SC Letters | 04

Today the world lost an amazing woman who had such a way with words. It only made sense for this week's SC Letters post to be inspired by her. It was extremely hard to choose just one quote to share, but I found myself so inspired by the words below. I painted the background and hand lettered the quote with pencil.

RIP Maya Angelou.

SC Letters is a series in which I post a bit of hand lettered work. See previous entries here.

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NSS 2014 Recap

I've been home for about a week and I can't believe NSS has already come and gone! It's so strange how you work for months and months for something and then in 4 short (but very exhausting) days, it's all over! Today is my first official day back in the office and if I'm being honest, I have been struggling to get with it. I have only crossed about three tasks off my to-do list but I wanted to pop in to say hello and give a few quick thoughts on my experience!

• It is truly amazing how the Javits Center is transformed. We walked into our booth and it was underwhelming to say the least. But, in just a couple of hours there were thousands of mini store fronts and it was so fun to see how everyone put their spin on the tiny booth spaces! It was also fun to see the behind the scenes, how it's all put together stuff! And it's equally amazing how quickly it all comes down!

• I was extremely shocked by how the industry not only accepted but awarded copy cats and knock offs. It was actually pretty unsettling. I don't want to be on copy cat patrol and call out every one who clearly rips someone off, but I'm not sure silence is the answer either. Who knows!?

• That being said, I was also amazed by all of the talented people that filled the Javits Center. Seriously - so. much. talent! It was so inspiring to be surrounded by all those people who have a passion for their craft and who are following their dreams.

• And lastly, as if I wasn't already aware of how lucky I am to be a part of the Stationery Academy community, this show sealed the deal. I was so honored to exhibit with my talented booth mates (Fraser and Parsley, Something Detailed, and Southern Fried Design Barn) and I have them to thank for all the fun I had! We also were showered with gifts from the ladies we attended Stat Acad with in Dallas. We were all practically in tears opening up the gifts and notes of encouragement. It was so thoughtful and I am so thankful to know them!

Below are some photos I snapped with my iPhone so don't judge me! ;)

NYC greeted us with pouring down rain. Our luggage was soaked!

Packed in a taxi on the way to the Javits center to set up!

How are booth looked when we first got to the Javits!

I had to spray paint some things out on the loading dock! It was so nice out!

Belle & Union had the most adorable booth. It was my favorite!

The first morning of NSS, Josie and I walked to the Flower District to buy flowers for our booth! So pretty!

I got to try Ladurée Macarons for the first time thanks to our Stat Acad loves!

Mimosas with Emily McCarthy and PSA Essentials!

Loved this flat Willow Ley in the Thimblepress booth! So fun! Happy I got to meet Kristen and Dani too!

So thankful for this lady's friendship! Thanks for everything, Jennifer!

This was a bit depressing! All of the samples had to be trashed!

Free,  on foot, NYC tours with Amy and Jennifer through Times Square! ;)

Here is a quick video my friend Josie put together on Instagram of how our booth came together!

Isn't her accent just the best? I found myself thinking in a British accent when I laid down at night and once I realized I was doing it, I couldn't stop!

So there ya have it! It was a great week and a wonderful experience! I'm excited about the new stores that will be carrying our products as well as some new connections I made that will hopefully lead to some very fun partnerships! Stay tuned, my friends! :)

Oh - and be sure to check out the shop! All of our new greeting cards have been added and are ready to ship!

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NSS 2014 | Marketing Materials

Surprise! I'm back with one more post for y'all before I leave town! I have a to-do list that still has many to-do's needing to be checked off (like packing!) but in typical Stephanie fashion, I am finding other fun things to do instead! Like snapping some photos of the marketing materials I'll be taking with me to New York! I've had quite a few requests over on Instagram to see more and while I'm not going to share everything just yet, I wanted to give a little closer look! The photos were taken with my iPhone so I apologize if you can't see everything as clearly as you'd like to! 

Pictured above (left to right) are our press kits, wholesale catalogues, business cards and postcards. Looking at these I kind of wish I would have snapped some product photos on this chalkboard for the catalogue. I am loving the contrast with our bright colors! 

Press Kits.  These are so fun and I love how they turned out (I love the yellow gingham bows that tie them together) but there was a slight hiccup with production! In the last couple of weeks I swear I've been losing my mind and I messed something up with the original file so I had to have them re-printed! Not exactly the best case scenario because not only did it set my timeline back but it was also an additional cost! I will share more on these (what they look like inside and what all was included) next week when I'm back but there is a little more BTS detail over on, you guessed it, Instagram!

Wholesale Catalogues. I am really proud of how these turned out. In the beginning I had thought I would have them printed and assembled by a printer but after I received a couple quotes I quickly realized that was not the route I wanted to go. I just couldn't see spending $1,500 on something that will have to be updated and re-printed in just a few months. Also, my budget for the show was very small and very strict and this was one area I was able to cut the cost down by about $1,000!

Business Cards. These are the same cards I've been carrying for about two years! I still really love the way they look and I think they do a great job communicating our brand clearly. All I had to change was our tagline!

Postcards. These are items I had printed so I would have something to pass out between a business card and a wholesale catalogue. Not everyone who visits our booth will be interested in a catalogue so I wanted something else to offer. I had two sets printed but the front of both look the same. One set has the Stephanie Creekmur manifesto and our contact information on the back and the other has our show special and contact information.

That's it for now! If y'all have any specific questions about anything just leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them in my NSS posts I have planned for after I return from the show! I'd also love if you would say a little prayer for me! I am pretty nervous, not only about how the show goes and how people respond to our new line, but also just about being in New York City! It's such a big place and the thought of catching taxi cabs is enough to make me nauseous! I've caught a cab before but in small cities like Columbus and Nashville! I'm sure it's the same but in my mind it's much scarier! Ha! Anyway! I'll see y'all on the flip side! xo - Steph

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National Stationery Show | Stationery Academy

I can't believe it's finally here. We are down to the wire and I leave for New York City this Friday and I'm feeling all kinds of emotions. I'm ready for the show to be here, but there is still much to be done! I won't bore you with my to-do list but if you want a look behind the scenes at what we're up to, be sure to follow along on Instagram! Below is a look at the three lovely ladies I have the honor of exhibiting with in the Stationery Academy booth as well as a peek at some of the goodness we'll be debuting at the show!

I also just wanted to let y'all know that things will probably be relatively quiet around here until I return! I may pop in once or twice, but I'm making no promises - it's crunch time! :)  

Graphic via Stationery Academy

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