My Favorite Things Round-up: VALENTINE'S EDITION

***The Pink and Grey Love Story***

Middle image: Wendy's Look Book | 
Clockwise from top: 
Herbivore Botanical Pink Clay Mask; 
Shop Spring Vintage Rose Candle; 
Letter Parade Simple Heart Letter Set; 
Plaid Blanket Scarf by Easy Seller Dailyaccessoriez; 
Letter Parade Simple Heart Postcards Set of 10; 
BITE Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Champagne; 
Geometric Pillow by easy seller VanillaGreyShop; 
Letter Parade 'Love is Here' 8"x10" art Print; 
Herbivore Botanical Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Facial Mist; 
Letter Parade Simple Heart Note Card

A confession: I wasn't into pink until about less than a year ago when I found a grey scarf with pink skulls printed on it. It was on sale for $5 and it had to be mine. Since then, I've slowly integrated pink into my life.

This heart design I call "simple heart" etched into my head as clear as the blue skies. Even before I sketched it and digitized it, I knew it would be all black against a light pink background. This was the first out of my Pink Pop collection:

Now, I'm not entirely sure if this is a phase. But for now, I'm quite happy with this love affair with pink under the condition that it goes with grey and black, thank you very much.

What's your color story?


Love & Letters,

STATIONERY BIZ: Sending Samples to Dream Retailers

    JANUARY 7, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA

Today I'm going to blog about line sheets and sending samples to retailers as a wholesale company.

Back in May 2014, I created my idea of what line sheet was based on what I was able to reference to online. I made sure I had all the standard elements down, at least from what I can deduce on all the line sheet examples I could find. I mailed out about 5 of these and never heard back. I ended up picking up the line sheet and samples from the retailers I left them with to the sound of crickets except for one. I wish I can say that turned into a sale but no. I will not mention which store but, at that time, my heart had sank so low but I pulled the last courage of asking the owner why he didn't think my cards made the cut. He was nice enough to spare his time. He ended up pointing to his shelves of cards on why he thought mine was obviously not up to par. He was by no means condescending. I was just hurt to know that I wasn't there yet.

Towards the end of last year, I finally sat down and created a new line sheet. With a little more knowledge - thanks to my TSBC family, I also have a bit more confidence about my business approach overall in comparison to my younger self.

Here's a page from my line sheet back in 2014:

Looking back at it, I now realize my pricing are way off, my wholesale terms not industry standard... the whole thing just screams 'amateur' to me. That and my product line is terribly not cohesive. 

Here's a page from my new line sheet:

The details: 

12 pages long | Printed back to back | 6 sheets per line sheet | Size: 7" x 10"* | First page is cover/introductory letter | Back cover is the order form 

*I settled on the 7"x10" size because with a fold in the middle, I can easily tuck the line sheet inside an A7 envelope to reduce the cost of postage. Very important to consider since I planned to mail around 70 of these! 

The most common questions about line sheet are:

Q: Is it the same as a catalog?

A: No. A catalog is different by design and may not include details that are pertinent in a line sheet i.e., you can omit information such as pricing on the catalog subsequently, a line sheet may not contain any styled images but just that of the products.

Q: Do I really need a line sheet?

A: While it is not a deal breaker if you don't, and I myself have initially not planned on having one, there are buyers who prefer line sheet over a catalog so it might be best to have one handy. A positive thing to consider about having a line sheet: it is easier to edit and make changes vs. a printed catalog and much cheaper to produce. 

Q: What is the standard format?

A: As long as all the elements can be clearly found, there are no strict guidelines to follow. Some use a simple Excel spread sheet, some using InDesign or Numbers, you can even use Microsoft Word. Good thing to note about the size, it might be ideal to create one that prints well on a 8.5"x11" letter paper especially if you want this to be as flexible for mailing or email use.

As far as samples go, 1-2 pieces are acceptable. Back in 2014, I packed 6-7 greeting cards and thought it wasn't enough to represent my line. What I later learned from industry veterans is that buyers don't really want to get bombarded with samples. They field plenty of those already! If they want to see more beyond what you sent, they'll reach out and ask anyway.

Lastly, it really is important to research and narrow down your list of retailers to ask. Before, I wouldn't think of doing so because stationery shops are already far and few in between! But, that's just proven a waste of time and money pitching the right products to the wrong store. Make sure it's a good match. I always look at the retailer's shop interior by going through their instagram, Yelp, FaceBook and website gallery photos to give me an idea if my products go with the store.

The line sheet, samples and pitching to retailers are just a few sprinkles of knowledge from the vast lessons you can learn like I did from Trade Show Bootcamp / Paper Camp. If you have a calling to be a stationer or wedding invitation designer, definitely check them out.

Love & Letters,

Big Things for the New Year

We're on the cover of Stationery Trends' Winter 2017 Issue! Yay! 

If that's not an awesome way to start a new year, then I don't know what is! Pop! Fizz! Clink!!!

A little bit about Stationery Trends...

It is a very prestigious trade magazine. Everyone in the industry knows it and probably subscribes to it, too. What separates Stationery Trends' from other trade magazine is the look. Typically, trade magazines are the last thing you would want to spend time with, they might as well be manuals! Just drab from cover to cover. But not Stationery Trends, at the reins of Sarah Schwartz, it looks and almost reads like Living magazine by Martha Stewart. It excites you when you see it in the mailbox. This is what other outdated trade magazines should aspire to. I, myself am a subscriber and having a serious stationer envy at all the awesome products featured on there. Never thought I would one day see one of my products featured let alone the cover! I am beyond proud!

A little bit about the product on the cover...

Believe it or not, the inspiration for this design is Game of Thrones. I'm such a nerd! Last summer, husband and I have decided to jump onto the bandwagon and see what the craze is all about. I cannot tell you how many weekends and week nights were spent watching episodes to episodes, season to season. We're hooked! And also devastated when we caught up and now have to wait like everyone else. But it stayed with me. The kingdoms, the kings, queens... and so this card was born. This design however, took a different symbol after the elections. Now, I won't dwell on politics so much but for many women, more than ever, we were feeling through the dark for every bit of light we could possibly find. Which is why I believe this design is relevant for the times. Won't you agree? 

This note card marks my first submission for publication and I couldn't be more lucky to be picked among the hundreds of submissions. I can't help but feel hopeful for the months to come.

This design is available as postcard, single note card (shown above), boxed set of note cards and art prints in 8"x10" and 11"x14" 

  

Cheers to this New Year, Love & Letters,

2016 Best-of Playlist

Coachella 2016 with the crew, Weekend 2 | April 26, 2016

Dan and I are big on Coachella. Last April was our our 8th consecutive attendance. We have been going since 2009 and that year, we spent our honeymoon at our first Coachella. We have so many amazing memories!

Music is such a big part of my life and I once wanted to pursue becoming a professional musician. All my life I'm surrounded by it and late into high school and all throughout college I fronted and wrote for bands. Good times.

I've decided to put together my best-of playlist this year. Please note there is a good variety of genres. I try to have an "open ear" when it comes to music but I'm still not quite as open as my husband. He listens to all sorts of music. I typically rotate between reggae, indie rock, rock pop and alternative music to some contemporary fusion ones even a few eclectic sounds. Maybe you'll find something you like! I'm the worst at naming genres and it doesn't help that there are quite a bit of genre-bending tracks so forgive me if I miss-labeled.

Reggae:
#1 The Skints "Where Did You Go?"
#2 Richie Gold "Youths Dem Cold"
#3 Tarrus Riley "Human Nature"
#4 Taggy Matcher & Birdy Nixon "Tighten Up"

Eclectic:
#1 Hotel Eden "Nimble Girl"
#2 Liv "Wings of Love"
#3 Unknown Mortal Orchestra "So Good at Being in Trouble"*
#4 Ibeyi "River"*
#5 Rhye "One Of Those Summer Days"*

Indie/Pop:
#1 Gemma Hayes "Palomino"
#2 Snow Patrol "The Lightning Strike"
#3 Joseph "White Flag"
#4 BØRNS "American Money"*
#5 Meg Myers "Motel"*
#6 Tei Shi "Bassically"*
#7 Lianne La Havas "Au Cinéma"

Dance:
#1 Kimbra "Sweet Relief"
#2 Gabriel Garzon-Montano "Keep On Running"
#3 Bosley "Just Like You"
#4 Elliott Moss "Best Light"
#5 Bob Moses "Too Much Is Never Enough"*
#6 LCD Soundsystem "I Can Change"*
#7 Parov Stelar "Catgroove"*
#8 SG Lewis, JP Cooper "Shivers"*
#9 Disclosure (feat. Lorde) "Magnets"*
#10 Flume (feat. Andrew Wyatt) "Some Minds"*

Rock/Blues/Country:
#1 Royce Wood Junior "Honeydripper"
#2 Joywave "Somebody New"*
#3 The Kills "Future Starts Slow"*
#4 The Last Shadow Puppets "My Mistakes Were Made For You"*
#5 The Arcs "Nature's Child"*

Covers:
#1 Freedom Fry "1979" (Smashing Pumpkins)
#2 Walk Off the Earth "Polly" (Nirvana)
#3 Lykke Li "Hold On, We're Going Home" (Drake)*

*bands/artists we've seen live.

Listen to this playlist on Shopify.

Enjoy!

Love & Letters,

January 2017 FREE Printable Stationery & Desktop Calendar

Happy New Year, dear friends!

I've started my stationery company out of my love for letter writing, design and paper and more than ever, this still rings very true. I love every part of snail mail and know that those of you who followed this blog and liked my Facebook page do, too.

In looking back, some of my very popular and most requested posts are about printable stationery shared free to download. Well, I have great news: I'm bringing it back! I'll be sharing one design each month and also include downloadable desktop calendar to jazz up your screen time.

To recap, here are all the free printable stationery I've shared in the past:

1. Peacocks and Pink Roses, July 4, 2011
2. Framed and Lovely, August 23, 2011
3. June Butterflies, June 4, 2012

Here's this month's free stationery download. Get the high resolution here.

Here's the first ever printable calendar I'm sharing with you! Decided to go with air mail colors to get us writing more letters. Get the high resolution here. You can print this or use as screen saver! 

The links expire in 30 days. Sign-up to the newsletter to never miss it and always have it in your inbox!

How do you like the new designs? These are such a different approach in comparison to the older ones but this is what I love about sharing these designs as I get to experiment. A perfect design exercise! I do hope you like it. Feel free to leave comments below.

And hang on tight because I've got a lot in store for 2017!

Love & Letters,

Valentine's Shop Now Open

So excited to finally reveal what I've been working so hard for the past months! You can now check out 45 of my new products on Etsy. I'll be adding more in the coming weeks.

Here's a sampling, I call this design Simple Heart from the Pink Pop collection:

After a long hiatus, I've finally decided to fully invest in my business. If you've seen my previous post about Paper Camp / Tradeshow Bootcamp, the launch of my Valentine's shop is the motion that was set after my attendance of the workshop. I wish I had known about it sooner! I had been dabbling with stationery design since 2009, but prior to Paper Camp, this was all just a hobby.

My style from then has changed so much and I'm still constantly finding ways to improve and translate my ideas to products. I wanted to adapt a more modern look while also being visually minimal. This journey took awhile. The trend for sometime now in stationery reflects a lot of watercolor (see Rifle Paper Co. and Our Heiday) and typography or calligraphy (see Antiquaria and Emily McDowell). While I do adore watercolor as a medium I'm just not good at it nor is my heart in it. And who could resist the beauty and quick sophistication calligraphy brings? I just simply could not adopt these styles. I did try, but it didn't feel me. Here are my dabble in watercolor:

I'd like to say I've gone back to basics. Resorting to the medium that I knew best while still making use of my graphic design skills and oh my, it feels as natural as breathing!

What are your thoughts about the brand's new look and direction? What would you like to see more of? I welcome all feedback and thank you in advance.

Love & Letters,

Gift to Self aka Creative Entrepreneur

A year ago I bought myself a Christmas present- a seat to a 2-day seminar called Paper Camp. Little did I know that that was to be the greatest present I could give myself to date.

Attending it has paved a clear path for me as a creative entrepreneur giving me more confidence with each stride as I made the leap from a hobbyist to a professional. After the seminar, I left feeling a mix of emotions at first. I was overwhelmed by the amount of work it would take me and the many mistakes I have been unknowingly making! I was forced to lay all my cards on the table and decide if I was in it for the long haul or not. I spent a good amount of time soul-searching and asking myself if this was where my heart lies and if it was then I needed to give it all I've got.

Fast forward, I am a few months shy to releasing my first wholesale catalog (Spring 2017!) and part of a community of amazing creative entrepreneurs ready to give each other a hand. I am grateful for every one of them and most especially to Katie Lawler Hunt for founding this wonderful paper-loving bunch.

If you're in the business of Stationery, wedding invites or want to sell your illustrations in a wholesale setting consider attending the next Paper Camp (February 2017). I promise you it's the best investment for you and your craft!

Pictured above is photo posted by Tradeshow Bootcamp today on their Facebook page featuring, yours truly with fellow paper camper and stationer, Gina Singh of Ginametrical whom I walked the National Stationery Show with back in May.