week twenty - 2025

Whoa. It's already week twenty of 2025 and I'm feeling like time sped up in April and continues to get faster and faster! Memorial Day is Monday and I'm feeling behind for fourth quarter already. 

We're entering our slow season. Wholesale slows after Mother's Day every year, our retail business stays steady until July. That's when everyone local is on vacation pretty much until September, when the kids go back to school. Those two months give me plenty of time to reorganize the print shop, finish up projects that have been on the to-do eventually list and design new cards. I know I've mentioned figuring out our holiday designs weeks ago. Strangely enough, there's been no movement on that. I've had time, yet I keep filling that time with other projects. I'm my own worst client. I call myself a recovering perfectionists, it's a continuous challenge to remind myself there is no perfect. Not ever. I have so many unfinished card designs that were started years ago and for whatever reason, I just wasn't satisfied with them. I'll be going back and looking through some of those files and seeing if they're truly as bad as I remember or if I can improve them or even release them as is. Oftentimes, I go back and wonder why it wasn't good enough. It's amazing how time can change our opinions. 

I've been making a lot of wish lists for the shop, prepping for Stationery Store Day. If you're new here and asking "What is Stationery Store Day?". Let me tell you it's the greatest day of the year! It's the first Saturday of August every year (August 2 this year) and a day dedicated to Stationery Shops. The idea is to get out and support your local Stationery Shop. I like to bring in new products and debut them on that day. We'll also have limited edition official Stationery Store Day merch, giveaways, freebies and a SSD print you can pull on our antique press. Plus, we're collaborating with other Chicago Stationery Stores to create a Paper Chase. For each stop you make, you'll get an entry into winning a SSD raffle. The more stops you make, the more entries you get! It's a very fun day. Mark your calendars - Saturday, August 2, 2025!

I've also been dreaming and scheming for our shop's fourth quarter. I have a shopping baskets filled from about 15 different vendors at the moment. It's very fun to dream and plan. I'm focused on gift type stationery like more stationery themed candles, letter openers, fountains pens and lots of holiday stickers and wax seals. You know, stationery! These are the fun projects I've been neglecting my new designs for - virtual holiday shopping. Again, time can change opinions so I'll be revisiting in July and August to finalize all our retail orders. In the meantime, I'll keep scoping out fun stuff for you all!

Random, randomness...
• Tom had a cousin in town and we hung out with her while a very crazy and fast storm hit Chicago. Thankfully, we were safe and rode out the storm from the comfort of Caro Mio, our favorite Italian restaurant. It was delicious and a joy to spending time together catching up. 
• Friday was magical! We had an impromptu lunchtime backyard hang with our closest friends. It was so fun. Afterward, Tom, Jaime, Kim and I headed to the Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field. I'm the only White Sox fan in the group and while the Cubs clobbered us, I still managed to have a lot of fun. How could I not? I was outside in the beautiful weather on a Friday afternoon, hanging with my favorite humans. It was wonderful.
• Saturday, Tom and I gardened all day. I've been slowly buying flowers for the backyard but hadn't planted a thing yet. After planing everything we sat and enjoyed our yard and were rewarded with our first hummingbird of the season! I love that in the middle of a bustling city, we still get nature's magic - like hummingbirds.
• Sunday we had our huge neighborhood garage sales. I'm officially in Albany Park but one alley away is Ravenswood Manor. They have a giant garage sale every year. We love it. I choose to sell every other year allowing me to walk around and shop the other year. This was my shopping year. Tom and I went out early and scored some great, affordable albums. I also bought a plant and picked up a few free plants too. We have friends who also shop the sale and use our house as a homebase. It's very fun! Every year I'm amazed at the amount of people that shop the sale. I'm looking forward to selling next year, it just gets bigger and bigger every year.
• I read The Lost Story by Meg Scheffer. It was so much fun! It's definitely inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. I'm realizing most of the books I enjoy have a little magic, fantasy and adventure to them. And a little love story to it like this book and I'm in! Go read it.
• I also listened to Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. I wish I liked it more. I found it uncomfortable. The story was interesting and humorous at times, I found some parts really stomach wrenching. I just don't enjoy that. I did enjoy the feminist themes and it did have some magical realism and fantasy, but I just didn't love it. 

Week 20 is behind us! Get ready for summer, friends.