Concrete Lace

White Sangria Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Kitter and I had a blast this weekend. We decided to make some White Sangria, and it was a big hit.

If you'd like to try it, here's what you'll need to have on hand:

glass pitcher, preferably clear, so people can easily admire your beautiful concoction
half pint mason jars (we discovered that dudes will balk at drinking fruity drinks out of a wine glass, but they went for it when we offered them 'samples' in these miniature mason jars)
ice
vodka (we use silver label Smirnoff for mixed drinks, but Ruby Red Absolut would probably be really good in this recipe)
a beverage tray (not necessary, but makes it easier to open doors if you are having an outdoor event)

here's your grocery list:

Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. We prefer the Black Box brand (it is, in fact, wine in a box, usually on the shelf next to the Franzia). It's the highest quality wine we have found in its price range, equivalent to $5 a bottle. If they don't have Black Box, go for Bella Sera Pinot Grigio, or Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc, but DON'T use any chardonnay, riesling, or white zinfandel. For this project, you really need a decent tasting dry white wine.
cut up mixed fruit. You know what I'm talking about. In the produce department. The pre-cut fruit cups with canteloupe, honey dew, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, and pineapple.
grapefruit flavored Perrier. If they don't have grapefruit, look for the grapefruit La Croix sparkling water in a can (also known as Pamplemousse). If your store doesn't have that, then get lemon flavored Perrier. (Don't get the lime flavor, just use plain if you have to)
Pineapple Orange juice. For this recipe, we prefer the Simply Orange brand that comes in the clear plastic carafes.
ice I know I already said that, but it's kinda important, especially if your wine isn't chilled at the store, and you want your Sangria *now*

Next, go home and chill the wine and Perrier. Use a bucket of ice water if you're in a hurry. It's ok to take the wine out of the box so it will chill faster.

While that stuff is chillin', put a lil bit of ice in the clear glass pitcher. Just 2 or 3 pieces, to make sure your ingredients are properly chilled but not watered down.

dump the fruit salad on top of the ice

add a little bit of vodka, not too much, you can always add more later. It's kinda important to follow the directions in chronological order, by the way. This is because you want the fruit to soak up as much vodka as possible. So that's why you put the ice in first, then the fruit, then the vodka. Got it?

fill 2/3 way to the top with white wine

split up the rest of the space in the pitcher with Perrier and pineapple orange juice.

Stir.

put a couple of ice cubes in your mason jars, then pour.

Viola! You can experiment with ingredients, such as substituting the Pinot Grigio with champagne to make it more bubbly. Just don't forget the vodka, that's the key ingredient. Kitter and I think this is a great beverage for outdoor events and/or bridal showers.

You can make it seem more girlie by deleting the mason jars and serving in champagne flutes, garnishing with a drink umbrella and/or a spear of pineapple and strawberry chunks.

Wedding Season 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Wedding season is upon us. I work part time in one of the finest stationery stores in Atlanta, and have been trained to guide brides through the process of selecting their wedding invitations.

And so, I offer you unsolicited wedding invitation advice:

1. If a stationery professional asks if you want a "traditional" wedding invitation, that means white or ivory card. 5x7 inches. Black text. Engraving or letterpress, and no graphics (unless you have a family crest)

2. Don't put too much emphasis on making sure that the invitations are a perfect reflection of your individuality and unique personality. Remember, there are other stakeholders involved in the decision. Your mother, your future spouse, etc. The invitation needs to reflect the spirit of the event itself, in addition to the season and location of the event.

3. Your calling card is actually way more important than your wedding invitation, in terms of self expression. Name. Personal phone number. Personal email. And you will be needing these if you are hiring people to help you with your wedding. Go buck wild. There are no stakeholders except you.

4. Please. Make life easy and use the same fonts/colors/motifs for your save the dates, wedding website, invitation, thank you notes, and programs. Do not create a save the date, and then reinvent the wheel with your main invitation design. Just make a design decision at the beginning and stick with it.

5. If you plan to include printed maps with your invitation, prepare to fork out big bucks. Custom map illustrations are a pain in the ass for graphic designers, and that will take a nice chunk out of your invitation budget.

6. We like colored envelopes with black and white invites.

7. This is a great article.

8. Want to see what Prince William's wedding invitations look like? The European invitation format has blank lines, and the royal calligrapher will fill in the names of the invitees.

9. There is a difference between "formal" and "traditional." A formal invitation is always engraved or letterpressed, and has inner and outer envelopes. It doesn't really make sense to send formal invitations unless you are having a black tie wedding. There is no such thing as a black tie event before 6:00 pm.

10. I would avoid the inner and outer envelope thing if I were you. It is disrespectful to the Earth, it increases your postage fees, plus you have to find irregular sized A7.5 envelopes and that means you won't have as many color choices.

11. Concrete Lace offers calligraphy services. Kitter has been doing wedding invitation calligraphy since we were in middle school, and people love her quirky style.

In conclusion: when shopping for wedding invitations, be realistic. It's not rocket science, but it's not as easy as buying a pair of shoes. Be patient with yourself, your mother, and your friendly stationery representatives. This is a process. The best way to approach it is to avoid being indecisive and to make your design decisions early in the game.

Shop Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:44:00 +0000

Hi friends. Kitter and I have two announcements to make:

1) Concrete Lace is participating in the Beehive Warehouse Sale going on from Saturday Jan 22 thru Sunday Jan 30. Select merchandise will be reduced by 40%-75%, such as Mandala prints (letterpress and screenprints), imperfect greeting cards, coloring books with outdated cover designs, and small format paper tile mosaics on canvas. The sale starts at 10:00 am on Saturday, so if you love handmade bargains, we suggest getting there Saturday for optimum selection.

2) We screenprinted some new valentines. It was quite a journey from start to finish. I had some major dumb blonde moments while doing the math and spatial calculations that are required for successful printmaking. Usually Kitter handles all of this stuff, but she was in Greece, and was dealing with the death of her beloved dog Zeke, so I tried to be a big girl and show her that I could manage the printing all by myself. Aaaand, after learning from several mistakes, I did pull it off.

In conclusion, here is what I want to say about screenprinting: It is an exercise that tries my patience like no other creative pursuit. Learning how to do it has been the opposite of fun, but the sense of accomplishment that I feel when I finish a screenprinting project is always a big deal. It's like being high on life.

Zeke says: You DO have time to play Frisbee with your furry friend. Don't delay!

Indie Craft Experience is this weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:19:00 +0000

Hi friends.

Kitter and I just want to remind y'all that we'll be at the ICE show this weekend with all of our new 2010 holiday products, including Christmas cards, Hannukah cards, kids' thank you note sets, coloring books, and gift enclosure tags.

The ICE show is a retail experience like no other. We absolutely love it.

You know how I said our mom is obsessed with Christmas china? Well Kitter is obsessed with drawing diagrams of future events that are "100% to scale." I was maid of honor when she got married, and if I had a nickel for every email from Kitter with some sort of diagram attached . . .

As is customary when Kitter is responsible for making important plans, today she emailed me a diagram of our ICE booth which she created using Adobe Illustrator. I do love to see her endless array of graphic designer shenanigans.

Anyway, please come to ICE, it'll be a grand ole time. Here's a link with all the directions and other pertinent information.

And PS: if you miss the show, no worries. We are also participating in the ICE pop up shop :

Dates: November 26th - December 30, 2010
Hours: Monday-Wednesday 10 am-5 pm, Thursday-Saturday 10 am-9 pm, Sunday 12 pm - 7 pm
Location: Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

The Gift that Keeps on Giving.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:02:00 +0000

Swear to God. Today I received an email from my mother with the following subject line: "May have found something!"

As my half-hungover brain scans the morning inbox, I'm thinking, "Hmm, what did she find?" A long lost diamond ring? An Easter egg?

No. What she has found is another Christmas china pattern. As I may I have mentioned before, mom is a Capricorn and she is completely obsessed with Christmas china. I fear I have inherited the obsession.

The pattern with which Kitter and I ate our childhood holiday meals (Saint Nicholas by Fitz and Floyd) is no longer cool because it has gold rims. It is discontinued. Every year, mom threatens to sell our precious memories on replacements.com and use the money to invest in a more modern pattern that is dishwasher friendly. She reminds us of how valuable the Saint Nicholas is, and how she could really buy a *lot* more place settings with the same amount of money, and how everybody wishes they could have more Saint Nicholas. So it'll be super easy to get rid of it.

Kitter and I have mixed emotions about her getting rid of the Saint Nicholas. Sometimes we roll our eyes and tell mom we don't care what she does with the Fitz and Floyd. Other times we will call mom and beg her to have us over so we can eat off the Christmas china before it's too late.

Mom has also launched a sophisticated campaign designed to destroy our loyalty to Saint Nicholas. The campaign includes shopping trips to Dillards' housewares department. This is followed by strategic emails with links to various Christmas china manufacturers' websites, accompanied by mom's commentary, which is designed to give us the impression that she has a very nonchalant attitude toward the Christmas china.
One year my mother, my sister, and I all came to the agreement that there will never be a pattern as perfect and Christmas-ey as Saint Nicholas. We decided it's worth it to hand wash the dishes, because then you can look at them more, which translates into a bigger Christmas spirit.

One year Mom and I agreed that we liked a pattern by Vietri. But then Kitter said she didn't want that because it looked too much like Italian Countryside, which is her everyday pattern. Which mom and I think is absolutely hilarious, because Kitter is the one who likes to pretend like she has more important things to worry about besides Christmas china patterns. So mom and I will be like, "Okay, then! We will pick out a pattern that we like."

And then Kitter will fire off an email reminding me that I live in a 650 square foot apartment with 2 cabinets. She will also remind me that I average about 2 years between each change of address form at the post office. She says she is doing me a favor by agreeing to one day store the Christmas china at her house, and so of course, she should have more say-so over which pattern gets chosen.

As a general rule we try to keep things as simple as possible, but by its very definition, Christmas china is a complicated and delicate subject matter. See what I mean?

We have joined Beehive Atlanta design co-op.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:59:00 +0000

Concrete Lace has joined Atlanta's Beehive design co-op. This means that you can find all of our stuff in a beautiful retail space along with a bunch of other locally produced merchandise. The store is located in the Edgewood shopping plaza along with Target, Barnes & Noble, Caribou Coffee, and Willy's.

I snapped this "behind the scenes" shot of a clipboard in the back office at Beehive (then I edited with my fancy new Instagram app, which is my new favorite app). I'm not sure who the artist is, but every time I see this drawing it makes me happy.

Please check the Beehive website to see all of the other local artists and designers' work. We are really excited about our new friends.

All the News

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:46:00 +0000

1. Our mother has taken up a form of needlepoint embroidery called Bargello. This is her first piece. She sent the photo as an attachment to an email which says, quote: "The next thing you two will fight over when I'm gone will be a 14" pillow. My first piece - like???" In case you don't know my mother's sick sense of humor, 'gone' means dead.

2. On Sunday, I got the best surprise ever. It's a big giant bright yellow vintage wooden coffee table. Affectionately referred to as Big Yella. Needless to say, I informed my mother and my sister that the Bargello pillow needs to live with Big Yella.

3. Kitter and I are setting up our merchandise at Beehive Co-op tomorrow. We are really excited to showcase our products amongst some of Atlanta's most sparkling and talented design personalities. There's a Beehive Groupon out there, so be sure to come on by and get your discount on.

4. We're excited to report that we will also be exhibiting product at the Indie Craft Experience in November.

5. It's a party, and you're invited! We will debut our holiday line at the Fall Love festival at Urban Cottage on October 9 and 10. Cocktails will be served Friday night from 6:30-9:00. Kitter and I will have our entire holiday line ready for action, and I'll be reading tarot cards throughout the event. We have a special place in our hearts for Urban Cottage, they've carried our entire product line since they opened in 2008.

6. I finished reading Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N Roses. Loved it. Should be mandatory reading for American History 101.

Please look us up on Facebook if you're into that sort of thing. We're also @concretelace on Twitter.

Hope to see your smiling face at Urban Cottage, at Beehive, or at the ICE show.

Newsflash

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:03:00 +0000

1. I went to Baton Rouge to visit mom and had a blast. We went to the movies and saw The Kids Are All Right, starring Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. It's all about relationships and emotions. Mom and I both loved the movie.

2. Chanel has a new perfume out. It's called Cristalle Eau Verte. It's new, and it smells delicious. I want some.

3. Kitter has created a new line of foreign language letterpress cards. The response has been incredible. These are selling faster than any other product we've released so far. Right now we have Greek, French, and German cards. Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish are up next. Feel free to take a look.

4. Coconut m&m's are our new favorite candy. They're kind of hard to find, but we have had success at Rite Aid and CVS.

5. I love soy sauce, and I love hot sauce, but I do not love Tobasco sauce. It tastes weird. My favorites are Sriracha, Crystal, Louisiana, Frank's, Red Rooster, and Texas Pete. When I was presented with a bottle of Tobasco soy sauce while dining at a Japanese restaurant in Baton Rouge, I did not have high expectations. At all. But I must say, I'm glad I gave it a shot because it is just mind blowing. I have a whole new respect for the Tobasco company right now. Tobasco soy sauce is officially my favorite condiment in the whole world.

7. I'm going to Nashville next weekend.

8. We have added calligraphy and hand lettering to our list of services. Katie specializes in informal scripts and mostly does wedding invitations. I specialize in casual letterforms that basically just look like handwriting. I do menus, storefront window messages, and kids' party invitations.

9. Thanks for reading our blog. We love you.

The Hap-happiest Time of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:24:00 +0000

When Kitter and I were little kids, it was around this time of the year that mom would send us outside to pick blueberries. I always tried to rush around picking berries as fast as I could, so I could get back to my high-priority indoor activities, such as reading Anne of Green Gables, or planning outfits for my Barbies' dates.

Meanwhile, Kitter would lollygag around in the yard, feeding blueberry samples to her entourage of kittens, or would run off chasing butterflies.

So, being the oldest, I'd yell at her and tell her to get back to work, because we had a quota to fill so mom could have enough blueberries to make the blueberry muffins.

On Sunday Kitter brought me two blueberry muffins. She informed me that they were authentic childhood style homemade blueberry muffins. I thought to myself, "Childhood, my ass. The recipe probably came from her Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook, circa 2005…"

I was wrong. The muffins were legit. The recipe still works, and Mom was kind enough to type it up for us to enjoy:

Blueberry-Orange (or Lemon) Muffins

3 cups sifted flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon soda

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 cups blueberries

2 eggs, slightly beaten

¾ cup milk

½ cup melted butter

1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon peel

½ cup plus l 1/3 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

½ cup chopped pecans or nut of choice-optional

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, sugar and salt. Stir in blueberries (make sure very dry) and nuts if using , stir lightly to coat. Beat together remaining ingredients; pour into dry ingredients and stir JUST until dry ingredients are moist. Fill greased muffin tins (I line mine with paper) 2/3 full (I use a scoop so all are same size). May also be poured into a loaf pan to make as blueberry bread. Bake muffins 20 minutes at 425 degrees; loaf for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove muffins from tins while still hot and dip tops in melted butter; then dip into a sugar mixture made by combining 1 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Makes 24 muffins

Note that the recipe only calls for 2 cups of blueberries. That's a reasonable quantity for 2 unsupervised children to procure from their yard. I can't figure out why it felt like it took forEVER to pick those 2 cups of blueberries. Very mysterious.

Happy Solstice!

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:14:00 +0000

In my world, the summer solstice is the most wonderful time of the year. I like to celebrate the occasion by drawing the sun and making a compilation of music that sounds like the sun.

I made a limited edition series of 15 screenprints of this year's solstice illustration. I call them Sun Screens:

• Each one is signed and numbered.

• They measure 8.5 inches square.

• They're just for fun, you know, casual. Like refrigerator art. So they only cost $10 each.

• They're available in 5 colors, and I printed 3 of each color:

paper bag with white ink

sky blue with white ink

deep turquoise with white ink

summery green with white ink

summery yellow with metallic gold ink

As of right now, there are still 13 prints left.

Holler at me if you want one, or check the Etsy site for details.

I believe that I can legally share five copies of the songs I bought on iTunes to make the 2010 Summer Solstice mix, so the first five people to place orders for Sun Screens will receive a free gift in the mail.

Happy Summer, and remember. You are just like the sun. You shimmer and you glow.

The Real Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:07:00 +0000

I guess it's no big secret that I read a lot of self-help books. Several of my favorite self-improvement authors make a big deal out of the "Inner Child," also known as "The Child Within."

Sometimes I roll my eyes at this type stuff, because being one who illustrates coloring books for a living, I really think that I give my inner child plenty of attention, and nurturing. I just never really understood why some people put so much emphasis on the inner child.

Well let me just tell you that I get it now. Today my inner child threw a holy temper tantrum that almost wrecked my fully planned-out adult day.

It all started when I made the mature decision to stop buying Coke Colas at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. I used to always keep Cokes in the house, partly because when people come over, I like to hear myself ask them if they'd like a Coke (and if they say yes, I love to hear the sound of the can when it opens up).

If nobody comes over, I'll drink all the Cokes in my fridge. I'll take a couple of sips, go back to whatever I was doing, and forget about the Coke. Before you know it there are warm Coke cans sitting around on every available surface. This is just bad on so many levels.

So I decided to only allow myself to buy Cokes at restaurants, or out of vending machines. That way, I still enjoy Cokes, but I'm not destroying the Earth or consuming as many empty calories as I would be if I had a 12 pack sitting in my fridge at all times.

Another facet of this situation is that I have an emotional attachment to Coke. It's pretty serious. Coke just reminds me of all sorts of happy memories, and good times. My inner child thinks Coke is awesome, and my adult self is embarrassed that I've allowed my brain to be programmed by Coke's marketing department. (See? Embarrassment is an emotion.)

Today when I got home from work, I was starving. I put a frozen pizza in the oven, and 9 minutes later I was eating. Then suddenly, I wanted a Coke. I need Coke with certain foods, like Cheetoz, popcorn, and frozen pizza. Of course, there were no Cokes. I had to drink water.

When I was a kid, I hated water. I wanted Kool-Aid, iced tea, lemonade, or Coke.

What was your favorite drink when you were a kid?

Here is my advice to you: Make damn sure you give yourself access to it. Otherwise, you could find yourself writing completely irrelevant blog posts, instead of getting actual work done.

Cheers!

Spinach Cheese Squares

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:16:00 +0000

I love to cook, but my counterspace situation is as follows: 13 inches of space on one side of the sink, and 14 inches on the other side.

I honestly don't even think about cooking. When I go to the grocery store, I buy cokes, string cheese, Sun Chips, and Kashi frozen pizzas.

However, I recently received a surprise in the mail, a new cookbook called Serve It Up with Love, and proceeds benefit the Child Advocacy Center of Mobile, Alabama.

This prompted me to branch out and buy some different things at the store, as there were several recipes in the book which meet my pre-requisites for recipes worth trying out:

no fresh produce is required.
it's somewhat healthy
it's quick and easy
the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find at any grocery store
the final product tastes good, looks good, and is easy to transport for potlucks and whatnot.

Here is the recipe, reprinted without permission:

Spinach Cheese Squares

16 ounces cottage cheese
2 large eggs
4 egg whites (who has time to mess with egg whites? I just dumped six eggs in the bowl and called it a day. The recipe turned out fine.)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped (I skipped this part. Since I live alone, produce has a tendency to rot before anybody eats it.)
2 ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (I skipped the salt and garlic and used Tony Chachere's seasoning instead)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
20 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x9 baking pan. In large bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites, and green onions until well combined. Mix in Cheddar cheese, melted butter, flour, salt, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper until thoroughly mixed. Fold in drained spinach. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan, sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Bake approximately 45 to 55 minutes or until top is golden. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cut into small squares (makes 30 small squares or 6 large squares for brunch). Serve either at room temperature or warm. Can be made ahead of time, refrigerated or frozen, and reheated before serving.

Basically, it's a 3 step process:

1. remove ingredients from packages

2. stir

3. bake

This recipe was provided by Ruth Betbeze. Thanks, Ruth!!

In other news, Concrete Lace will be sharing a booth with The Paper Lady at the Kirkwood Spring Fling this weekend. We will have our entire spring collection out on display, and I'll be doing tarot readings as well. We hope to see you there.

Bedroom Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:43:00 +0000

When Kitter and I were little kids, we loved to pretend like we had jobs. Sometimes we would play Teacher, or Fashion Designer, but mostly we played Travel Agent with all the souvenirs that Memaw brought us from her world travels.

Mom let us transform an empty closet into our "travel agency" and we had palm fronds, posters of Hawaii, and fans from China on the wall.

We would answer our fake phone, open the encyclopedia, and tell our pretend clients ALL

about the glamour and majesty of the Isle of Capri.

Lately I've been playing Interior Designer. I read in a Feng Shui book that single women who want to attract some mens need to make sure there are nightstands and lamps on both sides of the bed, and have as much purple in the color scheme as possible. Purple symbolizes the union of masculine colors (blue) and feminine colors (pink).

With this in mind, I custom designed a Paper Tile Mosaic just for myself with proportions designed for the space above my bed. It is the largest paper tile collage I've made yet, measuring 24 x 48 inches.

BEFORE

AFTER:

PS: I promise I will keep everyone posted on whether or not Feng Shui trickery is an effective man lure.

Reading Rainbow

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:58:00 +0000

I guess I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Here is a brief synopsis of some recent reads:

1.Workin' It!: RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style. I cannot even begin to describe the inspiration and joy that this book just radiates from cover to cover. After reading this book, RuPaul is up there with Richard Simmons and Jonathan Adler on my list of the beautiful people who do work that truly makes this world a better place.

2. Mars and Venus on a Date by John Gray, PhD. As most of us know, I'm single and I've joined eHarmony. I like this book because it is specifically about dating, not about relationships. Although, it is written with the assumption that everyone who goes on dates is searching for the end result of a marriage. But still. there are some good little tidbits in the book that helped me understand men's dating behavior.

3. Singular Existence by Leslie Talbot. The subtitle says it all: "because its better to be alone than to wish you were." My hairstylist is also single, and we're both self-help book junkies. I told her I was reading Mars and Venus. She was appalled, and immediately sent me an email with a link to an essay entitled Mars and Venus Go to Hell, in which author Leslie Talbot states that "Satan has gotten himself a diploma-mill PhD and is now walking among us in the earthly form of Dr. John Gray." The essay is hilarious, and is one of several awesome essays included in Singular Existence.

4.Loose Girl by Kerry Cohen. This book is a memoir that chronicles the author's promiscuous behavior. It is fascinating, and all the single ladies can probably learn a thing or two from Kerry's mistakes. I imagine it's not exactly easy to write a memoir about a deeply intimate subject matter like sex, and Kerry pulls it off without sounding like a complete narcissist (a trend I've noticed in the memoir genre lately).

5. The Piano Teacher. My friend Carolyn recommended this book. I do tend to gravitate toward nonfiction, but this was a highly entertaining read. Total brain candy, but with really well developed characters. A historical novel set in Hong Kong during the WWII era.

6. The Help. My mother insisted that I read this book, and since I liked the last book my mother insisted on (The Story of Edgar Sawtelle), I decided to give The Help a whirl. I could hardly put it down once I started it. It's set in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era.

7. Hosea L Williams. OK, so this is not a book. One of my favorite streets in Atlanta is named after him, and my sister and I have always been curious about who he is. There is an urban legend that he always had candy in his pocket, and was generous, magic, and nice to little kids and poor people. I've been meaning to do this for a while, but last night I finally looked him up on Wikipedia, and the entry is worth a read.

Spring 2010 Letterpress Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:11:00 +0000

New letterpress treats are awaiting you in our Etsy shop:

•folded greeting cards designed by Kitter

•folded gift enclosure cards designed by Kitter. Now you can go to a party, the biggest gift will be from you, and the card attached will say "Thank you for being a friend."

•mandala stationery

•mandala foldover cards

•miniature mandalas (signed and numbered prints)

•Big Wheels (larger version of signed and numbered mandala prints)

All of our loot is printed on Crane's Lettra paper, which is 100% cotton (and makes me feel rich, rich, rich when I touch it).

All of our loot was printed by the hands of Carla, Kitter, and Mr. Daniels right here in Atlanta, GA.

Please take a lookee-loo, and let us know if you see anything you like!

Big Wheels Keep on Turnin.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:53:00 +0000

As promised, Kitter and I completed our press run this weekend, and posted lots of letterpress action photos to our Flickr site. The new merchandise will be ready for our Etsy shop real soon.

Speaking of photos, I finally got some professional head shots taken for my Amazon.com author page. This is big, y'all. I "hate and despise" getting my picture taken. It makes me cringe.

That's why I've always had mandala illustrations for my profile pics on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

I am so fortunate to have found Amy Hunsinger, a photographer who specializes in taking pictures of people who hate having their picture taken. Amy is an angel straight from heaven, and besides having professional head shots for work stuff, I now have photos decent and recent enough to get back on eHarmony! (If any single ladies need some new profile pics, y'all need to call Amy at Sing Photography, pronto.)

In other news, I killed my personal Facebook profile last night. but don't worry! We are definitely keeping Concrete Lace's Facebook page.

We sure do appreciate all of our friends and supporters on Facebook, our friends in real life, and our friends who read this blog.

Happy Spring!

More Bounce to the Ounce.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:16:00 +0000

The UPS man came and knocked on my door today. As you can see, he brought me some very special treats which I will be using this weekend when Kitter and I create Concrete Lace's Spring 2010 Letterpress Collection.

The Collection will include Kitter's world famous gift enclosure cards, a greeting card with a little birdie on it, big mandala prints, little mandala prints, and mandala notecards.

Kitter and Paul and I will be celebrating the Vernal Equinox while we are at the press this weekend. We have a few jams we always listen to when we are having "family time" on a sunny day.

Product should be ready to load into our Etsy shop by March 26. Stay tuned, and remember.

We love you.

God Bless America

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:13:00 +0000

When we were kids, Kitter and I loved the movie 9 to 5, especially the part when Violet is making coffee and the cartoon birds come and land on her finger while she's standing by the window.

Y'all know how much I love being self employed. But one thing I do miss about the corporate world is dressing up in a suit and strutting around in high heels. And using words like conference room and expense account.

Fortunately, I stumbled upon a program called BusinessNow at Goodwill Industries of North Georgia. Because of this, I am once again talking about action items and quarterly goals.

It all happened because I was set up at a trunk show next to the Akola Bead Project. Akola bead necklaces are handcrafted in Africa, exported by an American nonprofit organization and sold at places like Urban Cottage or the Bonnaroo festival. Profits from the necklaces go back into Uganda's economy, where war torn communities have lots of widows without jobs or sanitary living conditions.

Organizations like Nest, Kiva, and Whole Foods' Whole Planet Foundation also help artists in developing world communities (formerly known as "third world countries"). These companies provide artists with tiny loans called microloans, and usually the artists' business is referred to as a microenterprise. Microloans help the artists buy supplies, and when the art sells, the artist pays back the money.

The goal is for all artists everywhere to be able to support themselves and continue to make art. Organizations like Nest, Kiva, and Whole Planet Foundation have expert marketing departments that help generate quick sales for the artists. From my perspective, this type of microloan seems pretty low risk, and the system is a win-win for everyone.

I did some research to find out if there were any organizations that provided support to American artists and crafters who need sales opportunities right now.

I googled "microenterprise" and discovered that in 1996, Jane Fonda provided funds to set up the first microenterprise program in Georgia. That program is called BusinessNow, and it is still in operation, providing business training to people like Josie Bailey and me.

Before I enrolled in the BusinessNow program, I knew enough to breeze through a coffee meeting where maybe I'd have an intelligent conversation about logos, corporate color schemes, mission statements, or what type of wine to serve at the company Christmas party. I now have a much deeper respect for all the work that goes into setting up a proper and legitimate business in America.

Most microenterprises are owned and operated by one person with no employees. By definition, a microenterprise can have no more than five employees.

The focus of the BusinessNow program is not on giving away or lending money. Their focus is on providing top notch training that was strategically developed by MBA students at the University of Colorado. If anyone is thinking about starting a microenterprise, or needs help improving the performance of an existing microenterprise, I highly recommend this program.

I can't wait to show y'all the new Concrete Lace business plan. It will definitely be finished by the deadline on April 2.

In the meantime, don't expect many blog posts.

My new favorite adjective

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:32:00 +0000

I have a deep respect for people who are good at chit chat and small talk, especially if they can do it in broad daylight at an event where little or no alcohol is being served.

This is a skill that I've been trying to master for decades. My friend Jessiker lets me practice on her quite a bit. She's knows I'm color blind and she's very patient with me when I stare at a wall and ask, "Jess, is there really any such thing as an actual neutral color, or are they all either warm or cool tones?"

Jess knows all the interior design lingo, and cozy is her favorite adjective. Heather's favorite adjective is vintage, and Ms. Gail's is classic.

Mine is authentic.

One of my mom's favorites is appropriate. For example, at her house, it is not appropriate to wear white linen pants and listen to Christmas music at the same time.

If you are on a long road trip (or a first date) and there's nothing much to talk about, you can always discuss your favorite adjective, and things around town that match the description.

Another fun thing to do is pick out a back up favorite. Mine is machine washable.

Today's visual aid features a photo of an authentic Van Gogh painting, taken with my genuine iPhone while I was in Paris (2008).

Success Lives Here.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:24:00 +0000

First of all, a big thank you to our fabulous supporters. Thanks to you, I have acquired my very own brand new MacBook, and I love it love it love it.

We have sold out of our first run of screenprinted holiday cards with the Pool, Sage, Cement, and Leaf color scheme.

We still have 5 or 6 packages from the original run, so if you want them please let us know ASAP.

Meanwhile, I printed more yesterday, with a whole new color palette of cardstock (including Glamorous Gold).

Okay, so remember when I said that when we sold out of our first run of holiday cards we would print more, but not with white ink?

Well, we changed the plan. Kitter and I unanimously agreed that with our white envelopes and colored cardstock, the white ink really does look best.

Our letterpress gift tags were a huge hit, and we have completely sold out of them on our Etsy site. We are now in the process of developing some gift tags to match the holiday cards.

In other news, our handpainted holiday ornaments featuring Kitter's Limited Edition Handwriting are now available at Urban Cottage; and our holiday cards are available at Park Grounds, our neighborhood's beloved doggie park/coffee shop.

Again: Thanks so much to everyone who ordered cards and coloring books from us.

You awesome.

Variety is the spice of life.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:50:00 +0000

The 2009 holiday cards are now ready to ship.

"Limited Edition" is one of Kitter's favorite expressions, and she loves to knock on doors and impersonate The Traveling Salesman from Pee Wee's Playhouse: "We're going door to door to give you this incredible offer!"

Click here to see the offer, but you need to act now. When this run is sold out, we will print more, but not with white ink.

(Trivia: Screenprinting and engraving are the only two methods that allow for white ink to print on colored paper. Engraving is simply not affordable for most people, and screenprinting is what we have here.) Either way, cards with white ink will always stand out.

Click here to order your set of four cards for $11.50, and know that you are doing a very good deed. 100% of the proceeds from Concrete Lace card sales support a fund to replace my beloved computer, which passed away on October 3.

I appreciate every sale and every referral if you know anyone who might appreciate a set of limited edition hand printed holiday cards.

Top Ten

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:26:00 +0000

10. Premium Saltines. And they are even better with an ice cold can of Coke Cola.

9. Purple. Mom hates purple. So do I. However, I have received several nudges from The Universe telling me I need to drop by bad attitude about purple. Today I completed a collage with the most fantastic purple color scheme. It would be perfect for a little girl's room.

8. Instant Coffee. If anything is instant, I want it because the implication is: magical. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an adult. Thus, I was obsessed with the International Flavors of instant coffee that come in the square tin with the powdered creamer already added. I had totally forgotten that this stuff existed until my yoga teacher said she drinks it. Kitter and I got a tin of Cafe Francais (they were out of Cafe Vienna), and I tell you what. It's not bad.

7. Big Sister Dolls. Shopping for babies is a total snooze fest. Luckily, our friends in Savannah are adopting a 4 year old little angel from Ethiopia. So we get to buy cool stuff. Such as a cloth doll with fancy little outfits. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

6. Coco Chanel Eau de Parfum This is my favorite time of the year to wear Coco Chanel. It smells rich, dark, loud, and fancy. It is much too heavy to wear during the summer, but too warm to wear during the dead of winter. NOW is the time. I ran out, so Jessiker is letting me borrow her bottle. Isn't that sweet?

5. Ceylon Tea. The other day at work we had a sample of some Ceylon tea, and good lord a glory, it was mighty fine. I think it might have been the finest tea I've ever tasted. It was much more mellow than the Assam tea that I've been drinking lately. (Trivia: Ceylon comes from Sri Lanka, Assam is from India)

4. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. When Kitter and Paul went shrimping, she left this book at my house. I didn't think I would like it, but I sure as hell did. This book is a huge bestseller, and is pretty much an international classic.

3. Shrimpers. When Jessiker and I went to Baton Rouge a few weeks ago, we passed a giant billboard in Biloxi that says, "Going to Louisiana to eat imported shrimp? We doubt it! DEMAND LOUISIANA SHRIMP!"

2. Sinead O'Connor. for obvious reasons. Black Boys on Mopeds being one of them.

1. Electric Staple Guns. One of my pieces sold over the weekend (yay!), so I had a legitimate reason to go shopping for art supplies this afternoon. I'm not 100% convinced that stretching my own canvas is more cost effective, but I need very specific sizes, and the pre-stretched deals just aren't available in every size. My art professor in college was adamant about paintings being worth more if the artist stretches their own canvas (something about vibes). Today I busted out my electric staple gun and the jar of Gesso, and went to town. Now I have that extra feeling of accomplishment that I just don't get when I use the pre-stretched canvases.

This feeling that I have is worth the extra money.

Fat Stacks of Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Kitter and I have been very busy doing cost analysis and color strategy for our line of 2009 holiday cards.

People are always tripping out about Fair Trade Coffee, and are willing to pay significantly more money for coffee produced by companies who pay workers a fair wage. Please remember that people have just as much right to demand transparent business practices from their holiday card suppliers as well. Here are some thoughts I like to consider when buying or producing a paper product:

-Are the cards printed on recycled paper with post consumer content?

-Is the paper made in mills in a foreign country, or in a mill that provides jobs to American workers?

-Wonder if the printing equipment was purchased from salespeople in the United States?

-Did a living human artist design the illustration, graphic or typography on the card?

-Wonder if the people who print the cards are nearby and earning a fair living wage? (...it could be quite possible that many holiday cards in today's marketplace are printed in a far away land by mothers and children working 15 hour days in a rat infested work area with no toilet paper, running water, or hand sanitizer...)

I am very proud to work part time for one of the finest paper producers in the United States, based in Chicago. People think I'm crazy because I am willing to pay for cards and envelopes that cost twice as much as an Office Depot envelope, even with my employee discount.

But you know what? I don't care. I vote with my money, and I try to spend all of it on stuff that has good vibes.

Today's visual aid features a painted column in Atlanta's colorful Krog Street tunnel.

Ponchos, Cheese Straws, and Holiday Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:35:00 +0000

I am still reading The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as you Start, Build, or Manage a Business by Martha Stewart.

Good Lord a glory. I love it. I know I already said that, but I really mean it this time.

Check out this passage. Martha writes:

When I was released from Alderson, I wore a beautiful, hand-knit poncho that one of the other women had made for me. That poncho was a symbol of the generosity and goodwill I experienced during my stay there. So I themed one of the upcoming segments on my television show "Poncho Day"; we've received 10,000 requests for 164 places in the audience. Can't you just see how it will look in the fall in New York City--a line of 164 people wearing variously colored ponchos standing outside our studios on 26th street?

Mom knitted me a poncho once. It was pink and orange. (That means I'm cool like Martha Stewart.) Now if I can round up 163 friends who have ponchos, maybe we can all stand in line somewhere and have Poncho Day in Atlanta.

Today's visual aid features Kitter making cheese straws. Neither Kitter nor I have been successful at our cheese straw making attempts: one recipe was too stiff and would not squeeze through the pastry pipe. Another recipe appeared to be just fine, but turned into cheese blobs when baked in the oven.

PLEASE send us a good recipe for cheese straws if you have one! The holidays are coming up. And while I do love me some Geraldine's Cheese Straws from the box on the shelf at Whole Foods Market, it is more fun to give homemade cheese straws as gifts, since everyone else is baking sweets.

Speaking of the holidays, please be informed that Kitter and I are creating a line of holiday cards that we will print on our Yudu printer, and sell to all who appreciate holiday cards that are printed by hand in Atlanta, GA on paper that is made in the United States of America.

Cash is king.

noreply@blogger.com (Carla Kaiser) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:43:00 +0000

Yesterday I was hanging out behind the counter at Urban Cottage with Ms Gail and Heather D. We were having a grand ole time eating nachos from Taco Mac, flipping through the new Sundance catalog, sipping Coke Colas, speculating on whether or not a particular good looking male customer was heterosexual... when suddenly Murray came into the store.

Murray is a Virginia Highland neighborhood celebrity, or what some might refer to as a street person, or a bum. I don't live in Virginia Highland (aka VaHi), so I was a little shocked the first few times I witnessed my VaHi friends giving him the keys to their cars. Turns out Murray "owns a corporation" (car wash). He has washed my car a few times, and in all seriousness, he really does an outstanding job.

He has very black skin and carries a backpack. He usually wears a bandana on his head, and if it's hot outside he puts it in his pocket and uses it to wipe sweat from his forehead. When I'm driving to work, I recognize his carefree body language if I see him walking down the sidewalk. He always smiles and waves.

We suspect he likes to buy beers at the Chevron with his extra money. We are pretty sure he doesn't get into liquor or hard drugs, because we've been interacting with him for almost 2 years now, and he's always steady and calm and happy.

He has never come inside the store to ask us for anything. As a matter of fact, he rarely asks us for anything at all, because he knows we'll catch up with him on the sidewalk and we enjoy giving him a few extra dollars here and there.

So yesterday he came inside the store and asked Ms Gail for five dollars. Ms Gail paused and said, "not today Murray." Murray said he understood, and walked outside. Ms Gail was heartbroken, she really wanted to give him the money, but it is against the unspoken rules of the VaHi business association to give streetpeople money inside the stores.

Later in the afternoon Ms Gail spotted him on the sidewalk across the street from the store. She took five dollars out of the drawer and asked me to give it to him. She had a feeling he really needed it. There were cars coming, so by the time I crossed the street, Murray had disappeared. I followed the path he was most likely to take, and called his name at the next intersection.

I saw someone stop on the sidewalk, and I walked toward him with the cash in my hand. I said, "Murray, we found something for you." and I gave him the cash. He looked me in the eye with a smile that I will never forget, and he said, "Thank you, Carla." Murray always smiles. But this one was a smile of the deepest gratitude I've ever seen.

When I got back to the store Ms Gail said, "Five bucks isn't going to really do anything for any of us. But it will change his life for a few hours."

Today's visual aid features cash found in the laundry a few weeks ago. At first it was six dollars found in the lint filter. Then six more dollars on the carpet next to the detergent. Then fives and ones started flying out of the dryer. I remember how happy I was when unexpected money came out of my washer and dryer, and maybe that is how Murray feels sometimes.