hold the tea but add some jewelry
Now, I should be promoting the stylish and savvy jewelry mirrors we make at a.i. paper design and sell at catching fireflies. However, when I stumbled across this eye-catching article in Blueprint Magazine, I immediately wanted to start collecting cute cups and saucers for my dresser drawer.
Here’s their advice on how to create your very own jewelry drawer.
Open Drawer Policy
Let your hodgepodge of china collect something besides dust (left): Orphaned teacups and saucers are perfect vessels for sorting jewelry, and, when arranged in a velvet-lined drawer, they give you an easy-to-scan bird’s-eye view of your bijoux. To set it up, measure the height of the drawer’s side (not the front), then gather dishware that’s slightly shorter. Line the drawer with velvet or felt to prevent rattling and sliding, then position the porcelain. Hook drop earrings on rims of cups, nestle necklaces within them, and stash chunkier beads and bangles on individual saucers.
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2 week trade show tour
Ahhhh… after 2 weeks of traveling to 3 different cities, it feels good to be back in my own bed again – at least until next Wednesday when it’s off to NYC.
First tour stop – Atlanta
Our neighbor, Rebecca Wood was just featured in this month’s Home Companion Magazine. 
I complimented her on the feature during set-up and she hadn’t even seen it yet! I couldn’t believe it. I happened to have the issue in my bag so I shared it with her.
I also got to catch up with my good friend, Michelle Allen.
She surprised me with this oh-so-cute hand painted owl canvas. I just love it. She is so talented.
Second tour stop – Dallas
Since all of my products are in a permanent showroom, I just needed to help the sale representatives write orders for my line.
There were also many other product lines in the shared showroom… like these funky readers from ICU which we’ll be carrying at catching fireflies this spring.
Third tour stop – Chicago (this is when they were reporting record low temps… like a high of 4F -brrrrrr!)
Being a slightly smaller show, it was nice to be able to hang out with my other fellow Michigander artist friends… Duane & David Scherer and Anita.
I also purchased a very fun line of mix & match charm jewelry called pick-up-sticks that’ll be available at catching fireflies in April.
In addition to selling lots of my handmade paper goods to stores, I found loads of new goodies for catching fireflies during my trips. Stay tuned for more fabulous finds!
rare bird finds feature
Sharla of the savvy Rare Bird Finds blog thinks our microwave popcorn popper is a must have.
All you have to do is add some kernels and some butter in the lid and microwave. You know exactly how much butter and salt is in your poporn. Yum!
And Sharla isn’t alone… Dena (our Rochester manager) and Sara (our web diva) both bought one and say it makes the best popcorn they’ve ever tasted.
Detroit Free Press 1.12.08
–Former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and "Sex in the City" fashionista Carrie Bradshaw (aka Sarah Jessica Parker) would surely agree. You can never have too many beautiful shoes adorning your feet or adding interest to your home décor. Here are a few noteworthy examples.
• The heel is available in your choice of black, red or shocking pink. Made out of metal by Wild Eye Designs, this clever cake server costs $15.50 at Catching Fireflies.
• These 5-inch-high rubber door stops cost $7.50 each at Catching Fireflies.
Detroit Free Press 1.5.08
-excerpt
Have you noticed? Words seem to be frequenting more than a printed page. Now individual words and letters are being utilized as design and personal statements. Just look at catalogs and shelter magazines. You’ll find words and letters on walls and sitting on tables in practically every room of the house.
a.i. paper design creates beautifully framed "Ransom Quotes" using a variety of elements, including ribbon, buttons, game pieces, dictionary definitions and more. The one pictured here features the following quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Find it for $68 at catching fireflies.
flurries of love
As I was gazing at my snow-filled backyard New Year’s Day, trying to brainstorm up a Valentine’s window – it hit me…
…a few minutes on photoshop, a quick trip to Kinkos and lots of pink paper later… I present- flurries of love!
rare bird finds feature
Mei-Lynn of the fabulous Rare Bird Finds Blog thinks our leg man tie is pretty funny!
Thanks for sharing our studly model, Samson with all of your readers… like he didn’t have a big enough ego already:)
bulldog ready for battle
Yes – that is our bulldog, Samson and yes – he is dressed in a military uniform.
Now, before you drag me to the crazy dog lady institution, please let me explain.
A while ago, my husband mentioned out of the blue how cool it’d be to have our English bully painted in a British military uniform. To this day… I still have no idea where this vision of Steve’s came from, but when I googled english bulldog + military uniform – Noble Pets came up. Who knew?
I quickly proceeded to order this kitschy creation so I could surprise Steve for Christmas. When it was delivered, I secretly opened it up to have a peak and I couldn’t help but to howl with laughter.
Steve was genuinely surprised and had tears in his eyes he laughed so hard. He never believed that his silly idea would become a reality.
To compliment the ‘campiness’, we’re having it framed in an ornate, gold ‘museum-like’ frame and Samson will proudly keep watch over Steve’s pool table for many years to come.
treats for me under the tree
Some other delightful presents I received this Christmas included a bottle of delicious smelling laundry detergent. I just used it on a load of sheets and they came out super soft and oh-so-sweet smelling. I can’t wait to curl up in them tonight. I’ve already contacted the company to see if they wholesale the product so catching fireflies can start carrying it… just in time for Valentine’s Day.
My thoughtful husband recalled me raving about Rebe bags on an earlier blog post this year and surprised me with my very own one-of-a-kind bag. This sassy number will be on my shoulder when I make my way around all the trade shows this winter scouting out new goodies to bring to you.
My mom gave me her pair of angora mittens (circa 1957) as a keepsake. They’re so soft and pretty.
They remind me of one of my favorite Christmas specials, Mr. Krueger’s Christmas with Jimmy Stewart. It still makes me cry every time I watch it.
And I got some green too… so I finally splurged on a couple tickets to see Wicked on Broadway when we’re in New York for the gift trade show this winter. Can’t wait!
a twist on the typical gift basket
So… what do you get a girl who owns a gift store? Each year my two store managers never fail to surprise me with their creativity and thoughtfulness.
Our Berkley manager, Danielle followed the green trend we’re encouraging at catching fireflies and got me a bucket full of environmental goodies.
Starting off with the green book, natural home magazine, hand remedy cream, a bubble bar & bath bomb from LUSH (green colored of course), energy saving light bulbs and a donation of 20 planted trees to help meet the needs of poor farmers in developing countries.
…so lovely!
And Dena, our Rochester manager put together a fun traditional package – with a twist.
A classic version of the timeless The Night Before Christmas, my beloved all edge brownie pan (I blogged about it this past summer), a tasty brownie mix, holiday candy & hot cocoa.
… so yummy!
She also made this adorable ‘family bouquet’ which includes all three of our furry four-legged children.
These wonderful gifts are just another example of why these ladies do such a fantastic job managing the Best Gift Shop in Detroit.
