Blog

Hey y’all! It's Vee. Sibling Day is coming up on April 10th, a day dedicated to (obviously) celebrating your siblings! The day isn't federally recognized like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are, but it's a great idea all the same. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a sibling!

In sharing our own sibling experiences with everybody at the studio, Margaret recalled being stuck with her brother and sister in the back seat of a long family car ride. All of us could relate immediately to that invisible line and the whining and shouting to mom or dad that ensued when one sibling or another crossed it. 

For those of use who grew up with siblings, fighting and bickering was a pretty common occurrence. Looking back, it seemed all of us had at least one memory of sibling rivalry gone too far and someone ending up sobbing and injured (not going to name any names here!).    

Inspired by our collective childhood stories, I designed these Sibling Day cards that you can print out and send to your brother and/or sister. Hopefully, they make you look fondly on all of those now-laughable moments you shared with your siblings.

Download and print “Happy Sibling Day” and "Love Ya, Sib!" cards.

My siblings and I definitely fought like cats and dogs, but we all know we have each other’s backs, and while we still definitely need our space, we’re grateful for each other. I hope you'll let your siblings know that even through good and bad (and maybe a hospital trip here and there) you still care for them! 

Read more

Many of my friends are pregnant, and I've got babies on my mind! Springtime and babies sort of go hand-in-hand, so now's the perfect time for some baby gift inspiration.

1) Bath time is all fun and splashy until a little one gets soap in their eyes. Problem solved with a simple Shampoo Rinse Cup!

2) Family dinner is an important part of our day, so we love our matching Stokke Tripp Trapp chairs (ours are red!). They allow the kids to sit right at the regular table and the chairs are easily adjustable so they grow even with them.

3) Smudge Ink's Baby Thank You Note Log just about saved my life after my second son was born. Being able to keep track of both gifts and notes sent in one lovely place truly made my life simpler.

4) Food is the very best gift for new parents. Seriously. If it's not easy to deliver a meal or make cookies, try sending a tasty treat like these Chocolate Covered Dulce De Leche Alfajores!

5) I don't know what it is about this Baby Einstein Musical Toy, but kids go bananas for it. The tunes are pretty catchy! It's my mother-in-law's go-to baby gift, and it's a crowd pleaser. Bonus: it has two volumes.

6) Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is an excellent addition to any young child's bookshelf. We've been reading this book for 3 years now, and it's great for teaching animals, colors, and even animal sounds. Plus, it's hard to go wrong with a book illustrated by Eric Carle!

7) There are lots of great stuffed animals out there. If you're looking for something a little more unique, check out this adorable Finklestein's Bunny.

Enjoy the new babies in your life, and happy shopping!

Read more

THE GOOD. Our holiday line is finalized, and production is underway! Clayton began putting pen to paper (or stylus to tablet) for our 2016 holiday collection a full year ahead of time. So from Christmas right up to the first day of spring, we're in full on Santa mode. It's safe to say we're pretty much tapped out on fa-la-la-ing by then. Sending along the final files to our offset printer and final proofs to our own print room is a very. good. thing. We're always proud of what we put out there, but this year's release seems especially bright and as usual, is replete with beautiful imagery and nostalgic themes. Sneak peek shown above!

With the holiday designs behind us, we get to enjoy the tiniest bit of breathing room to regroup and spring clean the studio—dust off our desks, purge old files, clean up the inventory room, etc. It's only a few days of calm really, but we'll take 'em. We're now elbows deep in production and stationery show prep (which in the end, are good things too!)

THE BAD. This year, March is a 3-payroll month. Anyone who's run payroll on a semi-weekly basis is familiar with this occurrence. Because of how the dates fall and when you pay your employees, you're hit with three payrolls instead of two, which can result in a cash flow issue. In theory, you plan ahead for these months ahead of time but in my experience they still sneak up on you. Fortunately, April is only a 2-payroll month—yeehaw!

THE UGLY. This month was basically one long, sad commercial for Dayquil, Kleenex, Advil, the Neti Pot, and Emergen-C.  

Read more

Last week, we celebrated the start of spring by flexing our floral arranging muscles. To add a creative twist, we looked for inspiration among our newest floral note card designs. We may have gleaned the idea from the MFA's annual Art in Bloom festival. Every year, floral designers from around New England exhibit their arrangements with famous works of art found throughout the Museum.

This got us thinking ... what would happen if you paired a beautiful Smudge Ink card with a variety of fresh blooms from Trader Joe's and Mahoneys? The result: a fun time had by all and some beautiful arrangements if we do say so ourselves. 

 (April & Clayton's arrangement inspired by English Roses Boxed Note Cards)

(Deb & Emily's arrangement inspired by Manzanita Flowers Boxed Note Cards)

(Sarah & Sabrina's arrangement by inspired by our Magnolias Boxed Note Cards)

(Rheana & Margaret's arrangement inspired by Snapdragons Boxed Note Cards)

Read more

Given the myriad connections to the children's book world here at Smudge Ink, it’s no surprise that all of us have been very excited about the highly anticipated debut of Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color. This charming new picture book is authored and illustrated by Emily's good friend, Julia Denos.

(image: Julia signing books for Abigail and Avery)

In the book, Swatch is a fierce, creative color tamer. She finds shades like Bravest Green and In-Between Gray and directs them to dance and do magic. And although she runs wild with the colors, she soon learns to trap and collect them. But what will Swatch do when she finds a color that doesn’t want to be tamed? Go get a copy of Swatch and find out! It is a beautifully written tale filled with riotous swaths of color and unexpectedly quiet moments of kindness.

(image: Emily, Ari, and George having fun in the Swatch photo booth)

Last Friday Porter Square Books hosted Julia’s book launch party, complete with face painting and a photo booth. Following a reading, Julia took us behind the scenes of creating the book, a long process that ultimately hinged on the story finding Julia. My favorite part of the presentation was Julia’s reminder to be open and to listen to what the world is telling you because that is how stories find us. And, in what was certainly a nod to Swatch and her love of color, there was a downpour minutes before the event that resulted in a beautiful double rainbow visible from the bookstore.

(image: a real reading rainbow!)

Congratulations to Julia, and best wishes to Swatch on many more adventures full of color!

Read more