Holden + Totoro

I love the innocent, wide-eyed stare of Totoro and the dust bunnies.

Holden's 2nd birthday (in January, I sheepishly admit) theme was My Neighbor Totoro! The theme was lost on most attendees, but it was poignant and nostalgic to those who were cognizant of the endearing Miyazake film. We rented the English-dubbed movie from the library, invited family and friends small and big, and feasted on my mom's drool-worthy Korean food all day long.

The night before, I baked two sheets of yellow cake (I heart Betty Crocker), mixed the perfect shade of gray, and attempted to refrain from consuming all the leftover chunks of freshly-baked goodness. After googling, I found a large enough line drawing of Totoro to utilize as a close-enough pattern. The backside of white chocolate drops (used for melting and creating confections) would create a smooth plain for the whites of the eyes, and two brown m&ms, adhered with dollops of frosting, completed the peepers. Instead of a piped frosting crescent, I had wanted a three dimensional nose. After much consternation at the candy aisle, I triumphantly grabbed a box of Junior Mints. Halving one became the perfect diminutive snout.

Two cakes were necessary because a gaggle of my friends were coming pretty late and I wanted them to experience the candle-blowing (more accurately, dousing-candles-with-spit) as well; it wasn't too difficult to create one after another. Plus, I think it's a magical indulgence for every child to have two candle-laden cakes for their birthdays. One for brunch, and one for dinner. I quite adore the idea of Mad Hatter unbirthdays. Or even half-birthday parties! Any excuse for cake and celebrating childhood.






For the soot sprites, I baked chocolate cupcakes (note to self: never add just egg yolks when the recipe calls for whole eggs - I somehow had remaining yolks and mistakenly thought it'd suffice) and dipped the frosting-ed goodies into a bowl of black sanding sugar. The already sorted brown plain m&ms were again placed on the background of the upturned white chocolate drops to create the characteristic eyes.

(On a side note: I futilely tried to create sprout umbrellas to embellish the cupcakes out of sour apple tape and straws. Bright side: failure tasted delicious!)







A stack of party favor flannel pillows bearing the first initial of small guests. My sister cut out the letters (Futura Bold) from heathered oatmeal felt, and I running-stitiched them on with contrasting embroidery thread. I was exuberant to use my stash of hoarded fabric. As much as I enjoy augmenting my menagerie of inspirational textiles, I derive joy from the depletion; the eventual metamorphosis into a hand-crafted gift.

Ten

To continue the ten motif (check out our new "The Numbers" print), I wanted to share the inspirational back page of April 2009's Body + Soul magazine.

Ten Thoughts on Whole Living
by Terri Trespicio

1. Give yourself time to consider what you most want to contribute to the world.
2. Worth doesn't begin and end with a bank account. Appreciate your true abundance.
3. Skin is a living, breathing organ. Select your beauty products wisely.
4. The earth's future and our own are linked. Live in a way that supports both.
5. Better eating starts with small, positive steps.
6. Amazing things happen when you opt for healthier choices.
7. Aging well has less to do with what you avoid and more to do with what you embrace.
8. Make every effort to be gentle with yourself.
9. A close network of friends and family can sustain you in more ways than you know.
10. The decision to let go may be the most important one you ever make.

To a Blessed + Happy 2009

"A brand new year, a brand new diary (as Bridget Jones says in her sequel)." Fresh tabula rasa, untouched new-fallen snow, optimism at a palatable apex. A new year's tradition at our house growing up was to have everything spic 'n span, affairs in order, everyone their affable best. Whatever happened on the first set the tone for the entire year. For the first time in a long while, I am uber excited and particularly looking forward to the new year. 2009 is going to be a bright and sparkly one.

Cheers to all of our beautiful ladies (and gents); we wish you the very best a squeaky clean new year can bring!

Merry Christmas

Ask me to cook and I'll ignore you. But come over on Saturday mornings and there's a good chance I'll hand you a plate of fresh pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. Homemade pancakes are super close to baking, and baking... Baking! BAKING. How I love thee. Holden has never licked beaters before, but nobody had to tell him how. See how clean those are getting? That's his 2nd one, too. Chocolate cream cheese frosting is applicable to all ages.




A few weeks ago, my sister Kat was rolling Christmas sugar cookies with Holden, clad in a half-apron and loving every minute. As you can see from the look on his face, he's very picky about which cutter to use, even changing his mind in the middle of pressing. It's funny to see your once helpless baby now flour-dusted, holding cookie cutters and deliberating with such confliction. And every child's favorite part; decorating the shapes with tiny non-pareil sprinkles in every color and tiny candy gingerbread men. I don't think my family has ever enjoyed a dessert more.

Free Box of Holiday Cards!

Our first holiday promotion! Receive a free box of holiday ribbon cards with every 2 boxes of custom stationery ordered. There is no limit, and the $1 shipping still applies. Order now, avoid lines and mad rush, and have your holiday shopping done so you can have more time to actually enjoy the season. :)

$1 Shipping for our 1st Birthday

To celebrate our first birthday, we are offering a flat shipping rate of $1. This applies to any domestic order amount, with no limit. We always ship Priority Mail (2-3 days delivery - pls add creation time to order as well) and the regular rates are usually $6.95 and up. Rush and international rates are still the same.

I'm thinking of extending it until the end of this year, because I'm always in favor of stretching out birthday partying. Enjoy!

First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Last Friday, Holden and I visited the Pumpkin Patch in Beverly Hills. It was his first time (and mine, too! I'm such a city girl) and we both had so much fun. There were different activities to do, such as a hay maze, air-filled jack-o-lantern jumper and paint-your-own-pumpkin. Behbeh was more interested in running around unemcumbered through the rows of cheerful autumnal gourds. Since we just read Pumpkin Pumpkin, I was ecstatic to show him a real pumpkin seed. He thought it would be fun to shove it in the dent of a stem.



I loved how the proprietors carted in different colors. We bought two tiny pumpkins, one in orange and the other in cream. Alex came home the other day with a small pumpkin, for carving. I can't wait! We ordered a dinosaur costume (the most decent one on sale) and Holden has already discovered he cannot abide the hoodie-like headpiece. He'll be a boy-headed dinosaur for Halloween.



Sitting on the huggable fruits, just like Jamie below (see the Buffalo Tiny Toms?). I love Jeanne Titherington's hazy colored pencil illustrations. Beautiful!

Tom's Shoes + Plan Toys

Last month I stopped by Entertaining Elephants, a cute green children's boutique in Studio City. Became enchanted by the decor, but wasn't too tempted by the end-of-season sale. I'd already stocked up on my favorite clothing shops for Behbeh. But I did pick up some eco-friendly Plan Toys, which were wooden and non-toxic. The little milk carton and strawberry jam jar sold me!

Also immediately fell in love with tiny Tom's Shoes in Buffalo. For every pair of shoes purchased, Tom's donates a pair to a child in need. Uber-cute designs and has a heart for children. Double the reason Holden happily runs around in his canvas kicks!

Project Runway 5

I heart Leanne's dreamy yet architectural pieces. Such beautiful, patient tailoring! I've developed an appreciation for clothing that look painstakingly-pieced together after suffering through drafting class at FIDM. Her collection was gorgeous, but there's something about Leanne as a person that is forgettable. I wish she showed more personality during the show, but I think she's just a super shy person.








Korto is my second favorite, but the only piece I really loved is this white top. It's adorable how she brought her daughter out on the runway. :)

Milk

On a recent date night with my honeypie (gag, I know), I saw a trailer about a gay politician named Harvey Milk. Not my type of movie, as I'm a total chick flick girl (and sometimes mild sci fi with a bit of FBI/CIA thrown in), but I couldn't help love the film title and poster graphics. MILK!

Drinking In: Matt Albiani

Having lived in Bluffton, South Carolina for the past three years (Alex was stationed in Parris Island), I'm quite partial to things from that region. Friends (how I miss you guys), Savannah (we were only half an hour away), Jim 'N Nicks (please come to LA!). So when I saw the title of this arresting photograph taken by Matt Albiani, I just had to post. I heart the placement, the tranquility and the use of the negative space.

photo from mattalbiani.com, "Lifeguards, South Carolina"

Flickr

Started filling up our photostream on Flickr, for those who wish to see more papergood pictures. It's a mix of straight product shots and inspiration around the studio. Let us know if you have a favorite Flickr group and would like to see us there!

Listening To Bitter:Sweet

This Los Angeles duo (beat-maker Kiran Shahani and vocal/lyracist Shana Halligan) is a magical combination. Bitter:Sweet is akin to a brighter sibling of film noir masthead Portishead, and their breakthrough song, "The Mating Game" is a three and a half minute blend of brassy trip-hop and mod lounge vocals. My favorite song as of late.

While perusing their gallery, I came across Shahani and Halligan on an incredibly familiar sofa; the Wearstler done Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. We had our wedding after party there, and we returned to dine at Whist for our most recent anniversary. Impeccably done. Heart it all.

Check out Bitter:Sweet's official website or iTunes to hear selected songs from their three albums.

My Favorites:
The Mating Game (The Mating Game Album)
Dirty Laundry (The Mating Game)
Bittersweet Faith (The Mating Game)
The Bomb (Drama)
Get What I Want (Drama)


picture from bittersweetmusic.com

Free Mini Cards :: Foxglove

A gift to C+M's lovely readers and shoppers: three foxglove 3" x 3" mini cards/tags. Please enjoy for personal use only.

Print, cut, write message. Please share this download or link to post!

Marni

Loving Marni's Fall '08 collection. Structured feminism, earth neutrals, knee socks. Fall is around the corner; better dust off my favorite Seychelles bow boots...

New Facebook Picture

I was taking pictures of our new Green Line, when our 19 month old decided it was a great time to play drums on whatever Mommy was focusing on. How could I resist those chubby, always moving little hands? To those of you who wish to become our fan on Facebook, you'll get this new shot of Holden's right hand on your page. Oh, and the Dill Gocco Moleskine, too.

Hallmark Magazine

Amy Palanjian, the associate editor at Hallmark magazine, wrote this lovely post about us on her blog. I was reading her previous posts, and she mentioned that her new favorite color combination is gray and pale peach. A girl after our own heart. Thank you, Amy!

Poppytalk Handmade

We're once again featured on this month's Poppytalk Handmade, themed "School Days." Jan + Earl are the curators of this monthly online street market filled with "handmade goods of emerging design talent from around the world." We're honored and proud to be part of the collaboration. Check out our table here.

Wednesday Inspiration

I love the hazy sherberts and the vintage metal basket. Those tutus went fast during our sale! Thank you Jo for taking the beautiful picture.

California Gift Show

We've been busy little bees these past few weeks, preparing for the California Gift Show. It was our first show, and I had to create new mass-marketable collections for the wholesale market (since we feature personalized stationery). Two words: exhausted and exhilarated. The show ended yesterday, and I went to bed early (what a treat!). Poor Alex was trying to have a conversation and I kept nodding off.

We've met a lot of new buyers and friends, had a lot of family visit and help, and gained valuable experience. Here are some pictures of our booth, which Alex, who is not a carpenter by any means, worked so hard on (thank you, Milk!). Thank you to Lauren for patiently cutting out each letter of our sign, along with baking picture-perfect cupcakes for three days in a row. Gratitude to Connie, our PR whiz, who dropped everything to whip up a kit in a few days. And to our helper elves, Kat, Helen and Sandra, who baby-sat, folded and scented samples, cleaned and cooked. If it weren't for all those helping hands and hearts, the Cake + Milk booth would've just had me sitting in the middle of the floor holding two cards.

Our booth neighbors who became friends:
* Vicki Lane and her album creations Keep in Touch,
plus her daughter Michelle Meyer (who is getting married in 2 weeks!) who owns Shop at Lola in Long Beach
* Richard Barth, a big sweetie who also happens to be a published scifi author ten times over, from Red Rock Press
* Shelly (Sheryl Crow look-alike) and Ann (Jennifer Aniston-look alike) with Bella's Dream, cute 3-D children's mats that Shelly's husband illustrated
*Siblings Jeff and Tina from Molla Space, who scouts and represents Japanese artists (my absolute favorite is their mansion planter)
*Super sweet Leah and Christian, who revitalized Pressed, Ink

Cake + Milk Paperie on Facebook

Finally jumped on the Facebook bandwagon a few months ago, and it's been a pleasant surprise reconnecting with friends, neighbors, and classmates I saw nearly everyday for a great deal of my life. Having so much fun, thought I'd make one for C+M as well.

If you are a member of Facebook, we invite you to join us. You'll get the image above on your Facebook page. We'd love to see you there as well!

Studio Sale, Part Two

It's been slow-going, but I finally have this post up! Here are the rest of the pictures of our Studio Sale from last month. My sister and her best friend, Joanna, helped out by manning the cash wrap and taking care of all the details while I played hostess. Joanna also did a fabulous job of capturing the event. Thank you, helper elves!


Shelves of assorted boxed papergoods (sewn + old school flats).



New 5x7 Notepaper Flats resting on a vintage desk file I found in the basement of The Paris Market in Savannah, GA. I miss meandering up Broughton Street to this fastidiously curated store with an old-fashioned beverage bar. But I miss my favorite store, At Home the mostest, where I took all my visiting guests and almost never left empty-handed. But of course, Liz!



I also picked up a few gorgeous cigar boxes during the same vintage shopping trip. Perplexed Alex kept asking me if I really wanted to pay for someone else's "trash." The cigar boxes still had debris, the tops were torn off, and the rickety desk file was/is quite battered. But he saw the dreamy look in my eyes and helped me out of the basement. I'm a lucky girl to have his love.



Here's Joy shopping literally right after a grueling car trip to and from Salt Lake City. What a trouper!



There's Steph inspecting some stationery; she brought her husband James and lusted after my Marc Jacob's mouse flats. It's because I drooled over her vampy red heels at her birthday party. That girl can shop!



Our son-cupcake playing peek-a-boo with Aunt Saunders. We truly appreciated everyone's support, and taking the time to visit our humble studio. We love you!

Ooga Booga

When Alex told me his friend Wendy opened a store called Ooga Booga, I couldn't help but giggle. We finally had a chance to visit the Chinatown-based shop a month ago, and we enjoyed the quirky jewels inside the shoebox of a store. My favorite: a photography book of bite marks in paper. Took me a bit to resist adding my own right then and there. Purchase for my sister: Nieves Library at Ooga Booga tote.

We're not the only ones who're impressed... I just found them on LuckyMag.com's "Boutique of the Week." Photo from luckymag.com.

J'Adore Les Robes Bleues

My sister's senior prom is coming up, so we went shopping last week on 3rd Street in Santa Monica. We both ended up with dresses; hers a peach vintage-looking sleeveless short pleated dress, which she looked fantastic in. And my "prom" dress, a royal blue. Been so in love with that color for frocks lately! And I've always loved dresses... what's not to love about one garment that accomplishes many points? Ease of use, but doesn't look effortless, radiates fabulosity and femininity, can accessorize it down or up. I love being a girl!





Squealed when I saw the Vanessa Barrantes dress on the Anthropologie sale rack last month. Even with the reduced price (of Ninety-Nine Dollars!), I hemmed and hawed a bit. But in the end, I took the splurge. Too bad LA weather has been roasting us alive! Maybe I'll have to wait until autumn to don it...

New Goods! Part Two

I fell in love with this stardust-y, shim-shimmery paper the moment I saw it. Thick, luxurious, and so gorgeous it can stand alone as chic stationery. Pairing these with our rainbow of envelope colors brings out the magical quality of the cover. The basket containing the confection-labeled sets at our Studio Sale was considerably lighter at the end of the day.




The pattern combinations for the heart smocks were so inspiring to me, I wanted to let it unravel elsewhere. The solution: reversible hair ties, for any age. You can tie it in a double-knot to prettyily keep stray hair in place while working or playing away. Sewn with shimmery gold thread. This strawberry/black white cherries one is posing in a vintage strawberry pint basket.




Artist's no-frills rendering of new personalized stationery: Old School Notepaper. The non-personalized sets* were also quickly snatched up at our Studio Sale, so I've decided to give them a permanent home in our shop. In original Primer Blue + Red-Pink, or sweetly modern Pink + Sage. Oh, and new size! 5x7.

*coming soon, my dears!