Introducing Paper & Honey

Today is the day! It’s here! It’s here!

Today I’m introducing the brand new, totally renovated, everything-I’ve-ever-dreamed, is-this-real-life, refreshed and renewed Paper & Honey. And friends, it feels SO sweet. This website and my revamped brand is something I’ve been scheming for well over a year now, and now that launch day is here… I feel pretty good.

In late 2012 I quit my full time position as a graphic designer for a broker dealer. The job itself was fine — the people were nice, I read tons of books on my lunch breaks, I was getting paid well for a recent college grad — but it wasn’t feeding my soul. You know that nagging feeling when something just isn’t right? Cue that every day. Cue that for months and add a fiancé who’s urging you to leave because you’re devastatingly unhappy. Thank goodness there is no “cue that for years” in this equation.

Since then, I’ve been freelancing as much as I could and lettering absolutely anything I could get my hands on. I was incredibly blessed to already be working for Lisa of Rock Paper Scissors, a stationery and gift shop with all the charm in the world, on projects that fed my creativity. I attended another Molly Jacques workshop to tune my calligraphy skills further and jumped up and down at the opportunity to conquer a pair of giant chalkboards for Viva La Diva Events. I received my first few envelope calligraphy jobs and experienced my first calligraphy-induced hand cramps (which are disastrous, by the way). I did all of the lettering and paper goods for one of the most beautiful weddings I’d ever seen. And it has been SO much fun.

But most importantly: I got married. I married my best friend on what was possibly the coldest day in Michigan May history, with roosters who couldn’t keep quiet, with a pastor who showed up an hour late and called my mom by the wrong name during the ceremony. Everything seemed to go wrong and it was still the best and most beautiful day of my life.

Photography by the wonderful Bryan & Mae

It was magical. Overwhelmingly magical. It taught me that I want to be involved in these celebrations of life and love for a very long time.

Paper & Honey is my path to quenching my creative thirst, to interacting and working with people who are excited and passionate, to a business where I thrive in doing what I love every day.

This couldn’t have been done without my loving and insanely supportive husband and partner in life, Max. Thank you for constantly reassuring me I can do this, for listening to my fears, and for consistently delivering late night cups of tea to my studio. Thank you to my parents, who have encouraged me since day one and didn’t seem too scared upon learning I had quit my job. Thank you to Cathy and her team at Love-Inspired for writing the code to whatever crazy visions I had in my head and for making this website so unbelievably beautiful. Thank you to every single person who has offered a kind word about my work — it is truly so, so appreciated. Without you I wouldn’t be pursuing my passions.

 and now, a giveaway!

To thank you, I want to give away some things I’ve been working so hard on. A collection of Paper & Honey products: sweet, simple, handlettered prints and notepads. You may have seen some sneak peeks on my Instagram but I can assure you they’re even lovelier in person. There are multiple ways to enter:

• Like Paper & Honey on Facebook 
• Follow Paper & Honey on Instagram
• Follow Paper & Honey on Twitter (I talk a lot about food and dogs, so no judgment here if you pass on this one)
• Leave a comment below letting me know how you’re doing. Seriously, how are you?

That’s it! Leave a comment below for each social media follow and let me know your username. The giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, January 16th, and the winner will be chosen randomly on the 17th! Good luck!

In the meantime, peruse the collection, check out some of the aforementioned gorgeous custom projects, or poke around the tiny (but growing!) Paper & Honey shop, and remember how thankful I am that you’re here. THANK YOU! I can’t wait to get started. xo