Winter Wondering

E J Thias Winter Scenes

Top Scene

Foxy Woods

Bottom Scene

Owl on Shaggy Bark Hickory

Holiday Wrapping

Paper Petals TM wraps make the perfect holiday packages. The paper is premium acid free recycled wind power milled paper. This pattern may be purchased at Bowood Farms. The paper may be reused to wrap smaller gifts, books or decorate. Grandma was right, don't throw away good wrapping paper, except this isn't your grandmothers wrapping paper!

Hand Outs

Having an art and design professor for a father, I have received pieces of paper containing valuable information from him my entire life. In the mail, at his events, when I visit his home and studio. I have boxes of handouts. At the end of every year I organize the handouts.

My father a mid-century architect and designer is an expert in modern design history, materials and quality. While most children took trips to Disney, I went on tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and other modern architects homes as a young child. It was amazing.

I finally made it to Disney in Florida for my stepdaughters wedding. My son in Law, a KU graduate has family in Florida -- Perfect! When I finally arrived the first thing that came out of my mouth was - IT'S PLASTIC! (meaning the castle).

One of my favorite quotes from my favorite handout that I keep in my studio is a quote from John Ruskin

"There is hardly anything in the world that man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are man's lawful prey." John Ruskin

Find more John Ruskin quotes on http://www.quotationspage.com/

Ladue Chapel Holiday Boutique

The Ladue Chapel Holiday Boutique was busy with holiday shoppers. I saw many of my customers including StLouis Magazine AT Home Editor Christy Marshall at the show. One of my favorite new vendors was Cool Beads. They were selling glass beaded pens and glass letter openers. www.coolbeads.net

Mc Caughen & Burr

I enjoyed stopping in at Mc Caughen and Burr for the holidays for my dad's art show and book signing. E J was promoting his new book with Don Corrigan, Show Me Natural Wonders while my father's beautiful original watercolors were on display. Mc Caughen and Burr is a fine art gallery located in Webster Groves Missouri. My dad has been selling his work there for many years and it was fun to meet some of his fans at the event. Visit their website at http://www.mccaughenandburr.com/

Holiday Greetings!

If you're not the least bit inspired to send holiday greeting cards this year, you may be shopping at the wrong stores for your greeting cards!

According to a new study from Unity Marketing; "Greeting Card Market is on the Up Swing as Card Shoppers turn to Specialty Retailers for More Distinct Product Offerings". According to the report "This revival of specialty retail for greeting cards comes after years of steady drop in the number of specialty retailers in the card and gift segments. The number of gift shops dropped from 75,010 stores in 2002 to 59,032 shops today. Specialty card shops declined even more 33 percent from 8,135 in 2002 to 5,391 currently. The study attributes this decline to mass retailing.

Professionals in the gift industry witnessed the suffering first hand with aggressive growth plans of big box stores tens of thousands of small American business owners have lost their businesses. The shift in market share has taken the market from thousands of small to medium sized businesses, artists and designers and a huge variety of choices, to less than a few dozen people mass producing and working under strict merchandising and streamlined cost structures. The result is a bland and boring mass offering. Consumers in the past years have been choosing convenience over style and quality. That is all starting to change. The report states "In 2006 specialty card and gift stores regained 6 market share points. As a result, the mass merchants are holding on to the market share leader position by a thread."

Specialty retailers on the other hand buy from the thousands of vendors, many artist and designer owned companies that have emerged in the last five years. They sell a huge variety of lines as well as medium sized companies products and offer better quality, design, environmentally friendly options and competitive pricing. Take a look one of my favorite greeting card companies on http://www.kristinnelson.com/ . There are literally thousands of options to choose from in the specialty market.

Another trend we are seeing in the specialty market is individually packaged holiday cards. Now you may send a religious specific card to each of your friends vs. the all encompassing "Happy Holidays" card making it more personal. A growth in variety of religious cards is also happening and during the holidays this includes Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and so on.

So instead of buying your holiday cards off of a hook this year or stressing out to make your own, try shopping at a specialty store for your holiday greeting cards!

Millies Bags

Millies Bags offer quality stylish handbags. The handbags are great for everyday use because they are fun and sophisticated and made of fine fabrics and trims.
Order one today and find one for yourself or a best friend on their website http://www.milliebags.com/

Going Nuts for Local Squirrels

At all of our holiday shows we will be handing out our "Nuts" mini note featuring acorns and hickory nuts found on Missouri's majestic white oaks and hickory trees. Included will be a reminder to check on your backyard friends who rely on the acorns for food during the winter months.

This year a unseasonably hot Spring combined with a late frost damaged the buds of these trees and Missouri squirrels all the way into Arkansas will have a limited supply of acorns for two years. White Oaks only bud every two years. If you love our furry friends who dance from tree to tree we recommend to visit your local Wild Bird Center to purchase wild animal backyard food. Local Grocery stores also carry wild bird and backyard animal mixes.

Having five large 75 foot white oaks in my back yard, I love to watch the squirrels and can't live without them. When the mighty oaks do shed their acorns they are there to pick them up for food, this year we are seeing very few if any acorns.

Unique Boutique

We are preparing for the 2007 Unique Boutique at John Burroughs School. Some of the companies at the show include K Hall Designs http://www.khalldesigns.com/ , Nori Obata, Herberia and more. Reed diffusers can be found at a lot of stores, but why not purchase one of the original reed diffusers with actual botanical essence. Visit John Burroughs School website to download their postcard with a full list of exhibitors at http://www.jburroughs.org/

Paper Petals TM Toasting Cards

Celebrate the spirit of the holidays with Paper Petals TM Toasting Cards. Featured in the Fall/Winter issue of Brides Local, our Toasting Cards are a fabulous gesture for savvy hosts and hostesses to immortalize a celebration or special event. The Toasting Cards, now in their second selling season, on acid free paper feature original bubbly prints and a modern grapevine print in the colors of spirits and wines. Call **Any Occasion** in Chesterfield, Missouri at 636-256-6969 to purchase. They will ship anywhere in the country! Choose from four designs Toast, Cheers, To Us or Celebrate that made their debut at the 2006 National Stationery Show!. All Paper Petals Toasting Card designs copyrighted 2006.

Show Me Natural Wonders

November postings will be filled with great gift ideas and alternatives to mass produced gifts.

Show Me Natural Wonders is a great gift idea for anyone who loves to explore natural land, caves, bluffs and rivers. The book is written by Don Corrigan with his vast knowledge of the Missouri landscape from his travels as a journalist. My father E J Thias illustrated the book.

Show Me Natural Wonders is endorsed by

Peter Raven, President Missouri Botanical Garden

Charles Brennan, KMOX Radio

William H. Danforth, Chancellor Emeritus, Washington University

Charlie Hoessle, Director Emeritus, Saint Louis Zoo

The book is available at the Missouri Botanical Garden and may be also be purchased on http://www.reedypress.com/

Robin's Nest on the Katy Trail

October in Missouri is packed with outdoor events. A weekend Art Show at Robin's Nest on the Katy Trail was a great get-away and opportunity to sell my products. Occasionally Paper Petals is part of a few Art Shows and Boutique Shows. It's nice to talk with some of my customers.

Robin's Nest on the Katy Trail (top photo, back porch) is nestled in the Missouri Wine Country and Located in Defiance, Mo. Located inside a historic general store, one side of the shop is a gift store and the other a bike rental for the Katy Trail. Along with historic pioneer locations in the town it remains untouched and many of the original buildings from pioneer days are preserved.

After setting up my show, I took a detour to see Daniel Boone's home (lower photo, back porch) and a historic Lewis and Clark area.

Paper Petals TM Toasting Cards

Paper Petals TM Toasting Cards were featured in Brides Local by Conde Nast. The super fancy feature called "Pretty Little Things" by Editor Amy Elliot shows off a hair accessory by Lladro, a crystal bowl by Stueben, glass blooms by Marc Jacobs for Waterford, a Paper Petals TM Toasting Card, and lingerie by http://www.spoylt.com/ Subscribe to Brides Local on http://www.brides.com/

Herbaria Soap

Try this soap! If you love herbs and scents it is really special. The website is http://www.herbariasoap.com/ . I first saw this soap at the Unique Boutique at John Burroughs School, I saw my dermotoligist who's children go to the school getting ready to buy a stack of 10 bars.

Moderna

Roberta Schilling has a new line out called Moderna. I love the sophisticated modern pieces and natural insets of rock . The website for viewing Moderna is http://www.modernacollection.com/

Kari Heybrock Glass Artisan

Kari Heybrock designs this jewelry and apprenticed before starting her own line. Visit her website http://www.kariheybrock.com/ and read her story.

R Wood Studio

R Wood Studio Pottery is designed, created and produced by 10 artists from red Georgia Clay. Each piece is handmade, unique and beautiful. With so few active pottery studios left in the USA, this collection is a treat. Visit their website to find stores that sell their products at http://www.rwoodstudio.com/

Bambu

Bambu is a contemporary company selling primarily environmentally friendly kitchen utensil products. The products are modern in style and completely useful. They provide a unique alternative to kitchen utensils of the past that are being reproduced over and over again. A different approach to shape and material makes these products completely unique. The website to find stores that sell Bambu is http://www.bambuhome.com/.

Lattice and Curio

Lattice and Curio offers quality, sleek and timeless designs. The furniture is sophisticated and modern. The pieces are attractive making it difficult to grow tired of any of them. All pieces on the website are available by calling them to find a dealer on http://www.latticeandcurio.com/

Paper Petals Stationery

Paper Petals LLC is my company. Paper Petals TM is a line of contemporary stationery produced with windpower milled, 30% recycled premium acid free paper. Lithograph printed using soybased inks in the USA by master pressman. Everyday stationery, blank (no printed words) found in stores on the "where to buy" page of http://www.paperpetals.com/.

Dreamsacks, Inc.

Dreamsacks, Inc. is a company that specializes in comfortable luxury bamboo fabrics trademarked as Bamboodreams TM, and products made of washable silks. They sell loungewear, bedding, pillowcases and clothing on their website and their products may be purchased at many fine retailers listed on their retailer page on http://www.dreamsack.com/

Nandina Bath Towels

Nandina bath towels blend organic cotton and bamboo. Bamboo fibers are found to be more absorbent than 100% cotton towels. Bamboo fabrics also possess antibacterial qualities. This line of bath towels is not only completely useful, their design and colors are rich, luxurious and beautiful. Their website is http://www.nandina.info/ for more information. They are sold at select specialty retailers listed on their website.

My blog starts today!