
2013 National Stationery Show – Colors Part II – Yellow-Based Greens
Acidic Greens – from Chartreuse to Olive Yellow-based greens were big at the show, and seem to have gone even more acidic than past years. From bright chartreuses to rich olives, the gold in the green was a favorite theme. There are few companies who use the color green as well as Rifle Paper Co., […]

2013 National Stationery Show – Colors Part I – Tomato Red
Well, I seriously underestimated how long it would take me to: sort through and prep the (hundreds of) pictures I took; organize all the business cards and marketing materials I picked up; and get my mind around how to winnow it all down into a logical series of posts. So, without further ado, heeeeeere’s the […]

The LOUIE Awards, Part II –
Awards, Celebrations, and Winners
After admiring the event design, mingling, and enjoying a cocktail or two, everyone sat down to a lovely dinner and a festive Awards Ceremony. The night began in great spirits with comedian David Crowe, who made me laugh enough to completely forget to take any pictures. (Sorry, David!) After David’s routine, 25th Anniversary LOUIE Awards […]

The LOUIE Awards, Part I –
A Gorgeous Silver Anniversary Celebration
So much happens during the National Stationery Show, and one of the biggest highlights of those three-and-a-half days is undoubtedly the LOUIE Awards. For those of you not familiar with these awards and the celebration that goes with them, the LOUIEs (as they’re affectionately known) are the industry’s recognition of the best of the greeting-card […]

What a show!
Well, really two shows. Three? Meh–who’s counting? It was all so fabulous, it blended together in a ball of pure eye-candy happiness and awesome-sauce. Yes, I am back from a crazy whirlwind (36 hours from door-to-door) of National Stationery Show, Surtex, and the 25th Anniversary LOUIE Awards. (I also peeked at the new Creative & […]
NSS becomes even more of an adventure
As I started typing this, I realized that twelve hours from now, I’ll be on the road in what hopefully won’t be a fruitless attempt to get to NSS. Many of you know there was a frightening and traumatic train crash here in Connecticut, last night. I feel so sorry for the injured, and yes, […]
The S’Wicked Blog is born!
Welcome, welcome, to the first S’Wicked blog post! Yep, I’m throwing my hat in the blogging ring, and look forward to sharing good stuff with you. “What sort of good stuff?” you may ask. Well, all sorts, centered on the things I love: stationery and greeting cards, kids’ books, toys, illustration, hand lettering and type […]