week twenty-eight 2025
After last week's outgoing orders, I finally feel like I can enjoy summer! We've been busy prepping for Faire Summer Market and Chicagoland Stationery Store Day. I spent much of the week working on all things Chicagoland Stationery Store Day. I finalized the design and I LOVE it! I'll be creating my very first stickers using the design I made. I'm very excited. I'm also designing postcards for the day and working on our letterpress keepsake for Stationery Store Day. If you don't know, we really whoop it up on Stationery Store Day! It's the best day of the year for of our lil' shop. Every year I create a design that guests can letterpress print on our antique printing press. It's a great way for customers to experience what goes in to letterpress printing and what makes our cards unique. Come shop with us on Stationery Store Day - August 2nd from 10am-5pm. Read all about our plans this year here.
Last week I spent some time on reprints. Rarely a week goes by I'm not printing one to four days, even in slower times, like July. Previous years in July I organized Sidewalk Sales in my building and last year, neighborhood wide. This year, I haven't had the time or energy to do any of it. I'm one of those people that needs plenty of time to plan, create and market. I don't thrive with spontaneity in my business life, I prefer a well thought out plan months in advance with lots of checklists and deadlines. All that to say, a sidewalk sale isn't happening this year. Which means next year it'll be bigger and better!
Random, randomness...
• I listened to The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz. I enjoyed it but I feel like I enjoyed the premise of the story more than the writing of it. It's a mystery - thriller in a paranormal town with two best friend personal investigators that have psychic abilities. Sounds amazing, right? It was just okay, I'd give it a 3.5 outta five. I'm ready for a 5 star listen again, it's been a minute. If you have ideas for me, send them my way, please!
• I headed up to Fontana, WI with Jaime on Friday to see our friend Kim, who has a cottage there. The three of us haven't hung out together for a month and when we did, it was at a party I was hosting so we really didn't get to catch up. We hung out the entire time talking. I wish the weather would've cooperated, there was an intense storm, so we could've enjoyed the beach but it's beautiful sitting on the back porch and enjoying all the gorgeous landscaping. It was a quick trip, I had to get back and work on Saturday.
• Sunday Tom, my friend Myriam and I headed to Square Roots. It's our favorite fest of the summer. Great music, local vendors, craft beer, fun people watching, what more could you ask for? We had a great time and ran into lots of maker friends and neighbors. We saw The Ike Riley Assassination and Heartless Bastards. They both rocked! While there we got to see our pals The Scent Queens Candle Co. and the Mercantile Candle Collection, the labels I designed this spring for them. They are stunning!