chirps & cheers

Yup, it’s official…our little shop is moving!  Sometime in August we will be taking on a new view and a bit more space. After much soul and real estate searching we decided to stay put in our same building but move one door east. Why rock the boat when the location is in the center of Edmond and close to home (I have four dogs that occasionally need to be let out!), has great neighbors, a diligent landlord and above all else just feels right. Maybe not the business school way to pick a location but it seems to be working. We love and appreciate the customers who have found us and we hope this number continues to grow. “Build it and they will come.”  Without being overly sappy, this shop is my field of dreams. It really is fun when people love and appreciate the goodies we have in stock. We are over-the-moon giddy to be adding new products, services and in-store fun times. Follow our progress as we do our thing  to the space to make it a nest we can really chirp and cheer about. One where you can look through albums for the perfect invitation, find a greeting card, have a spot to write a note, build a binder or planner and oh so much more.  Whether you’re a bride, a student, a parent, a parent-to-be, an entrepreneur, an artist, a kid or a kid at heart, we hope to meet you soon.

The must have for today is definitely more minutes in the day. Sometimes 1440 of them just doesn’t seem like enough.

I am all about white. I live in a white house. I work in a white shop. I sleep on white sheets. I only eat the egg whites. I wear white blouses for dress and white tshirts to work out. And I am smitten with my new white bucks.  I know the fashion rule is “no white shoes after labor day”*  but temptation prevailed.  I wore them today. It feels good to be a rebel.

*Should be “before Memorial Day.”  An observant reader pointed out my mistake.  Oops! 

Could you sum up your life one sentence? Apparently that is the theme of a new book called, “Drive: The Surprising Truth Behind What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink. I haven’t actually read the book as I just heard about it on my drive to the shop today. But it made me think about a dinner conversation we had several years ago. We went around the table taking turns answering the question, “Describe you and your life in one word”. Each of us gave a somewhat uninspiring answer. But my daughter, Eloise, who was probably twelve at the time blew us all away.

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” she said.

While I wish I had been clever enough to come up with that as my answer it wouldn’t suit me as perfectly as it does Eloise. It has been about five years since that dinner and I am still trying to come up with my one word. It may take twenty years for a sentence.

Note: There is one word to describe the new MacBeth “McGlam” collection that just came in late today and that’s fabulous! Check back tomorrow as I will post pics of this great new-to-us decoupage line that can be personalized with names, monograms, colors, patterns, etc…

It has always been a dream of mine to have a shop. I worked as a shopgirl during high school and it truly was my favorite job. My mom owned a needlepoint shop for a bit and we both felt it would be such fun to have our own shop one day. Whenever we went on vacation and would explore little boutiques, we would file away great ideas, products, etc for what we would do one day. Lucky for me, my mom lives close by but right after I opened the shop she had two unfortunate accidents that have impacted her health over the past six months. It has been a slow and painful recovery for her but today Kiki came and worked her first day at the shop. She’s still not sure about the computer but there’s nobody more personable, fun  and willing to help. She’s the one who taught me the importance of the thank you note, how to make the ordinary extraordinary and the value of writing things down. Yes, it means a lot to have her healthy enough to be there for me and with me. Just as she has always been. Love you Mom and thanks.

xo

When I decided to open a stationery shop, I received my fair share of questioning glances and blank stares. I even had the bold folk who outright questioned my sanity. Why a paper shop when everything is electronic? We have computers and phones to handle everything from our correspondence, calendar, contacts and everything in between. I am happy to live in a day when we have this technology but I am far from willing to abandon paper planners (think russell + hazel), beautiful notes and stationery (especially letterpress) and a special greeting card to help me express my sentiments. There’s a time and a place when a text or an email does the trick. But then there are the times, like an event, party or generous gesture that deserve something more. Just like a great pair of shoes that takes your outfit to the next level, choosing the perfect invitations, announcements, cards or notes can add that extra punch that turns your occasion into a special occasion. It might be old-fashioned to actually write anything anymore but it’s never out of fashion. I’m not planning to stay “stationary” and miss out on all the new but I will never-ever-in-a-million-years give up my “stationery”.

Nothing better than your own personalized notes. These are from Pica Press.

Based on the crummy weather, I figured I would do a post focusing on all things yellow around the shop. If the sun wouldn’t come out I would just create my own sunshine. Funny enough, I feel as though I have had the sunniest of days based on all the happy things that have come my way…a visit from an artist friend who recently moved back to town, a darling new customer who needed some invitations for business but looked at wedding things as well for her fall celebration, the arrival of new merchandise, a wedding order, etc… All good. Now if only the real sun would come out.

I just finished watching “Julie and Julia”. I am not a cook.  I find absolutely no joy in cooking and the only reason I have the above photographed book is because my mother-in-law gave it to me.  I seriously don’t think she ever had hope that I would use it and I never have except for this post.  But honestly, in watching this movie I figured out way more than how to master the art of french cooking.  I was surprised to learn how old Julia Child was when she learned her craft and began her cooking career and sympathetic to Julie who took on the endeavor of cooking all of Julia’s recipes (524 I believe) in 365 days in order to save herself. She needed a project, as did Julia when she started cooking, with a definite beginning and an end.  Funny, because when I started the little shop that could, that is exactly how I felt. Unfortunately for my family, who could have benefitted from 524 home-cooked meals, I chose cards, stationery and office supplies as the object of my passion.  People ask me all the time why I opened the shop. Up until now I have always answered “because I love paper”. True, I do.  But as with Julia and Julie who loved cooking, it was way more than just the food. It had to do with having a dream, setting a goal and carrying it through to the finish.  I had a dream to open a shop.  I set a goal and on October 13 it became a reality.  Yes, I did it but I am far from finished.  I love this little shop.  I love the people I have met (customers, artists, reps, vendors). I love the goodies that fill the shelves and I love helping people  find just the right “whatever” it is they are looking for.  I love the person I have become and that’s a woman old and wise enough to have three grown (or almost grown) children but young and passionate enough to have the bright and promising new career of a shopgirl. That’s joy….