Has it really been a whole month? I've been busy, but now I'm ready to share all the fun things I've been making and doing. First up, because it can sometimes feel like springtime in March, are these new thank you cards in spring colors.
I have been impatiently waiting for warmer weather and made these cards in sunny apply and spring green, hoping mother nature would get the hint. We've had a few very warm days since then; maybe the cards helped!
After graduation, I had a mile-long list of people to thank for gifts, support, and thoughtfulness. I wanted to check out how my new silver ink would look on kraft paper, since that's the combination I'd be using for these wedding invitations. So I cooked up these little thank you cards in the studio.
Thank goodness for the kindness of people like you.
I picked up some fushchia envelopes at Paper Source to give the cards a bit more character and then used some address label wraps from TapeSwell to finish off the package.
After several hours of volunteering at the studio by sorting lots and lots of type, I spent some time working on my own printing projects yesterday. I worked on a stationery order, a special order for a friend (which I left behind at the studio - ugh), and some thank you cards. My first time letterpressing, I learned how to use a Vandercook. Since then, however, I've been using a Chandler & Price platen press exclusively. It's great for small projects (think business cards) and platen presses are less expensive so it's likely what I would own if I had a home studio. Yesterday, I reacquainted myself with the Vandercook and loved it like an old friend. I'd forgotten how much easier it is to clean than the platen press.
Fall semester exams got the better of me this year. My last day of class and my last exam were so far apart that by the time the last exam rolled around I was exhausted, I had missed all pre-holiday celebrations, and all I wanted to do was fly to Maine and sleep, read, and eat for days (which I did). I made holiday cards earlier in the season and even with Mr. Moggie helping to add the finishing touches, I resigned myself to the fact that they would be late. Then all that sleeping and eating and reading got in the way and we did away with holiday cards altogether for 2008.*
Not only did I do away with holiday cards,** I've also found myself behind on thank you cards which I feel is entirely unacceptable. I have a growing list of folks who deserve a thank you for being so sweet in the last couple months.*** The idea for this card had been brewing in my head for a while so the last time I was in the studio I printed several copies of it. I've already sent four!
I put a few up in the shop so if you find yourself a little late in sending a thank you message please pick one up; it should do the trick.
* We are hoping to reach everyone who would have gotten a holiday card
from us, however, with a letter or card at some point during 2009.
** For the first time since 1998.
*** Yes, I am a couple months behind on thank you cards.
There are some Grey Moggie items in this month's Scoutie Girl Giveaway. Head on over for a chance to win Grey Moggie thank you cards and gift tags, and a bunch of other cool stuff!! Every comment you leave on the Scoutie Girl post is a chance to win the giveaway package, and for each comment left, 5 cents will be donated to the charity of the winner's choosing.
Thanks to Daisy Janie for including me!
photo from farmsanctuary.org via CuteOverload
I'm thankful for some fun custom projects that will get me out of the library and into the studio for a few hours next week.
Still looking for ways to cook your heritage breed turkey? Check out Mr. Moggie's recipe!
Now: eat, drink, be merry and thankful, hug your family and your pets, and turn off the computer.
I recently joined the Etsy Greetings team, and it seems I've done so just in time for the big Etsy Greetings Blog Carnival. As part of the carnival, I'll be giving away some letterpressed goodies from my Etsy shop.
Leave a comment in this post and on November 21, as part of Friday Favorites, I'll randomlypick a winner from the commenters to win 9 Grey Moggie Greetings items. Eight of the nine items are letterpressed goodies!
Check out the rest of the Carnival giveaways here.
It's been one of those weeks. I spent most of the weekend catching up on non-class school stuff and ended up behind in my reading for classes. So I spent the early mornings and late nights catching up on that reading. That schedule left me walking around in a daze during normal person wakeful hours and drinking lots of caffeine so I wouldn't fall asleep in class. Also, Mr. Moggie and I, along with some friends, are planning a very fun party for Saturday night. And I'm tempted to just throw myself into that endeavor because it's so much more exciting than school work, but I can't. I am taking the professional responsibility portion of the bar exam on Saturday morning. So between now and then, I need to be taking practice exams, reviewing an outline, and going over my notes from Sunday's study session. Note: Obviously, blogging breaks are allowed; it is NaBloPoMo, after all.
So, on this, the 6th day of NaBloPoMo, I tried to find a Grey Moggie creation to share. And I realized that I haven't posted these letterpressed thank you cards yet. Letterpress thank you cards! With butterflies! And while this week has been rough, there are so many things for which to be thankful. For example:
I think I'll try to revisit this theme every so often. It's refreshing to be reminded of all the good stuff.
*I have a lot more to say about the election, but I'm not sure this little blog is the place for it. Maybe in a later post. I will say that I did wait in line to cast my ballot on Tuesday, that I had 5 different news websites up and refreshed each every 90 seconds that evening, and that I cried during both speeches that night.
We've just returned from a weekend trip in Chicago, marking my first time in the Windy City. Mr. Moggie and I visited some friends of his whom I'd only met once before. They were rumored to be the sweetest people in the world, and my first encounter with them did not dispel that opinion. I'm happy to say that after spending a whole weekend them, I believe the rumor was an understatement.
Upon our return to Virginia, I'm reminded that we have so much to be thankful for. In particular, friends who opened their home, who urged Mr. Moggie and I to tell the story of how we met over dinner, who showed us around the cool neighborhoods and indulged my desire to visit several paper stores, who let Mr. Moggie run around the Green City Market filling his shopping bag with elk, lamb, and micro-greens. We're grateful for friends who celebrated academic and career milestones with us in the form of a delicious meal at Frontera Grill, who pointed out Rick Bayless when he chatted it up with nearby diners, who let us enjoy the company of their sweet dog. Thankful for our lovely friend who drove from the other side of the city to share an evening of wine, grilling, and pie with us.
I was so inspired during our trip. I can't wait to get my new ideas down on paper! For now, I've finally added the finishing touches to some thank you cards I pressed in the studio last week. Enjoy!
I made these thank you cards the last time I was in the letterpress studio. I'm getting much more comfortable with the table top press now and it's very exciting.
I made these for a friend who asked me to make a stack of thank you cards using using blue, white, and gold. I saved the typeset at the studio so the next time I go, I can run another group using different colors.
Remember when I was trying to make a manly thank you card? And I had to go and add pink? And the cards were no longer as manly as I had originally imagined? Yeah.
Well, I tried again a few days ago. And I got some great feedback. Mr. Moggie reports that his labmate, the one who had originally requested more masculine cards around here at Grey Moggie, squealed when he saw the cards. 
He squealed, guys! I couldn't be prouder! Now go on over to the Etsy shop and get one of these cards - make someone squeal!
You've seen them all before but I wanted to share a photo of all 5 thank you cards together. 
They just came together so nicely! 
Find them here.
This card is Mr. Moggie's favorite in the 5-card set. A crisp white circle offset by a deep, rich blue with that beautiful daisy pattern on the side strip. I can see why he is a fan!
This card is part of a 5-card thank you card set available in my Etsy shop. The cards measure 3.5" x 5". Each card is joined by a white envelope with matching colored accents and comes in a protective clear plastic sleeve.
Find them here.
Pink and brown. Is there a better color combination? What more do you need for a classy thank you card?
How about tiny daisies, red polka dots, and a thank you message in French? Now we're talking. 
These cards make up part 3 of 5 in a special thank you card set available in my Etsy shop.
The cards measure 4.25" x 5.5". Each is joined by a white envelope with matching accents and will ship in a protective clear plastic sleeve. Find the whole set here.
There is a lot to be thankful for around here lately. It's springtime and everyone is sharing, helping, and caring. Let them know you've noticed with a pretty little thank you card.
This is the second card in a 5-card set of thank you cards available in my Etsy shop. These cards are very simple with a large thank you flourish stamped onto the front of the card and a tiny blue flower stamped into each corner.
The cards are 3.5" x 5". Each card is joined by a white envelope with matching blue accents and will ship individually wrapped in a protective plastic sleeve. Find them here.
A male Grey Moggie friend recently told me he wants to see more manly cards available here. I took his suggestion to heart and got some black, navy, and brown card stock to see what I could do. I set about making new thank you cards with this brown paper and wholly intended to keep the design away from frilly and delicate.
But you know what goes so well with deep chocolate tones? Light pink, of course! So I abandoned the masculine cards and made these brown and pink creations.
These cards are 5" x 3.5". Each comes with a white envelope with color-coordinated accents and will ship in a clear plastic protective sleeve. There is a strip of kraft colored paper on the inside of the card so that you can write your own sweet message with a regular dark ink pen.
Part of a 5-card thank you set available in my Etsy shop. 
After exams, I'll try again to make a few cards without flowers, cupcakes, the color pink, or dresses It's going to be tough, but I'm ready for the challenge!
I've been so inspired over the last few days. Despite frigid temperatures, spring is in the air, and I've gotten a lot of outdoor time. I have a week off from school and spent the weekend catching up and getting crazy with friends. I just had to make these super bright thank you cards in response to my general disposition. 
I've taken full advantage of my time off. Thursday was trivia night at Looking Glass Lounge in Petworth and we managed to avoid last place. After pints with friends on Friday night, a group of us dressed up as the castaways from Gilligan's Island and raced around the city with a shopping cart on Saturday to raise money for Miriam's Kitchen as part of the DC Idiotarod. 
Yesterday, I was able to join Mr. Moggie at the farmers' market for the first time since school started up in the fall. It was great to see his interactions with all the farmers he's gotten to know over the last few months. I'd forgotten how beautiful fresh produce is when laid out in wooden crates and galvanized steel buckets basking in the sunshine.
I've been keeping up with my training for the 10-miler and got to walk around the city and shop with Mr. Moggie and our good friend, Steph, yesterday, so I've had no shortage of sunshine (though I've had to bundle up). 
Today I saw Penelope, which was adorably charming, and then wandered around Paper Source, which is always charming.
And the artichokes have sprouted!!
Is it any wonder this is what I created today? 
Available in the Etsy shop soon!
I've made a ton of those orange birthday cards. So pretty. And now I've got lots and lots of strips of beautiful orange paper. So I decided to make some thank you cards with them.
I like the blue and the orange together. I think I'll play around with these colors and this theme and see what results. Stay tuned!
Bonjour!!
The French language always adds a touch of class, right? That's the idea with these simple "merci" cards. Saying thank you in French shows that you really mean it!
The 3.5" x 4.75" white card with rounded corners is shown here on a pink background. The card is stamped with "merci" in pink and with a silver accent at the bottom. The inside is blank for your own sweet thank you message.
Now available in the shop!
Bises!!
I've pretty much fallen in love with these new cards. Maybe it's because I made them so close to Valentines Day! Maybe it's the simple "thanks;" maybe it's the pretty little dandelion stamp; maybe it's the rounded corners; or maybe it's the shade of blue. Something about these cards makes me smile. And really, that's what a thank you card should do!
The card is white but is photographed on a blue background above. The inside is blank for your own sweet message.
These cards are in the Etsy shop!
