Blog

Holy cow! The whirlwind that is the National Stationery Show has officially come to a close. We've been meeting weekly since January in preparation—that’s 20 weeks of planning for just 3 ½ days! Clearly there are a lot of paper nerds out there because I get a lot questions about what’s involved in being part of the Stationery Show. So for our fans (thanks for all of the support!) and just plain curious (interested in exhibiting one day?), I thought I’d recap the most memorable bits and also leave you with a few hopefully helpful tips.

PRE-SHOW

One of the very first things we tackle is coming up with the inspiration behind the booth design and all of the related promotional materials. This year we were drawn to our bestselling floral boxed note shown here, letting its shapes and colors set the creative direction. You’ll see this concept starting with our pre-show mailer which we send out to retailers inviting them to visit our booth.

Tip(s): When you have a lot of other creative stationery companies vying for attention, there is a high bar to make sure your mailer stands out against the crowd! For a good primer, read this post on Oh So Beautiful Paper. Also, be sure you have the correct postage amount when mailing these babies out. 

THURSDAY, MAY 12

My husband, Eric, and I borrowed my father-in-law’s minivan for the trip (lucky for us, he loves a roomy vehicle!). The booth walls, taking up the most room, were the first to go in. Everything else got squished in wherever it would fit. With the van filled to the brim, we hit the road at noon, stopping only for a totally delicious BBQ lunch at Uncle Willie's in Connecticut.


Final stop: NYC! We arrived at the Javits Center and moved everything to our booth space fairly quickly. Our original plans were to only unload the van but (thanks to the pulled pork sandwiches!) we were feeling pretty peppy and decided to stay and assemble the walls. That kept us in the dark and stuffy Javits late into the night but it was definitely worth it knowing we would have less to do the next morning.


Tip(s): Don’t skip lunch, drink lots of H₂O, and wear comfortable shoes.

FRIDAY, MAY 13

Getting to our booth on Friday morning wasn't exactly easy. First, there was the normal commuter traffic. Then, we had to skillfully navigate our way past all of the crates, furniture, equipment, and trash that filled the aisles of the Javits Center. It’s quite the obstacle course, but we made it! 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our still standing walls! No natural disasters or faulty engineering on our parts, yay. Eric and I organized ourselves, and then the rest of our setup crew (aka Sarah and Deb) arrived shortly afterwards just in time to puzzle together the foam flooring. We put up our sign, lighting, decals, and all of the shelving. We also mounted the large 3-dimensional display pieces Clayton had designed and created out of hand-cut paper. The making of these pieces deserves a separate blog post in itself!

By 6 pm we'd gotten most of the products on the walls and decided to call it a day. Eric and I went back to my aunt's in New Jersey and had huge plates of spaghetti & meatballs, and I think I was in bed by 8:30 pm!

Tip(s): Bring more than one step stool, and have a spotter!

SATURDAY, MAY 14


On Saturday we only had some finishing touches left—making sure all of cards were placed out evenly, cleaning up the walls, floor, and furniture, setting out the flowers, etc. Done by lunchtime, we all headed out to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Tip(s): Leave at least a half day to decompress beforehand so you can start the show feeling fresh and ready to go. A tired and cranky disposition is not exactly a good selling point. 

Stay tuned for Part 2: The Show!

Read more

HI THERE! MY NAME IS APRIL MAY + I'VE GOT SOME BIG NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU!

Some of you may have already noticed my name on recent posts I've written for the blog. Well, that's because we have big news here over at Smudge Ink. After 14 amazing years of business, Kate and Deb handpicked me to become Smudge Ink's new owner, passing on the proverbial torch. They’re confident that I can add something special to Smudge Ink, and we are all really excited about the next chapter!

I EAT, SLEEP, AND BREATHE PAPER. Forever a lover of connecting with people via snail mail, I originally joined the Smudge Ink team in 2010; I managed the studio, got orders out the door, and adored being surrounded by paper goods all day, every day. I truly enjoyed working with customers and learning about the stationery industry. In 2013, I put my business knowledge to the test as I focused on growing my own stationery line, Everything Little Miss. 

STAY TUNED FOR FRESH DESIGNS. I look forward to bringing you even more great greeting cards and gifts that you’ve come to expect from us. We'll be debuting lots of new cards at The National Stationery Show in a just a couple of weeks! We hope you'll continue to read about our adventures here on our blog. To see more paper goodness, check us out over on Instagram!

Read more

UPDATE: POSITION FILLED

Interested in joining a friendly and hardworking team with a passion for paper? We have two part-time positions open, and we'd love to hear from you. Contact us if you or someone you know would be a good fit! To apply for either of these positions, email a resume and cover letter to info@smudgeink.com.

PART-TIME LETTERPRESS PRINTER

HOURS: 16 hours/week during training period with Print Shop Manager and then increasing to 24-32 hours/week after several months

JOB DESCRIPTION
Printing on Heidelberg Windmill and Vandercook
Paper cutting
Quality control
Die-cutting
Scoring
Communicating with the Print Shop Manager, Shop Manager and fulfillment team about the status of greeting cards, custom work, and any special requests
Helping to maintain the machinery
Assisting with organization and upkeep of the print shop

REQUIREMENTS
Letterpress printing experience (Heidelberg Windmill experience is preferred)
Experience in a working studio is strongly preferred
Strong organizational and communication skills

PART-TIME FULFILLMENT ASSISTANT

HOURS: 25 hours/week. Monday-Friday, preferably 9AM-2PM

JOB DESCRIPTION
Filling wholesale orders, including packaging greeting cards and other products and stocking inventory
Assisting with administrative tasks, including filing, answering phones, and maintaining studio organization and upkeep
Assisting with packing orders and shipping

QUALIFICATIONS
Attention to detail
Very organized
Ability to lift at least 40 lbs (paper is heavy!)
Communication skills
Pleasant phone etiquette
Ability to multi-task and help out as needed in a team environment

To apply for either of these positions, email a resume and cover letter to info@smudgeink.com.

(photo credit: Arielle Doneson Photography)

Read more

While we’re cranking away on our presses to print our letterpress cards, we’re also working hand-in-hand with Shear Color Printing to create our offset (or flat-printed) line. We’re fortunate to have a partnership with Joel and his team. For most of last week, I was there to check proofs as they came off press. For this specific run, I was making sure our new gift wrap, gift labels, and calendars were spot on in terms of color.

The printer itself is huge and so fast, printing hundreds of sheets in just a few minutes! In fact, it’s not set up to print out just one sheet. During the press check we print on the backs of other test sheets to save paper and avoid unnecessary waste.

Offset printing is a four color process. Above you see the yellow ink (the Y in CMYK). Each color has its own plate, and the paper is fed through the machine one color at a time. While I was checking colors, the press operator made slight variations to the amount of ink to change the output. 

We spend a considerable amount time finding the perfect balance of color for our products. So suffice to say, we take our press checks seriously! And fortunately, the team at Shear Color makes it easy to have fun too.

Read more

(image from left to right: Deb and Clayton at the Boston Half Marathon; Sarah and Nathan at the Cambridge Oktoberfest 5K)

In between apple picking and getting ready for Halloween (have you downloaded your You’ve Been Boo-ed printable yet?), there’s been a fair amount of running happening this month. Both Sarah and Nathan ran the Oktoberfest 5K in Cambridge followed by Deb and Clayton’s impressive finishes at the Boston Half Marathon. Now I know you must be thinking who dressed up in lederhosen, were there any injuries sustained, how did Clayton compensate for air resistance from his hair …? Read on to find out!

(image: Clayton is ahead of the pack!)

CLAYTON
After running an uncomfortably humid half marathon in Portland this summer, I thought I would be done for a while. But thanks to some arm twisting by Jen, Mike, and Deb, I found myself signing up for the BAA Half too (oooohhh, peer pressure). What began as a dizzying race to the start—workouts in between rock climbing and volleyball, a last minute bike tire change the night before, and a day-of arrival with literally only a minute to spare—ended in a magical race to the finish! It was a quintessentially New England fall day complete with breathtaking foliage and flannel-wearing bystanders. I felt like I had my own personal cheering section with Sarah and Nathan at nearly every three mile checkpoint. They truly gave me a burst of energy every time I saw their sunshiny faces! Towards the end of the race, though my legs were feeling sluggish, a blaring Mumford and Sons song at mile 12 gave me the opportunity to haphazardly lip sync along the remainder of the run. I finished 2 minutes shy of my goal time, but I can't complain, I got a PR (personal record)! The day ended on a great note for everyone it seemed! Turns out Deb didn't pull her calf and my friends Jen and Mike are even talking about signing up for other runs! So proud of everyone! Yay, running!

(image: Avery and Abigail cheer go, Mom!)

DEB
Technically speaking, I ran the BAA Half Marathon last weekend. While Clayton ran his PR, I ran my PW (personal worst!). But surprisingly, I’m okay with it. I must be losing my competitive edge (or maturing). The backstory is I was running on a bum calf, which means that two weeks prior to the race, I pulled my left calf muscle during a long(ish) run and had to stop “training” altogether if I had any chance of getting through 13 miles. I did my best to hydrate and heal, and I showed up at 8AM on race day, only then realizing that this may be a terrible idea. I thought I was done at mile 2 when the soreness started creeping in. But while I was legitimately uncomfortable for the rest of the run my calf never fully popped. Yahoo! This may have been due to the "controlled" pace, the stopping-and-stretching at every mile marker, or just being well hydrated for the event. Whatever the case, I made it through and finished. Despite it being my PW, there were still so many highpoints: seeing my husband and girls at miles 9 and 11 and seeing Sarah & Nathan at mile 1, and then again at mile 13, where they were joined by Clayton - now a spectator (thanks, guys!); the incredible weather; congratulating Clayton on his PR (holy impressive!); and being among the running community—all hopped up as they are on bananas and endorphins—it’s a good crowd. Next up: physical therapy!

(image: Sarah's winning smile)

SARAH
The Oktoberfest 5K was my first road race, and it was a blast! The weather was perfect—not too hot, not too cold—and the crowd showed up in an amusing array of Oktoberfest-inspired gear. Nathan proved to be a most excellent running buddy, providing the perfect mix of chatty companionship and inspiration along the way. I was hoping to finish the race at around the 30-minute mark so my 29:32 net time was a perfect first outing. After the race, there was a party for runners where we were treated to delicious German food and cider from local companies. I'm already looking forward to the WGBH 5K as well as the Yulefest! Thanks to Clayton and Deb, our personal cheering leaders/paparazzi along the way! Seeing friendly and familiar faces along the route made the experience that much more enjoyable, and I was happy to return the favor at the BAA Half Marathon. A special thanks to 32 for driving up from Long Island in the wee hours of the morning to make it in time for the race!

(image: Nathan and Sarah cross the finish line.)

NATHAN
Pre-race: I say to Sarah we forgot our lederhosen; I think it makes you run faster, especially in the Oktoberfest! There are plenty to go around, some great outfits: lots of suspenders and feathers in caps. I think Sarah is such a big fan of Germany and its World Cup glory that she doesn't need to pretend by dressing up.
0 km: The starting gun is fired, but we are packed in behind a few hundred other runners; we eventually cross the start two minutes into the race. Rounding the first corner, Clayton surprises us by jumping out from behind the small tree where he was taking cover and running along beside us cheering and getting our picture.
2 km: Has this street always had a very gradual uphill? I've never noticed until trying to run it. Good news is, should be mostly downhill on the route back.
3 km: Sarah says to go on ahead if I need to (with my long legs). I tell her that if she wasn't running next to me, I would have stopped at the café we passed ten minutes ago.
4 km: We see more friendly faces, with Deb and her family cheering from the sidewalk! Makes it so much better. Deb told her two girls to keep a look out for the really tall guy and Sarah.
5 km: Cross the finish! We are in the middle of the pack, but Sarah beat her pace, and I accomplished my goal of running the whole way. Best part of an Oktoberfest race—the post-race beer garden and pretzels!

(image: Jacob Wirth's pretzels at the finish were worth the run!) 

Read more