Wishlist #4

This week's drool-worthy items:




Monogram wax seals:
I've seen a lot of monogrammed pendants around and of course I am a sucker for great, monogrammed items to personalize a present, a wardrobe or a house. But I am particularly in LOVE with this necklace. They are all hand made so every one will be slightly different- and therein lies the beauty. I am for sure going to buy one of these today!




Gustavian Vintage Bed:
I have been looking for a great headboard for a while. I love the old-school, velvet headboards and have had my eye on those for a while. But I wasn't quite sold, until I saw this version from Vive Terra. I love how it takes the feminine form of headboard and mixes it with the masculine, unfinished wood. Perfect for a couples bedroom.... other than the price. I wish I was handy enough to make this myself. Any ideas?




Catherine Hammerton's Scalloped Wallpaper.
Wallpaper is such a fun way to add color and pattern to any room but I especially love this paper because it adds texture as well. I tried my hand at wallpapering a few months ago and I have to say, it wasn't as tricky as you might think (and I had a a pattern I had to line up!) Plus, a lot of papers now are pre-pasted and are made to come off the wall a lot more easily than papers in the past. So, yes, I am officially obssessed!

To Do List #2: Start doing "To Do Lists" on time

We really have been lame on this "To Do List" section. Partly because we keep feeling like all we have to report is that we're working hard and waiting. And that's kind of boring. But we do have some pretty fun news to report today. Because this just happened:



Yes, you'll be able to find Junky Heirloom products in Kate's Paperie soon! We are SO excited. Kate's is one of those places that, as a paper enthusiast (not sure I could have come up with a more geeky title for that), is kind of a big one. We remember going into Kate's when we lived in New York and thinking, "Man, it would be so cool if we ever had something in here." And now we will! So, this is definitely a moment. And it's a much-needed boost of confidence as we keep working to get Junky Heirloom into all the other places we have loved and revered (we're coming for you, Anthropologie).

And, perhaps even more importantly to our husbands, we will not be packing this order by hand. We've learned our lesson.

Hitlist #3: Tim Burton

I am in love with Tim Burton.

From the candy-colored realm of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory to the dark and dreary world of a London serial killer, director Tim Burton has built his reputation on bringing wildly imaginative worlds to life. (Case in point: Edward Scissorhands-- one of my favorite movies of all time. ) So when I heard that his next movie was “Alice in Wonderland,” I knew he was the perfect person to bring the surreal world on the other side of the looking glass to life. When I saw these pictures, the art direction blew me away! He is a genius.










The cast is amazing: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Crispin Glover and Anne Hathaway to name a few. I can’t wait to see this movie. Read more about it here.

Playlist #3

Wagon Wheel- Old Crow Medicine Show

Old Crow Medicine Show has been around for a while, but I was recently introduced to this song by my brother and I can't stop listening to it. It's based off a fragment of a Bob Dylan song. Here is what the lead singer has to say about it.

"I heard a Dylan song that was unfinished back in high school and I finished it . . As a serious Bob Dylan fan, I was listening to anything he had put on tape, and this was an outtake of something he had mumbled out on one of those tapes. I sang it all around the country from about 17 to 26, before I ever even thought, 'oh I better look into this.'"^[9]

I know, I know. When my brother told me that they did that, I thought, "Wait? Can they do that?" But since they've recorded this song, Bob Dylan has signed a co-writing contract with OCMS for the song. Cool, huh?

• Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show

More Old Crow Medicine Show music on iLike

Wishlist #3

Is it strangely materialistic of me to start every week with all the stuff I want? All right then, let's get started.






Bludot furniture

It's not just that this bold fun furniture company was started by college friends (a formula rather dear to my heart). It's that they create a lot of stuff I want. Their energy and imagination has been described as "positively Eamesian" (not sure what better compliment you can give a modern furniture enthusiast) and they've stayed mostly true to their vision to provide affordable modern furniture options that don't come from Scandinavia. I think I liked the couches in their line last year a little better than this year, but some of their shelving especially is to die for. I will own the shelf above someday, somehow. See more here.






Outdoor Furniture

I'll take this hot little deck combo. Except for the creepy kid staring out from behind the tree. No, even with him. We have a pretty good deck thing going in the place we live in now and I am dying to make it all cool with some outdoor furniture. Only problem is, I also want indoor furniture right now too. Which means the option above isn't really an option. Good thing the Ikea summer catalog has some pretty good choices this year.




(found via grassrootsmodern.com-- a blog I love so check it out)


Jonathan Adler Whale Butter Dish

Who doesn't want a whale hanging around their kitchen? I'm kind of thinking whales might replace birds as my fall-back home decor animal of choice (those little birds deserve a rest-- they've been working so hard for the last five years). It's kind of pricey, but might be worth the fun. Available fro Jonathan Adler here.


Have a great week everybody!

To Do List #2 (but we kind of missed #1)

So this is our first official entry in this blog category due to our baby shower-induced absence last week. In case you forgot, this is where we let you know where we're at with our Junky Heirloom progress.

Today, I am just amazed at how much we are learning right now. When we started this whole thing, we really had no idea how complicated, rewarding, demanding, etc. it would be. We're learning to be patient, to push hard and then let things happen, to look for ways to help other people because, inevitably, someone else is helping you too. It's hard to be patient when you care about something like this. But, turns out, patience is a pretty big deal in life and I was bound to be forced to learn it sooner or later.

We have some things in the works that could be game changers-- or could not. We have some people that we think are amazing that seem really interested-- but who knows. We're making some really great progress-- that we probably won't see the benefits of for a while. But we're also finding that, when you love what you do, your threshold for dealing with all this stuff somehow manages to stretch to fit whatever you have to do.

One of our goals with this blog was to honestly represent the process of going after your dreams and starting a business to do it. It's a lot of work. Some days are really scary. Some days you just want to walk away and pretend like this is not your baby. Some days you can't keep the grin off your face. It's OCD-inducing. But it's also pretty cool.

The missing piece of information

In the last post, Amy failed to mention this:


She might just be on the news. Amy graciously volunteered because the last time the two of us had to figure out who would be on camera, an ill-fated game of paper-rock-scissors ensued and ended in tears. Thanks, Amy.

And for everyone else, I'll keep you posted if our little Amy makes the cut.

Hitlist #2: Kirtsy, HOSM and Liz Stanley

Last night we had the chance to got to a great event sponsored by Kirtsy called Hands On Social Media. I thought I was fairly social media savvy, but I learned a bunch of stuff that not only can help us continue to promote Junky but also just make my own life easier. I know it's easy to think that there's just so much random stuff that it's overwhelming, but that's why this event was so great. Even just learning the basics of the tools that are out there helps you see if they're valuable for you.

The class (made up entirely of women) all came from different perspectives and skill levels. We talked about the whole concept behind social media and then talked specifically about Twitter, Kirtsy, Delicious and Microsoft Office Live (who was also the sponsor of the event). The most helpful part for me was probably the discussion around Delicious and Kirtsy. If you don't know what Kirtsy is, you should really check it out. It's a great way to both find and share information that's interesting to you. Think Digg for the letterpress/home decor/girl crowd instead of the gadget/steve jobs rumors/geek crowd (and yes, I fall into both of those groups-- wah wah).




The lovely individual who moderated the class was Liz Stanley. She has a blog called Say Yes! to Hoboken and is also a contributor to Your Heart Out (a treasure trove of coolness for us Utahns) and a member of the Kirtsy team. She did a great job juggling an occasionally faulty wireless connection and a room full of people and I think everyone walked away with a lot to think about.

There are more of these HOSM events to come. If you're in Provo tonight, you can still register and there are events in the next couple of weeks in Houston and Little Rock. They're free! Find out more and register here.

Playlist #2: White Rabbits

The band from this week's Playlist has consistently stayed on my rotation over the last couple weeks for one major reason: they know how to write great songs with DRUMS. And they should. This sextet of Brooklyn transplants has not one, but two drummers. The result is a collection of songs with a discernibly different pulse. And it doesn't hurt that they're produced by Britt Daniels, the life-force behind another of the more percussively perceptive bands of the last decade, Spoon.

With Daniels' help at the reins, White Rabbits has put together a sophomore album that will keep your fingertips tapping throughout the work day but also contains memorable songwriting and climactic harmony. Greg Roberts and Stephen Patterson provide vocals with a believable amount of angsty howl, while the other members expertly blend their elements (often switched between songs in their trademark energetic live sets) and manage to stay out of each other's way enough to let the songs properly breathe. Some of my favorite tracks include album-opener "Percussion Gun," which subtly borrows from several WR band members' pasts in ska bands without going off the rails, "Rudie Falls," which is the most complete song on the album, and "Right Where They Left," that tautly rotates on an infectious Brazillian dance rhythm.

Check out a few tracks below, or hear the rest of the album on their MySpace page.

• Percussion Gun by White Rabbits
• Rudie Fails by White Rabbits
• Right Where They Left by White Rabbits

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Wishlist #2

Sorry for the radio silence on Thursday and Friday. We packed up our junk food and baby gifts and took a little road trip to San Francisco to share in our dear friend's baby shower. All kinds of cuteness and fun ensued. It's pretty crazy (and amazing) to realize that one of our best friends will have resulted in another little person soon. On Friday, we went into the city and visited some GREAT stores in the Mission that gave us all kinds of inspiration (some of which made it into this week's Wishlist).

So, we'll get on to it.




Living succulent wreath

One of our stops was this amazing store called Paxton Gate where I immediately wanted to buy this. Along with a preserved rattle snake, giant piece of coral and dressed up stuffed mice circus. It's the kind of store you really have to see to believe. But I almost pulled the trigger on this one.




Hard Graft products

Another one of the stores we made a stop in that I LOVED was The Curiosity Shoppe where I found a Hard Graft wallet that I almost cried over. Now, a little back story about this. Hard Graft used to be a company called Working Class Heroes. They create beautiful, practical things made out of luscious thick gray felt and buttery leather. I've wanted to take one home with me for over two years now. And someday I will.



Orla Kiely bags

An Orla Kiely bag as a diaper bag? Yes, please. Two incredibly sweet people at the baby shower gave this as a gift and it's a genius fit. Not only is the design beautiful but the trademark oilskin fabric is a great help for all of the stuff that can spill on or in a bag with a baby. The bag above is the one I'd choose-- and it's on sale.


Hope everyone has a great week. The White Rabbits debut album will be on our rotation for tomorrow.

Hitlist #1: Sycamore Street Press

We've alluded to our connections to (and our love for) this talented little company before. As well as being extremely talented, Eva and Kirk Jorgensen are also really cool people and our great friends. At the National Stationery Show, we soldiered through the grueling days of paper and stickers together. And who wouldn't love her amazing letterpress creations?

Sycamore Street Press has four different branches: Folk, Lark, Pop and Editions. Folk is based around the beautiful handmade, folk art that Eva is inspired by. Oh yeah, and Eva hand-illustrates each of the pieces. Which blows my mind. Because it's amazing.











Lark is the geekishly tongue-in-cheek member of the family (that Kristin and I happen to write and design). It has been so much fun to work with Eva on this.










Pop is the stylishly adorable arm created by another one of Eva's friends, Stephanie Ford. Her posters are so great that they have already even inspired knock-offs (true story-- letterpress is a ruthless, ruthless world).







Editions is just a great idea. Every month, Eva runs a limited edition print created by herself or one of her talented artist friends. Once they're gone, they're gone. And you're on to the next one. But the coolest part is that you can either buy them one at a time, or buy a six month membership. Which means that you get a different amazing print in the mail every month. You can almost decorate your whole house just by getting the mail! A membership is majorly on my wish list.








Beyond all this, though, Eva and Kirk just know how to do good business. Their customers love them. Their products are all sustainable, with recycled paper and soy-based inks. And they are on their way to big things, after a successful NSS. Check them out here:

sycamorestreetpress.com
sycamorestreetpress.etsy.com

.............................................


Update: Just found out that Sycamore Street Press is having a great sale! Here's what Eva says:

In an effort to lighten our load for our cross-country move, and also to help make some room for the 21 new products we'll be introducing, we are offering 35% off everything in our online shop starting today at noon EST. Just enter in the code GOODBYECOLUMBUS at checkout to claim the discount.

Playlist #1: Classixx

I started hearing rumblings of the Classixx back before they were even the Classixx (not only because Tyler is Kristin's brother and I've gone to Six Flags with him). This LA duo has been bringing new imagination to the club-mix game for some time now with memorable takes on some of the best songs and artists of the last couple years, including Phoenix, New Young Pony Club, Shiny Toy Guns and TV on the Radio. Their distinctive, crunchy, open sound has been catching attention all over the place and Tyler and Michael David have been touring non-stop, with recent stints at SXSW and on the Kitsune/Scion tour with fellow dancefloor icons Guns 'n Bombs and Beni. They've also recently flexed their songwriting chops and teamed up for single "I Will Get You" (feat. Jeppe) with the French music/fashion/film/whateverelse collective Kitsune, home to bands like Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Crystal Castles and more. They're headed for big things. So you should take a listen now.

Check out the single now on iTunes or on their MySpace page.

Wishlist #1

Let's get a little business out of the way first: winners!

Thanks to everyone for giving us such great ideas of places that might be a good fit for us. That's one of the fun parts of this-- getting to find out about and meet people from such great little stores that we never would have heard about. With that said, our randomly generated winners are:

Jenna (our grandprize winner!)
Kersten
Harley
Lauren

Will all of you email your mailing address to amy (at) junkyheirloompaper (dot) com? We'll get your prizes sent out to you shortly. Congratulations!


Now on to today's wishlist.



The new iPhone. It's time for WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference for non-Apple geeks)! Rumors have run rampant for weeks and hopefully today is the day. Of all the photo-shopped "leak" photos, this had to be one of my favorites. I can't tell you how much I've missed my iPhone since it met its demise on my hardwood floors a month ago. I've been holding out and Jobs better deliver. Follow the WWDC announcements and festivities today here.







Shipping container office space. Someday, hopefully this little venture of ours will be successful enough to warrant actual working space instead of just my basement. When that happens, I hope they have something like this around. Cool, sustainable, a little crazy-- what's not to like? Read more about it here.







This incredible house. No, but really. This room is just the tip of the iceberg (and a very lovely tip it is). There are so many amazing things to soak in with this beautiful house. Check it out. You'll be glad you did.






All of this guy's stuff. His name is Jason Munn and he is the creative force behind the Small Stakes. Every time I go to his website, I end up buying something. It might be that he creates beautiful posters for so many of the bands and artists I love. Or it might be that I need to get more online-shopping self control. He has a bunch of new posters in his shop right now, so you should definitely take a look.


Hope you have a great Monday. Back tomorrow with our album review of the week.

Getting Things Together-- with a Giveaway.

So, we've had some good developments this week with JH: we sent out all our orders from the show (thanks to our newly enlisted sweatshop laborers, Jon and Craig), we got a little closer to a few opportunities that would make us really happy (we promise we'll stop being so vague soon-- we just don't want to jinx anything) and we welcomed back an old friend (okay, it's So You Think You Can Dance-- TV shows can be your friends).





But another development this week is a new chapter for this blog. We're changing things up around here. From here on out, here's how this will work:

MONDAYS: Wishlist
This will be a rundown of anything we've found this week that we think is pretty cool-- and that we're pretty jealous of. Whether it's from the fashion, architecture or design world, we promise it will be drool-worthy.

TUESDAY: Playlist
First we'll listen. Then we'll talk. Reviews will be harsh but fair and may include everything from Grizzly Bear to Kris Allen. Or Grizzly Bear vs. Kris Allen. Kris, just don't make any sudden movements.

WEDNESDAY: Hitlist
This is where we'll turn the spotlight on the people who inspire us (and who we sometimes get the awesome opportunity to conspire with).

THURSDAY: To Do List
Today is the day we keep you up to date on what's happening in the adolescent development of this crazy venture of ours.

FRIDAY: Free for All
Enough with all the lists already. This could be anything.


But hopefully this week will mean a nice development for some of you too. Because we're doing our very first Junky Heirloom giveaway!





One lucky winner will get one of our Papergild Notesets and a set of our Magnets, and three other winners will win their very own Papergild Frame. It's easy to enter. Just comment to this post with an answer to this question: What store in your area do you think would be a good fit for Junky Heirloom?

Pretty easy, right? It gets better, though: if you link to this giveaway on twitter, your blog, facebook or just tell your next door neighbor about it, you get an extra entry. Make sure you mention it in your comment so that we toss your name into the hat twice.

The giveaway will be open until Sunday night. We'll announce the winners on Monday morning and we'll start this new schedule at the same time. If any of you have any recommendations of stuff you'd like to see us feature, just let us know.

Good luck!