I Have a Secret

Less than 6 very short months ago, DawnCorrespondence made the decision to exhibit at this year’s National Stationery Show in New York City. It was actually a pretty easy decision for us, and the minute we signed the contract, we got to work planning, marketing, and designing for the upcoming show. And now..here it is! There are times we never thought it would arrive, and times we wished every minute would stand still to allow us more time to work, but overall it’s been a hugely amazing, inspiring, and fun-filled process. Thank you so much to Stationery Trends and Greetings Etc. magazines for featuring us as one of the NSS debut designers! We are honored to be included in such inspirational magazines.

We are so excited to meet some of our inspirations at the show, meet with industry representatives, and really just have a good time while doing what we love. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Doing what you love, and the rest will follow? We live by that motto every day, and it hasn’t failed us yet…and we still love it! We’ll be debuting several new designs at the show, and plan on taking an obscene amount of pictures so we can report back to you next week.

We also have a few secrets up our sleeve for our return home. Hint: giveaways, new products, and new designs! Be sure to stay tuned for updates on the show as well as updates on our new products once we return.

One last thing…did you know we’re currently in Etsy’s Voter for gifts for graduates? We’d love your vote! Our mustard and olive monogrammed stationery is featured (shown here). You can go vote here! Voting ends Thursday morning, so get on over there while you can! Thanks in advance, lovelies! (Psst….we’re giving away 3 sets of personalized, customized monogram stationery if we are in the top 5!)

Monogrammed stationery

We’ll be speaking to you from the Big Apple later this week!

xoxo,

Signature

Next week the circus is coming to my town. Now, I’m going to be 100% honest with you – I’ve never been to the circus. Ever. I’m not quite sure why. In all honesty, I don’t think I had any desire to go as a child – something about it scared me a little. Now, though, I am itching to get there. As an adult it seems much less scary and much more artistic and surreal. I love the colors, themes, and animals associated with the circus. In fact, I often use circus themes (or what I think of as circus themes, as I’ve never actually seen in person) as a source of inspiration for my designs. I took this opportunity to browse some of my favorite shops and create my own visually delicious circus. Enjoy! And feel free to share links to your circus-themed items! If I get enough links, I will do a Part II this week!

CircusFrom top to bottom: Untamed Menagerie, Photogenic Gallery, Bone Calinda, Idle Hands Designs, Tefi, Linkel Designs, Beta por Homme, Minty Fresh Fusions

xoxo,

Signature

I can’t believe it, but 2010 is literally just around the corner! My, how fast 2009 went by! And what a great year it was. I “met” many of you lovely folks, who have made me laugh, pushed me through the busy times, and inspired me on a daily basis! I participated in my first Richmond Handmade Holiday – a juried, local show. I began selling on Etsy in March and already have 90 sales! I can’t wait to reach the 100 mark and beyond in 2010. And more importantly, I cannot wait to see what amazing offerings all you talented sellers come up with this year! It’s going to be a great one, isn’t it?

Now for some exciting news that I pondered for probably the entire last quarter of 2009….
This year has made me realize just how passionate I am about designing, creativity, and stationery. That being said, I decided to take my business to the next level. In May of 2010 I will be participating in the National Stationery Show in New York City! It still gives me goose bumps to say it! I spent many hours on the phone with the lovely Kelly, a sales manager of the show. While I am quite nervous to say the least, I am also extremely excited about the opportunities that abound for 2010. I certainly have my work cut out for me, but I couldn’t be more excited about it!

In addition, I’ll be adding some new products early this year (starting this weekend!) and throughout the year. I’ll be adding some new products for the bride, children, and general stationery lines. Here is just a hint of some new items I will be offering this year!

Wedding Reception Seating Chart


And be sure to check out my shop throughout the new year weekend, as I will be adding new products daily! And, this weekend only (now through January 3, 2010) I’m offering 10% off with the code BLOGBDAY for my birthday weekend! You can purchase and wait for a refund, or convo me with the items you’d like to purchase and I will revise the listing for you!

Happy New Year to all of you!

xoxo

Well, folks, all my hard work for last weekend’s Handmade Holiday certainly paid off! The show was a huge success, and I had a great time! There were some amazingly talented vendors there, and the traffic coming through the show was crazy! I can honestly say there was not a lull in the day even once. Now that’s a sign of a successful show! I hope to get accepted to the Spring show this Spring after such a successful show!
My top sellers were boxed stationery sets (most people were buying them for Christmas gifts), and gift tags (of course!). I’m glad I spent some extra time on those two items prior to the show, because I almost sold out of both of them!

Here are a few photos of my display. I’d love to know your thoughts, and if you think any changes should be made for upcoming shows!

The full display! I was hoping to put the sign on the wall, but I don’t think that was allowed.



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Also, I’ve put my shop on vacation for a week or so, but I’m still as busy as ever! I am working on new products for 2010 that I will be introducing when the shop reopens, so be on the lookout for some fresh items!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

If you live in Richmond, I certainly hope you will be at Richmond’s Handmade Holiday, because it has been chosen as one of the TOP FIVE events of the weekend! There will be 40 amazingly talented vendors there, so you’ll have plenty of choices to finish up your holiday shopping!

See you there!

xoxo