Happy Father's Day!

Here's to all you great dads out there! This is my dad, Richard Henderson Howard. You can call him Henderson, H, Henders, Der or almost anything that sounds similar. My dad's nicknames for me have included Cucky, Grippie, the Grip, Monkey, Monk & Champ. I'm still called Champ and I love & deserve it ;)

Because my blog was so very young this time last year, I've taken the opportunity to republish my Father's Day post from last year with a few additional photographs :)

Here we are at my grandparents, his parents, in Newport News, Va.
This photo below is with my great grandmother, Pom Pom (my mom's grandma) in our apartment at Carriage Hill in Richmond, Va.
                 Below, my dad as a young boy. This is one of my favorite pictures of him. 


As a kid, dad spent his summers fishing and crabbing in the James River in Newport News. His childhood was pretty close to idyllic and I think the family's eccentricities contributed to his individualistic outlook. I remember Grandma Howard as a sharp, witty and very pretty woman, while my grand dad, Head (as in head of the household) being hard to know, at least from my young perspective. Dad had one older brother, Morris, who I thought was just the most fun. I especially loved Duchess, their beautiful boxer.

Above, 1968 with his college buddies, clockwise from left-- Bob Arthur, dad, Paul Pascarosa, Bruce Behrman, Bob Hungerford, Donald Butler (seated). Below, my parents and friends with Les McCann. You may have seen this in my recent Mother's day post. They've seen countless jazz greats perform including Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.

Dad remains friends with Donald & Bob, unfortunately Paul died in the early 1980s. My parents met at the University of Richmond, a beautiful campus in Richmond. Below, my dad with Donald, who hosts a wonderful Christmas Eve (eve) Party each year! He's an amazing chef :)

I am very lucky that both my parents love animals. Animals particularly take to my dad. Here I am with our 1st pet, Cubby. I found him while playing outside and because our apartment didn't allow pets, we had to hide him until we moved. I thought that was kind of fun. We always joked that he's the reason we found a house, but think it was in the works already.


This was one of the sweetest dogs in the world, Ricky! Once we moved, our neighbors, the Clements (family of 8) baby sat me during the week and their dog had puppies. I spent each morning with them. I was sooooooo happy we took in Ricky.

Here are Bruiser and Ilsa. These were two beautiful Golden Retrievers we had. Bruiser was another incredibly sweet dog and Ilsa, who meant well, had a habit of eating album covers, toys, magazines, cake, anything she could get her paws on.

This is Jake, a fairly crazy dog, but we loved him & he adored my dad!! A friend of mine found him during my last year of college and I kept him. He had some behavorial issues and an eye injury, so hard to imagine finding him a home. I lived in the fan district of Richmond, attending VCU. On his way home from work, dad would often check in on Jake, especially days when I waitressed after classes. When I moved to NYC, my parents took him for me. They had 3 dogs for awhile. Jake and my dad were best friends until Jake passed in 2003. Now, they have 2 cats, Panda (below) and a funny black & white cat, aptly called BW. He basically found my dad by coming to the backyard for visits.


Panda worships my dad. Below, her competition, BW captures his attention ;)

We think he was mistaken for a Spider Monkey by a neighbor one night last summer. An alert went out, but no one else ever spotted a monkey in the area. A minor mystery ;)

Our house... I know dad doesn't think I care about the yard, but I am very proud of all the work he does to keep it nice!





Mom likes to take photos of us in the kitchen for some reason, think you can tell in top one that we are pretending to be in the middle of a conversation. Below is a picture of dad in a T-Shirt he designed. He often draws funny characters on cards mom sends & I used Cafepress to have these 3 faces printed out. We refer to this design as Triple Threat.


My parents have always been great to my friends and my friends seem to enjoy them just as much! This is an old shot with Marshal (far left) & Kelly (right), two close pals from college. Interesting puffy, blonde hair-dos on the ladies :D

Below is my great uncle Tommy who died last spring. I'm happy I found this photo of him with my father in better times.

I've included these photos of my dad visiting horses, because I think it shows his genuinely kind nature. This must be why animals are so drawn to him.





Yep, that's Ashanti!

I have been blessed with parents who have always been involved in my life. My dad is a unique person who speaks his mind, has his own way of looking at situations and has a great sense of humor. I have always respected his opinions, his open-mindedness, belief in equality, fairness and justice.

Finally, I just want to say Thank You Dad...

Thank You for teaching me to swim, to build a sandcastle, ride a bike, write a check, drive a car (including clutch)... Thank You for playing nerf ball at the apt pool, keeping Cubby, taking care of Jake, volunteering as a timer at every single summer swim meet, being an extra parent to my friends, driving me up to NYU in a Ryder truck, honking with abandon in the streets of New York... Thank You for taking an interest in everything I do, being so funny, being a good Democrat, pulling through a tough illness & taking such good care of yourself since, taking care of mom when she needed it most... Thank you for teaching me patience, though not by example ;)

Believe it or not, I think about something you've said to me over the years, almost every single day! I LOVE You! Have a Very Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!!

Above is my Grandaddy Rice, my mom's dad, no longer with us, but a very good father and granddad!!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! It's a very important job!!!

xo, Allyn

*Party Time* My NSS Finale!

All good things must come to an end and this post concludes my coverage of the National Stationery Show 2010. My intention had been to publish one, maybe two parts on the show, similar to the way I covered the Gift Show this year. My focus was on the smaller, more independent designers, but I happened to love a lot of the designs and companies exhibiting this year. It was a real treat talking to designers that I admire, to learn about their process and business practices. This finale includes stationery, party supply, gift items and wall decor.

One of my favorite stops was Party Partners! I had a great time talking with Timothy Siciliano, who shows off his new shirt from Daffy's here. Originally called Daffy Dan's Bargain Town, Daffy's is a popular discount store here in NYC. It takes a real man to pull off a polka dot patterned shirt and Timothy did so beautifully ;)

As you can see, Party Partners specializes in party favors, decorations, hats, candles, cupcake sleeves and toppers with a fun retro appeal. Located in Seattle, Washington they run a wholesale and retail site, offering their super cute and colorful party decorations and gifts. You name it, they just may have it! I would definitely wear one of these animal hats :D



Below is Tami Rasmussen of Tam Tam Design. This was only her 2nd time exhibiting at the National Stationery Show. Last year, her debut collection won both "Rising Star" and "Card of the Year" Louie Awards, basically the stationery trade's version of the "Oscars" ;)

Tami launched Tam Tam Design Studio in late 2007 as a creative outlet and to share her love of correspondence with others. It's difficult to see in the photos, but her cards are delicately embellished with glitter for that subtle touch of sparkle!

Her current line includes the NEW skinny cards (above), boxed note sets and her signature greeting cards (below). I love the notebook style with sweet ribbon enclosure :)


As I mentioned in my post on Letterpress, she and Kelly Maron of Paper Stories Letterpress invited 12 terrific paper companies to participate in a calendar treasure hunt. Buyers were encouraged to collect a month from each participating booth. The calendar runs from the end of this show to the beginning of the next in 2011 and includes designs by Night Owl Paper Goods, Sycamore Street Press, Two Trick Pony, Paper Stories, L2 Design Collective, EcoJot, Pie Bird Press, Kamal, Bird Dog Press, Paper Loop and Susy Jack.

*This image above from Bird Dog Press

Papaya! is a favorite of mine :D For several years I've purchased their cards for the beautiful colors and sweet imagery, like little bunnies and birds. At this show, I had a chance to see the wide array of designs and products they create. The saturated colors drew me to their fabulous looking booth and I didn't realize until now just how much they have to offer!


I would have loved to have met the mother and daughter team behind this creative force, but Elijah Katkin, Director of Business Development, was a friendly substitute ;) Founded by Gina and Anahata Katkin Papaya! was started in 2003 with a mere 20 blank greeting card designs.
"Knowing they wanted to share a visual perspective of global culture, brave imagery and powerful color, Papaya! was born." Many of the original designs were from Anahata's art journals and adapted for print.



Now a thriving company, in addition to cards, they sell lines of wrapping paper, tote bags, necklaces, water bottles, calendars, address books, journals, wall decor and more!! Visit their blog and see the newest collections :)


Impossible for me to walk by a booth this vibrant with images of robots, plus a designer hiding behind his products ;)

Coelacanth Gifts and Accessories (pronounced "see-la-kanth") also known as Robot, specializes in fun, funky designs that combine a contemporary aesthetic with a nod to the nostalgic.


This is Moon Yee Yee, the Marketing Director, above. She was lovely to speak with and I learned that they sell three series, Robot & Rocket, Art Museum and Pirate Robot, now that's a category! These lines include recyclable bags, melamine tableware, pencil cases, stainless steel water bottles, luggage tags and so much more...


Shinzi Katoh is not only a very famous Japanese artist, but a much admired and influential Zakka designer. The aesthetic and design style grew out of Japan and focuses on household items that enhance an environment.
Shinzi describes Zakka as "the things that make people happy and exist like a comfortable air. That is what we keep in our heart when we create new design." His career took off in the '70s and he continues to design a wide array of household items, as well as T-Shirts, tote bags, bento boxes, stationery and more, plus he's had over 20 children's books published over the years!





Greeting Life America was exhibiting some of his new products here. They also sell other lines of Japanese greeting cards.


In the summer of 2006, Carrie Siegel, below, and Laurie Mee launched Two Trick Pony, after agreeing that one trick just did not sound impressive enough ;) Their line of cards are screen-printed using water-based inks on 100% recycled materials. Their images are sharp and crisp!! Visit their blog to see some of the process take shape.


I think they merge retro style with clean design perfectly. Their cards and invitations are all very appealing! You can browse their line of invitations at Big Cartel and purchase stationery from their Etsy Shop Two Trick Pony offers digital printing for their line of invitations as an alternative to silkscreening, for those of us who need to save on costs.

Their blog, The Pony Express also includes a nice round up of the Stationery Show. Fun to see who they liked this year :)


Love this Home collection!


Below, my studio with the sample peel & stick chalkboard from Wallies a division of the McCall Pattern Company.

Specializing in peel & stick decor, Wallies' product lines include murals, big & small, growth charts, dry erase boards, chalkboards, vinyl decals, cut-outs, etc. Best to visit their website for the impressive range :D


Of course, I paint custom murals, which you can't beat for creating a completely unique space for your child. However, these products are quite cute, engaging for kids and cost less than a custom commission. I see the appeal :)

Above is Julie Campbell, who was very nice and happened to be wearing the perfect coat, complimenting the sweet woodland growth chart behind her.

Below, the set as it comes in the package.

Wallies sells many styles and not only for children's rooms. I simply like those best!


RoomMates, a division of York Wallcoverings, is another company specializing in peel & stick decor. They, too create very cute designs for children's rooms and more!

*Now through Friday, June 25th *Receive a 15% discount on their delightful decor by simply typing "BLIPADEE" in the coupon code box located in the shopping cart section* Click here to browse the collection :D A great deal!!!




You have some freedom in how you decide to hang pieces and the great thing is that it's all removable, repositionable & reusable, mistake-free DIY!



Below, is Elie Bashoura of Nouvelles Images, one of my very favorite companies for postcards and wall decor. He informed me that they were the 1st to create wall decals or Home Stickers as their line is called. They have a fantastic selection from cute fun styles for kids' rooms to modern cool designs for adults :)




Stacks of books! That's pretty great, if you don't already have too many stacks of real ones around like I do ;)


Vespa! Who wouldn't love this in their clean cool & inspired design office?



"Why should a work of art only be visible inside a museum or gallery?" Club de Nouvelles Images was founded in 1957 by Jacques and Nicole Blanc in Paris for subscribers interested in art, cards, objects, books, etc.

The founders asked artists of the time for permission to publish their work as postcards. Gradually they began selling their production in bookshops. In 1963, Nouvelles Images was established in Lombreuil, a village in the Loiret, and was dedicated to producing 20th Century art cards. The club had therefore turned into a small publishing company. Click here to read more about their history.

I've had this postcard of Matisse with birds on my wall for many many years :)




They currently publish reproductions of paintings, drawings, illustration, black & white and color photography as home stickers, postcards, greeting cards, prints & posters, canvas prints and calendars. I love so many, it was hard to choose what to share here :)
Finally, it's time for a nice glass of wine...

Mother and daughter team, Val and Sara Rossi exhibited their line of Drink Me Gift Tags for wine bottles at this year's show for the 1st time. Attached to a loop of ribbon, each card slides easily over the top. Choose from charming, clever, funny or elegant designs.


I've already used my sample card as a gift. It's especially perfect for those rare times when you're running late ;)

Thanks for coming by to celebrate my final post on this year's Stationery Show! I hope you've enjoyed it and even found a few new companies you'd like to purchase from and follow :)

xo, Allyn