And She's One of a Kind

We just did this custom hand calligraphied invitation for a very special 80th birthday celebration. The calligraphy and original art created by professional Linda Carol, design by Orrganics.

My Girlfriend is an Astronaut (Well, soon)

My friend wants to be an astronaut and when she sets her mind to something, it happens. Already she jumps out of planes, off cliffs and globe rides. FYI - globe riding (v.) is defined as " the sport of rolling down a hill inside an inflatable ball" and, here in the USA, you too can experience life inside a Zorb globe at a place near Dollywood. Note to all my family and friends, I am happy to support her in this endeavor but from the ground - no way am I signing up for a girls' weekend of space adventures in zero gravity. I like my food staying right where it is.

So, our post dinner conversation brought us to discussion of this oh so impressively high aspiration and I am thinking (1) my goals are not quite as lofty, and (2) she should document her time up in there, but will she be able to write while in zero gravity? What kind of paper will she write on? What about the pen? Will it work up there? Will it explode? I seem to recall hearing something about a space pen while watching a Seinfeld episode years back. So, after a simple Google search, I located the original space pen - the one used by NASA in every manned mission since Apollo 7 in 1969. So, when she graduates, she will be getting an original space pen - engraved of course.

By the way, it may be a bit premature, but we are already planning her Astronaut business card; it will include her name and say ASTRONAUT, but we are not sure what to do about the contact info.

Single "over the moon" letterpress card with patterned envelope above is $4 by Smock. Great for congrats, love or other remarkable sentiments. Also available in sets. Other space motif items also available. Contact me via email: jackie@orrganics.com if interested.

Green, Naturally

This time of year on the east coast is especially lush and lovely. I recently had an awesome morning walking the trails at Honey Hollow in Solebury Township, PA with my daughter and her friends. So green. So beautiful. And historic too. We loved listening to the sounds of nature and looking up through the tree canopies. It was really relaxing and inspiring - it is also a great setting for an outdoor cocktail party... gotta get to work on that one!

Good in Bangladesh

Good pineapple is so refreshing and if it is not pre-cut, it takes a lot of effort to get to the fruit of the matter - tough skin to cut through and leaves to remove. All to waste. Well not for some people. The wrap on my wedding invitation is made from pineapple leaves. This paper is beautifully and proudly made by women in Bangladesh who are part of a Fair Trade Certified Co-op called Prokritree (meaning "nature" in Bangla).

"Prokritee is dedicated to hiring women who are head-of-households (widows, divorcees, or separated), have little, if any income, and have few or no assets. Paper is made of local sustainable materials such as water hyacinth, hemp and pineapple leaves. Their screen printing skills are excellent and they are constantly creating new designs. Prokritee welcomes customization (if there is time, mailing samples back and forth to Bangladesh takes awhile) and De Milo has been very pleased with our custom orders. Read more about Prokritee online at www.prokritee.com. "
From the Sustain & Heal website.

Sustain & Heal is an artisan line of beautiful letterpressed papers and invitations created by Annika Buxman in 2008.  After many telephone conversations I finally had the pleasure of meeting Annika in person last month at The National Stationery Show. She helped me create a dream invitation that I still feel good about on so many levels. 

My cousin lived in Bangladesh for a while; below are a few photographs from her time there.

Are You a Crab?

Lately I have been discussing habitats with my daughter who will proudly tell you she has crabs. Of course,  this may mean something quite different to you than it does to a 10 year old. She just means she has 2 pet fiddler crabs named May and June and they are in a plastic container with bright blue rocks, a "swimming hole", a tree and other items necessary to simulate a "natural" environment in which they can flourish, lose their outer shell, play, swim and eat. So far, our "natural" habitat is working. But are we missing anything? Are the sounds of our household a problem - they really aren't typical for a crab habitat? I don't really think it will be a problem.
But what about intrusions into our everyday lives that are our of the ordinary. Intrusions like too much noise, nastiness and other unwarranted stresses can be as very toxic to a living environment. Hmmm...

FYI - fiddler crabs are about an inch long. The males have one larger claw than the other; hence "fiddlers". They are not used to make soft shell crabs (click for recipe).

Well, gotta go tend the crabs now. They are molting.

If you really love crabs but don't want the responsibility, this personalized self inking stamp is for you ($40). Use it over and over again.

Do You Want Some Cheddar Caulifower? No Cheese Added.

Our local Farmer's Market here in New Hope is something I look forward to every week. We try to get there early - right after school as they are still setting up. Yesterday we were all over the cheddar cauliflower and the lush looking beets. Of course, we couldn't resist these HUGE and decadent chocolate yogurt cupcakes from Comfortfood by Chef Kim Quay. (We like her Granola too!)

Roast the cauliflower with extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt - yummy. 

The New Hope Farmers' Market is on Thursdays from 3:30 to 7, located at the High School. Rain or Shine.

Paper Tuesday - Sitting Pretty

Regular Business Cards 


Not a chance!
Bamboo paper makes quite a statement for invitations, stationery and absolutely sets apart your business cards. Bamboo is in the grass family and it is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet. Sustainable. Replenishing.*  Bamboo has been used to make paper for a very long time. (Think ancient China.) High quality bamboo paper can be pricey but the quality is evident all over the page. The bamboo paper used for our Smock design here feels smooth and luxurious. Click on the link to learn about the various qualities of this sensational paper.

* People can disagree about the net environmental benefits of its use as paper but they cannot disagree about it lusciousness.

Wooden Ya Know

"What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player."

John Wooden, exalted man and basketball coach of the UCLA BRUINS passed away last night. He is said to be the greatest college coach in history who, aside from his incredible streak of NCAA championships (10) and his "first" of being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach, is attributed with an unbelievable number of quotes about life and the game. (Reference LA TimesSports Blog.) His words of wisdom extend beyond sports. ( I am thinking better than motivational greeting cards here people.)

On June 2, last Wednesday night, if you haven't heard by now, during the baseball game between The Detroit Tigers and The Cleveland Indians, Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed of a "Perfect Game" in the ninth inning, with 1 out to go. Umpire Jim Joyce made a bad call that left a man on first base, thus ending the chance for a perfect game. It was a mistake. There was outrage; replays on TV show quite clearly that the call was bad and really it was a perfect game. But baseball does not use instant replay so the call stands. The Perfect Game remains, in the record books, a Non-Perfect Game.

After the game, Jim Joyce, with tears said regrettably and sincerely that he made a mistake. Armando gracefully moved on. publicly recognized his mistake. What the fans got was not a perfect game but a display of integrity, grace and class.

Sportsmanship, grace, kindness and forgiveness for a major mistake in the world of sports. Life lessons delivered from the playing field - the beauty of sport.

A Fruit Cocktail

Over Memorial Day Weekend we had a lot of fun in the hot, hot sun and we made our own version of a fruit cocktail - not truly remarkable but fresh and fruity. This is pretty strong straight up and definitely NOT for children so, if you have kids around, label it because it looks very tempting.

How to:
Cut up a fresh pineapple into cubes.
Put the cubes into a pitcher of vodka.
Let it soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Voila!
Easy Homemade (almost) pineapple vodka.