• elsewhere!,  mettaprints,  Shop Talk,  Tis the Season

    Cardboard Christmas!

    cardboard-tree-timber

    I know what you are thinking. Why are you putting up Christmas photos when it’s not even Halloween yet, you annoying goober! Just get out of my face already and let me enjoy my pumpkin spice latte now that it’s not 300 degrees of summer anymore!!  Right?!! Sheesh.

    Well, when you work in the business of creating Christmas decorations (and other holiday things) you have to get started early. In fact, at Metta Prints (my little cardboard company that I’m a partner in) we talk about Christmas all year long! Teri, my boss, (she doesn’t like being called my boss but I need her to boss me so that’s that) LOVES Christmas. She could decorate swags of garland all year long and never get tired of it. Me, on the other hand, I can’t wait until the clean sweep of January.

    Anyway, we’ve been making trees and snowflakes and deer and all kinds of cute little woodland creatures for stores lately. It’s fun! Yesterday, we scaled down our humongous trees to pint-size trees but still biggish. Perfect for your spatially-challenged home or apartment. Of if you are an elf.

    cardboard-wonderland

    And of course I had to take pictures with my favorite side-kick, aka the evil smurf elf.  What am I going to do when she grows up and doesn’t want to model for me anymore? She’s such a natural in front of the camera but then…it’s kind of in her blood with her parents both being photographers and I’ve been training her how to act in front of the camera since she was ZERO.

    elf-with-cardboard-trees-1

    She keeps it real though. It’s not all smiles and cooperation.

    have-cardboard-tree-will-travel

    Have tree, will travel? Hah! Just kidding. You don’t need to travel with your cardboard, Metta Prints ships everywhere! We’ve shipped to Spain, Australia, Canada, Trinidad, Ireland…the UK…It’s pretty cool. We pack everything up in pizza-like box (except much bigger and sometimes more rectangle) and off it goes. I’m currently working on some cool stickers and other branded packaging. I’m sure I’ll share that once I get it all out of my head and onto paper. My head is so much more busy than my hands.

    In other news, guess where Metta Prints has a full page feature? Woo hoo!

    mettaprints-in-better-homes-and-gardens1

    It’s our deer!  Of course the magazine is showing how you can make them yourself at home with giant pieces of cardboard but I say skip all that headache and let our giant machines do it for you! We have super fast razor cutters that get it done fast and perfectly. (Man, I was skinny in the movie, what happened?!!)

    mettaprints-in-better-homes-and-gardens2

    Yep, you guessed it. Better Homes and Gardens special Holiday Crafts edition. I’m still aiming for Dwell magazine and maybe some designery magazines but this ain’t too shabby. I know if my Grandma were alive, she’d be proud. She was always cutting out craft articles just like this for me. Makes me miss her.

    So, check us out next time you’re standing around in line at the grocery store. Page 56!  And tell all your friends, especially those shop-owners and photographers who need some last minute props for their displays and photo shoots! You know we’ll take care of you like only cardboard whisperers can.

  • adventures in babysitting

    Crazy Boys

    crazy

     

    How do you do it, parents of boys? I’ve been babysitting a very active boy for the last few weeks and I’m pulling my hair out. Don’t get me wrong,  he’s a super sweet boy and I love his big smiles and warm hugs but I just can’t give him enough activity. We make sure we hit the park every day and he runs like there is no tomorrow but still, when we get home he’s bouncing off the walls. I need help.

    I’m so used to my own daughter who is content to draw quietly for hours, paint elaborate master pieces or even space out with Netflix from time to time. How do you parents do it who have families of six and they are all hyper? Is it Lord of the Flies at your house?

    I would love some tips and tricks. I’ve learned that rewarding him goes very far. He’s only six but he’s extremely proud of the fact that I let him pour water in our water glasses at dinner and he never spills. What other challenges should I give him?

    He seriously needs three things to do at once. It is not uncommon for him to throw karate kicks, fall onto our couch dramatically, juggle a soccer ball AND play a video game on our ipad at the same time. He’s everywhere and anywhere. He’s constantly in the kitchen asking for snacks and he wears me down by endless repetition.

    I know a lot of this behavior is my fault because I rewarded it too soon, not knowing what hit me. So I’m working on saying no and being consistent but I feel like the meanest mom ever. Bug even said to me as she was going to bed, “Where is my nice mommy.”

    Sigh….

    Help! I’ve got two more weeks of this, every day of the week. Gasp!