Berry Berry Quite Contrary

Hi, my name is Lisa and I'm addicted to berries. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries... any kind of berry out there I'll eat AND I'm not afraid to admit I can plow through a whole carton of strawberries in one sitting. (I'm not talking about those little cartons. I'll pay upwards of $15 for one of those big guys.) So you can imagine how much my grocery bill is this time of year, when I running to whole foods every week to feed my habit. A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine suggested I go to one of those u-pick farms where you pay a standard price for a bucket of berries. If you can cram it the bucket, you can take it home. You can imagine how elated I was to go on such an expedition. In one picking I carted home 5lbs of strawberries (which I polished off already), 3 lbs of blackberries and 1 lb of raspberries.
Berries were on my brain for a good week after visiting the farm. I put them in everything I ate; oatmeal, yogurt, salads, smoothies...I felt like the bubba-gump of berries. So needless to say when Jen and I started concepting or new card line, berry patterns and colors kept popping up.

Lisa: What about this color pink? (as I show her a color swatch on skype)
Jen: (sigh) We already have 5 pinks for our color palette. We need to revise.
Lisa: Really? (as I pop a few more strawberries into my mouth)
So, to get these berries out of my system once and for all, I thought we'd share some of the inspiration we found over the past few weeks and prove to you that others love this fruit as much as I do.

We found 2 really great pattern designers that we absolutely love. Their work is clean, cute and original. Here are the links to their websites if you want to explore more of their designs:
Emily Harris & Lara Brehm

I wish I could eat these strawberries (by emilyharrisdesigns.com) right off my screen.

And these adorable raspberry designs (by Lara Brehm) are the cutest thing we've ever seen.

Etsy is also chalk full of berry inspiration. There were so many items we liked, we thought we'd just post about a few.

Not sure what to do with these strawberries, but they sure would look yummy in your kitchen or playful in a child's room.

This dog collar reminded me of a belt I used to have when I was little. I wish I still had that belt!

A sweet cherry ring. It could be a cute felted button, too.

Definitely a fun wristlet for the summer.

So fellow addicts, relish in this time of year, and don't feel so bad about your addiction. This is one time where you're allowed to overdose and it won't break the bank. I think I'm going blueberry picking this weekend, so if anyone has any great recipes they'd like to share, send them my way! I'll be needing them.

~LGT

All Hail, Retail!

Happy Thursday, folks. We're so close to the weekend I can smell it. What bicoastal smells do I hope the weekend will have in store for Farewell Paperie? To name but a few:

• ocean water
• fresh flowers
• freshly cut grass
  
• hot dogs (or other various Lisa-approved street meat fare), from the VA Highlands fest
• lemonade or other citrus-based beverage, perhaps with a whiff of alcohol to boot
• smoke, from our grills
• smoke, from our super-productive macbooks
• smoke, from our fast-running feet
• dryer sheets, from a long overdue laundry sesh
• sweet baby head scent, from my cute nephew Connor (he'll be out of town this weekend, but a girl can dream, right?) :(
• clean Harley the dog

Can't wait. But for now, some business items to discuss:

We're very excited to add a new retailer to our growing list. It all started when my mother-in-law took me to a great independent stationery shop in Denver, CO. Wordshop is the kind of store that gives Lisa and I a reason to do what we do. Owner Jill's goal is simple, keep the written word alive. Her boutique is tucked away in the heart of the artsy Highlands neighborhood, and inside, is nothing but fun paper goodness. Lots of great cards, but simply displayed and with one-of-a-kind sentiments. If you're ever lucky enough to hang out in Denver, stop by Wordshop and check out ours and other great cards.

{ photos via wordshopdenver.com }

Also, this weekend is the VA Highlands Summerfest in Atlanta, GA., where we'll be selling our latest paper goods at the Urban Cottage outdoor tent event, on the main corner of Virginia & N. Highland. Hotlantans, stop by, get some shade, and check out all the great wares they'll have on display!

What's your weekend smellin' like?

} jp-c