workday wedensdays: in over my head in nss prep!

i’m not up to my knees in national stationery show prep, i’m drowning in it!  the national stationery show is just days away and i’ve never been busier preparing for the BIG debut!!  i’ve been so crazy busy that i forgot to share some exciting news… penelope’s press was recently featured {i spy “penelope” – my first press + the baby of the group – a craftsmen superior tabletop press} on page 72 of issue 17 of the awesome uppercase magazine  i am honored to be included among an amazing group of stationers featured.  that’s it for now… time to get back to stationery show prep!

workday wednesdays: indie wed recap

this past weekend i participated in my first wedding show– indie wed. indie wed is a non-traditional wedding show + market featuring small, independent businesses. for a first time participant at indie wed and a wedding show in general, it was a fantastic experience! indie wed was started by kelly of paper stories. i was finally able to meet kelly toward the end of the show and gushed on how well organized the event was, the amazing attendance {nearly 1200 attendees!}, and the eclectic mix of vendors… i could not be more impressed!

the morning of the show i was overwhelmingly tired, it was snowing pretty hard, and i was running late. with an hour until the show, my table looked like this…

after a few minutes of sitting and staring at all my neighbors prepare, adrenaline kicked in and my table space whipped into shape quickly…

the event was held at the ravenswood event center in chicago. the space is very urban– an industrial feel with exposed ceilings and concrete floors while the perimeter is flanked with fancy sports cars…

before i knew it, the brides and grooms were flooding in. i was busy handing out swag, talking to potential clients, and meeting wedding industry folks that i really didn’t take many photos {thank you carmela of fiore press for snapping some pictures!}

the day was so busy that it wasn’t until towards the end of the show that i was finally able to sit down for a bit and grab a sampling of the food that i saw everyone eating!

the debut and soft launch of the wedding line was well received and in just a few days, all of these awesome products will be available for purchase in the shop!

as always, all of the images are hand illustrated by my sister… so a HUGE thank you to my sister {like she really has time for my demands when she has a full-time job + a really full household to maintain} for always drawing for me, to lisa my assistant for her helping hand + braving the snow to get us some coffee, my husband who painted my pin boards and covered the cork with fabric, my friends that stopped by the show for support, and to all of the brides + grooms, wedding planners, etc. that made the day a huge success! thank you, thank you, thank you!

workday wednesdays: indie wed

wedding season is here!  penelope’s press will be participating in indie wed, “a unique event that combines the idea of a traditional wedding show with a street bazaar, highlighting local and nearby independent designers and artisans. Most bridal shows tend to cater to a very specific vision of what a wedding should be. Indie Wed is geared towards couples who want to take an “independent” approach to their event. It is wedding planning… redefined”.   if you’re getting married, check out the chicago show on february 2.  yours truly will be right near the entrance at table #2!  if you are getting hitched and want to attend the show, i have 4 complimentary tickets to giveaway.  contact me or post a comment below if you would like a free ticket.  hope to see you there!

workday wednesdays: assistant extaordinaire

i have been having some help around the mess of envelopes and paper these days.  meet lisa!  she. is. awesome.  she has been a huge help with everything from backing wedding invitations {that is what she is doing in the picture}, assembling wedding invitations, taking envelope inventory, computer work… and most importantly, helping me keep my sanity and chit chatting with me while we work {it is amazing how much i miss talking to an adult during the daytime hours}!  tomorrow i will you show you the complete wedding suite, stay tuned!

{a big thank you to all those that participated in the oh, hello friend giveaway!  there was a whopping 344 entries… congrats to jade miles for winning!}   

workday wednesdays: a letterpress proposal

i’ve known nancy since grade school.  we used to write notes in a notebook and pass it back and forth in class.  i still have said notebook {talk about pack rat!}.  so when her then boyfriend, asked me to help come up with a letterpress print to aid in his proposal, i could not be more excited to collaborate with him!  i immediately went to my ever talented illustrator {my sister!} and asked her to sketch a few drafts for me.  the final cut was an illustration of nancy and sam {well, in their likeness} with an appleton, wisconsin backdrop.  we used sam’s own handwriting that read, “Nancy, Will you marry me?  Yours, Sam” that i scanned and brought into the drawing.    

nancy sent me the following photos.  check out that rock!  they ended up framing the proposal print!   what a clever and unique way of proposing!  tune in tomorrow for pictures of their save-the-dates.