I want to have some designs for sale to build that part of my business up.