Nursery Painted

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We are keeping the sex of “Baby Auggie” (due in August) a surprise which makes designing the nursery just a bit more challenging.

First up – paint.
After a long and painstaking process, trying to find just the right color – not too boy, not too girl, not to “Easter”, not too grown up – we finally found a winner! “Palladian Blue” by Benjamin Moore. We went with the zero-VOC Eco Spec formula, safe for both Mommy and Baby. (FYI, the Eco Spec formula turned out a good bit lighter than the chip or brush outs we did beforehand.)

Madigan gives “Palladian Blue” two paws up

Thus begins the transformation of our never-finished guest room into a modern and serene nursery for our little one. Here is a photo of the finished paint job with some decor Photoshopped in for the full effect:

Special thanks to Young House Love for the stand-in wall hangings.

Also shown:
Love Handmade Wood Sign – OhDierLiving on Etsy
Bamboo Mobile, Bird Trio – petitcollage on Etsy

Check out our nursery inspiration on Pinterest:
SWEET Nursery Inspiration on Pinterest

 

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Handmade Holiday Markets

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Well, ladies and gents, it’s here: the 2010 holiday season is finally upon us. This is a busy time for SWEET and we have been working overtime to put together our sweetest holiday collection yet!

We are looking forward to debuting a number of new designs at the upcoming holiday handmade markets here in Boulder.

Saturday and Sunday, December 4 – 5 2010, 9am-3pm
The 5th Annual Winter Farmer’s Market and Holiday Gift Show
Boulder Country Fairgrounds (9595 Nelson Road) in Longmont, CO

Friday – Sunday, December 10 – 12, 2010
(Fri 5-9pm, Sat 10-5pm, Sun 10-3pm)
Firefly Handmade Holiday Market
1904 Pearl Street (old co-op space) in Boulder, CO

Now we know that you are probably as excited about this as we are, but for those of you who need a little extra encouragement to leave your cozy couches and make the trip to these markets, here are a few of the reasons that topped our list:

1. There will be plenty of yummy snacks and baked goods to munch on while you peruse the…

2. Wide variety of unique handmade clothing, accessories, stationery, and fine art and crafts, funky knick-knacks and one-of-a-kind treasures.

3. Our swanky new booth is a must-see!

4. We have tons of new holiday cards that are literally fresh off the press and ready to be sent out to your friends and family this season.

5. Did we mention snacks and baked goods?

6. Still need stocking stuffers? Now’s the time to get ’em! (And remember, no one really wants to get an orange in there.)

7. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to show off that new winter coat that you look so good in.

8. Get in touch with your creative side. Winter is a great time to curl up next to a fire and get crafty. Look no further than the talented artists and vendors at the handmade markets for your inspiration.

9. It happens every year—a neighbor stops by with an unexpected gift, or an old friend makes a surprise visit, and you find yourself scrounging for a gift. Instead of re-gifting, pick up a few handmade gems (like, say, a pack of charming letterpress notecards) to stockpile for emergencies.

10. All the cool kids will be there (we may be sweet, but we’re not above peer pressure…)

But seriously, folks; the holiday season provides a great opportunity to support local businesses and artists. So join the rest of the Boulder community this season in celebrating all things local, traditional, handmade and heartfelt at the holiday handmade markets. Hope to see you there!

Chloe Chatenever lives in Boulder, CO where she is interning with elephantjournal.com and Sweet Letter Press. She is a recent graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz where she earned her Bachelor’s in Modern Literary Studies. She likes to spend her free time traveling, singing in her car, and playing board games. She also thinks penguins are pretty cool.

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Magnesium plates, this is your moment

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The new studio is still (and always will be) a work in progress. But with the big logistical projects out of the way, it was time to move on to the creative stuff! I’d already had loads of fun designing the window decals and creating my wire-and-clip inspiration board.

But there was one big project left on the wish list and I was determined to cross it off before our launch party.

When we first started in letterpress, we used magnesium plates mounted on wood. We did a handful of jobs this way before we made the switch to the Boxcar base system and have never looked back. The metal plates have been collecting dust in a galley case for the last couple of years and I’ve always thought they deserved better.

The plan was to ink them all in various colors and mount them on the wall in a cool shape. Easy right? Well, it took quite a bit of time (more than expected!) especially since we decided the placement was somewhat precious. First, we inked them all…

Then, once dry, we laid them on the floor and fiddled (read bickered) until the placement was just right. The next step was to painstakingly measure the distance between each…

…and transfer them to the wall. I would read the measurements aloud while Matthew measured and hammered – 4 nails per plate! We used white nails so the plates really look like they’re floating in their apostrophe (or lamb chop) shape.

Keep an eye out for photos of the finished “scultpture” in our upcoming studio tour.

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