Mostly Happenchance

Digital Meltdown

2009-09-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

I know.

We've been as M.I.A. lately as Kanye's impulse control.

I'm really, really sorry about that. And I don't even have an ill-timed Hennessy to blame it on (the over-used joke OR the prolonged unexplained absence).

I think I just had a total digital communication overload. Have you ever felt that? This was the first time since I started blogging/facebooking/twittering/instant messaging/thought beaming that I experienced it. I hope I'm not the only one who's ever felt it. The best way to describe it was that I just couldn't keep up. I needed to take a step back into the cave and recollect my thoughts.

But now we're back.

We might take a little bit different approach to the blog now. For anyone who remembers, we had this idea to post every day on different topics and we came up with clever-ish names for the different days and everything. As a kid, one of my friend's moms had every shelf in the pantry color-coded and labeled (with an actual label-maker, which immediately raises its bearer to wizard status when you're nine and it's 1990). My awe at this totally impractical arrangement is the only thing I can think to blame for the "naming the days" thing.

We're just going to post now as an outlet-- to connect with you, to share cool stuff we find (regardless of the day), to give you occasional updates on Junky, to have fun. We won't have any more breakdowns and disappear for three months. Problem solved.

But to anyone still reading (especially Aunt Sue), we're sorry for being such blog dingos. We hope you'll forgive us.

Wishlist #4

2009-06-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

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.

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Wishlist #2

2009-06-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-09T06:16:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-08T06:24:00.001-07:00

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.

2009-06-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

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!

A Grab Bag

2009-05-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY found the cord for my camera, so today we have all the pictures! Plus, we have a special guest blogger: my husband Jon took the reins last night while I was conked out on the couch.

Our trip in pictures

First, we got there and made our way to various friends' houses with our gigantic bags.

Then we got to the Javits Center and saw this:

And then spent 12 hours and several friends' and family members' Saturday turning it into this:

And then spent 10 hours a day standing next to these lovely friends:

And then went and hung out with these guys (our good friends Eva and Kirk from Sycamore Street Press):

It was fun. It was crazy. It was a trip. And now for today's special...

Our first guest blogger: Jon

Hey Guys,

In an effort to be a good husband, I am giving Amy a break tonight and offering my unique perspective on this venture.

I think all of us thought things would slow down after the show in New York and I guess it did for a couple days, but once orders are made they need to be shipped. So tonight the girls put on their assembly line worker hats and put some orders together. I think it starts to set in that you are the only employees of a real company when all of a sudden you have to package and ship the orders you so painstakingly created and solicited. So, after a run to expedx and 4 hours of work, orders are ready to be sent out to some lucky people.

I really have never met more talented, hard working people than Kristin and Amy. I have seen them put their collective heart and soul into this project. Craig and I are lucky bastards and while our wives were in New York we reminded each other of this fact. I'll say it again: lucky bastards.

Jon

The Blog Police Would Kill Me

2009-05-22T14:42:00.001-07:00

If I was paying attention to any kind of official blog advice, I'd know that posting this late on a Friday before a three-day weekend is some kind of blog cardinal sin.

But, turns out, I'm not paying attention. At all.

I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update you all on our NSS experience. When we started all of this, I had these grand ideas of real-time updates and lots of beautiful photography from our own booth and others. When the reality hit, it knocked us off our feet. And we've only just now gotten back up.

So, in short, the show was CRAZY.

Let's start with the crazy awesome stuff:

- Meeting so many nice, cool people who share our interest in beautiful paper, including Carina from Crow and Canary, the girls from Two Trick Pony, Jean from Bobbin and more

- Getting attention (and hopefully some orders-- more on that later) from some of our biggest dream stores

- Hanging out and sharing the first-time show experience with our good friends Eva and Kirk Jorgensen from Sycamore Street Pres s

- Seeing our booth and products come together to make something we were super proud of

- Meeting the owners and buyers of great stores who were willing to give our products a chance

- Finding new markets and ideas for our products that we never would have thought of on our own

- Discovering that cabs in New York now have TVs in them

- Eating with my adorable cousin-in-law Sami at a great new restaurant called Little Owl

- Staying with incredibly generous and supportive friends-- namely Sarah Jane and Nathan, Matt and Melany and Ashley and Todd (thanks guys)

- Cleaning up at the Dwell sample sale, Anthropologie and other fine shopping establishments

- Getting help from two random but amazingly nice guys who helped us get our bags (each of which weighed as much as Kristin) on to the subway and subsequently kept us from missing our flight (we literally arrived with only three minutes to spare)

And the not-so-awesome crazy parts:

- Having our feet hurt so bad at night that they still hurt the next morning

- Standing for over ten hours straight every day

- Spending an obscene amount of money on aforementioned cabs

- Eating the Javits Center food (it's never a good sign when you can get Italian, Chinese and Indian food in the same line)

- Hauling our gigantic baggage all over the city

- Almost missing our flight home and breaking down in tears in the subway

- Being so tired that we actually started slurring our words

All in all, we had a totally amazing experience. It's crazy how much we learned every day. And it's also crazy to realize that our real work has just begun. We have a lot of follow-up to do. There are a lot of opportunities out there and we have to keep determined and smart to make things happen. We were blessed with a lot of chances that make us think that this is something that is going to be real and long-term. We are really excited to continue to learn and build and grow. I'm sure there are still disappointments ahead of us too. But the coolest part of this whole thing is realizing that you have something somewhere inside of you that can do whatever it takes.

We're going to keep moving this blog forward as we started-- as a place for us to talk about the amazing, funny, heartbreaking, frustrating things that go into trying to do something you've always wanted to do. We'll probably mix in some other things too-- people, things and places that inspire us; plans for the future; things we want to get your opinion on, etc. Thanks for all of your help, suggestions and encouragement. You guys are all the best.

Like Our Own Very Expensive Little Tree House

2009-05-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

(Sorry that we didn't get this posted yesterday. We were running around Manhattan in Kristin's brother Jordan's car until all hours gathering the last little things we needed.)

Well, the booth is up! What a day, man. I feel like doing this whole thing for the first time is like going to school for the first time-- you have no idea what to expect, so you wake up every morning for the first week with butterflies in your stomach from fears both realistic and imagined. My imagined fear today was that we were going to get slide tackled by the union people as soon as we got in the door and then cited for multiple infractions that we had no idea about. That turned out not to be true pretty quickly. We had all of the papers we needed and no one was anything but nice and helpful. Perry ended up being stuck on his film set and unable to come, so Jordan came and brought all of the stuff by himself and our friends Matt and Nathan sacrificed their Saturdays to come help us set up. We would have been really screwed without them. No, but I mean really screwed. To return the favor, I made them do this on camera.

That really sucked. Sorry, everyone who was involved. My attempt at ironic humor quicky unraveled into painful awkwardness. Welcome to my life.

But honestly, they really did help so much. Even with their help, we ended up being at the Javits Center from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM. It was pretty crazy.

When we were done, though, I felt pretty proud. Our little ragtag team created something pretty cool.

Sorry for the kind of hasty post. We are running out the door for the first day of the show. Wish us luck!

I Feel Like My Head is Floating Away

2009-05-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

So, we're here! This post has taken a little longer today because I haven't been capable of coherent thought until now. Sorry about that.

Last night, we pulled stuff together just in time. Mike has really been the best. It's been a really crazy few weeks for him but he figured out how to get it all done and it's so amazing to see all of the stuff all together. It was the best feeling to drive away knowing that we have the stuff we need to be ready for the show.

Getting here wasn't the worst--but it wasn't the most awesome. I would say that the red-eye flight was a nightmare. Except we never really got to sleep. Which did lead to one of the funnier moments of the trip so far.

It's 2:00 in the morning and the entire plane is silent-- except for the baby that has been screaming for over an hour. You can sense the tension in the plane as people go back and forth between feeling sorry for the mom and sorry for themselves as they try to get any scrap of sleep. Kristin has her head down on the tray table and is clearly in and out of it before lifting her head up and saying, in a loud voice, "I want to kill that baby." I loved it-- Kristin clearly did not realize that she had said that out loud. The people behind us did start laughing. And so did I.

Once we got here, we took our first break in about a month and just wandered around shopping. Our friends Nathan and Sarah Jane have been totally gracious to let us stay tonight so we are about to crash here. Tomorrow we will be out and about pulling together the last few little details before we set up our booth on Saturday. Pictures and more stuff to come tomorrow.

This just happened.

2009-05-12T22:45:00.001-07:00

We too are ready to burst on to the scene.

Because this is the post that we've alluded to for weeks:

Our website is live and open for business!

And it couldn't come at a better time because WE LEAVE FOR NEW YORK IN TWELVE HOURS!

(Yes, those are both cathartic and hysterical exclamation points. Think of the Cathy cartoon meeting a sleep-deprived workaholic maniac and you about have my state right now.)

Anyway, we really hope you'll check it out and let us know what you think. All of our products that we will be displaying at the show are up there, so you can get an idea of our line. This has been an unbelievable amount of work from a lot of people and we're really thankful for all of your support. There have honestly been so many times that we couldn't have moved forward without the help of so many of you.

We'll be posting again later today to talk about the schedule for the rest of this week. We will be posting every day from New York with both pictures and video from the show. Also, Junky Heirloom just joined the rest of the living world on twitter and we'll be twitting it up to let you know how it all goes down. We'd love it if you followed us.

Picture Perfect

2009-05-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

So, the long anticipated photo shoot ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON SATURDAY! It was really kind of a miracle how it all happened. I was at my brother's wedding a week ago and our friend Bruce Gardner was their photographer (he's a great commercial photographer who happens to get roped into shooting weddings from time to time-- he also did an amazing job shooting our wedding and our good friends Chelsea and Grant). We got to talking and I told him how freaked out I was to do our own photo shoot. I really like photography and am getting better but, let's be honest-- I am still totally an amateur with a decent SLR camera who only knows just enough to be dangerous. The only reason why we were going to do it ourselves is because of this thing called a seriously lean budget. Anyway, through the conversation, I discovered that Bruce needed some help refreshing his website. So, we fashioned a good old-fashioned barter. He would do our initial photo shoot and we would help him write and design his site. It worked out pretty slick. I think the world would be a better place if we were all able to trade stuff like kids with Halloween candy.

So, we went up to Bruce's house in Heber early Saturday morning armed with all of our stuff that we got from Mike the night before and Sonic Route 44 Diet Cokes with fresh lime (Have you ever heard of these? They're pretty much insane. And amazing.) And we had a great time. It was so awesome knowing that our stuff was going to look as good as we wanted it to because we had a professional shooting it.

Bruce was shooting with a medium format Hasselblad digital camera, which translates into crazy big image files so it took a little over two hours to render the images and then burn them to DVDs (it did take six of them). To give us something to do in the meantime, Bruce recommended this great little Mexican place. After we had stuffed ourselves on shrimp tacos and every kind of salsa you can imagine, we found a little park. We pulled a blanket out of the back of Kristin's car and proceeded to fall asleep on the grass for TWO AND A HALF HOURS. People had to have thought we were totally coked out or something (And we were, in a manner of speaking. Those Route 44s are not child's play, man.)

But the fact of the matter is that we were so sleep deprived that we were 100% asleep (like, drooling asleep) in a totally public place for an uncomfortably long time. An entire Little League baseball game happened right next to us while we napped (we fell asleep and no one was there and woke up and it was the eighth inning). Also, we were both sleeping on our sides, which means we now have corresponding Two-Face sunburns (the right side of my face and the left side of Kristin's-- burnt). It was not our proudest moment. But it did feel pretty good.

So, with all that said, here's a look at the images of one of our cards. We are really hoping to roll out our website tomorrow and then you'll get to see absolutely everything. Sorry to keep dragging it out. Oh yeah, and remember when we leave on Wednesday? Geez, man.

Questions

2009-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend yesterday and the question was raised: Is it better to not expect much out of life (and thereby lower your risk of being disappointed) or live every day trying to live your life how you want it with the abiding hope that you can do it (thereby increasing your risk of failure)?

The answer is obviously a complicated one. But, in its simpler, broad strokes form, it's one that makes you think.

And it's a question that brings me face to face with my life nemesis: uncertainty.

As a kid, I made things like Christmas almost unbearable. I would fixate on something I wanted and drop at least twenty different hints a day (in the form of newspaper circulars with toys of interest circled and starred, phone calls to toy stores to check stock on said items in an exaggeratedly loud voice, handwritten pricing memos delivered to mom and dad over the course of the holiday season-- don't worry. I was eight.). As the day approached, I would almost work myself into tears with the fear that I might not get what I wanted. Neurotic? Yes. Determined? Also yes.

In college, I spent most of my freshman year in a panic because I felt like I had to make my mark on the world and quick. I was a print journalism major at the time (really dodged a bullet there) and somehow got it into my head that if I wasted a single moment or didn't know exactly where I was going and what I was doing that my ability to succeed in life and change the world would be mortally wounded. Let me tell you, it was a year of exhaustion.

And now. This has been another one of those years. I am exhausted. There have been so many things over the course of the last twelve months that I don't understand or know how to solve. There have been deep disappointments that have tempted me more than I've probably ever been tempted to just release the tension and stop hoping. Hoping is hard when it's tied to things that mean the most to you-- and that you don't know are going to turn out the way you want to.

But it's essential.

The key is to let the hope control the uncertainty and not the other way around.

Junky, while it may not appear to be so profound (it is a stationery company), has been a great exercise in that for us. We hope that it's possible to do something that you love every day with talented people who you respect and care about. We hope that we can create a place where work and play seem surprisingly not so far apart again. We hope that we're going to get everything ready in time and have a great experience at the Show. We know that there are about five million things that could get in the way or make it not work. But all of the things we're hoping for are worth enough to us that not even uncertainty can take them away. And it's okay that hope alone can't take away all of the uncertainty either. It wouldn't be so sweet when we finally get there if it could.

So, with that said, we're about to go into a CRAZY week.

We leave Wednesday for New York. On Monday, we will be unveiling our website and the rest of our product line here. We are so excited-- but there is a lot to do before then. Thanks for reading and commenting and encouraging us and being along for the ride. It's about to get a little more interesting.

Hum along if you know the song.

2009-05-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Music has helped us get through a lot of things in our lives: high school dating, college identity angst, the dull reality of adult office life. Most recently, though, it's helped us stay awake and stay excited enough to drive away the crazy questions that periodically pop up in the back of your mind when starting a stationery company.

(Funny side story: We finalized our business bank account yesterday (balance: zero) and the bank lady was filling out the paperwork and asked us what kind of company it was. When we said "stationery," she gave us this look that was a mix between a smirk and an old-fashioned grandma cheek pinching. I'm pretty sure she thought we were opening a Hello Kitty franchise or something.)

Anyway, music. We really love it. Here's a breakdown of what's been in our Junky rotation of late.

The Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack
I don't know if it's the M.I.A. collaboration or the fact that Kristin makes genuine attempts to mimic bollywood moves every time it comes on (made more funny by the fact that she is in a roller-chair as she's doing it), but there is something about this soundtrack that makes it the perfect working music. Anytime we need to really focus and get something done, it's our standard.

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus
Best Phoenix album yet, hands down. If you like smart, happy music you can sing along to (even though you're mumbling half the words because those French guys sure can put together some odd lyrics), this is for you.

Maria Taylor: Ladyluck
She falls down a well, eyes go crossed. Breaks up with Bright Eyes, puts together a great album. I don't get it. But we do love this confident, more fully realized album from this talented singer/songwriter-- even if the album art does look like an Amy Grant throwback (someone get her a decent designer, please?).

Great Lake Swimmers: Lost Channels
Genius. Genius. Genius. That's all. One of the few bands I know of who lack all forms of artifice and simply make beautiful music. Only problem is, it's easy to find yourself just listening and then realizing you haven't done any work in over an hour. But it's worth it.

Metric: Fantasies
This album is a victory for Ms. Haines and crew. I think she accomplishes what Jenny Lewis was attempting with the last Rilo Kiley album: dark, sexy pop that channels the very best of 80s new age subculture while still sounding current and accessible. I like it.

Telefon Tel Aviv: Immolate Yourself
This darkly catchy album is a great step for this beat twosome that's made more poignant by the sudden death of Charlie Cooper shortly after its release. It's full of great songs to "zone" to that still have enough substance to hold together.

Here's a few samples you can check out if you want to. And then tell us: What would your classic "music-to-work-and-jam-to" selections be?

Worrywarts

2009-05-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

I've tried to convince myself throughout my life that I'm not a worrier. And I'm not, in your typical 100% risk-averse, handwringing way. But I'm finally self-aware enough to admit that I'm a closet worrier in the worst way, the kind of person who, in their own head, can't put anything away until it's good and solved. But I'm also a really spontaneous person who likes to do things without thinking about all of the possible ramifications first. The funny thing is, Kristin is the exact same way. So, between the two of us, we're always getting ourselves into crazy situations and then worrying our way through them.

And so we are close to losing it right now.

Due to an extraordinarily freaky few weeks involving everything from broken press parts to motorcycle accidents (hope you feel better, Rob), a bunch of our stuff has not been printed yet. And we leave in a week and two days. And we have to have a photo shoot, catalog, press kit and more produced before we leave. In a week and two days.

Mike is the best and we have confidence in him. We just have a LOT of stuff still to be produced and it's hard not to lay awake and wonder if we are totally screwed. I feel like we're in the last 15 minutes of Iron Chef, where somehow they have to make gorgeous plates of food emerge from the boiling mess and you're not totally sure how they're going to make it. They almost always do it but there's always the small chance that the "reality" of reality TV will rear its ugly head and make examples of them (yes, we try to live our lives using as many principles from reality TV as possible).

As per our friend Jenna's instruction, we are going to use the power of the Secret to wish it done. If anyone else has any religious or superstitious practice that they want to use to send blessings/thoughts/karma/good juju our way, please do. We need all the help we can get. If you see me or Kristin and we've developed a series of facial twitches that create awkward social situations, don't worry. We'll be better in a couple of weeks. And we understand if you don't want to hang out until then.

Stay tuned...

Silent Partners

2009-05-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

This has been the week of "major family events meet non-tragic-but-seriously-annoying mishaps." We have really been scrambling to keep up. Today, my brother is getting married to a great girl. I couldn't be happier for him. It reminded us of how lucky we are to have the support of these guys.

Just kidding. I really meant THESE guys.

Jon and Craig have been the best through this whole process. They have basically had to give up their wives for a good portion of the last six months. They've been supportive even when other things in life beyond Junky have gone crazy. They've acted both impressed and indignant at the corresponding appropriate times. They've been understanding when all we want to do is crash on the couch and watch a mindless round of "America's Next Top Model" when we have a free minute. They've picked up the slack and picked up the groceries, all with a really good attitude and all while they've had very busy schedules of their own to manage.

Thanks guys. We hope that sweet Junky Heirloom stock option package we offered you makes up for all this.

The Big Show

2009-04-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the brief hiatus yesterday, everyone. It was my husband Jon's birthday and I was scrambling to make sure everything was taken care of. If it makes you feel any better, I did wrap all of his presents in paper grocery bags because I ran out of wrapping paper and, surprise, no gift wrap outlets were open at 11:30 at night. So the neglect wasn't only confined to this blog (it was a great birthday, though-- grocery bags and all).

Today we thought we'd tell you a little bit more about this whole Stationery Show thing we keep going on about. If you had asked me before all this what I thought a "Stationery Show" would consist of, I would have probably imagined some elaborate origami reenactment of the current Britney Spears tour. So, to save you from envisioning a paper Britney debasing herself in a thinly veiled cage dance, we'll give you a few more details.

The National Stationery Show is (and I quote from their website) "the premiere market for social stationery and related products in the United States." Basically, it's the place where, from May 17-20, anyone who's anyone in stationery gathers at the Javits Center in New York City in a friendly spirit of competition and consumerism (if anyone senses ripe ground for the next Christopher Guest movie, you're not alone). But it really is a pretty amazing event. About 14,000 buyers and 1,000 exhibitors attend and you get to see all of the best products out there.

And we are officially the first-year newbies. Bring on the sparkle pen hazing.

Really, though, it's pretty intense to attend this thing for the first time. We had heard that the major hurdle that tripped up most first-timers was their booth. When you buy a booth, you literally get a card table and four white curtain walls and it's up to you to make it look amazing. Because it's in New York, you would have to ship anything in the way of furniture that you would want in your booth. We started to panic until another one of our heroes stepped in to save the day: Perry Blake (aka Kristin's dad).

For those of you who don't know Perry, he is an INCREDIBLY talented production designer for films, among his other hobbies of being the nicest guy in the world and saving our butts. He is currently working on a movie in Boston and, when he heard we were really doing this crazy venture, offered to help us design and implement our booth. A sketch of his genius is below.

Now, this isn't just some slip of paper with shiny objects and empty promises. Perry is actually coming down from Boston the weekend of the show, bringing all of the lights, furniture, etc. that we need and helping us get it all in place-- meaning that we don't have to have our brains explode under the strain of trying to ship everything. And if that wasn't enough, he has come up with some of the most baller ideas to ever hit a stationery booth. You'll have to wait to see the pictures to see the extent of it all, but there are some fun things coming (speaking of which, we will be blogging and posting pictures throughout the show so that you guys get a bird's eye view of how it all goes down). Needless to say, we owe Perry big-time. Even more than that one time when he took us in off the street and saved us from starvation in Berlin when we couldn't handle the heat of true bohemian European backpacking.

In other Stationery Show news, we just found out that our frames and imprintables got accepted to compete in the Best New Products competition at the Show. This is really cool because the judges for this competition are a collection of media people and VIP buyers-- who now will for sure get to see some of our products. We're pretty excited about it. And we just got a sample of our cards back from the printers today. I sense another Sneak Peek coming on.

First Class Seats on the Crazy Train

2009-04-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

I have this weird childhood memory that comes to my mind at least a few times a week. One summer when I was eight or nine, I got my first calendar. I'm pretty sure it heavily featured the New Kids on the Block. I sat down and filled it out with everything I had going on at the time, which I think consisted of swimming lessons on Mondays and "The Wonder Years" on Wednesday night. And I remember thinking, "Man. I wish I had stuff to write down for every single one of these days."

I have apparently spent the rest of my life trying to achieve that childhood wish, only to realize that I kind of like it when recreational activities and TV shows are the only things driving my schedule.

That said, looking towards a new week when you only barely survived the last one and knowing that the next seven days have the potential to be even crazier is a feeling that we're unfortunately pretty used to. The nice thing this time is that we're having a whole lot more fun than usual.

Here's what last week looked like.

Amy:

- Started a new job (more explanation to come)
- Wrecked her iphone (not a good thing)
- Wrecked her car (could be a very good thing-- anyone who has seen the car would agree)
- Wrote the Junky Heirloom website (and some fun extras we'll show you soon)
- Relied on her husband to provide any and all food sustenance
- Didn't make it to a movie
- Made it to a marathon press check

Kristin:

- Drove Amy around everywhere
- Made it to TWO marathon press checks
- Designed the Junky Heirloom website
- Got prepared for a photo shoot
- Rescheduled a photo shoot
- Used a pool raft for a couch
- Shopped for furniture
- Experienced metallic ink rearing its ugly but not-s0-shiny head

This week, we will:

- Have said photo shoot
- Get a new car
- Get a lame phone (Mr. Jobs, if you could just have the new iphones come out tomorrow instead of June, we could avoid all of this.)
- Get a couch back
- Celebrate a husband's birthday
- Go to a brother's wedding
- Go to a baby showers
- Go to book club (not to missed even under the direst of circumstances)
- Finish our catalog
- Start figuring out how to actually get buyers to come see us at the Show
- Get all of our products back, including packaging (!)
- Keep writing this blog every day
- Start freaking out because we leave for New York in two weeks

If anyone knows any meditative techniques to avoid mental breakdowns, pass them along. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep reminding myself that, someday, I'm going to be old and when I am, I'm going to be looking at my Perry Mason calendar and wishing I had something to write down for all of the days. So I'd better enjoy all this madness while I can.

Our First Sneak Peek

2009-04-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have to say, there's nothing better than seeing something that you've imagined take physical form. You just keep picking it up and putting it down and smiling like an idiot because somewhere, deep down, you were worried that maybe you were an idiot back when you were thinking all that crap up.

And now you have a real, hard and fast reminder that you're not totally crazy.

I guess that's possibly what drew the two of us to advertising; maybe we wanted a chance to throw all those ideas in the back of our minds out into society and get some reassurance that at least a few of them were pretty okay. Only problem with advertising is that, by the time that little baby idea actually makes it's way into the world, you're already finding out that it's the bastard child of an account manager and a client who thinks that puns are the ultimate form of creative genius.

That's why this is so much more fun.

With a little digital drumroll, we're excited to show you one of our first pieces.

This frame is part of our line called the Papergild Gallery. Every frame (there are three different styles and six different colors) is foil stamped and has a fold out easel on the back that lets you put it anywhere: your dresser, your desk, wherever. Not only is it a cooler way to keep your pictures out and around, but it's also super easy to swap your pictures in and out to reflect your most recent adventures. And if you're like our friends Paul and Holly who are the parents of Leo (the unbelievably adorable little chunkster in the picture) and thus have too many cute pictures to count, that could come in handy.

So, enough talking from us. What do you think?

(PS We're doing a full-blown photoshoot this Sat, so if you have any pictures you think would look great in our frames, send them our way. Not that we don't have enough amazing pictures of ourselves, but you know.)

Man your stations.

2009-04-23T09:51:00.001-07:00

Things we have accomplished in the last few days:

1) Changing our logo at the eleventh hour- (take a look at the sidebar and let us know what you think)
2) Listening to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack 127 times, complete with spontaneous attempts at Bollywood dance moves (more about that later)
3) Our first press check

That's right everyone, we had our first press check. And let me just tell you, press checks are a pretty big deal. As a designer, it's the moment where you think to yourself, "Man, this might actually work," or where you start thinking, "Ooooooh, shizzzzzzz......" Lucky for us, I think this press check was more like the former.

So here's the breakdown of a press check:

First of all, when you walk into a press, it's kind of like a time warp. Or an introduction into an all-robot society. Here's a picture of our press. Looks like it's out of the fifties, huh?

This big machine is a four-color press which means that every color you see printed is created with only four colors- cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Remembered when you learned in kindergarten that red and blue makes green? Turns out, that's true. During the press check, you look at samples of your product and you make sure that all the colors have the right mix, so you end up with something that looks good (when I first got there, our cards had a pink hue but once we adjusted the colors, they looked great).

Everything is printed on giant parent sheets that are then cut down into the smaller individual pieces. Above is the parent sheet of some of our cards, gift tags and business cards. I know it's a small sneak peak and it actually doesn't even show the final finished product, but hey, never undervalue the benefit of a little suspense, people.

We have another press check today AND another (even better) sneak peek coming later tonight or tomorrow morning that we are really excited about. Let's just say that when we picked these items up, we just kept saying to each other, "I would buy this!" And it was the best thing that ever happened to us.

This just happened.

2009-04-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

During this whole process, Kristin's house has been our base of operations. It's pretty great. We have a whole floor as our studio and she works while I stand over her shoulder and offer spelling correction on all of her instant messaging. Things got even more awesome when Jon and I moved in next door a few months ago. Yes, we now are not only best friends and coworkers but also neighbors. Kristin and I have weird twinner lives that are bound by fate and Scientology to become increasingly weirldy alike until we morph into our true role as the shape-shifting Thetan leader of Sphere 4. Or something like that.

(Another note: We're also actively campaigning to turn our current place of residence into a compound where every unit is occupied by individuals handpicked by us. Any friends/family/cool people who are interested, let us know. It could be amazing. And, let's be honest, it's the best way you've got to get in on the ground level of Sphere 4.)

Anyway, as we've alluded to before, we've been devoting pretty much every spare moment for the last, oh, long time to Junky. And that's why this happened.

Yes, that's Craig. Yes, that's a little bed constructed out of pillows so that he doesn't have to sit on the floor all the time while he works on solving complex real people account-ish stuff while we obsess over colored envelopes. And yes, that room looks like the rest of our lives right now.

Moral of the story: don't start a company and redecorate your house at the same time. Or at least make sure you have a husband as cool as Craig if you're crazy enough to try it.

(UPDATE: We should have a little sneak peek of stuff coming up soon. Like maybe today. Stay tuned.)

Our Heroes

2009-04-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Peter Petrelli and Jack Bauer

Sorry, guys. We still love you and would turn to you if ever privy to a terrorist threat or time-bending moral crisis with political overtones. But we are neglecting you tonight for our other hero.

Mike the Printer (we would pull out a Joe the Plumber joke but think that the statute of limitations on that one is pretty much definitely up.)

But seriously, Mike really is Junky Heirloom's official hero.

Six months ago, we had started down this whole path and knew we really wanted to do Junky Heirloom. Problem was, we added up all the costs that would be involved with the production of an initial run of our line-- a requirement for going to the Stationery Show and showcasing our work in a way that people would get excited about. And those numbers were not even possible.

While we were trying to figure out what to do, Kristin (being the wee crafty one that she is) approached Mike (who she knew from other projects) at Salt Lake Printing and Mailing. We showed him a rough business plan and some samples of the pieces we were developing. And he agreed to comp us the production of our initial run. That's not all, though. He has been an invaluable resource for advice and encouragement throughout this whole process and is just an overall good dude. Junky Heirloom would literally not be happening without his help.

So, as we're working tonight to finish things up in preparation to meet with Mike tomorrow for our final press check, we are saluting the wind beneath our paper wings.

We want to know: who are your heroes?

Saturday Is Cool Again

2009-04-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

This was the last thing that I was this excited to get up for on a Saturday morning.

Seriously, though. Kristin and I have been working on some really cool stuff for Junky this morning and I feel like a little kid. That's how happy I am. Rainbow Brite and sugar cereal happy.

This is the first time in a long time I have worked on something and not felt a tight choking feeling in my neck. That's possibly due to the fact that we're working together and there's no client telling us what to do and no lame programmer ruining our lives (story for another day) and the Utah weather finally decided not to screw me over every chance it gets, but still. There's nothing like a little sunshine and a dawning awareness that I haven't completely lost the ability to love what I do to make me feel like everything is all right with the world again.

We are getting so excited to show all of you the stuff we've been working on for so long. We're getting close!

The Good Old Days. Or Nights.

2009-04-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

Ah, back to the late night Diet Coke binges.

When the two of us were in college together and had procrastinated some project or other until nearly too late, we would tear ourselves away from the Real World reruns and commence our all-night work sessions with a run to Wendy's for grossly oversized Diet Cokes. Kristin would turn the heater up in her car until it reached an ungodly temperature that we coined "melty face" and we would sing along to Belle and Sebastian while we waited our turn in the drive-through before returning home to crank out the requisite condom or White-Out student-y ad that of course we thought was genius at the time.

Now that we are older and much more responsible-- we're doing the same thing. Except we have to go to work in the morning. And we do not think we are nearly as cool as we did then. Wah wah.

Tonight we are obsessing over flags on J's and loops on H's. It's much too late to be worrying about this kind of stuff, but we can't help ourselves. It's just that we don't want anyone to look at our logo and think it says "Funky Heirloom" instead of "Junky Heirloom." Because then we might have to kill ourselves.

More tomorrow. And thanks to our other best friend Karisa for the late night ichat "talking-us -off-the-ledge-because-really-come-on-it's-just-a-logo" session. It's always good to get a little perspective.

What does "happenchance"mean?

2009-04-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

It means that you are finally willing to admit that you don't know whether the good things in your life are a result of stubborn hard work or pure blind luck.

It means that, although you may be toeing the line of settling into an average life of doing things you don't really love doing, you are still just crazy enough to think you can have it all.

And it means that the aformentioned craziness has worked out just enough times in your life to make you believe in it.

(It also technically means that you are okay with made-up word combinations, even though such acceptance has also led to the existence of the word "labradoodle." It's called collateral damage, people.)

So, happenchance.

Happenchance is why we're friends in the first place. We met about five million different times and, after being apparently quite indifferent to each other for a while, finally took the time to talk. Five minutes later, we were best friends for life and this was happening.

We're kind of decisive like that. Which can lead to some kind of crazy ideas being adopted and quickly becoming the most rational things we've ever heard of. It's taken us from jobs together in a New York ad agency to rat-infested youth hostels across Europe to sleeping on each other's floors.

And it's landed us here with our current venture.

We're starting a stationery company. Together. In the middle of the worst economic clusterf*&% in recent history. And we're pretty excited about it.

This blog is mostly for ourselves and our family and friends who keep asking, "What are you doing, again?" But it's also for anyone who has seen people do things that they really are passionate about and wondered if it was possible for them. That's us, right now. We're wondering the exact same thing. And we're all going to see together if we can do it. We promise to provide honest posts every day about each aspect of our experience, from the practical to the personal. We hope you'll join us for the ride.