Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day- with humble hearts and grateful thanks to those who have served and continue to serve.

Photo: Jeff Bridgman Antiques

White House Garden Cookbook

Great new book for foodies and families...

Don't miss this cookbook featuring the White House Community Garden written by Clara Silverstein. Great facts on gardening, lots of "who knews" about various veggies and some great recipes. Inspire kids with fun cooking and gardening ideas and cook up a storm! Personal fave: pies and Presidential Deserts! Yummmmm.

Read more and buy here.

Combat Paper Project

I recently read about The Combat Paper Project on Etsy and was incredibly moved by this amazing powerful endeavor.

The Combat Paper Project is a collaboration initiated by Drew Matott and Drew Cameron, involving war veterans, activists and artists. The premise is as simple as it is impossibly complex: take a uniform of war and transform it into a creative healing initiative.

Combat uniforms are shredded, turned into paper pulp and re-created into powerful, cathartic works of art.

Drew Cameron explains: "The story of the fiber, the blood, sweat and tears, the months of hardship and brutal violence are held within those old uniforms. The uniforms often become inhabitants of closets or boxes in the attic. Reclaiming that association of subordination, of warfare and service into something collective and beautiful is our inspiration."

"Through ongoing participation in the papermaking process, combat papermakers are attempting to progress from creating works specific to their military experiences to expressing a broader vision on militarism and society. The work reflects both the anger of the past and hope for the future. Through this collaboration between civilians and veterans, a much-needed conversation is generated regarding our responsibilities to the returned veteran and an understanding of the dehumanizing effects of warfare."

The Combat Paper Project is based out of Green Door Studio in Burlington, Vermont and has traveled throughout North America. Providing workshops, art exhibitions, and artist talks, the project is a collaboration between artists, collectors, schools and combat veterans.

More information about the papermaking process can be found at the People's Republic of Paper
and more info on the project at Combat Paper.

What's up with the geese?!

Maybe it's some sort of 21st century adaptation of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"?! Almost every morning for the past month this goose makes a brief stop, and a noisey one at that, on my roof. A bird lover at heart, I take great joy in the early morning twittering of birds that reside in the ravine behind my house. But the roof takes the goose thing a bit far.

Am fairly certain that this odd goose-ism is all an aspect of climate change, run off drainage issues and retention ponds. Any thoughts???

Farm Fresh

The National Stationery Show was packed with farm fresh, homesteading imagery. Corn, carrots, all manner of fruits and veggies, jelly and jam, fish and foul, bees, beans and even butter!

Check out our Market Fresh collection of note cards... write on point for one of this summer's hottest trends. Printed with soy ink, 100% PCW paper.

See the collection here, find a retailer here or contact us for wholesale information.

Two Trick Pony

Carrie, from Two Trick Pony sent us some mid production pix last week before trotting off to the NSS show. We were so thrilled to to have our envelopes included in her new release- so creative and love the use of design on the envelope fronts... Giddy up!

New designs using our paper?? Send 'em our way!

NSS

Been a very busy week shipping last minute cards, envelopes and goodies to many of our super talented customers who have been prepping and adding the finishing touches on their new designs for the NSS.

We are not exhibiting this year but I am still attending to buy for my shop, and soooo excited to see all the new couture gorgeous-ness! So heading out to the Big Apple... here's to a great show- happy buying to all of our buyers, happy selling to all of our designers and most of all- here's to happy feet! May comfortable shoes rule the aisles! ;)

A Love Letter For You Murals

Having spent lots of time in NY, Boston, LA and of course Chicago it's hard not to notice the raw talent and artistry behind grafiti.

Many cities have tried to harness this beauty in efforts that promote social change and random acts of artistry throughout a given city. The Mural Arts Program began in Philadelphia in 1984 as part of the city's Anti-Graffiti Network. What began as a small city agency has grown into the nation's largest mural program, a catalyst for positive social change.

The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program has recently collaborated with artist Stephen Powers to create A Love Letter For You, a massive public art mural project consisting of a series of 50 rooftop murals. And what an amazing project it is!!

The murals, which are best viewed from the Market-Frankford elevated transit line, collectively express a love letter; from an artist to his hometown, from a man to a woman, and, from local residents to their West Phili neighborhood.

We love the bold colors and use of type throughout the project- not to mention the subject of love that is so close to our heart! Part poetry, part tongue in cheek, a little kitsch and a lot of romance... right up our alley!

Next time you're in Phili- hop over to the west side after visiting the Liberty Bell and take a ride to see this fab project in it's entirety. Till then, you can see a recap of the overall project here and read lots more about it, here.

All images via: aloveletterforyou.com

Mother's Day Musings

Several Mother's Day musings brought to you by the marvelous creative confections from T. Ruffles. Happy M-Day... wishing you tons of sweetness and luv- not only today...









Image #1 via: mary ruffle. All other images via T. Ruffles

We've Moved!

We're sooo happy, energized, exhausted, relieved, upside, downsized, overall and all around THRILLED to be back in O-H-I-O!!

We completed our move over the weekend, are shipping as usual - and are really pleased with our new uber green space! While we'll miss Chicago... it's nice to be in one state for more than a week at a stretch and we can honestly say - there's no place like home! ;)

UPDATED CONTACT INFO:

Green Paper Company
1164 Shagbark Road
Columbus, OH 43230

Phone: 614.633.7967
Fax: 888.781.7966 (unchanged)
sales@greenpapercompany.com

greenpapercompany.com

May Maddness

Poster by: Reconstructing Ideas

Running from dusk till dawn? Feeling like there just aren't enough hours in a day? Welcome to May! There's no doubt about it, May is a hectic month for everyone in our industry and being creative under pressure is no small task. If you are a shop owner rustling through wedding season, or a designer bustling to launch your new collection at NSS, or a paper company pushing out orders and moving all at the same time... ;) it's hard to keep focused and on point.

Here are a few tips to you re-group and re-engergize though
crunch time:

Early In Early Out Start your work day an hour earlier than usual. Limit your day to 8 truly productive hours rather than 12 not so productive ones.

Short List Narrow your extensive to-do list to 3 things that MUST get done today. Focus on only these things first and don't be distracted by less pressing matters.

Write Shorter Emails Keep emails to 3-4 lines. It makes a hug difference in how long it takes to write and reply to mail. If you keep it short, they will too.

Turn Off Distractions While working on your "Short List" turn off your phone, log out of email and silence the Tweets. Focus on single tasks versus multi-tasking.

Clean Off Your Desktop Take everything off your desk that does not apply to the tasks on your "Short List" and put them under your desk. On your computer desk top, create a file called "Not Now!" and put everything in it till you accomplish the must do's.

Breathe! Take breathing breaks every 30 minutes. You'll be surprised how often you hold your breath which blocks creative energy from flowing through your workspace.

Glass Half Full Fatigue can be draining and set your mind racing in a negative spiral. Be optimistic and inspired by your competition. Any present challenges are a stepping stone to your future success.

Reflect Spend a few minutes a day sending positive thoughts out to others. It's so easy to get wrapped up in a project and loose perspective for the world around us. Take a moment to be grateful for your creative gifts and the lifestyle you lead that allows you to enjoy them.