a moment of mourning...

I learned a few days ago that domino magazine is officially ending. Metaphorical tears were falling. My heart sank. After referencing this magazine at work for years, I had finally asked for a gift subscription for Christmas! I'm a renter, so subscribing was a kind of tricky decision--do I just add to the pile of magazines I already try to keep up with even though most of Domino's content is inapplicable and unaffordable for my personal situation? Or do I delight in the lovely spreads, inspiring information, and just save the tips for a rainy day that I might spend in my future home?? I went for the latter. Gimme that mag!

Conde Nast must be laughing at us new subscribers (well, they would be if they weren't crying themselves.) Sorry, Charlie! Your wishes are DENIED. So I will enjoy the January, February, and March issues and then the magazine folds forever, INCLUDING the online ventures I do believe. Ultra sadness.

After sharing this news with several friends, there was an immediate response of "WHAT?!?!?!? BUT I JUST RENEWED MY SUBSCRIPTION!" and "I JUST GOT A SUBSCRIPTION FOR MY BIRTHDAY!" Sigh...no more Blueprint, now no more Domino. Now what will be the hip home magazine to read?

artists have to make art

One of my favorite shows to watch is Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. Duff (the owner of Charm City Cakes, the company that the show is about) is kind of a hero to me. He found something he really loved to do, started his own business (despite being scared of out his mind), and worked his tail off to get where he is today. And it's not like he's prancing around in a fancy chef's coat all day bossing people around. He's a totally normal guy but still has an incredibly successful business just doing his thing. I saw his "Chefography" and he was talking about the people he hires. He doesn't hire cake decorators or pastry chefs. They're all artists. Fine artists. Painters, sculptures, etc. Duff, himself, is a welder. What he said was super simple but holds so much truth. "Artists need to make art." If they don't do something creative and don't make art, they'll go crazy. It's funny because it's true--it really is a NEED. And being an artist/designer/baker myself, I can relate! It's one of those things that you almost crave doing, especially if you haven't released any creative energy in awhile. Whether it's something crafty or painting something or building something or decorating a cute cake, it's something inside you that you just have to do.

So Duff, you're my inspiration.

I've had some extra time on my hands recently so I'm going to tackle one of my dreams, start doing what I love, and try to turn it into something during that time. I design. I'm a graphic designer for a living at my job and I totally love it, but this is going to be different. I want to design paper goods. Stationery, notecards, recipe cards, bookplates, magnets, OH the possibilities are ENDLESS! There's something magical about paper goods. They bring smiles to so many faces. They're so small and precious. They don't necessarily even have to be anything deep & meaningful--they can just be an expression of you! BUT REGARDLESS IT'S EXPRESSED IN A PRACTICAL FORM!!!!!! That's the beauty in these magical little delights--they're not only beautiful, well-crafted little treasures, oh no--they're also functional! Okay, NOW I'm giddy. I could crack some joke about "putting the fun in functional" but I don't want to make you barf, let alone myself.

For the past two months I've been cranking out designs. Some are inspired. Some are totally random. Some are accidental, or as we in the design world like to say, "happy accidents."

I've been racking my brain on a brand name and then it finally hit me--SWEET BIPPY. Sweet Bippy Papers. The phrase "you bet your sweet bippy" popped into my head and I thought "That's it! Sweet bippy!" My boyfriend had no idea this phrase even existed so I googled it to make sure I wasn't crazy. I wasn't. It was apparently very popular on "Laugh-In." (Sorry guys, I'm too young to know this off hand.) The meaning? Supposedly "You bet your sweet ass." HAH! That makes me love it EVEN MORE. It's so cute, so spunky, but secretly a little irreverent. Perfect. ;-)

This blog is going to be all about inspiration (design related, food related, totally random, whatever), cool trends I spot, entrepreneurial adventures, and whatever else I deem worthy of this here blog which could very well be a recap of the last episode of Gossip Girl or why Uncle Jesse is an icon for a generation. (John Stamos forever!)

Also, I would like to give a shout-out to one of my dearests, Asako Sprague. There were many a days we shared inspiration, interesting new finds, and had dreams of making cute paper things. She has her own business, Paper and Inkling, and has been doing it for awhile now. Without her encouragement and helpful hints, I probably wouldn't have started this endeavor so enthusiastically. So thank you, Asako!

I think this deserves a toast, no? A toast to me, a toast to you who will hopefully keep reading my blog, a toast to Duff Goldman and Asako, and a toast to Liz Lemon/Tina Fey who is on 30 Rock right this second. Charles Shaw, I'm coming for you!