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Friday, May 23, 2014

We're Moving...


Hi KBDS fans! I am proud to announce that this blog is moving! Onward & upward!

Actually we're just moving to a new URL. Blogger has been a WONDERFUL partner in starting my blog, but now it's time to combine the power of my blog traffic with that of my website in one neat space. Come on over to my newly-updated website which will now house the K. Batty Blog.


This URL, where you are currently reading my blog & have been for the last 4 years, will stay put for now. Do not worry! I will not be posting here, but I will not be taking this blog down for a good while. All the printables, freebies & stationery stuff is staying right here. However!!! I encourage you to come over & check out the new digs. Especially because I'll be reposting some of my "greatest hits" from the last few years & offering new printables over in the new space.

**If you are reading this in an email, there will probably be a brief interruption in your Friday wrap up emails as I finish setting everything up. In the meantime, I hope you'll come on over & check out the new blog home, as well as the pretty updates to my website. It's soooooo pretty!! **

As always, thanks for reading. By reading my blog, you support me & my business. That makes so many things possible & I will never forget that. See you soon in the new digs!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Portraits by Eric Vitale Photography


In April, a good friend of mine took some photos of me & Sophia. You guys may remember Eric of Eric Vitale Photoraphy from the Mother's Day Trunk show I threw last year with some other seller friends. With a new look to my website coming, the National Stationery Show on the way & my husband's birthday coming, I had 3 good reasons for some nice new photos.

Let's start with that last bit - Mr. B's 41st. Sophia, as you are well aware, has been an amazing addition to our family. After our last dog, I thought it would be a while before we had another, but the stars quite literally aligned & Sophia became ours just a few months after Rose went on to the dog park in the sky.


To commemorate her impact in our lives, I made Mr. B a photo book for his birthday of pics from Soph's first year plus. I wanted to cap it off with a nice shot of me & Sophia with a little birthday message and guess what...not that many photos of me with Sophia. At least, not many that are in focus, high res & worthy of the occasion. I spend most of the time behind the camera. So! Eric came over & snapped a few.

Well, I thought, I don't really have any nice photos for my updated website or my press kit. So, excuses 1 & 2 were easily taken care of as well.




How do I look???

Eric is so easy to work with. He has loads of ideas, is very professional, clearly communicates his vision & delivers on expectations. Actually that last bit is a lie. He exceeds them. He's really a first rate photographer! Check him out! He's on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and Instagram. His website is eye candy!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Snail Mail Continues!


May birthday cards went in the mail last week! If your birthday is in June...or any other month for that matter...you can get a card in the mail for your birthday. Just sign up here!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

K. Batty on Etsy Wholesale Tumblr


Wahoo!!! I was featured in a post on Etsy Wholesale's tumblr recently! Along with 60+ other Etsy Wholesalers, I am participating in a partnership with Etsy & the signature mix showcase (aka The National Stationery Show) to promote small businesses & Etsy Wholesalers.

I am in unbelievable company. There are four posts on the participants.

One
Two
Three (that's my post!)
Four.

I'm so excited to be apart of this group. I am incredibly lucky to have the power of Etsy behind me. If you're at the show, you'll recognize the participants by the signage we have in our booth. Plus, the Etsy Wholesale team will be walking the show with artist cards & information on how to find us.

See you soon!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

NSS :: The Homestretch


It's almost here! Time to put all this planning & preparation into action. It's time to get down to business at the signature mix National Stationery Show.

Last week I:


Got my catalogs back from the printer!


Painted my signage


Finished letterpressing some samples. Still have one more to go. Come on paint guy, mail my ink already.

Ordered vinyl booth numbers for my walls.

Ordered the paper for my walls.

Made sure my furniture fits in my car. Was supposed to try the furniture in the car.

Arranged set up time with my wall vendor. (Note to self: have Monster Energy drink cold & ready for their set up coordinator. Insures I will be on her good side!)



Made business cards for my booth helpers.

Tried not to have any meltdowns.

I didn't mean to do some of these things so close to set up. Sometimes the universe has other plans for you. For instance, the hardware store didn't have the spray paint I needed for my sign. They ordered it & it didn't come in the shipment it was supposed to. I had to go to plan B & C when I went to Lowe's & they had one color but not the other. I tried to order my vinyl numbers weeks ago, but my guy has had some bad luck of late & been out of touch which lead to me not hearing from him. Fortunately I found a back up & she was life saver (knock on wood...my signage is still in the hands of the USPS so I probably should wait to celebrate yet.) The list goes on. The point is: I made it. I figured it all out. And anything else that happens before Thursday...and over the weekend…will be figured out as well. Problem solving is one of my better skills & something I feel confident doing under pressure. Knock on wood.

On the product front, I couldn't be happier with the designs I'm taking to the show. I reached my goal of letterpressing most of what I present. I'm so pleased!! I've got one more card to finish up before the show starts…

So, here goes nothing…National Stationery Show, let's do this.

For updates on how the show is going, who I'm meeting & what's hot in my booth, stay tuned to me on social media:  Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Nightly Doodles Blog Party & Book Launch


Last year when I started Tuesday Talk, I reached out to other Etsy sellers who I thought were worthy of some space on this blog. One of them was Jenipher Lyn from Nightly Doodles. Her illustration style is adorable & positive messages worth remembering.

This year, as she told us she would, Jenipher published a book called How Being Stubborn Depressed and Unpopular Saved My Life. It's a book for pre-teens & teens about navigating that time in your life when you feel like no one understands & everything seems to be upside down. It's the book she wished she'd had when she was that age & struggling.

To celebrate the launch & talk about the sections of the book, Jenipher asked some blogger/creative friends to help out & I was flattered to be asked to participate. Yay for positive messaging!!! Yay for supporting each other!! Yay for Doodle Dreams!

My doodle is going up today on Jenipher's blog, Cherry Runway. It is based on the first chapter of the book - Let's Be Unpopular.



In the 7th grade I got some of the best advice I ever had in my young life:

One day, you won't know any of these people. Maybe 1 or 2 of them. Your lives will move on & so will theirs. So don't worry about their bullshit. 

That came from my step-mom. If it had come from my parents I might have ignored it as so many kids do at that age, so if you are an aunt/uncle/step-parent/person on the periphery of a young person's life, you are in a unique position to make an impact. Know that kids they are listening to you. Her words seemed a little long for a blog graphic but I felt they could be summed up by something my grandmother used to tell me all. the. time. This too shall pass. We all know that nothing is permanent - even if it feels like it.

Anyway - it turned out to be true. The people she guessed I would still be friends with I am, in real life. I've connected with a few others on Facebook, which of course would have been hard for my step mom to anticipate in 1991. The point is - we all survived! Better than that - we all moved on.

Check out Jenifer Lyn's amazing book - How Being Stubborn, Unpopular and Depressed Saved My Life!!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Keep the Birthdays Coming! :: KBDS Birthday Card Initiative



This year I'm trying to get more snail mail into people's hands & send less Facebook birthday wishes. You guys, it's not hard! Here...watch me. I'll prove it. I'm going to send you guys birthday cards.

Sign up here to participate! Cards will be mailed. Wishes will be sent. Smiles will be had. Goodies may even be involved!

Anyone with a May birthday who signed up to receive a birthday card in the mail from me should start watching their mail box this week. I'd love to time it to your actual birthday, but due to the response, I have to pick a day to send them all. Sorry to be like your dentist.

Anyone with a June or July birthday should get on the stick! Sign up today!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Printing Playlist



The letterpress has been working hard lately & like most people, I think, I've been cranking the tunes to keep me going. What tunes you ask?

Pandora! All the time, the free subscription.

What are my channels? They vary. Greatly! From Captain & Tennille to Robyn to Ella Fitzgerald. And what do I play while I'm working? That depends, but lately there is a lot of samba & bossa nova coming out of my speakers. Like. A LOT. It always keeps me in a good mood. Not Carnival type - more Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto. Lots of Astrud actually...

Here's another taste:



Are you viewing this post in email or on a mobile device? Here are links to the 2 videos from YouTube that I posted:

http://youtu.be/qZx-Z3_n4t8
http://youtu.be/c5QfXjsoNe4

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Mother's Day Gift :: Wine Charms


For my mom's birthday last summer, I took this idea from Oh Happy Day for Father's Day & whipped it into something more Mom-like. Wine charms!

Super easy! Follow the directions on OHD for making Skrinky Dink key chains, but insert a wine charm ring instead of the key ring. This thoughtful gift really couldn't be easier or more fun to make. My brother & my mom's best friend helped me pool photos. We all had a load of fun going through the finished charms, checking to see how they came out.


A few tips - photos with a lot of black or dark colors get really dark when you bake the material. Lighter photos or photos where your subject is wearing light colored clothing work best. Also! Words are super easy & shrink down well! Maybe think about writing Mom a little letter on her charm. Or draw or print out her monogram! Ooooh...Note to my mother: pretend you didn't read that. You might be getting another round of these!



Don't forget: Mother's Day is May 11! Best of luck! If you do this project, share your photos with me on Instagram or Twitter!

Resources: Shrinky Dink paper on Amazon. Wine charm rings from I Like Pie on Etsy

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

New & Improved Mother's Day Cards

I have successfully moved my Mother's Day cards to the press & now they are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Behold - the glittery Happy Mother's Day card & the also sparkley I Heart Mom!


Happy Mother's Day is letterpressed on #90 cotton paper in metallic gold. It comes with a lime envelope. Hot pink, white or kraft also available if you would prefer.



I Heart Mom has a fabulous new look in gold & rhodamine red. No envelope liner this time - just a crisp white envelope to keep complete the stunning statement on the card.

There is also a Mother's Day special on the shop as in previous years - one of the above cards PLUS any set of stationery in my shop! And! If you liked last year's cards & want a deal on them, they are on sale - $3.00 and free first class shipping.

Check out all the Mother's Day offerings on my Etsy shop!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Bye, Bye Oldies but Goodies!



The first KBDS giveaway is over. Booooo!!! But we have 4 winners!! Yay!!!!

Congrats to: Tracey Bailey, Misty Davis, Jenn Quinn & Carolyn Horne

Everyone's cards have been sent. Please let me know if you didn't receive your package...or! Let me know that you DID receive it & how in love with the cards you are! Kidding! No I'm not.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I still have some leftovers, so perhaps we'll do a round 2. Stay tuned!!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Paper Porn



A letter opener! A simple luxury, but one I encourage everyone to indulge in.

Brass Ruler/Letter Opener from SchoolHouse Electric & Supply Co.

** Love stationery & paper products? Follow my Paper Porn board on Pinterest or submit something you like to: kerry {at} kbattydesignandstationery.com or tweet @kmbatty **

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

My First 2-Color Job


I've been spending lots of time on the press lately & am super excited to show my first 2 designs that I printed in TWO colors!!


Look at that registration. Man, that makes me happy. This is a new design - love, from me. Now that I've inked it, it's time to take some photos & put it on Etsy!


I've learned some neat tricks about setting up my designs for easy registration. Glad to be putting them to use AND that they work. (as I wipe my forehead with relief & exhale...) I'm also super excited to move my Mother's Day designs to the press. YAY!!!



Also! I'm trying a new color on the press - metallic gold. Seeing my press all shimmery in this color makes me so happy, I'm practically giddy. You'll love it too, I'm sure...as will Mom which is why I chose Mother's Day cards to debut it. Special ink for a special lady!

Notice the square format of my photos? Well! These are all things I posted on Instagram  over the weekend. Come join me! It's my social media outlet of choice at the moment.

Friday, April 4, 2014

A break from the action


{this is me with a rototiller!}

Have you noticed my radio silence this week? We took a break from our "regularly scheduled program" to work at the farm this week. These are always short intense weeks when we're here. Seeing friends if we can, working outside on a project & trying to complete it before we head North. Well worth the hard work & sore muscles!

In other news, 2 winners were chosen today for the Oldies But Goodies Giveaway. Sadly, our first winner never got back to me with her address. So! I doubled down today! Want to win some great cards & stationery? Enter on the KBDS Facebook page!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Oldies But Goodies Reminder!



Tomorrow, Friday, is the day I draw our first winner in the Oldies But Goodies Giveaway. I am super pumped! How about you?  I have some extra goodies to put in the prize packs like:

Some fun applique cards! This is a heart stamped on cardstock that's adhered to the card with a piece of adhesive tape. 3D! 

This holiday card makes me so happy! I hope it will put a smile on the face of our first winner on Friday.

Did you enter?? You know, you can't be a winner if you don't enter.

To do that, head over to the KBDS Facebook page & look for the Giveaway tab. There are only 2 required hoops to jump through to enter. Tweet about the giveaway & Like K. Batty on Facebook.

Now! How to do that...there is a Tweet button in the widget. Click that. I have a pre-written tweet that you can send out. Then, after you send the tweet, click on the time stamp under your tweet. That takes you to a new screen that has a special URL at the top. Copy & paste that URL into the Rafflecopter widget. Easy peasy!

Looking forward to crowning the first winner!!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Playing!


{Sweet Sophia!}


{Spider Mum leftover from a photoshoot. So dramatic!}

A friend of mine lent me a 50mm lens for my camera. I've used to to photograph the St. Patrick's Day banner, the cards for the Oldie-but-Goodie Giveaway...and a few other things around the house.

Monday, March 24, 2014

April Birthdays, Listen Up!


I'm on a mission to send birthday greetings to my readers this year. We need more actual handwritten cards & less Facebook posts people! Life happens offline too, you know.

Interested in getting something in the mail besides junk & bills? Great? There is a nifty Google form to collect your information. Find it here. As I said before, I promise this information collection is ONLY for the purposes of sending you a card, not for anything else, including my own mailing list. (Though you can sign up for that here if you're so inclined...insert toothy grin).

If you have a birthday in April, this is the last week to get your name in for my next mailing. May & June birthdays, don't lollygag! Your month will be here before you know it!

{photo by starfire on Flickr}

Friday, March 21, 2014

Cleaning out my cards = a KBDS Giveaway


As I have said a few times this Spring, I have been re-vamping some products, creating new ones & giving the axe to some old ones who no longer cut the mustard. That last bit means good things for you, dear reader.

I'm going to give you my oldies-but-goodies! Enter the Oldies But Goodies Giveaway!

Looking for a home in your stationery stash are:


Large Flo Greeting cards in blue or orange (making room for my new flourish stamp)


Smooches, digitally printed (making room for the same design on the letterpress!)
You're Cool, digitally printed (another design going to the press!)




Hi, Yo, Sup & Thx applique cards in pink. I'm continuing these in other colors.


Simple Elegant Thank You - I LOVE this design, but it's the only card I offer that's 4Bar (read: smaller than my others). Look for this card in my Etsy shop later this year, all grown up like it's brothers & sisters to my standard size (4.25" x 5.5").

There are a few more I may add to the offerings and I have a few other randoms I'll throw in for the winners. Here's how to get involved:

Check out the Giveaway section on my Facebook page to access the Rafflecopter widget.

Do the 4 required steps. Come back each day to tweet about the giveaway for more chances to win.

There will be winners each week for 4 weeks, chosen on Fridays. Winners will be notified via email. You have 48 hours to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Once winners are confirmed, I'll announce their name on Facebook.

What you win: 5 cards - a mixture of the cards described above. If you have requests, I'll try my best to fill those until inventory is scarce.

I'm so excited to give these cards a new home & help build your supply of cards. Once you have them, I bet you'll be surprised how much you use them. As I have said before, having cards around is an excellent way to be good (or at least better) at sending greeting cards.

So, again ----> Go to my Facebook page to enter. Good luck!


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Coffee Mug Magic :: Fall 2013 to Spring 2014

It's not just all NSS talk around the Batty house. I have been filling Etsy orders, taking custom client projects & drawing on my coffee in the morning. See:

From September, for our anniversary:


In honor of our beloved NY Rangers:


Clearly, the below mugs were done for Christmas. I love these so much I want to make them into something else...a stamp, a card...something...


Because it's so freakin' cold out, I drew a hat & mittens to keep our coffee warm. I am making the hat into a stamp. I love it for wrapping paper!


I took this one somewhere in between all of the above. No idea when, but clearly I was having a bit of nervousness that morning:


And from last week, the day of my photoshoot with Alyssa Kirsten, I drew a camera on my mug.


As I've said before - you can do this! I have a set of dry erase markers that I keep in the kitchen for this purpose. Just make sure that you remove ALL traces of the markers before you put the mugs in the dishwasher. Otherwise, your design will be permanent.

Until next time...


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Irish Freebie :: St Patrick's Day Banner


Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! Download my free banner and grab a pint of Guinness to get yourself in the mood!

It's easy to put together. You need string or ribbon, computer paper to print on, scissors & your choice of glue. I tried double-sided tape & a glue stick. The glue stick was the best choice.

Print the below sheet as many times as you need to get the length banner you'd like. One sheet makes about a 2 - 3 ft banner (depending on spacing of your pieces).

Cut out the pieces. Fold them in half so that the long points meet. Place them around your string & glue the insides together. See! Easy peasy.

I'm trying out a new-to-me site called Issuu for this freebie. Use the widget below to access the banner pdf. Send photos of your banner! I'd love to see!




If this isn't your speed, no worries. There are loads of great ideas for St. Patrick's Day on the Blogosphere. Here are a few of my favorites:

FREE Bracelets on the 30 Days Blog
Ombre Shamrock tshirt from The Country Chic Cottage
Boozy Irish Car Bomb Trifle from Two in the Kitchen
5 Ways to Wear Green on St. Patrick's Day on The House that Lars Built

Slainte!! (prounounced Slan-sha)

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Paper Porn



The best reason to send cards...just because.

See more Paper Porn on Pinterest...

** Love stationery & paper products? Follow my Paper Porn board on Pinterest or submit something you like to: Kbatty {at} ymail.com or tweet @kmbatty **

Friday, March 7, 2014

NSS Freak out




Sooooo…I have about 2 months until the National Stationery Show. Yeah…

Trying not to freak out. I've been filling orders from Etsy & custom items from clients, plus I have other work responsibilities for my husband's business & a family venture I'm working on. It's not like life isn't already full of exciting things to do. I say that because I've been trying to stay very calm & work at my to-do list for NSS…and life…steadily.

And now I feel like I need to go into a room, lock myself in & stay in there until I check off several things on my NSS to-do list.

Most of this panic comes from the fact that I started working on my catalog last week. Woah. I forgot how long stuff like this (multi-page booklets to be specific) takes to set up. I'm feeling a little panic about it. The good news is that I've started, I'm making progress & I know that's the hardest part. I just needed to get started.

On the other hand I can relax on 2 things. First, I found someone to work on my website. Check! It will just be an informational site with links to my Etsy retail & wholesale shops. Oh…and! My blog will probably be moving. More on that later…But! It's done. Now I can hold my head high that I will have a killer looking online presence.  Everyone, welcome Emily Thompson of IndieShopography to the team. (applause!!!)

Also! To go with my killer web designer, I booked a killer product photographer. This was really tough for me to do. I'm not a bad photographer & I really enjoy shooting. But I need 2 things - first, for someone else to spend their time taking & retouching my photos & for those photos to be up an notch in quality from what I feel like I can take in my home. Plus, I'm feeling short on time & long on tasks to complete. Enter Alyssa Kirsten who's enthusiasm for the lifestyle-esque shots we're going to be taking is crazy infectious. I couldn't be happier to work with her!!

One more thing - I have some new stamp designs. They've been ordered, are on their way & when the arrive I will make cards so you can properly feast your eyes on the new stuff.

Just trying to check things off the list...That's the news to now!
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