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Grandparents adore their grandchildren and they don’t expect to be celebrated for it. This is even more reason to acknowledge the day and let them know how much we love them right back. 

To help you out, we've created a fun printable letter that kids can fill in and give to their grandparents. Abigail let us feature her beautiful letter to her grandmother here! She simply followed these easy steps:

1) Click on the links below to download and print the Grandparents Day printable. Each is 2 pages.

Printable for Grandma
Printable for Grandpa

2) Color, draw, and fill in the blanks!
3) Cut along the gray outline of each page and glue the pages back to back to make one sheet.
5) Orient the sheet so that the width is longer than the height and lay on its “gift wrap” side. Fold so that the left and right edges meet in the middle to complete the ribbon.
6) Use a little tape to keep the letter closed and “wrapped up.”
7) Give to a grandparent!

Updated September 2017

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To my excitement (and humbling surprise), I was given free rein to design a creative art installation for our trade show booth. The initial idea was to adapt one of our floral note card designs into a 3-dimensional piece made entirely out of paper. In the end I needed to build three pieces: one would go on the front of our counter and the other two would be mounted on the short wall extensions (called returns in trade show booth speak). I borrowed inspiration and know-how from Anthropology windows, restaurant signage, and Deb's to-scale architectural renderings. For the end concept, I envisioned multiple layers of floral and botanical shapes within shadow-box-like frames.

To start, I made digital compositions of all of the artwork’s shapes in Adobe Illustrator. Luckily, Illustrator has this handy window called "layers" which really helped to organize the process. I was able to place each of the shapes in various layers that coincided with where they would be placed in the installation frames. The shapes were labeled according to frame, paper color, and intended layer. Because I just had our office printer, I scaled everything down to print on legal sized paper. Then it was off to good 'ole FedEx Office and Print for a couple hours of oversized Xerox copying (scaled up 500% to be exact).

These black and white copies would be applied to paper and then serve as our stencils. But first, we found large cover sheets to match the design’s color palette and laminated them together with spray mount. Armed with Easy-Tack (what I aptly refer to as miracle stencil glue), we then applied rough sections of the oversized copies onto the nice and sturdy double-thick sheets. From there, it was time to cut out each of the shapes using the stencil as our guide. Basically, this required several days of intense X-Acto cutting time. If only Sabrina and I had known about the ergonomic Kiwi X-Acto blade holder before this project ensued.

After tending to our callused hands, we were ready to move onto the next stage. We needed spacers to create the depth between all of the shapes we had just cut out. So how does one make spacers? Using the leftover paper, we cut a wide array of colors and widths with the handy shop guillotine in 1/8" increments and then rolled the strips of paper into cylinders with PVC glue. This maaaaayyyy have been just as time consuming (if not more) as the X-Acto-ing—Can that be a verb? Well, it is now.

We glued the hand-rolled spacers onto the backs of every shape, being very careful to select the appropriate spacer according to each shape’s assigned layer. For example, the first layer of shapes received 1/8" spacers. Shapes on the second layer received 1/4" spacers and so on and so forth. And sooooo on and sooooo forth, for a very long time until all of the spacers had been applied to the backs of each of the cut-out shapes. 

Finally, we began to assemble the cut-out floral and botanical shapes within the frame. I had outlines of the composition printed to-scale on large sheets of paper to serve as our “map.” I laid this down and temporarily placed the shapes in their respective places on top. Sabrina may add that this led to many head scratching moments as she tried to follow this map that apparently only made sense to me. With everything in place, I removed the map, channeling the magician who rips a table cloth from underneath a table setting albeit a bit more gently. I then peeled off the stencil paper we had temporarily adhered with the aforementioned miracle Easy-Tack.

And AT LAST, we were able to permanently glue all of the spacers and their adjoining shapes to the installation frame and their neighboring layers. To make sure nothing would come apart during transport, we boarded and shrink wrapped each of the frames and then shrink wrapped them again for extra measure. April, Eric, and Deb did an awesome job setting them up in the booth. I joined them later in the show, and I must say everything came together looking pretty darn spiffy. Had I known this would take a solid month and a half of work and leave us with temporarily arthritis-ized—again I realize not a word—hands? Nope. Would I ever take on another paper installation project? Absolutely.

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Last week, we celebrated the start of spring by flexing our floral arranging muscles. To add a creative twist, we looked for inspiration among our newest floral note card designs. We may have gleaned the idea from the MFA's annual Art in Bloom festival. Every year, floral designers from around New England exhibit their arrangements with famous works of art found throughout the Museum.

This got us thinking ... what would happen if you paired a beautiful Smudge Ink card with a variety of fresh blooms from Trader Joe's and Mahoneys? The result: a fun time had by all and some beautiful arrangements if we do say so ourselves. 

 (April & Clayton's arrangement inspired by English Roses Boxed Note Cards)

(Deb & Emily's arrangement inspired by Manzanita Flowers Boxed Note Cards)

(Sarah & Sabrina's arrangement by inspired by our Magnolias Boxed Note Cards)

(Rheana & Margaret's arrangement inspired by Snapdragons Boxed Note Cards)

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Hi, it’s Vee again! Sunday, March 20th is the first day of Spring, and that means it’s definitely time for some spring cleaning. Throw open the windows, let in the fresh (and hopefully warmer) air, and grab a garbage bag. Or eight. Personally, my room is in desperate need of some reorganizing. I have a bad habit of just sort of tossing papers and pens all over the place and leaving them to waste away, leaving me totally lost when the time comes for me to find anything.

Luckily, we’ve found a couple tutorials on how to upcycle old cereal boxes, cans, and pieces of cardboard into ways to organize your desk. On top of it we’ve used Smudge Ink wrapping paper to brighten it up and make it look pretty rad. There are great patterns to choose from but I ended up sticking with just two I really loved together to keep it simple!

I followed this tutorial to make the magazine/paper holder, and April donated an old tin for tea to use as a pencil cup. No more losing papers or pens for me!

There’s also this beautiful tutorial for how to make a fabric desk pad, though mine is made from an old box and decorated with Smudge Ink gift wrap to match the other organizational pieces I’d already made.

I still have to scour my room and throw out and donate things I don’t need or want anymore, but as far as organizing goes I’ve got a great headstart here! I’m positive that this spring cleaning will be super successful and super stylish!

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Hello! My name is Vee Lewandowski; I’m a senior Illustration major at Lesley University College of Art and Design, and Smudge Ink’s spring intern! When I’m not creating art I love learning about sharks, playing dungeons and dragons, and using excessive exclamation points! Excitement!

Chinese New Year is on February 8th this year, and we’re entering the year of the Monkey. It’s a celebration of the Lunar New Year that is centuries old and full of traditions and importance. I had to do plenty of research for this since I’m not from a household that celebrates Chinese New Year and I learned a lot! The celebrations include lion and dragon dances, fireworks, a lot of time with family, and much more.

While fortune cookies are an American invention, we weren’t able to whip up the more traditional mooncakes that are found in China. So instead we found this tutorial by Sugar and Charm on how to fold your own paper fortune cookies that’s easy and quick.

We have three designs for you to slip inside them, and all three relate to the celebrations! Lotus flowers are a favorite in China, and represent long life, honor, humility, and tranquility (good things to focus on and start fresh with for the lunar new year). The red paper lanterns are hung in windows and doorways and along the street to add to the atmosphere. And dragon dances are performed during the festivities, and believed to bring good luck. Dragons are seen as possessing dignity, wisdom fertility, prosperity, and great power. I definitely want a slice of that!

Click the link below to download and print the free printables:

Lunar New Year Fortune Cookie Printables

Fold these paper fortune cookies (again, you can see the tutorial here) and give them to friends and family who you care about, send them into the lunar new year with well wishes and hopes for good luck, tranquility, dignity and so much more!

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