New Listings!

Hey all! New items in the shop this week:

Purple Buffalo Printable - $10

Pre-orders of "From Frap to Black" - $7

Fancy Limited Edition Giclee prints of a colored pencil drawing of a Markhor I did a while back - $20 for 8X10, $50 for 16X20

And don't forget about the giveaway!

♥ Ciara Kay

100th Sale Stationery GIVEAWAY!!

It's happened!! Only 8 months after setting this goal, Scoutaroo has made 100 sales! Thank you so so much for being awesome fans and supporting my Etsy shop! ♥

Because I want to celebrate and give back to you, my loyal customers, I'm hosting a...

And it's about time... this is the first giveaway in Scoutaroo Paper Co. history! One winner will receive 40 sheets of my remaining first run stationery designs plus 20 cute little Kraft paper envelopes. I will no longer be selling stationery sets in this size once my current inventory is sold out, so these are limited edition, oh la la!

This oughta last a while for even the most avid snail mailers!

How to Enter

There are five ways to enter this giveaway for 40 sheets of stationery and 20 kraft envelopes. Feel free to do one or two or all five!!

1. Leave a comment

2. Retweet the giveaway

3. Like Scoutaroo on Facebook (leave a second comment if you're already a fan)

4. Sign up for my new monthly newsletter (first issue is in September!)

5. Send a postcard to me at:

5085 Wilder Drive Apt C

Soquel, CA 95073

→ GIVEAWAY WILL CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013 AT 12AM EST ←

Oh, also, here is a free stationery printable of our new little jellyfish friend! ♥

You guys are great, and I'm super excited about what's in store for Scoutaroo!!

♥ Ciara Kay

Looking Forward

Look, I made a planner out of a Dollar Tree notebook! I have way too much time on my hands...

Now that my home is in order, I feel like I can move forward. I've applied to five different places for work and have a few more on the list to try if those don't pan out. We're a bit anxious about money, it's pretty expensive down here, and most positions are for part-time work... In the meantime, I'm trying to focus on Scoutaroo, which has been neglected the last few months. I have a few ideas I'm excited about, some new goals, and a clearer direction!

So, you can expect more activity around here, a resurrection of the "Saturday Sketchdumps," regular postings of my incoming and outgoing mail starting on Monday, and lots more Scoutaroo stationery for you to enjoy!! During the next few months I'm really seeking to improve on what I have... any and all suggestions are appreciated! What can Scoutaroo do for you? What would you like to see that other stationers haven't provided? And on that sneaky secret project... I've just begun writing to some of my penpals about it, but it's still very much in the beginning stages and not yet ready for the light of day...

Lastly, a note on the No Internet thing: obviously (I am ashamed to admit), I have gone back to my old ways! Glued to the screen, nothing to show for it but guilt and discontent. This ends tomorrow... back on the horse! I do think that 15 minutes is a bit impossible when I'm trying to run an online business. It served a purpose for a time and I'm glad I limited myself so much, but it's a bit needless and unrealistic for what I'm trying to accomplish. However, I still have the same problems, and I'm still not well equipped to deal with them. It's a work in progress.

I'm looking forward to your ideas and input on current Scoutaroo products and what you hope to see in the future!

♥ Ciara Kay

P.S. Oh, here's a coupon code for $5 off your purchase of $20 or more in the shop: MOVING5. Out with the old, in with the new! :) And don't forget, I have a surprise planned for the 100th sale!

Lots of Lettersets! ♥

Today was the best Monday ever. I spend a large portion of the morning meditating on leisure (Josef Pieper), then moseyed on over to Bidwell Perk, the coffee shop down the street, to crank out the illustrations for these bad boys! I feel accomplished.

First up, we have a lovely Rainy Day stationery design which I made in response to your votes! Don't worry, there will be dinosaurs and derby girls and ratties and more Bowie in the future... but I love rain clouds (I miss them! Come back rain!) so I had a lot of fun with this one.

Gridlines + Clouds = my favorite things

One of my penpals from here in California suggested I make some butterfly stationery because it's a popular motif amongst snail mailers on swap-bot.com. I'm not much into butterflies, but moths are bad-ass, so I compromised, haha. My grandma loves butterflies, so I will have to make some for her & the other butterfly lovers out there in the near future.

Featuring an Emerald Gum Moth

Next up! You've seen this first kitty before! He's for sale in my shop already, but I decided to make him some friends. ♥ I'll be selling them individually and also in a variety pack!

Tubby Tabby

Mischievous Maine Coon

Suave Siamese

So now I'll have some fresh new stationery for the shop this week, and just in time for my craft show on May 11th! Oh, and here's another opinion poll... thanks to everyone who voted in the last one! That was very helpful to me! ♥

Printables VS Stationery Sets... which do YOU prefer?
	I buy mostly printables on Etsy
	I buy mostly stationery sets on Etsy
	I don't buy stationery on Etsy
	Split Pea Soup!
pollcode.com free polls

♥ Ciara Kay

Derby Daze...

I survived my first bout!! My team lost, but not by an embarrassing amount, and we made an awesome comeback in the second half and almost turned the tide... So we are pretty proud of ourselves despite the final score. All pics are by Nocklebeast, check out the rest of the photostream!

Team shot! Me on the upper left, purple helmet.

Me in the white jersey!

Me in the purple helmet, #379!

I can't wait for the next one in June!! Learned a lot, can't wait to get back to practice & get better at kicking ass.

Now I have to plan an office baby shower and start freaking out about my upcoming craft show!!

Also, all stationery in the shop is 20% off in honor of Britain's National Stationery Week! Why can't we Americans celebrate with you guys? ;)

Love,

Dead Marsha

Want an Awesome Postcard?

My sis-in-law gave me a rad box of postcards for my birthday and it has made me excited about postcards again... So if you would like one, add your info to my Postable! They are all gloriously random and lovely and I will glean great joy in sending them out into the world.

Some shop-related news:

♥ Secretary's Day is a week from tomorrow! Appreciate the administrative professionals in your life with this neato card!

Purchase on Etsy!

♥ I listed two new printables available in the shop!

♥ I'm going to have a booth in a craft faire on May 11! It will be my first ever... and it will be well documented... I have a Pinterest board designated for ideas & tips that I've been collecting from Etsy and elsewhere! I'm really excited about it... The faire is part of a music festival, Music for Music, to raise money for local music scholarships and give local artists a chance to show their stuff. Should be fun!

♥ I have a Lost Sock Memorial Day (May 9) card on its way, and I think I'll finish up the artwork for those printables I mentioned and make some fully designed stationery in time for the craft show, too...

Now, I need your opinions!

Stationery: What design would you like to see next?
	Rats
	Dinosaurs
	More Bowie
	Cute Rainy Clouds
	Roller Derby Girls
	Surprise Me
pollcode.com free polls

I'll be spending the rest of the afternoon with a Sierra Nevada and iTunes to keep me company while I  make some mail, work on my product photography & enjoy the windy Chico weather from safe inside (where there's no pollen!!)

♥ Ciara Kay

Birthday Wishes & Printables

This is what I did for my birthday:

• Went wine tasting (delicious!)
• Went on the Sierra Nevada brewery tour & tasting (very interesting and quite tasty... there was a beer that was aged in Bourbon barrels... SO good)
• Went to a mystery dinner theatre (gross food, kind of a lame show, oh well)
• Spent the night with friends (way fun!)
• Had breakfast at an Irish pub (so yummy!)

I also wanted to share some cards I got...

From my grandparents. Inside it says "Resistance is futile, you're still one of us" XD BEST CARD EVER

22 cards from the Snail Mailer! All in separate envelopes... best gift in the world from a penpal!!

In other news, I have bronchitis now, which is why I've been a bit quiet around the interwebz the last few days. Also it was my birthday, so I guess all are legitimate excuses. =P

I do have a new product in the shop though! I decided to make some printables for $5 each... What do you think?

Garden Snail Printable Stationery 

Praying Mantis Printable Stationery

With all the bugs visiting it seemed appropriate. It was 85 degrees (F) today!! Crazy... so glad the house is well insulated! I mislike the heat.

What would YOU like to see more of from Scoutaroo?? I'm really interested in any kind of feedback! ♥

Here are a few things I have planned for the near future:

• Penpal Address books
• Birthday Cards
• Penpal Kits
• OOAK Envelopes
• Fold & Mails

Anyway. Today was kind of a brainstorming day. Lots of ideas, very little resources to implement them... ah well, I just need patience!

♥ Ciara Kay

Birthday Wishlist

It's way too late for anyone to be buying me anything for my birthday, but I DO have some birthday cash!! How can I decide between all these awesome Etsy finds?

Refillable Leather Sketchbook by ZenfishLeather

Gray Sweatshirt by YSari

Sweet Skate Toe Guards! by RedRage77

My favorite biscuit pillow... by Nikki McWilliams

Or maybe I'll blow the whole wad on washi tape... from washimatta

Hmm... what should I treat myself to? Decisions decisions! ♥

I had a swell day! Went to work at my favorite framing shop, got news that Jamie has officially been accepted to U.C. Santa Cruz (YAY!! We are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate), got some lovely letters & birthday cards, and I'm looking forward to lots of surprises tomorrow for my birthday!

♥ Ciara Kay

P.S. Don't forget to use the $5 off code in my shop by the end of tomorrow! Spend $24 or more and get $5 off with the code 24BIRTHDAY ♥

New Listings on a Rainy Day

Lucky me, I came down with the flu on Tuesday night! I think the worst of it is over, and I'll be back to normal tomorrow! Luckily I got time off work for my birthday so I didn't have to call in, AND my print shop got my order done a couple of days early, so I was able to take my time getting some new listings together while enjoying the rain outside!

So, now for some shameless self-promotion.

So far I have these new listings... Any feedback on photographs, pricing, the product itself, is appreciated!!

Happy Secretary's Day Card! $4.50

Wise Blood Stationery Set $13

Mama Bear Mother's Day Card $4.50

I'll be listing the other three Mother's Day cards now through Tuesday!

And don't forget to use this fancy $5 off coupon when you buy $24 worth of stuff from the shop now through Saturday, which is my birthday!

Side note. I love how uncomfortable this particular costume of Bowie's makes the men in my life. My husband is unfazed (he is subjected to constant exposure to all things Bowie, the lucky guy), but I've received multiple comments about it from various menfolk over the age of 30, which I find funny.

Oh Bowie. You are my hero.

♥ Ciara Kay

It's not even April...

...and I've already got my Mother's Day cards ready to print! I badly wanted to be considered for Poppytalk's Mother's Day Market so I busted 'em out in less than 24 hours. Feeling pretty smug right now.

What do you think?? Which one is your favorite? I love animals. I need to make more animal stationery.

Up next is Secretary's Day, coming in April! We secretaries need appreciation too. I already have the illustration for that one inked, it just needs some color & prep for print! It should be available within the next week also.

Oh, and because I said I'd share some exciting news this week, I will share some exciting news: My husband Jamie got into grad school for mathematics! Which means we will be moving somewhere new & interesting in July! This has been a goal of his for years, so it's great that it's finally coming true. ♥

Well, now it's time for some letter-writing & mail art. I think I earned it.

♥ Ciara Kay

A Tribute to Flannery O'Connor

To-day is Flannery O'Connor's birthday. Because she is a person of interest to me, and my husband's favorite author, I decided the stationery world needed a set designed around one of my favorite characters of hers, which would be Hazel Motes from "Wise Blood."

I don't expect this to be a big seller, but I'm proud to display it nonetheless! A bit dark & macabre, but  I know there are snail mailers out there who can at least appreciate the thought. I will be listing the set sometime this week! Too bad I don't have fake barbed wire to wrap it in, haha.

Also, in case you missed it, my David Bowie stationery is now for sale in the shop!

And another thing, you get this fancy $5 off coupon if you buy two stationery sets (or at least $24 worth of anything from the shop) from Jamie's birthday (yesterday) to my birthday (April 6)! Yay! It's everybody's birthday!

Ziggy knows the secret.

♥ Ciara Kay

Before & After (What a Difference Photography Makes)

I finally got a charger for my camera, and LOOK at the difference!! (I also got creative with the props, haha).

Before

After

Catscratch Stationery Set on Sale at Etsy!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Before

After

Cafe Coffee Day Stationery Set on sale at Etsy!!

What do you think? Vast improvement, eh? Ok, now I know the sales will just start rolling in... (Hey, I can dream!)

In other news, I have a super cool new storage thingy! We are doing some rearranging in the office and I scored this great wooden shelving unit that they were getting rid of. One of my co-workers wanted it too but graciously let me have it for the time being (she still needs to figure out where to put it in her own craft room). It is SO GREAT to have all my stuff off the floor & somewhat organized!! Yay! (Also you can see some of my artwork on the wall for a few of my recent projects).

So, any exciting plans for St. Patrick's Day? I was born in Ireland so I have a soft spot for this holiday... Plus my husband makes some mean Corned Beef & homemade Irish Cream! Yum yum! We are having Jamie's family over for an Irish feast & to enjoy each other's company. This will be our first "party" in the new house! We are actually going to clean this weekend... ugh. I can't believe how far gone I am. I can tolerate mess like never before, haha.

♥ Ciara Kay

Like Some Cat from Japan

I was busy today. One viewing of Velvet Goldmine & 3 Bowie albums later, I made a whole new stationery design from start to finish. You know you are excited for some David Bowie stationery, yes you are!

So be looking for that new listing in a week or so!

What I should have been working on:

• Mothers Day Cards
• Birthday Cards
• Happy Engagement/Baby/Wedding/Retirement Cards
• You know, practical things...

But who wants THOSE when they can have BOWIE?? Am I right?

Oh. I just came up with a brilliant idea like just now. David Bowie Birthday Cards. Man, I am so clever. Now I just need a catchy phrase, like "Ziggy says have a rockin' birthday." Wow, that is lame. This is why I let Jamie write the jokes and I just draw the pictures... But now I don't have to come up with random generic birthday cards, I have them MADE! Oh boy! I really don't know if this is considered efficiency or laziness...

Ok, now I'm rambling. I apologize. I have just spent the last six hours in Bowie-land. It's disorienting.

♥ ziggyfan1984

Bizarre Holiday Card the First

I am pleased to announce I have the first of my Bizarre Holiday Cards series now available for purchase! It is indeed a day of days.

Buy now!

I think the cards themselves turned out great, and the listing photographs are super adorable if I do say so myself! I can't wait til I get my camera situation figured out so I can get sharper images, though. Do you like the background for this listing? It's the back of a box of Spirographs that my dad had when he was a kid. I think it works well with the theme!

Remember, Extraterrestrial Abductions Day is March 20! Order soon so you have plenty of time to send it to that special someone...

I know that LetterMo is quite over, but I felt I did a shoddy job of keeping up with promised letters & minizines I wanted to share. So I'm going to keep going through my list & surprising a few of this year's LetterMo participants with late zines over the next few weeks. I also have a growing pile of mail to reply to! Oh well, a full mailbox is a happy mailbox, after all. I need to get back in the groove of incoming/outgoing mail posts! So many things I've neglected... but now that all the boxes are in the garage I feel like I'm starting to form some semblance of a routine, which hopefully will help.

♥ Ciara Kay

Extraterrestrial Abductions Day is March 20

...you know you need a card for your weird Uncle Dennis for this special holiday, right? You're welcome.

These will go to print this week and there will be a limited number available in the shop!

Next month's Bizarre Holiday Card will be for Secretary's Day! That one is far less obscure, but as an administrative assistant it has a special place in my heart so I have to make a design for it of course.

This weekend I pulled a muscle during Derby team photos (we are hardcore even when we take pictures), went to market and got farm eggs & honey, spent an afternoon at my parent's house, and watched "Sinister" with my roommates & some of their buddies. Actually, I had already seen it so I slept through most of it, but it was better than trying to sleep through it in the next room... alone... in the dark... with muffled screams and a creepy soundtrack to keep me from falling asleep...

Anyway, it was a productive weekend for me. Howabout you?

♥ Ciara Kay

Catscratch & Coffee Day Make Their Debut!

Finally, finally, FINALLY I have some actual stationery in the shop! Between being sick, moving, and not having internet all of my projects have been at a standstill... SO frustrating. But now we are rolling again, and the stationery sets are live!

Catscratch - $12 for 10 sheets & 5 envelopes

Cafe Coffee Day - $12 for 10 sheets & 5 envelopes

WOO.

Also I got all my derby gear!! I get to use all of it tomorrow at practice. ♥ We took team photos today and I think they turned out really cool, I'll be sure to post some when my friend the photographer is done editing them.

Other news - You can listen to David Bowie's new album for free on itunes! This makes me very happy.

Other other news - We are eating homemade bacon, swiss & avocado cheeseburgers tonight. I am very excited about that.

Coming Soon... Extraterrestrial Abductions Day is just around the corner! Here's hoping I get it printed & listed in time!

♥ Marsha Out

Coming Soon!

Hey all!

Valentine sales are going well... There are still a few left online that I can ship out today to arrive on Valentine's Day (that's free upgraded shipping, take advantage of it) for domestic orders! So if you still need a Valentine for your sweetheart, order one before 3pm PST so you can tell them how much you love them with a cheesy under-the-sea pun.

Ok, that's the last pitch of the season. Moving on!

We are going to have to wait for the dust to settle after Valentine's Day & see how many we sold at the various consignment shops around town before we print any new products, but I did want to show off the finished designs for the two 5"X7" lettersets I hope to list this week or next! (I do apologize for the watermarks, they aren't going to be on the printed sets, of course).

"Cafe Coffee Day"

"Catscratch"

Both designs will be printed on a gorgeous stock and they are going to look AMAZING. I can't wait! I picked out the paper a few weeks ago and was just drooling over it; it's so nice to write on and it makes the colors just pop. I'm going to sell them in packs of 10 with 5 Kraft paper envelopes. Won't be doing preorders this time, I don't want to get caught in an endless loop of preorders, haha.

Anyway, this week is turning out to be much better than last week... I have plenty of time to catch up on my correspondence and my sleep, and still check off everything on my to-do list! Plus it looks like we will be able to move in to our new place in Chico this weekend!! So many things to look forward to!

Hope ya'll are having a great week too!

♥ Ciara Kay

Achievement Unlocked!

I think one wholesale account, four consignment accounts, a nearly empty online inventory and money trickling into the bank is a good start for a business that began three weeks ago, eh?

The aftermath of our marathon cut/fold/tie/stuff/label session last night!

I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck (Derby practice on Tuesday didn't help!). Starting on Monday this week has been a nonstop crash course in chaos. First, my envelope company was out of their stock. Then, my heart stickers didn't arrive in time. There were tears, there were moments of panic, there were times I wanted to chuck the whole thing and go back to being an office zombie. But it all worked out in the end for better or for worse, and now my products are lovingly nestled in baskets and in card stands around Paradise and Chico.

And it's over!! For now, anyway... I've decided not to list any new products until after Valentine's Day so I can get the final damage report before I go printing & ordering more stuff! However, I have given myself the rest of the week off from Scoutaroo, haha (besides filling new online orders, of course! Work's never done!). And speaking of that nearly empty online inventory, ya'll better go buy stuff before it sells out... Because I am NOT printing any more of these dang Valentines, haha! Keep an eye out for some discounted packs... I'm bad at math and ended up with extra cards, but not enough stickers & envelopes. But the cards are still adorable, so I'm going to sell them without all the extras for a discounted price.

Time to tackle that pile of mail that has been guilting me for the last week and a half and get caught up on LetterMo!

♥ Ciara Kay

And We're Off!!

FINALLY! I actually have a product to sell! I'm amazed I suckered all you who pre-ordered into buying imaginary things, HAH. But now I have to deliver, and today was dedicated to getting orders printed, packaged, and shipped! Here are a few pictures of Scoutaroo Paper Co.'s very first orders!!

Some trouble at the printer's left us with over 300 Classroom Valentines to cut ourselves!! Our printer did beautiful work though and I'm very pleased with the final product.

My wonderful, awesome, supportive husband helped me cut out all the cards, count them, tie them up with string, and package them!

Pretty piles of Classroom Valentines!

Me tying up bundles of Classroom Valentines ♥

Lovely little rows!

All packaged up & ready to ship!

10 orders went out today!! I was able to hand-deliver my mom's order of course, haha.

I was so excited to get these out to the post office, and when I got back home, I found another order waiting in my inbox for an Octopus card from Bianca in New York!! That is officially my furthest order so far!

Getting these things done was definitely an adventure! Things went wrong right and left, from getting my envelope orders delivered on time to getting my stuff printed exactly the way I wanted, haha. The last week was seriously an emotional roller coaster for me... But it's finished and I've learned a few good lessons, and I'm pleased as punch with my final product!

I even sold one pack of 4 full cards to the owner of the coffee shop that Jamie & I spent some time at yesterday because she was so taken with the designs! That made me feel good. And of course, some scrimmaging at Roller Derby practice helped me get the rest of my frustration out of my system... I love that I've found a productive past time that involves knocking people over.

Now I have a decision to make... I've already sold over half of my inventory! Do I buy more and try to sell some packs in local shops AND online? Or do I make these designs limited edition and move on to other things? I'm leaning towards getting more Valentines to sell, but I also want to get some lettersets printed soon! Maybe I can do both... We shall see!

LetterMo started today and I was so busy running around and chopping up paper and getting bits of twine dust in my eyes that I failed to send any letters! But I did send ten packages full of goodies out into the world, so maybe that counts. ♥

Dazed & Confused but Feeling Accomplished,

Ciara Kay