week twenty-one 2025

Hey letterpress fans! I'm a day late but it probably doesn't feel like it since many of us had off Monday. 

Let's get to the review of last week. We got a very large order from a big retailer. Once upon a time, this was a regular occurrence for us. However, I got sick of big retailers taking advantage of us and squeezing us for every penny, so I started declining these stores. Turns out not much has changed. Big retailers ask for a discount, usually 20% off. Boo. They require you to barcode your cards with their stickers, making more work for us. Boo-Hiss. And to make it worse, they make you purchase those barcodes from a third party. Boo-Hiss-Hiss. And if you can believe it, you also have to pay shipping on said barcodes. Boo-Hiss-Hiss-Boo. And to top it all off, they make you pay for shipping their orders to them with plenty of extra steps for booking delivery times to their warehouse and very specific ways to package a box. Boo-Hiss-Hiss-Boo-Hiss. So you're probably asking, why would anyone do that? Why indeed. At the moment, I'm finding it a challenge to decline $2500. As mentioned last week, we're heading into our slow season. The hope is this jumping through hoops leads to more sales with them. When I replied with questions to the vendor about who pays for shipping and what's the barcoding situation, they neglected to tell me I would be paying for those barcodes and shipping of the barcodes from Hong Kong. They also forgot to mention they would be placing 8 separate PO's for 8 separate orders and I would be shipping 8 separate boxes to several different locations. Which means I'm spending much more to ship then I had budgeted. They of course, won't accept packages from USPS, the most affordable shipping option. So, there's that. We'll see how this plays out. It may be my last order with them. Or perhaps they place larger orders monthly and all these extra steps and fees become second nature. Time will tell.

Anyway, these 8 orders have been keeping me busy. I spent a full day negotiating their requested discount and filling out paperwork for four styles of cards. I then spent a day counting supplies, ordering supplies, prepping paper to print, skimming their 233 page manual for how to accept, prepare and ship orders. It's been a journey already and It's not even due for a couple weeks. Trusting it'll all come together smoothly and the barcodes arrive in a timely fashion, as well as payment.

I spent some time on press as well last week. I printed the first color for several birthday cards - birthday etch, birthday lettuce and birthday pinball. It was wonderful to be on press when the sun FINALLY decided to show up last week. I adore the lighting in our print shop. After three days of overcast and rain, I was feeling a little gloomy. Sunshine just really makes everything better. 

Can you believe we're in the last week of May already? That means our Letter Writing Meet Up is right around the corner! Save the date - Thursday, June 5th, 5-7pm. Join us for 2 minutes or the full two hours. We'll have our usual vintage typewriters available, all our fun pens and some washi tape to play with too. You can read more about our Letter Writing Meet Ups here. 

Random, randomness...
• Monday I had a friend over and we ate my most favorite sushi from Lawrence Fish Market and watched The Handmaid's Tale. Watching such an intense show is better with a friend.
• Tom and I made the most of our long weekend! We made time to play and work. I had lots of house projects I got started on. Hoping I can finish them this week. Some highlights include - Spiteful Brewing, Pequod's for pizza, Gethsemane Garden Center, Menards (twice), Mayfestiversary where we met friends, listened to music and drank craft beer. I also accomplished stripping a wall of 3 layers of wallpaper and several layers of paint. Please for the love of your fellow humans, never paint wallpaper. I repotted several plants, painted our entry way and prepped another room to paint. It was a great weekend!
• I listened to Weyward by Emilia Hart. It was a riviting listen! If you've read this far on any of my emails you know I love an adventure, fantasy book filled with magic and a strong main character. This book had it all. Plus a bonus family connection of all the women that warmed my heart. I loved it.
• I also listened to Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler. Like every book I've read from her there are some tough themes. I love how all her books have a very powerful female lead. As well as fantasy mixed with historical fiction. The story was a roller coaster and I enjoyed it. I find it easy to feel empathy for her characters, she really pulls me in with her writing. What can I say, I'm a science fiction and Octavia E. Butler fan. I enjoyed it, check it out!

Week 21 has come and gone! If you didn't know, June 1st is National Pen Pal Day. A perfect day to write your pal.