for the last week we have been neglecting our blog, instead we have been wrapping up last minute projects and spending time with our families. we hope that you are all enjoying the end of a wonderful year. 2009 was filled with many ups and downs for all of us! here at porridge papers we were blessed with lots of work, new clients and exciting projects. we made new friends, celebrated our 16th year in business, finished up our largest order to date (2 million pieces of plantable paper),re branded ourself with a new logo followed by updating our websites, expanding our studio, re painting our building (inside and out), buying a 10lb hollander beater and so much more. all in all i say it was one of the busiest years to date! for those of you that were apart of it, i want to say thanks! thanks so much for keeping my dream alive. with out my fans, clients, friends, family, local community and employees none of this would be possible. i am so excited for what the new year has in store for all of us! as usual it will be a roller coaster ride and i for one can not wait to see where it takes us!

will see you in the new year!!

christopher

Happy Monday everyone! (no, Monday is NOT a holiday… well sometimes it is, depending… oh  you know what I mean!) I hope everyone is finding more and more excitement as the year is coming to an end. Holiday cheer is a tricky thing to muster up sometimes. Fortunately for those of us in Lincoln, we’ve got plenty of snow to remind us just what time of year it is. Even on the most hectic an stressful day, walking outside to quiet white blankets of snow and sparkling lights on houses makes you smile just a little bit. Then again, there’s the ice on the windows of your car in the morning… *sigh*

Anyhow, I just wanted to post a quick note regarding our Holiday hours this season. We bill be closed on December 24th-27th to observe the Christmas holiday. We’ll be back to our normal business hours (10-6) on Monday, December 28th. On New Year’s Eve (December 31st) we’ll be closing early at 1pm and will be closed January 1st do observe New Year’s Day. Saturday December 2nd we’ll be open for normal hours from 10am – 3pm.

And what would Holiday hours be without Holiday Sales?!?!?! Come in next week to save a little extra on those last minute Holiday cards and stationery! From December 21st – January 9th take 20% off of any holiday item in the store! Whether you’re stocking up for next year, or just running a little late- you can still have the most unique holiday cards around!

The year may be coming to an end, but great things are always just beginning here in our little papermill. Christopher has officially put a deposit on our very own 10lb Hollander beater! Thats TEN POUNDS of paper goodness. Before you know it we’ll be mixing up all kinds of paper-flavored trouble! Our new beauty is being custom built and shipped to us all the way from New Zealand! We really can’t wait to say hello to our newest family member, and what’s more, we can’t wait to explore new possibilities in our papermaking! I’ll try to keep posting pictures of the progress as Mark gets her built!

You can also keep your eye on us for fantastically new fun colors of plantable paper, and new letterpressed cards and ephemera to be sold in our store and online! As always, if there’s something in particular you’d like to see us order or whip up, don’t be afraid to ask! We’re always looking for new ideas and challenges to keep us on our toes!

Keep the wonder in your winterland, Porridgians!

I guess when I said “let it snow” the winter weather heard me and took me quite seriously! Boy did it snow! and snow… and snow… and snow! I have been lucky enough to spend the last couple of days stuck at home with my kiddo. Yesterday Porridge Papers was completely closed down. Tuesday Blayne, Kim, and Christopher braved the weather and got a little work done. Now that most of the roads are cleared, we’re all back and trying to get work done. I find that the more time I’m given to spend at home, the more things I can think of that I want to do there. I could have very easily started a number of craft projects that would have kept me busy well into next week! Instead, though, I settled for getting some of my holiday baking out of the way and scrubbing my bathroom. Yesterday was spent lounging around at Christopher and his wife, Ellen’s lovely house while the munchkins played in a HUGE igloo in the backyard. (Note to those with play domes: tarp + snow = brilliant igloo). Here are a couple of pictures of our fun day in the snow!

Hooray! There’s finally snow on the ground! I know for some people that’s less of a blessing and more of a curse… but at least it looks and feels like December now. Though, lately my mind has still been filled with daydreams of camping in July. *sigh* We’ll folks, we’re in this together and there’s a LOT going on between now and camping season… let’s focus on that, shall we?

First of all, thanks so much to those of you that came by this Saturday for the Pitter-Patter of Little Printmakers event! We had a great turnout and some amazing prints were created by young and old alike! Here are a few photos of the day’s festivities:

You can check out other great photos on our Flickr page. What fun! We really need to have more little workshops like this. It’s such a great way for the local community to come in and play around with paper and projects that they might not get to explore otherwise. We’re looking for more ideas and suggestions for other similar workshops that you might be interested in. If you have any ideas please give us a shout! You can always e-mail us, or find us on Facebook or Twitter to give us your ideas an opinions. If you were lucky enough to join us on Saturday, what did you think of the activities? We’d love to hear from you!

We also have a lot of other ideas and projects under way. We’re expanding our stock line of plantable papers to include more fun, bright colors, We’ve even started talking about Valentine’s day already! There are some great ideas in the works for the 3rd annual Love on the Run. We’re really trying to get a jump on things this year. Each year this event has grown and grown. We’re anticipating this being the biggest Love on the Run yet! And we’ve got some great collaborative projects lined up to make it even better!

Some exciting things are shaping up for next year. I can’t wait to make it all happen! So much to do!!!

Hey there! Hopefully all of our wonderful readers had a fantastic holiday weekend! We sure did! And just like that… November has vanished. Funny how that happens. Oh well, time to really get into the Holiday swing! Christopher and Kim spent Friday and Saturday sprucing up the place and putting all of our fabulous holiday goodies on display. Stop by and check out the festive decor!

And clear your calendars for Saturday afternoon! We’re hosting our first ever Pitter-Patter of Little Printmakers event. We will be hosting a printmaking party for children.Bring them by and let them draw their design on printmaking foam and ink it up! Use some of our great handmade paper for great gift ideas! This workshop is free, though donations are welcome. Don’t miss it! We all know that kids make some of the best art! Be sure to tell friends and family that you think would appreciate the workshop! Space is limited so try to RSVP or call with questions. 742.5415

Don’t forget Wednesday either! We’re havig a little get-together to kickoff the holiday season in style. Stop in for our Holly Jolly Jinglebell Jubilee this Wednesday, December 2nd for home-made eggnog and cinnamon rolls. Get your holiday card and some gift shopping done and get 20% off your purchase! This will also be the last day to submit any orders for custom letterpress holiday cards. Check out the great design options below!

If you would like to be the first of your friends to know about our little events, make sure you’re signed up for our mailing list here. Can’t wait to see you there!

Holy Cow! The Holiday season is upon us! There’s much hustling and bustling around here decorating and breaking out the new Holiday cards! We’ve ordered some fantastic new cards this year from great companies including: Oddball Press, Hammerpress, Dee&Lala, Two Trick Pony, Fugu Fugu Press, Wiley Valentine, and Studio Olivine. Come in and take a look! There are gift tags, boxed sets, and tons of little gift ideas for that stationery junkie in your life!

Also this year we’re offering Personalized Letterpress Holiday Cards in sets of 25. We’re featuring six fabulous designs from Melanie over at  Lucky & Lovely. Just swing by the shop, choose your design, give us the names you’d like to have printed, then swing by between December 9th and the 11th to pick up your lovely letterpress cards! Each set of 25 cards will be $45 and will include a personalized card and coordinating envelope. All orders must be placed by December 2nd. Check out these great designs!

Clear your calendars for Wedensday December 2nd over your lunch our! Come One! Come All! Join us from 10am and 1pm as we kick off the Holiday season in style with home-made eggnog and handmade cinnamon rolls from Bread & Cup! Do some stationery shopping and save 20% on all retail items during the Jubilee. This will also be the last day to place your order for the Personalized Letterpress Holiday Cards in sets of 25. Treats are limited so get there early!

you know the holidays are coming when we have piles of paper in both the bindery and the print studio. sheets of handmade paper that have just been peeled. paper that is getting trimmed down. paper that is being printed. paper that is being die cut. boxes being shipped out day after day. yes the holidays are upon us. one more week of tight deadlines and then it is smooth sailing till the end of the year. that also means one more year that went by without us sending out a holiday card! we have thought about a january card but with our luck we might be better off with a may day card! i hope your holiday season is shaping up to be an enjoyable one. remember to take time for your self and remember the little things.

Now if you’re a fan of Blues Clues, you will have read that title in tune to the “mail time” song. If not, well, I’m sorry maybe I’ve watched too much Blues Clues. Regardless of how much children’s television programming you watch, it’s true! and it’s worth singing about!

We’re having a sale!

In case you haven’t read the Twitter or Facebook posts, Christopher just finished ordering a TON of great new stuff for the Holiday season! Dozens of cards, boxed sets, wall prints, journals, and the like are on their way to our little shop! The only problem is, shop space is limited so we’re trying to make room!!! This means that you can come in and buy yourself (or someone else) some fantastic paper paraphernalia and save 20% on all retail items in the store excluding custom invitations and announcements. Cards, notebooks, prints, paper! Its all fair game, so come and get it! This sale will last until our first box of Holiday goodies arrives, so shop while it lasts!

And while you’re in, don’t forget to ask us if we have any more of the truffle boxes for sale, we still have a handful left over from the party and they’re going fast so get your hands on some of these delectable delights for only $5!

See you soon, Porridgians!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! Getting feedback and hearing kind words from our fans and clients is one of the BIGGEST reasons that we love doing what we do. We recently got a very sweet letter from one of our mailing list recipients that was able to come to our anniversary party. Here’s some of what she had to say:

“I especially want to thank you for extending an invitation to your Sweet 16 party to a few extra people like myself.  You and your associates are so tremendously creative, that it was an honor to be there.  Loved all your black and pink decor…. your cake of cakes…. what a terrific event.

Jeanne”

Jeanne has since come back in to pick up some more chocolates to give out as gifts. What a lovely gesture! I’m so glad that our goodies are really being appreciated by our followers! Thanks, Jeanne! And thanks to the rest of our fabulous fans!

Speaking of fabulous, it’s time to announce the winners of our Schwag Bag giveaway!! We posted to our blog, and to our Facebook page to see what people were willing to do for our goody bag and the most creative answers won!

Deb responded to the Facebook quote and offered to come dance on one of the presses in heels…  while that may not be the safest thing, we certainly have a tabletop or two that would do the trick! I can’t wait for her to come in and we can post some pictures!

Lea was the winner from the blog post. She’s offered to take her bag with her everywhere and essentially become a walking advertisement for her favorite local papermill! We’ll have get a couple of shots snapped of Lea out and about in Porridgian style!

Congrats guys! How fun!

here is a new piece we just finished! it was a long time in the making but i think it was well worth the wait. what better way to promote your company or event that you are going green then to use plantable paper for your packaging! this bamboo plate was wrapped with our handmade paper embedded with lettuce and tomato seeds. the paper was printed on our 100 year old letterpress in 3 colors.