One down, three more painted curtains to go! My first handmade imperial trellis curtain has been hung and the room is starting to come together. The stenciling and painting took a lot longer than I expected, but it was worth it. Thanks for being patient!

Last week I purchased an antique wooden cane daybed from Thailand and ordered bedding and a mattress. See the image below for a mood board mock up of my decor plans. The floors are very worn wood and the Duncan chandelier has already been installed. I’ll post more photos when the bedding arrives. Thanks for following along with my guest room updates!

Don’t forget, if you would like to create your own imperial trellis drapes or walls, you can order one of my stencils in my shop. I highly recommend it! I love the results. If you missed the steps on creating the curtain, check out steps 1 - 2 here and steps 3 - 10 here.

- Emily

Welcome to Mood Board Monday hosted by Sarah from Pewter + Sage and West Elm. Today’s mood board was inspired by the bold ink nature drawings of designers Jon Ross and Don Carney of PATCH NYC. PATCH NYC partnered with West Elm to produce bold plates, botanical prints, and pillows. Sarah asked her MBM participants to select a West Elm PATCH NYC piece to design a room around. I selected the butterfly wall art and framed it with an oyster mirror by Wisteria (1.) My inspiration room is a dining / lounge room that might be found in a small studio that blends the two spaces. The room has a natural and rustic appeal with a hint of glamour. Everything in the room is appealing to the eye with a touch of something extra special. This room will make all of your guests spin in circles to take it all in. Thanks for visiting!

2. Benoa Daybed by Anthropologie (The perfect spot to lounge and relax.)

3. Flora by Tord Boontje (Gracefully draping down the walls to puddle on the floor.)

4. Tuxedo Ruffle Curtain by Urban Outfitters (Hanging floor to ceiling.)

5. Butterfly Place Cards by Timeless Paper (For intimate dinner parties.)

6. Seahorse Lamp by Jonathan Adler

7. Valencia Chandelier by Neiman Marcus (Hanging over the daybed.)

8. Safari Cushion Cover by Be Still Shop on Etsy

9. Salvaged Wood Sideboard by Restoration Hardware

10. Twig Side Table by West Elm (Two of these would be perfect to flank the daybed.)

11. Gate Java Placemats by Dwell Studio

Visit my past Mood Board Monday posts:

March 7th, 2010

January 17, 2010

December 6, 2009

November 9, 2009

Handmade in Pennsylvania selected me to share my day at Timeless Paper on their blog’s A Day in the Life feature. I feel honored they wanted to see my life! My daily routine changes quite a bit these days but you can read that particular day’s events in the bottom section of this post. Yesterday was quite productive so I’ll share a little about that too. I mainly want to write it down so I can mark a few things off my to-do list. Maybe it will help a new shop owner out there get inspired to apply for a trade show. There is still so much to do.

Accomplished for Timeless Paper yesterday:

1. ordered 4 brown display towers for the National Stationery Show booth

2. my mom agreed to sew a table skirt for my booth so I purchased material, buttons, velcro, and thread then shipped them to Arkansas

3. found 2 brown large binders to use as product display books at the NSS

4. realized I could use my Lucerne sconces in my living room to display wine glasses for the NSS

5. created a digital version of my booth with to-scale furniture

6. purchased 13 boxes of wine glasses, water goblets, and margarita glasses to display my products at the NSS

7. found new retail packaging for my place card products

8. created to-do lists and to-bring to the show lists to help me stay on track for the NSS (still so much to do)

9. decided on a sign style with Michael for our booth

10. photographed the new hibiscus flower place card for a customer

11. responded to at least 25 customer emails

12. tidied up the house for the new cleaning service interview

13. walked my dog Finnigan around the neighborhood and dropped off 11 packages to the post office

14. decided I want to go to the beach right now for a vacation

15. received word that I’ll be in a photo shoot with the University of Baltimore’s magazine at the end of the week in my home studio (I earned my M.A. in publication design from UB.)

Here is the Handmade in PA feature from a few days ago:

This week I am excited to bring you Emily of Timeless Paper. Based out of Philadelphia, Emily makes the sweetest paper products. Wedding season is approaching, which makes this a perfect time to get in touch with Emily. Enjoy a day in her busy life!

7:00 am: My sweet husband wakes me up with a final kiss goodbye before he heads to work.

7:30 am: I quickly find my iphone to check orders and messages that came in overnight from my Timeless Paper shop and Etsy shop. I select my outfit for the day (usually a black or gray cardigan over a solid white or black tshirt with comfortable jeans). Finnigan, my golden retriever, greets me for a good morning scratch behind the ears and pat on the head.

8:00 am: At this point, I’m ready to start work. I head to my home studio located in two second floor spare bedrooms, open the window shutters over my desk so I can admire the snow-covered neighborhood and watch for package deliveries while I work. I attempt to post to my Timeless Paper blog while catching up on my favorite blogs and twitter posts. I check my Etsy shop to list and re-list a few products that have been requested overnight. After years of working as a graphic designer for marketing and advertising companies, I recently made the leap to open my own paper design shop online – creating unique cutout paper designs for weddings and parties. It’s a particularly busy time for me right now with the big Spring wedding season just around the corner – I am very blessed.

9:15 am: With most of my emails answered, I hop on the elliptical in my home gym and lift a few weights. Finnigan takes advantage of easy access to attention while I’m on the floor doing crunches. Between reps I toss a small squeaky ball across the room for him a few times. After the workout I take a quick shower.

10:15 am: Finnigan and I walk around the neighborhood to the local post office to drop off my packaged orders that my husband and I completed the night before. Then, it’s back to the studio to answer the more detailed and complicated emails. Some of the popular requests are creating custom proofs for my customers such as monograms to be printed on place cards or wedding programs with cutout butterflies.

11:30 am: I take photos of custom products to send to customers for approval. After the photography session I head back to my desk to edit and email the photos.

12:15 pm: I grab a bite to eat (usually a 100 calorie pack and a large glass of water) and sit in the living room to watch part of a recorded Lost  episode while I browse my favorite magazines. My laptop is always within reach to do research or catch up on a few more blogs.

1:00 pm: I head back to the studio to work on new designs for my shop, research trade show booth ideas (last week Timeless Paper was accepted to participate in the National Stationery Show in May), design my new wholesale catalog, and answer customer emails.

3:30 pm: I set up a new centerpiece on my dinning room table to be used in my next product photo shoot of new place cards. I combine textural objects found around my house like this white pebble table runner, carved wooden bowl (a Christmas present from my sister Abby), cream ceramic flower candle holders, and pine cones.

4:00 pm: My husband Michael comes home from work. He immediately helps me create orders that need to be mailed in the next few days, and answer difficult questions in customer emails. He always gives good advice.

5:30 pm: We stop working to make dinner together. Tonight we’re making grilled chicken with vibrant red, yellow and orange peppers and baked potatoes. Over dinner we discuss business plans, custom orders, and weekend plans (this weekend we’ll be in Florida for a wedding).

6:30 pm: We both go back to the studio. Michael works with me to create and package orders as fast as we can. I go back to working on new designs for the shop (keep your eyes out for a bumble bee place card and beehive table numbers).

9:00 pm: Convincing Michael we need a break, we watch one of our favorite recorded tv shows while researching new ideas on our laptops. He uses this time for some web programming to update the website and online shop. I list and re-list items in my Etsy shop to stay current in the search results.

10:00 pm: Feeling tired, we both head to bed.

I’m hosting a bachelorette party for my sister Abby in July with an Alice in Wonderland theme. Last week I created tissue paper orbs and poufs to dangle from the doorways and ceiling. I’d like to share a few of my inspiration photos and sources with you. The tissue paper pom poms are very simple to create yourself.

DIY How to make tissue paper poufs and orbs:

Step 1: Stack about 11 sheets of tissue paper together.

Step 2: Fold the tissue paper back and forth to create an acordian style fold.

Step 3: Trim ends of the long folded tissue paper to create half circles or points.

Step 4: Pinch the folded tissue paper in the center and twist with a small wire.

Step 5: Spread each layer of the tissue paper to create a pom pom. Repeat on both sides of the wire.

Step 6: Hang with a long pretty ribbon.

Sources

Tissue Paper Daisy Flowers and Sunbursts by Luna Bazaar

Tissue Paper Garland by Bulk Party Supplies

Bulk Tissue Paper by Uline

Party Photographs by Martha Stewart

Pleats, tucks, and puckers are catching my eye in fashion lately. Here are a few of my favorite finds to get you in the mood for the transition to Spring. I always love to add a textural piece to my wardrobe. (Just don’t over do it.)

1. ‘Miss Heather’ Leather Shopper by Dolce&Gabbana

2. Fresh Greens Sandals by Anthropologie

3. Aphrodite by Artlab on Etsy

4. Shell Ruffle by DellaFauna on Etsy

5. Curio Collar Jacket by Anthropologie

6. hybridity of High Fashion and Streetwear by Artlab on Etsy

7. Cotton Papillon Blouse by J.crew

8. Sunshine shirt dress by Net-A-Porter

I need your advice. I’m ready to update the seating in my home office. Do any of my blog readers have tips or specific chairs you recommend? I’m leaning toward the Ripple Leather Office Chair (1.) by Crate&Barrel. I’ve noticed the SKRUVSTA Swivel chair (2.) by Ikea in many of the Etsy crafter home offices in the Flickr Etsy Open Studios Album. I have a love/hate relationship with Ikea so I’m a little unsure of making the commitment to the SKRUVSTA. I like the look of the cutout back on the Euro Style Sophia Office Chair (3.) by Target but don’t think it would be comfortable for hours and hours of work. Please help.

“I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude,

two for friendship, three for society.”

— Henry David Thoreau