Dads are some of the hardest people to shop for, huh?? After years of pocket knives, shirts, and wallets, there had to be something that was a little more original to give my pops. So, I sat on a bench and thought "Think....think....think....", which reminded me of Winnie the Pooh. Like lightning, the image of my brother-in-law Brendon doing his Winnie the Pooh impression came into my head. He did that back in 2001, and it still cracks me up. I can't separate the two anymore. Then, the revelation happened...just like Winnie the Pooh, my dad is addicted to honey. I've literally seen him shoot it straight from the bottle. He's even contemplating keeping some hives of bees in their backyard. So, I went looking for some honey and I found the motherload. That baby up there is like a half gallon of the sweet stuff. Liquid crack, I tell ya.

When I came across these amazing vintage-inspired free printables for Father's Day created by the lovely ladies at Hello! Lucky, I knew this was going to "bee" (hehe...had to throw that cheesy pun in there) just the ticket.  I tweaked their labels just a little bit so they had a more custom feel, but they are pretty close to perfect without any fiddling with. Don't cool labels take ordinary gifts to a new level? Like a level that wasn't bought at my local grocery store that is a little bit on the ghetto side? Bravo on the great work, Hello! Lucky and thanks for the lovely printables.

PS There are even more printables on their site here. Woohoo!

I can hardly believe that it is already fall...summer whizzed by so fast. That's not to say I don't welcome it though. Fall is my favorite! In the spirit of greeting this season with open arms, have you seen the latest from Rifle Paper Co.? If not, I suggest you take a peek....and while you're at it, you can also take 15% off all the 'featured' products using code AUTUMN (expires 9/27). Now that's a little something to be thankful for.

Well, little lambs.....we FINALLY made it to Austin. Husband is a rock star when it comes to driving long distances unlike my narcoleptic self...I seem to always zonk out when I am in a car for more than 2 hours. It's an odd quirk of mine I suppose. The road trip went off without a hitch, and we busted our little buns to get down here as soon as we could. We did, however, make one stop in Asheville, NC to visit the Biltmore, which was stunning, opulent, and mind-boggling all at the same time. Will get some photos posted from our highway adventure soon!

To celebrate our first few days here in Austin, I chose to spotlight one of the city's very own letterpress and design shops, Vertallee Lettepress, for today's Etsy Finds. Their designs are all printed by hand on a Heidleberg Windmill, and focus on crisp, tactile impressions, vivid color schemes,  and simply beautiful typography. Marvel at their mad skills by oogling their stationary and invitations on Vertallee, and visit their shop on Etsy to see their latest creations.

As some of you may or may not know, John and I said sayonara to Boston in May and temporarily moved to Mystic, Connecticut. So what is there to do in this coastal New England town aside from noshing on lobster rolls from Abbott's, touring the Seaport, and relaxing on the sandy shores? You can add swoon over the new boutique Webster Road. I no joke went into like spastic seizure mode from the overwhelming awesomeness of this little boutique in quaint downtown Mystic. The shelves are stocked with Jonathan Adler wares, inspiring books (I bought this DIY Delicious one!), perfect throw pillows and other home decor, beautiful pottery from Jill Rosenwald, intoxicatingly delicious candles, stationary from Rifle Paper Co, and amazing crafty items from Yellow Owl Workshop. I really am only skimming the surface here...if any of you New England lovelies are planning to take a weekend trip up here, please do make it a point to check this lovely boutique out!

Have you heard of INK+WIT? If not, you'll probably want to write/bookmark/remember that name since it is probably one of the raddest stationary/stamp/design companies around that specializes in letterpress prints, stationery, limited editions, identity/branding, print and web/blog design.  Phew....is there anything that owner and creative genius Tara Hogan isn't capable of?  No, probably not. Except for sneezing with her eyes open. I bet she can't do that. Anyways, the stamps currently stocking the INK+WIT Etsy shop have my mind reeling with all the creative possibilities. Such great designs to play with to make custom stationary, wrapping paper, textiles....you name it. Bravo, Tara!

I am so inspired by all the blooming flowers and budding trees, so I decided to make a little stationary set featuring the season's finest flora from one of my fave Flickrers, Agence Eureka. The set is a little bit vintage-looking with a whole lot of springtime cheer. Naturally, I just had to share with all of you.  Download the note cards and envelope pdf, print a few sets, and send some well wishes to your friends and fam. Enjoy!

CONDITIONS OF USE: The downloadable pdfs in this article (and across my entire site) are free for personal use only. They are not for commercial use or distribution. If you want to blog about this article, feel free but you must include a credit and link back to my site and/or this article. As a courtesy, please use the name of my blog when linking back instead of words like “via,” “image,” or numbers. Additionally, please do not link directly to a downloadable file but rather to this article. Thanks for reading this not-so-fun stuff, and enjoy your free printable! xo Triple Max Tons (http://www.triplemaxtons.com)

Got a great laugh out of these cheeky cards from Sapling Press....




{Via Pushing Papers}

My pal Megan is a real inspiration....she is just an all around cool gal, a cherished friend, travel extraordinaire (she lived in Hong Kong for what seemed like an eternity), rockstar baker, and avid letter writer. Each time I get a little note in the mail from her, I think to myself, "Self, you really need to send more letters...especially to Meggo. And get the last of your wedding thank yous in the mail. Why haven't you finished your thank yous, bonehead? What's that you say? Etiquette technically says you have a year to send them out? So why do you feel so guilty and lame then? Huh?? Answer that, Self." While I could keep rambling on about my inner monologues, but I would rather rave about Paperwink instead.

Note to self: Must buy this stamp after first home purchase.

I discovered the stationary brand while doing the wedding invitation search and they quickly made it to the top of my "things I covet" list. They make my keyboard and carpal tunnel-ridden hands crave the written word. There is something just super cool about their line of notecards, labels, rubber stamps, calling cards, notebooks, and accessories...a little bit of vintage flair mixed with clean design and loads of personality. I wish I could still walk to Urbanic on my lunch break and pick some of these up....Paperwink, it's time to invade Boston with your pretty papers and more!

A gorgeous calling card....that also happens to make me hungry for avocados.

Nothing like a bit of Tom Foolery to compliment all that foolin' around everybody does on Valentine's Day - and these cards hit just the right note. Old Tom Foolery's cheeky love notes are right up my alley as I have made the hubby very well aware that anything overly mushy/lovey makes me want to gag. Not that I don't appreciate a sentimental outpouring of emotion every now and then, but sometimes it feels a little contrived on V-Day, no? I mean, the company tagline is "unsappy, uncrappy greetings and more." I think I just fell in love.

{Image via Papersheep}

Well, we are now back in the Northeast and I am snuggling up in the thickest sweaters I own (which aren't all that thick, actually....hallelujah for layers). I have been on the prowl for a good (and affordable) chunky knit cardi or sweater to cozy up in, and these little letterpressed note cards with a knit pattern fit the bill in terms of budget! While they won't keep me warm, they certainly do put a smile on my face. As do these boatloads of thanks notes...so cute!

day-lab specializes in fun and affordable vintage jewelry and accessories produced from the 1930s through the 1980s, as well as independently designed and handmade jewelry, accessories, housewares, and gift items. Many of these items are unique in that they are inherently limited in availability or one-of-a-kind. The mix in the online shop is quirky, cool and surprisingly timeless....definitely adding this site to my roster of  "what to get the gal pal who has everything" list.

An added bonus? Each month a percentage of day-lab's profits is donated to the Humane Society. Gotta keep those canines and kitties happy, healthy, and in good homes. After all, it is where we got our darling (and extremely neurotic) Pepsi...aka the best and sweetest dog everrrrrrr.

This is also a great last minute gift idea! All you need is a piece of linoleum, a cutter, some ink pads, and plain card stock. Carve your custom stamp, stamp the card stock to create one-of-a-kind stationary, wrap it up in raffia, put it in a cellophane baggie, throw in some inkpads (and the stamp if you want to)....and voila! A heartfelt and handmade gift that your friends and family are sure to treasure.


Took me an hour tops, and most of that was me being a dork and redrawing the design on the horse about 4 times. I would suggest you all try it and send me pics if you do! For newbies not familiar with the technique, check out this great tutorial archive for creating a linoleum stamp from Gennine's Art Blog and watch the video to see it in action. Now let those creative juices flow and get carving!

Remember when you were a kid and you would cut up paper and make fabulous snow flakes to plaster all over the windows? Oh wait...I actually did that last weekend. I may be grown up, by my snowflakes still looked a bit....ummm....elementary. Enter A Little Hut, a line consisting of DIY printables, gorgeous stationary, and cute home decor. The cut-out detailing is just so elegant and refined, and puts my snipping skills to shame. I am especially loving those super gorgeous oval-shaped gift tags....neeeeeeeed them for the holidays!

Gum Drops Holiday Card & Merry X-Mas Star Flat Notes & Garland Christmas Card & Mosaic Holiday Cards friendship pinecones& Color Wheel Holiday Card & Fancy Teague Border Card & Illustrated Menorah Card

Joyeux Noel + Reindeer Holiday Card & A Very Merry Christmas Holiday Card& Airmail Holiday Card Vintage Typography Poster Holiday Card & Making Spirits Bright Holiday Cards& The Tree Holiday Cards

Urban Holiday Card & Happy Hanukkah Card & Cardinals Card  Holiday Mice Card & Retro Christmas Card &Hope Peace Cookies Holiday Card

Spent countless hours making marbled paper as a kid - still looks just as fun and chic as I remember. Huge thanks to Grace at Design*Sponge and Erica at PS...I Made This for this killer tutorial on how to make a grown-up version of this childhood fave. Seriously, covering lamps in the stuff? GENIUS! Read on for instruction...