from sketch to retail

i’m married with 3 kids, i live in the burbs, and just a few weeks ago, we deposited our suv for a mini {no, not a mini cooper, a minivan!  don’t judge.  i never thought i’d say this, but minivans are spacious and awesome}.  deep down though, i’d like to call myself a city girl.  i was born in chicago.  went to college in chicago.  got married in chicago.  bought our first home in chicago.  got my first post college job in chicago.  so even though i’m 20 some miles away from the big city, i’m a chicago girl at heart.

workday wednesdays: top 10 business accomplishments of 2010

{warning!  this is a long, wordy post}
the new year is finally here… sales have slowed down and the holidays are finally behind us.  in reflection, 2010 was filled with many business accomplishments… here is my list of “top 10 business accomplishments of 2010″ {that’s right… i’m about to toot my own horn!}

• went public with blog — i started blogging back in july of 2009, but my blog was set to private.  it wasn’t until january of 2010 that i went live… i was overly embarrassed at first with all of my lowercase writing, overuse of ellipsis {the “…”}, and poor grammar {even more embarrassing because my BA is in english writing, ha!}, but it was liberating!  click ‘here’ to read the post when i decided to go live
• created a facebook fan page — back in august, i took the plunge and created a facebook fan page for penelope’s press {click ‘here’ to read the post about it}.  everyone is online these days… and i sell letterpress paper goods online… it only made sense that i connect with my customers, fans, and supporters through social media 
• participated in my first art show — back in september i was invited to participate in my first art show, the chicago arts district 40th annual pilsen east artists’ open house… it was a great experience… i learned so much and met many amazing creative entrepreneurs.  click ‘here’ and ‘here’ to read previous posts about the show
• opened my etsy shop — this has been my biggest business accomplishment thus far!  i officially opened on etsy for business on september 7th and it has been a whirlwind of excitement, endless hours of work, and an ongoing learning experience.  nearing my 4 month anniversary in just a few days, i just hit my 200th etsy sale mark a few hours ago!!  woohoo!
• had my first blog feature — in october, sara tams of “sarah + abraham” interviewed me for an online feature over at oh my! handmade goodness.  oh my! handmade goodness is ranked as one of the top 50 design blogs for moms… what an honor!

• went global — since opening shop only 4 months ago, i’ve made many international connections… selling worldwide to my lovely international customers.  hello to the folks in australia, germany, canada, singapore, italy, and the united kingdom!
• made the front page of etsy {twice!} — since selling online, i’ve been featured on a few etsy treasuries, blogs like paper crave and invitation buzz, and on the front page of etsy {twice!}

• 
• took a 10 week long letterpress class — i had one hands on tutorial on letterpress with the man that sold me my first press back in 2009, but other than that i’ve been pretty much self-taught.  when i first took interest in letterpress, i joined forums, read posts, watched online videos, read books, asked questions and questions, and had lots of trial and error at the press.  a few months ago, i decided i should get some “formal” training in letterpress.  i learned a lot and i also learned that i already knew so much from my own hands on experience.  it made me realize that all my frustration, crying, and tinkering at the press in the wee hours of the morning has paid off.  i still have so much to learn and look forward to more tinkering and experimenting new techniques and just plain getting better
• survived my first holiday season of selling online — i feel like i can breathe and sleep again!  i opened shop right before the holiday season {both a blessing and a curse} and i did not expect to be busy the way that i was… since starting my etsy shop, i’ve printed over 225 personalized stationery sets {i know… people still write.. isn’t it great?!} with the smallest set being as little as a set of 10 notecards and as large as a set of 100.  i learned so much this holiday season… woes of international shipping… priority mail does NOT always arrive when it is supposed to… do not pull out your type drawer too far or your drawer will fall out and you’ll have tiny 12 pt type to sort for days… non-skimming spray works wonders… adding drier to your ink is awesome when you need super fast drying time… there are other nearby post offices that close later than your own… the list goes on and on and on!  i learned a lot this holiday season and i hope to be faster, smarter, and more efficient for the 2011 holiday season!
• had my first retail wholesale inquiry — yes folks… penelope’s press is going retail!  {look out for an upcoming post} a few weeks ago i connected with a store owner that sells wedding and paper wares in chicago’s gold coast neighborhood and i’m excited to announce that soon you will be able to find a few penelope’s press products stocked and on the shelves in a cute shoppe in downtown chicago… woohoo!!!

i really had a great 2010 {despite that i’ve been tired from pregnancy pretty much most of the year}, but it wouldn’t have been possible without my awesome husband, supportive family, talented sister and nephew {my artistic team}, cheerleading friends, and rockstar customers and fans!  thank you, thank you, thank you all for making my first few months of online selling and blogging a fantastic experience!  cheers!!!!

holiday letterpress printed goodies

with thanksgiving in just 2 days, the holiday season is fully upon us!  fresh off the press and in the shop is the first ever holiday line of penelope’s press…

mommy mondays: punched and kicked multiple times

alright, so the title of the post is a little misleading.  yes, i was punched and kicked multiple times last night and for the past several days & nights, but by the little tiny baby growing inside of me.  if you’re a blog reader and you don’t know me personally, i have a “bun in the oven”!  yep… we’re having baby #3! which will probably explain my blog absence as of late.  i do apologize profusely blog reader.  {are you thinking to yourself, “where do you find the time to have two active toddlers, one more growing inside of you, and you just hit your 2 month mark on etsy yesterday?”}  ahhh… blog reader.. that is the golden question i continue to ask myself.  there is so much to blog about and so many photos and projects that i want to share with the blog world, but excuse me if i disappear here and there.  in the spirit of the new baby’s up and coming arrival… here is a new card that i will be listing in the shop soon…

feature fridays: Kate P Photography

a few weeks ago i had an etsy order for personalized notecards.  shortly after, i received an email from the buyer, kate passaro… she said she was excited to receive her order and that she was a photographer and wanted to know if i wanted photos of my product.  i of course happily agreed.  just last night i received an email from kate with the photos she had taken and oh my!  i have a humble little camera and i think i have a pretty good eye so i’ve always thought my blog pictures and etsy product photos have been pretty decent… but when i saw kate’s photos.. i was blown away!  kate transformed the notecards into glamour and sophistication!  visit her site today by clicking ‘here’.  thank you kate!!  go visit the etsy shop if you want your own personalized notecards!