Wrapping, packing and wrapping and packing!

At some point, after Christmas, we'll be back to blogging! Right now, we are wrapping and packing and wrapping and packing and shipping and wrapping and packing and shipping!

One little note (shhhhh), now through 12/18, all MZ Wallace bags are 20% off! Use coupon code MZpromo.

Happy Holidays!

Linnea's Lights- simply divine!

I met Laura Cler of Linnea's Lights back in August at this wonderful event called Monday Morning Mimosas organized by the fabulous Erika Firm of Delphine Studio and joined by Smock Paper, Green Paper Company and Russell and Hazel. It was a nice way to spend a morning in the city before I trekked on over to the jinormous NY Gift show in the Jacob Javits center. I just fell in love with these candles for so many reasons. Linnea's Lights, founded by Laura Cler, is a small but quickly growing company based in Indiana. Laura and her mother run the candle company where they meticulously hand pour these lovely triple scented candles in small batches to get the mix and scent just right. The fragrance is subtle and lasts for the entire 60 hour burn. The wicks are of lead free cotton and there are two of them on each candle. They use only pure essences, fine fragrances and sustainable soy wax to create these masterpieces. Their process is completely done by hand. The packaging is a simple, yet sophisticated, recycled natural kraft cylindrical box that is hand stamped with the name of the scent. The glass candle is wrapped in brown paper along with a box of matches. The scents are divine and yet quite unique. They make absolutely lovely gifts, especially at a wonderful price of $28.00. We have already sold a bunch of them. They've been featured in several magazines including In Style, Vogue and Everyday by Rachael Ray. You will be pleased! We carry 8 scents: Moss, Fir, Pomander, Blue Agave, Current Rouge, Bamboo, Yuzu and Winter. I think Pomander is my favorite because of the cloves and spice- it just perfect for this time of year but I also love Bamboo and Yuzu for their really unique and soothing scents. It's really tough to choose!

New fab items from Susy Jack!

We have carried Susy Jack since we started. Created by Susan Connor, a Manhattan artist and designer, the collection emerged in 2007 as bold new alternative in the paper goods market. Inspired by everything from trips to the hardware store to textiles and fashion, the collection's joyful colors, carefully chosen materials, and fun, functional product brings paper to a new place; as much a statement of the user's individuality and style as it is a useful and artistic object.

We just fell fell in love with her great eye for color and modern designs. Her designs just make us happy. Really. She writes an awesome blog at http://www.susanconnordesign.typepad.com/ which is chock full of great images and collages of fashion, style, home design, paper and mundane stuff. It is total eye-candy! We are quite excited to offer her 2010 desk and wall calendars. The colorful and clean images will brighten anyones day. We swear. And, with the help of Susy, we created two different paper goods gift boxes. One for both sides of your brain and life- work and play. The "work" box will help you organize your everyday "to dos" with fun magnets, days of the week clips and a handy notebook for sparks of inspiration. The "play" box also has great magnets and clips but with a nod towards your more imaginative and thoughtful side. Use these to hang pictures of your friends, kids, family and favorite vacation spots. Let these images remind you of what really matters in life (after you pay the bills of course)! Also included is a box of notecards to send to a quick thank you or a "just because note" to your mom or a friend. They come in a stylish eco-friendly "take-out" box for added kitsch. Both the gift boxes and calendars make great gifts for just about anyone on your list, especially for corporate and teacher giving. They are chic, modern, fun and so well-priced! How can you go wrong?

Susy is also committed to creating the most eco-friendly paper goods possible. All of Susy Jack's products are printed and hand-assembled in the USA. Recycled packaging is used for shipping and office needs whenever possible. All papers used in Susy's products are 100% Post Consumer Recycled. How cool is that? We are not sure how she manages to do it all-she is quite amazing!

Thank you! Gratitude Day!

From left to right:

first row:
1. Sukie special notebook
2. Morris & Essex Thank You card
3. Paper + Cup letterpress "You Rock" card
second row:
4. Blue Ribbon Designs Thank you card
5. Paloma's Nest "Cherish" hand stamped petite bowl
6. Smock Paper bamboo "Thank You (kindly)" card
bottom:
7. Zeichen Press letterpress "You Rock" card

I have not written a blog entry in weeks! I do apologize. A large, overwhelming trade show, a trip to Cape Cod and back to school preparation are just some of the distractions that have kept me from blogging! But, we are all finally getting back into a nice routine. And although I love spontaneity, like a child, I do find comfort in routine! Today I got an email from the stationery website called Tiny Prints about Gratitude Day. I didn't even know Gratitude Day existed but it's a fabulous idea! Today is the day we should all spend a moment (or two) to express our gratitude for the little and big things that make us happy and complete (less the turkey, parades and stuffing)! I'm thankful for my wonderful husband and sweet (most of the time) and beautiful little girls, for my Mom's strength and kindness and for my Dad's warmth and wit. I'm also thankful for my brother's creative talent and his ability to see beauty in so much - a trait he has passed onto his amazing daughter, Ananda. I'm grateful for my little cat, Nikita, who is cuddled up on my lap right now, purring (and unfortunately passing gas)! And for my health, support of my good friends, good coffee, hot showers, great wine, a run without stopping and this absolutely gorgeous day! And of course thanks to all of you who read my blog and shop on my site!

Check out the video that Tiny Prints made. It's pretty cool:



Also, check out this fun application for your Iphone that encourages you to write down something you are grateful for daily!



Thanks!

SIGGskins- personalize your water bottle!

I'm a big fan of SIGG and Klean Kanteen and any well made stainless steel water bottle than can be reused as opposed to plastic water bottles that we overuse. SIGG's bottles are of great quality and are beautiful designed and fun. They just came out with SIGGskins - a way to personalize your own water bottle with your own print or photograph. You buy a plain white one - there are 3 sizes offered. Then you upload whatever you want. It comes as a large sticker that leaves no residue so you can switch it out at your leisure (OK, who has leisure, anyway?). Well, Italy does right now. The entire country is basically on vacation in August. I just went to my Italian tailor (not my personal one) so really "an" Italian tailor and he is on vacation from Aug 3 to Aug 22? I've decided- I want to me Italian! Ok, I so digress. Back to SIGG- the "skins" are only $9.95 for a limited time. Great for Dad for his tennis game or mom, the yogi- wow- sounds like us. Although I'm more of an aspiring yogi. Click here to check it out. Pretty cool, huh?

Tuesday Series- Eco-Friendly candles

I apologize that I have not been blogging as much as I used to. It has been a very busy summer. Fortunately, we received 2 mentions in Lucky Magazine for their July and August issues and on their website and we've received a ton of traffic and orders. Also, I have 2 young children and we took a "break" with camp for the last 2 weeks making it ever so challenging to write blog entries. But we are back in camp again, (thankfully) giving me some much-needed free time.

Welcome to the Tuesday Eco-Elitist series where I talk about easy things that you can do to "green" your life. Do note, I use the term Eco-Elitist with tongue-in-cheek, I'm really not perfect- far from it. I've even thought about changing the name as I really don't want to turn people off to being open minded. There are certain things I won't budge on like recycling and using canvas bags instead of plastic ones. I've been enjoying writing this blog because it is something that interests me and I'm also learning along the way. I realize how hard it is today with all this information coming at you about global warming and BPA in plastic, chlorine in place mats and toxic chemicals in our food and please save the polar bears!!! It is absolutely exhausting! I also know that being green can sometimes be more expensive. I have to be extra careful when shopping in Whole Foods. I love the store and what they stand for and I want my family to be eating good, clean, natural, pesticide and chemical free, wholesome food but I can't spend $300 on groceries every week. The positive is that new research and important information is now available and we are lucky to even have choices. Learn as much as you can handle absorbing. You'll be surprised that you'll start to form new and better habits for you, your family and our precious earth.

Today, I'm going to talk about candles but first let me mention a really terrific book to have on hand. It's called the Green Book and it is written by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen and published by Three Rivers Press in New York. It is a handy dandy green reference guide, one that you can read daily in order to learn about a new tip or idea that will help you easily make eco-friendly changes in your life "one simple step at a time."

Candles- some candles are made of paraffin wax and paraffin is made from petroleum (oil) which when burned contributes to global warming. It is best to use beeswax or soy candles as they are renewable substances and burn cleaner (approximately 90% cleaner) and 50% longer than paraffin candles. According to the Green Book, the crude oil used to make just one 16 ounce paraffin candle contains enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for 100 hours." This fun little book loves hypotheticals- but it does really put things in perspective-"If just one hundred households replaced an 8 ounce petroleum-based candle with a soy or beeswax candle, the energy saved could keep the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center lit 24/7 from Thanksgiving to the fourth of July!" Wow, let's make that happen!

We carry soy candles from Kobo and beeswax candles from Soap and Paper Factory. And our Claus Porto candles are a soy blend. Our Dayna Decker candles is a translucent wax made of natural oils and resin.

The Eco-Elitist Tuesday Series- Cool Green Design

Short and sweet this week- check out the cool green design I've come across recently. The top is a really fun bowl or objet d'art made out of recycled glass by Phuze. They are called "goops" and they come in an array of awesome colors. Moving clockwise, the tray is made out of recycled paper by a company called Engage Green and for $14- I'm sure you can find a use for it. The baskets and lacquer bowls are made by Bambu- one of our favorite companies; although, we currently do not sell them in our store - we plan to in the near future. They are beautifully made out of 100% bamboo - fully sustainably, so useful and come in a multitude of fabulous colors!