2009 Holiday Gift Guide

Here's a list of stuff we like right now; that would probably make good gifts.

1. The Jonathan Adler Barbie. The other day I was trolling eBay for some Jonathan Adler pillow shams, and I discovered that my man has designed a new Malibu Barbie.

2. Dry Shampoo. A recent article in Glamour magazine quotes a stylist from a fancy salon in New York City who states that women should wash their hair no more than twice a week. Jessiker and I found a nice selection of dry shampoo at Ulta.

3. Lindt Lindor Truffles. I actually have one in my mouth right now as I type this. I try to keep them around the house as much as I can. They taste like really expensive chocolate, but they don't cost a whole lot of money.

4. Poppytalk. an artist market on the web, curated in Canada. Kitter loves it.

5. Chandrika Soap. Kitter turned me on to this soap back in high school. It can usually be found at your local health food store, and is about $2 per bar. It smells fantastic, and even comes in a red white and green box. Perfect!

6. Rainbows Happen. A kids coloring book written and illustrated by yours truly. Now available on amazon.com. Eligible for free shipping.

7. Starbucks Via. (aka: instant coffee) I know how to select good coffee beans, and I know how to properly brew a cup of coffee. Yet, coffee never tastes good to me when I make it for myself. Now that I have been able to overcome this challenge with Starbucks Via, my life has improved dramatically.

8.Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers This is the only brand of lip color that Kitter will wear. I finally bought one for myself because I wanted to see what's so great about it. The price is great ($5). Also, some dudes find waxy artificial looking lip colors to be repulsive, but all the single ladies won't need to worry about that with Burt's Bees minty fresh all natural tinted lip shimmers.

9. Rosy Cheeks Big Sister dolls. I gave this as a gift at an adoption shower recently, and it was a huge hit. The doll is all cloth; yet she wears cute outfits. This seems to be a tremendous breakthrough in doll technology. When I was a kid, my dolls were either soft and cuddly with ugly outfits, or they were hard and plastic with cute outfits.

10. Pink Saturday is Talulah B's annual holiday shopping spectacular in Cabbagetown. The event is this Saturday, Dec 12th, from 11am-4pm. Come on out and see the wares from Fiona Lottamore, Sweet Talkin Lola, The Sudstress, The Akola Bead Project, Talulah B Designs, and Concrete Lace.

Success Lives Here.

First of all, a big thank you to our fabulous supporters. Thanks to you, I have acquired my very own brand new MacBook, and I love it love it love it.

We have sold out of our first run of screenprinted holiday cards with the Pool, Sage, Cement, and Leaf color scheme.

We still have 5 or 6 packages from the original run, so if you want them please let us know ASAP.

Meanwhile, I printed more yesterday, with a whole new color palette of cardstock (including Glamorous Gold).

Okay, so remember when I said that when we sold out of our first run of holiday cards we would print more, but not with white ink?

Well, we changed the plan. Kitter and I unanimously agreed that with our white envelopes and colored cardstock, the white ink really does look best.

Our letterpress gift tags were a huge hit, and we have completely sold out of them on our Etsy site. We are now in the process of developing some gift tags to match the holiday cards.

In other news, our handpainted holiday ornaments featuring Kitter's Limited Edition Handwriting are now available at Urban Cottage; and our holiday cards are available at Park Grounds, our neighborhood's beloved doggie park/coffee shop.

Again: Thanks so much to everyone who ordered cards and coloring books from us.

You awesome.

Variety is the spice of life.

The 2009 holiday cards are now ready to ship.

"Limited Edition" is one of Kitter's favorite expressions, and she loves to knock on doors and impersonate The Traveling Salesman from Pee Wee's Playhouse: "We're going door to door to give you this incredible offer!"

Click here to see the offer, but you need to act now. When this run is sold out, we will print more, but not with white ink.

(Trivia: Screenprinting and engraving are the only two methods that allow for white ink to print on colored paper. Engraving is simply not affordable for most people, and screenprinting is what we have here.) Either way, cards with white ink will always stand out.

Click here to order your set of four cards for $11.50, and know that you are doing a very good deed. 100% of the proceeds from Concrete Lace card sales support a fund to replace my beloved computer, which passed away on October 3.

I appreciate every sale and every referral if you know anyone who might appreciate a set of limited edition hand printed holiday cards.

Top Ten

10. Premium Saltines. And they are even better with an ice cold can of Coke Cola.

9. Purple. Mom hates purple. So do I. However, I have received several nudges from The Universe telling me I need to drop by bad attitude about purple. Today I completed a collage with the most fantastic purple color scheme. It would be perfect for a little girl's room.

8. Instant Coffee. If anything is instant, I want it because the implication is: magical. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an adult. Thus, I was obsessed with the International Flavors of instant coffee that come in the square tin with the powdered creamer already added. I had totally forgotten that this stuff existed until my yoga teacher said she drinks it. Kitter and I got a tin of Cafe Francais (they were out of Cafe Vienna), and I tell you what. It's not bad.

7. Big Sister Dolls. Shopping for babies is a total snooze fest. Luckily, our friends in Savannah are adopting a 4 year old little angel from Ethiopia. So we get to buy cool stuff. Such as a cloth doll with fancy little outfits. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

6. Coco Chanel Eau de Parfum This is my favorite time of the year to wear Coco Chanel. It smells rich, dark, loud, and fancy. It is much too heavy to wear during the summer, but too warm to wear during the dead of winter. NOW is the time. I ran out, so Jessiker is letting me borrow her bottle. Isn't that sweet?

5. Ceylon Tea. The other day at work we had a sample of some Ceylon tea, and good lord a glory, it was mighty fine. I think it might have been the finest tea I've ever tasted. It was much more mellow than the Assam tea that I've been drinking lately. (Trivia: Ceylon comes from Sri Lanka, Assam is from India)

4. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. When Kitter and Paul went shrimping, she left this book at my house. I didn't think I would like it, but I sure as hell did. This book is a huge bestseller, and is pretty much an international classic.

3. Shrimpers. When Jessiker and I went to Baton Rouge a few weeks ago, we passed a giant billboard in Biloxi that says, "Going to Louisiana to eat imported shrimp? We doubt it! DEMAND LOUISIANA SHRIMP!"

2. Sinead O'Connor. for obvious reasons. Black Boys on Mopeds being one of them.

1. Electric Staple Guns. One of my pieces sold over the weekend (yay!), so I had a legitimate reason to go shopping for art supplies this afternoon. I'm not 100% convinced that stretching my own canvas is more cost effective, but I need very specific sizes, and the pre-stretched deals just aren't available in every size. My art professor in college was adamant about paintings being worth more if the artist stretches their own canvas (something about vibes). Today I busted out my electric staple gun and the jar of Gesso, and went to town. Now I have that extra feeling of accomplishment that I just don't get when I use the pre-stretched canvases.

This feeling that I have is worth the extra money.

Fat Stacks of Paper

Kitter and I have been very busy doing cost analysis and color strategy for our line of 2009 holiday cards.

People are always tripping out about Fair Trade Coffee, and are willing to pay significantly more money for coffee produced by companies who pay workers a fair wage. Please remember that people have just as much right to demand transparent business practices from their holiday card suppliers as well. Here are some thoughts I like to consider when buying or producing a paper product:

-Are the cards printed on recycled paper with post consumer content?

-Is the paper made in mills in a foreign country, or in a mill that provides jobs to American workers?

-Wonder if the printing equipment was purchased from salespeople in the United States?

-Did a living human artist design the illustration, graphic or typography on the card?

-Wonder if the people who print the cards are nearby and earning a fair living wage? (...it could be quite possible that many holiday cards in today's marketplace are printed in a far away land by mothers and children working 15 hour days in a rat infested work area with no toilet paper, running water, or hand sanitizer...)

I am very proud to work part time for one of the finest paper producers in the United States, based in Chicago. People think I'm crazy because I am willing to pay for cards and envelopes that cost twice as much as an Office Depot envelope, even with my employee discount.

But you know what? I don't care. I vote with my money, and I try to spend all of it on stuff that has good vibes. Cards have vibes. This is an undisputable fact, and as a card reader, you have my word that Concrete Lace holiday cards are made with 100% loving intentions for our customers, our planet, and the American economy.

I cannot wait for y'all to feel the paper, and see the color stories that Kitter and I are going to tell with these cards. They are not going to be cheesy holiday colors, I'll tell you that right now. We are leaning towards classic winter monochrome stories, but will know for sure when we test the paper and ink together this weekend.

Please stay tuned!

Thanks so much for your support. We love it. We will send out an email blast when we are ready to showcase the line and accept orders. If you would like to join our mailing list, please subscribe in the box at the top right hand side of this page. You will need to confirm your subscription by clicking the link that is emailed to the address you enter into the box.

Today's visual aid features a painted column in Atlanta's colorful Krog Street tunnel.

Ponchos, Cheese Straws, and Holiday Cards

I am still reading The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as you Start, Build, or Manage a Business by Martha Stewart.

Good Lord a glory. I love it. I know I already said that, but I really mean it this time.

Check out this passage. Martha writes:

When I was released from Alderson, I wore a beautiful, hand-knit poncho that one of the other women had made for me. That poncho was a symbol of the generosity and goodwill I experienced during my stay there. So I themed one of the upcoming segments on my television show "Poncho Day"; we've received 10,000 requests for 164 places in the audience. Can't you just see how it will look in the fall in New York City--a line of 164 people wearing variously colored ponchos standing outside our studios on 26th street?

Mom knitted me a poncho once. It was pink and orange. (That means I'm cool like Martha Stewart.) Now if I can round up 163 friends who have ponchos, maybe we can all stand in line somewhere and have Poncho Day in Atlanta.

Today's visual aid features Kitter making cheese straws. Neither Kitter nor I have been successful at our cheese straw making attempts: one recipe was too stiff and would not squeeze through the pastry pipe. Another recipe appeared to be just fine, but turned into cheese blobs when baked in the oven.

PLEASE send us a good recipe for cheese straws if you have one! The holidays are coming up. And while I do love me some Geraldine's Cheese Straws from the box on the shelf at Whole Foods Market, it is more fun to give homemade cheese straws as gifts, since everyone else is baking sweets.

Speaking of the holidays, please be informed that Kitter and I are creating a line of holiday cards that we will print on our Yudu printer, and sell to all who appreciate holiday cards that are printed by hand in Atlanta, GA on paper that is made in the United States of America.

Cash is king.

Yesterday I was hanging out behind the counter at Urban Cottage with Ms Gail and Heather D. We were having a grand ole time eating nachos from Taco Mac, flipping through the new Sundance catalog, sipping Coke Colas, speculating on whether or not a particular good looking male customer was heterosexual... when suddenly Murray came into the store.

Murray is a Virginia Highland neighborhood celebrity, or what some might refer to as a street person, or a bum. I don't live in Virginia Highland (aka VaHi), so I was a little shocked the first few times I witnessed my VaHi friends giving him the keys to their cars. Turns out Murray "owns a corporation" (car wash). He has washed my car a few times, and in all seriousness, he really does an outstanding job.

He has very black skin and carries a backpack. He usually wears a bandana on his head, and if it's hot outside he puts it in his pocket and uses it to wipe sweat from his forehead. When I'm driving to work, I recognize his carefree body language if I see him walking down the sidewalk. He always smiles and waves.

We suspect he likes to buy beers at the Chevron with his extra money. We are pretty sure he doesn't get into liquor or hard drugs, because we've been interacting with him for almost 2 years now, and he's always steady and calm and happy.

He has never come inside the store to ask us for anything. As a matter of fact, he rarely asks us for anything at all, because he knows we'll catch up with him on the sidewalk and we enjoy giving him a few extra dollars here and there.

So yesterday he came inside the store and asked Ms Gail for five dollars. Ms Gail paused and said, "not today Murray." Murray said he understood, and walked outside. Ms Gail was heartbroken, she really wanted to give him the money, but it is against the unspoken rules of the VaHi business association to give streetpeople money inside the stores.

Later in the afternoon Ms Gail spotted him on the sidewalk across the street from the store. She took five dollars out of the drawer and asked me to give it to him. She had a feeling he really needed it. There were cars coming, so by the time I crossed the street, Murray had disappeared. I followed the path he was most likely to take, and called his name at the next intersection.

I saw someone stop on the sidewalk, and I walked toward him with the cash in my hand. I said, "Murray, we found something for you." and I gave him the cash. He looked me in the eye with a smile that I will never forget, and he said, "Thank you, Carla." Murray always smiles. But this one was a smile of the deepest gratitude I've ever seen.

When I got back to the store Ms Gail said, "Five bucks isn't going to really do anything for any of us. But it will change his life for a few hours."

Today's visual aid features cash found in the laundry a few weeks ago. At first it was six dollars found in the lint filter. Then six more dollars on the carpet next to the detergent. Then fives and ones started flying out of the dryer. I remember how happy I was when unexpected money came out of my washer and dryer, and maybe that is how Murray feels sometimes.