It's Better Together Meetup No. 2

my iphone photos from the eventLast night we had our second It's Better Together meetup in Orlando and it was so much fun! There was a great turnout at Seven Sisters Coffee of wedding pros in all different fields such as invitation design, photography, hair styling, event planning, etc. This meeting was focused on accounting for a small business (something that it seems everyone could use a little help with) and we brought in a CPA to speak and answer lots of questions. It was so lovely to mingle, meet new people, and get a reminder about how intimidating the IRS is :).

Many thanks to Trisha and Becka for getting the event together and to the Orange Blossom Ink ladies for making the awesome fabric business card holders (at the end of the event everyone got a pouch with each person's business card inside). 

We plan on meeting every quarter so if you're in the area & part of the wedding industry feel free to get in touch about getting on our mailing list.

happy weekend + the finished shelf

Here are some photos of the finished bookshelf in my shop/studio! My friend Blair made this beauty for me and it serves to divide the store part of my space from the work studio. It has shelves on either side for storage (products on one side and bags and other supplies on my desk side). He did an amazing job and it's above and beyond what I asked for so I couldn't be happier.

If you're ever interested in custom furniture you should contact Blair at creationations [at] yahoo.com. He does incredible work.

studio update: bookshelf progress

I just got back from my friend Blair's workshop to check out the bookshelf he's building me for the studio. This will serve the purpose of dividing the front shop section from the studio part of the space. I'm super excited about it and can't wait to see the finished piece. Everything seems to be coming together lately and I should be ready to officially open in a few weeks!

p.s. please check out Blair's amazing Etsy vintage store. The descriptions are awesome.

Have a great weekend!

studio update: new awning + name vote!

Yesterday I arrived to work to find my new awning being installed! The original one was a horrid teal color and the cheapest option I could do was have the existing frame recovered (a new frame meant hundreds of dollars in permits). I also had to go with a vinyl instead of a cloth awning because I would've had to pay extra to get it fireproofed (thanks Winter Park). 

Now I've got to work on designing the writing to affix to it which brings me to this... I've been wrestling back and forth about what to call my paper line of goods. My overall company name is RIFLE design and that encompasses my graphic design, illustration and paper goods. But the paper goods line needs it's own little sub brand. Originally I was going to call it "Rifle Made" (hence this blog) but lately I've been liking "Rifle Paper Co." (it seems like it fits a little better since all the things I will sell have to do with paper.. and I like writing "Co.").

What do you guys think?? I need some opinions to help me out. :)

orlando wedding meetup

I had so much fun this morning meeting together with a few wonderful ladies in the wedding field (designers, a photographer, book binder, and calligrapher) in the Orlando area. We gathered at my studio to mingle, chat, share resources and take a tour of the mama's sauce print shoppe next door. Nick was kind enough to show everyone how the letterpress works by printing off little take home postcards that I designed.

It's so valuable to get together with other people in your field and have an air of togetherness and support rather than competition. Everyone was so sweet and I think we all agreed by the end of the morning that we'll have to do another meetup soon.

The ladies that were there:

Orange Blossom Ink

Trisha Hay Design

Boombox Bindery 

Ashley Brooke Designs

Anavi Ink

Studio222 Photography

Grace Edmands Calligraphy

--

Happy Friday! So sorry for the little posts this week as I've been working like crazy to get some projects finished up before I go out of town. So it goes..

studio move: weekend

Over the weekend Nathan and I painted the studio with the help of our friend Abe. Abe paints buildings for a living so he made the whole process much less painful by bringing along his paint tools and helping us work a lot faster. Everything went well except for a spilled paint can (oops) and a one more coat than we anticipated on the darker walls but I love how it came out (a fresh coat of paint makes such a difference!). For the color, I chickened out on the mint I originally thought I would use because 1, I know I change my mind all the time so a specific color might not be best long-term choice and 2, I thought something neutral and light would work best with the space and help brighten it up. I ended up picking "Belvedere Cream" by Behr and hope to still use use the mint on the bathroom (which is on the "not necessary to open" list of things to do).

studio move: day 2

I learned a lot of things yesterday.

1. The fire inspector is no one you mess with. Nick gave me pointers for this by telling me to buy extra large reflective exit signs and promising to give the print shop advance notice of when this man is coming around.

2. Awnings are really expensive.

3. IKEA is not expensive. This is what I love about it.

4. It's good to know that the cheap window tinting peels off as easily as it was surely put on.

5. I now drink beers with the print shop guys on Thursday afternoons. 

The IKEA furniture I picked out. I also have some vintage pieces that I'm going to throw in the mix (aka things from our house that I am moving to the office).

winter park, florida city hall. 

The business police work here. They scared me yesterday by asking if I was sure my type of business was allowed at my location (where the building is zoned) and if I had made sure of this before I signed the lease. Nope.. I did not make sure of this actually! Thankfully I was cleared though.. We're learning as we go!

we're moving!

Nathan and I just got back from signing the lease on our new office/studio/retail space! I've been working out of our home for the past few years and it's started to get a little too tight so for the past month or so I've been on the hunt for a great space. Turns out we're going to be moving in right next door to to Mama's Sauce Print Shoppe on Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park, Fl (easy access to that letterpress machine!). Not only will this be my studio space but I'll also have a small retail area in the front to sell items from my online shop (soon) as well as a few that are exclusive to the studio. 

I'll be documenting the move-in and decorating process (those walls definitely need some new paint) right here as well as the transition from home to office. There are so many little things to think of (like replacing the nasty squishy toilet seat and paying electric company deposits) while sticking to my small budget but I'm super excited about it!

"printing porn"

that's what nick called it. A beautiful little video of his Kluge letterpress in action for the first time at his shop. 

from the Mama's Sauce blog. video by Fiction.

enjoy!

good monday morning

snapshots from the weekend.

from top to bottom: curried zucchini soup & the latest Domino and Everyday FOOD magazines; a 10 cent garage sale book called Cities: Comparisons of Form and Scale; string beans and beets at the downtown farmer's market; flowers at the farmer's market.