My mother-in-law has exceptional taste. She dresses well and does so on a reasonable budget, she knows the proper etiquette for just about every social scenario, and she's always on top of whatever trend is sweeping the nation.
In this instance, she had already purchased, mounted, and framed one of our large Olivia the Octopus tutu art prints. She kept asking me, "Are you doing any other sea themed animals? What about a seahorse?"
So, Casey & I worked on a seahorse. It looked very cool, and, as non-urgent projects often do, it ended up getting shoved aside during the rush to get new holiday designs done in time. And my mother-in-law waited patiently, only asking me about the seahorse a few times before letting the subject go.
Knowing I had let her down and knowing that the seahorse was probably back-burnered til next summer, I decided that a really fun & wild sea-based tutu animal was called for. I thought, "If she liked the idea of the seahorse, I bet she'll LOVE a jellyfish."
Turns out putting a jellyfish into a tutu is NO JOKE. I worked on the comp for an entire day just to get it to a point where I could send the concept over to Casey for Round 1 of our design process. Then, Casey waved her wand and did her magic, and sent the illustrated file back to me for my next contribution to the process. Once the design was laid out, I spent another full day creating bubbles and painting in the highlights/lowlights to make the image "pop".
And, once everything was done, I realized this piece was BEGGING to be turned into a larger composition. When we started doing the calendar, I immediately knew the summer months needed to feature our coastal designs. And, thanks to my mother-in-law's patience, we now had the perfect design for the job. Since I was once stung by a Man-of-War jelly-ish fish in August (I guess they're technically not jellyfish, but tell that to my screaming nerves!!), it seemed the clear winner.
And there you have it! The story behind how August's calendar design ended up swimming with the fishes.
]]>I know, I know. You've all been as excited as me (Carlene) to see these new calendars in their completion. They've probably kept you up at night wondering, "When will GP&P finally post the full lineup?"
No? That's only happening to me? Weird.
Well, GOOD NEWS! Even if you haven't been as excited as me, your mild curiosity is now quenched! Behold, all the months of our 2017 poster calendars.
We're only doing a limited run of these 2017 calendars, and when they're gone, that's it! The pre-order early birds grabbed up over 30% of our stock, so make sure to get yours before they're gone.
Here are a few FAQs:
Are these bound?
No. Poster calendars are individual art prints which can be framed and displayed like artwork, or hung up casually with small or large binder clips or bulldog clips.
How do I hang them on my wall?
Anything from clips to a photo frame will work! If framing, simply pop the month into the frame, just like you would a photograph. Then, hang the frame on the wall! Most 11x14" frames will work. Some folks get fancy and frame larger using a photo mat!
I don't like hanging photos, what should I do?
Not a problem! Any 11x14" frame with a standing back will allow you to display the month on a side table, on a piano, on a shelf, etc.
Where do I keep the extra months if I'm using a frame?
Each calendar arrives packaged in a resealable bag, which is perfect for storing the unused months.
How large are they?
11x14", a standard photo size.
Hello from Albany, NY!
The holiday season is always a big deal in the greeting card world (helloooo holiday cards!), and it's no different over here at Greymount Paper & Press.
I (Carlene) worked hard to get designs together for Casey to illustrate, and while I've hit a few mental roadblocks -- creativity is such a finicky mistress, isn't she? -- I love what we've come up with so far!
In addition to our popular "Oh So Helpful!" animal holiday series, we have some great new designs for you for the 2016 holiday season.
Our pug Christmas card was the first new design to hit the shelves for 2016.
This versatile card is already a huge hit with our Christmas and Hanukkah "I get my cards out in November" earlybirds.
(Seriously, how do you stay on top of things like that, Earlybirds?)
All our holiday cards are also available in bulk 15-packs for a great price (only $20)! If your card list is loooong, this is our most cost-efficient option to send a smile to everyone.
Otter Christmas Card Sneak-Peek
Coming soon:our otter Christmas card design!
This design has already received great feedback from our in-person customers. I just can't resist showing in-progress designs to my fellow greeting card aficionados!
Here's a sneak peek!
2017 Calendars: Pre-Order Today!
Also coming soon: 2017 poster calendars!
We're doing a limited run, so make sure to reserve yours today -- when they're gone, they're gone!
On a recent visit to the L.L. Bean superstore in Freeport, Maine, we discovered poster calendars are the trend which has come to save us all from boring wall calendars.
Poster calendars are meant to be framed and hung up on the wall as a functional piece of art which changes every month! Added bonus: you can write on the picture frame glass using dry-erase markers.
Thanks for reading! I'll catch you in our next blog post!