• has an online shop: Fab*Blog by InvitationConsultants.com
  
• takes fantastic photographs: Erin Conrad / Shannon Ho
• has a new baby: Kelly's Korner
• has flawless taste: Absolutely Beautiful Things
• is unique: Inchmark
• has admirable qualities: NieNie
• crafts up a storm: Pretty Little Things
• is an artist: Annechovie
• is intriguing: May December
  
• you've bookmarked: Winter in Ethiopia
• lives far away: Yvestown
• is an old favorite: Style Me Pretty
• is creative: Sarah Jane Studios
• features fabulous ideas: Eddie Ross
• features loveliness: Style Court
• features pretty products: Magnolias, Marriage & Manhattan
• features fantasticness: M. A. Belle
• features weddings: The Bride's Guide
• writes about life: The Senator's Wife
• is a daily must see: Coterie
• tells great stories: The Pioneer Woman
• is funny: Dooce
• is a designer: Nugget Cantina
• works a letterpress: Delphine Ephemera
• you are inspired by: Just Something I Made
• recently added to google reader: Always Upward
• gives fabulous tips: Hostess with the Mostess

Meandering around the internet, I stumbled on to the delightful eye candy that is Janet Hill Studio. The classic furniture, rendered in both bright and muted tones, looks comfortable and charming. I love comfortable and charming.

Janet Hill refers to her paintings as "oil sketches", since they are small and done quickly. When I saw the rendering of the desk above, I had to post it. It looks like I'm starting to collect desks and chairs on this blog, doesn't it?

Wander over to her blog and scroll through the delightful interior renderings and still lifes.

Summer is here, and there is nothing preppier than summer. In celebration of sailing, beach houses, flip flops and Lilly Pulitzer shifts, we're hosting a Week of Preppy! To kick it off, I'd like to introduce you to a few of my favorite preppy bloggers, a few of whom have offered to sponsor a stationery giveaway!

Readers, meet Third Coast Preppy. She's a thirty-something, married lady, preppy girl, first-time mama, shopping addict, recovering attorney, etiquette nazi, serial comma devotee, procrastinator extraordinaire. We have SO much in common, minus the "first-time mama" and "recovering attorney". My favorite Third Coast Preppy post is her Nautical Nursery. Didn't she do a great job with the water theme?

Next, I'd like to introduce you to Tres Poshe Preppy. She is so chic, and has a fabulous blogroll of preppy blogs, just in case you are bored. She likes cable knit cashmere and cupcakes. YUM. One of my favorite Tres Poshe posts is So Me vs. So Not Me.

Both Third Coast and Tres Poshe are sponsoring a Whitney English giveaway! Stop by their blogs to enter a comment to win one of the packages, and read a little.

Oh, and one more preppy blog mention: Sippycups Are for Chardonnay is hosting a Baby Shower Inspiration Board contest! Head on over, get inspired, submit your baby shower ideas!

Check back more tomorrow. I'm off to find the preppiest recipes, pink and green party ideas and luxuries for more Week of Preppy!

Hi, Friends! Today marks the first issue of a new type of post for us: Noted Retailers! We asked Heidi Kallett, of The Dandelion Patch in Virginia to tell us a little bit more about what makes her store so unique.

WEK: What inspired you to open a store?

HK: When I was President of the Junior League and my term was expiring, I was trying to figure out what challenge I wanted to take on next. As I thought about the things that really make me who I am: I love to entertain, have a fondness for tradition and respect for the latest fashion trends-- I couldn't think of a better fit than to build The Dandelion Patch empire around fine stationery and personalized gifts.

WEK: How would you describe your store's style?

HK: Comfortable. Preppy-Chic. Fun. Perhaps my customers say it best, that "coming into our store is like going to a girlfriends' home."

WEK: What is your store's "signature" or specialty?

HK: At The Dandelion Patch, it's our goal to help make your wishes come true. So-making things personal is what we're known for. From formal wedding and back yard BBQ invitations to the perfect hostess gift, we are the experts in gracious expressions.    

WEK: What is the biggest challenge you face as a retailer, and what do you do to combat it?

HK: As we continue to grow, we are faced with the challenge of finding enough great people to grow with us. We've created an awesome culture of team work, respect and unparalleled customer service. As a result, we don't just hire anyone. Although our retention rate is impressive, with our 400% growth in 3 years, we are always looking for great employees that are interested in helping us build an empire of goodness and great customer service!   

WEK: What is your favorite part of being a retailer?

HK: I love the fact that in our business we are (mostly) about the good stuff in life: weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, anniversaries and special celebrations. I always feel special after completing a customer's order-like we'll be part of that event forever. We are lucky to have the best customers in the world!

WEK: Do you mind sharing a merchandising tip or trick?

HK:  We have found that by using our packaging as display items, it helps promote our brand as well as add visual interest to our merchandising. Now, all of our packaging is branded with dandelions, so it's hard to miss....

WEK: What trends do you currently see in the gift and/or paper market?

HK: I believe that monograms rule the world right now... they are everywhere! No longer are the formal monograms relegated to only fine stationery (which everyone still wants, of course) but now we find monograms on handbags, office products, serving pieces, clothing and even shoes!

Thank you, Heidi!! If you are in the Virginia area, try to get by one of The Dandelion Patch's two locations: Vienna at 111 Church Street or Reston at 11923 Market Street. If you can't make it to Virginia any time soon, be sure to check out Heidi's new blog!

Sara Hicks Malone, designer and founder of Hicks Paper Goods, has a new blog! Party Perfect says it all--she's the expert in throwing a chic and modern soiree! Be sure to add Party Perfect to your daily reads!

The National Stationery Show, held annually in New York City, is [gulp] just a few short weeks away. This will be our fifth year to exhibit and we still have a few tricks up our sleeve. It's an exciting time as wholesalers roll out the latest of their wares, setting trends for the upcoming holiday season. In honor of the major upcoming event, we are hosting a Stationery Show Countdown! Check back weekly as we walk you through the last minute preparations for the trade show, and expect to catch a glimpse or two of the exciting things we're cooking.

For more information, check out the Stationery Show Girls' Blog. Above, a picture of our 2006 Stationery Show booth.

We love blogs. Design blogs, fashion blogs, craft and scrapbook blogs, business blogs. They suck us in and fascinate us and resolve the issue of boredom--there is an unlimited supply! We'll be featuring some of our favorites in the next week under the category "blogs" in the left column.

And now, for our first Blog of Note (drumroll, please): Style Me Pretty!

I met Abby several years ago when she emailed me to ask me about exhibiting at the National Stationery Show. She was just starting Abby Jean Press and I was only a year into my NSS exhibiting experience. We chatted, and actually met face to face in New  York several months later. I thought she was amazing, and then Style Me Pretty came along and made her even more amazing--celebrity blogger, perhaps?

I think Abby single-handedly invented the idea of wedding inspiration boards, and I'm so glad she did! Having just finished planning my own wedding, I can't even begin to explain what a lifesaver they were! Need pink wedding ideas? Brown wedding ideas? Pink AND brown wedding ideas? Abby has them!

Retailers: Many times, a bride won't know where to start her wedding planning, and she'll end up at a stationery store, ordering her invitations, and need some advice. Suggest Style Me Pretty as an idea resource for your bride, and she'll end up coming back to your store for more advice and stationery!