elizabethramos.com

the end of an era.

If you’ve read my blog much, you’re familiar with the tiny paper goods company Andrew and I started a few years ago.

Looks like chocolate but it’s really just our logo on (our favorite) French paper in Hot Fudge.

It feels like ages ago (back when we were in school actually) that we had the brilliant idea to combine Andrew’s amazing illustration skills and our knowledge of design and production to form our own line of paper goods. Our first actual products showed up at Knack Studios in November 2009.

We’ve always pursued Two Over Zero as a side project but for the last year or so, the shop has taken a back seat to all the other things on our plates.

Two Over Zero at the 2010 Indie Craft Parade. Photo by Bryan Rees.

Obviously, the more ideas we pursue, the less energy and focus we can give to each one. So we finally came to the conclusion that we need to let go of Two Over Zero to make way for new ideas and projects. We’ll be officially closing up shop at the end of February.

“My favorite to-do list app” via @wmdmark

Running Two Over Zero has been a really valuable experience for both Andrew and me. It’s taught us a lot about how we do (and don’t) work together well, shown us more of our strengths and weaknesses, and given us some great real life examples of dos and don’ts. In case it’s helpful, I’ll share a few.

Things we would do the same:
· Make products we love and want to use ourselves.
· Insist on quality. Our products were produced with traditional printing methods because we felt that was important.
· Surround ourselves with friends and family who are supportive.
· Fill holes in the market. Create products that we haven’t been able to find.

Things we would do differently:
· Take more risks. Don’t play it so safe that it’s boring.
· Plan for the best, but don’t assume it will be successful — no matter what else is on the market.
· Pay more attention to details like packaging. When budget doesn’t allow, wait and save until it does.
· Make sure there’s a bigger purpose. We saw a huge contrast between our level of passion for Two Over Zero and other projects we’re pursuing, probably because this was missing.

While it’s sad to see this wrap up, it’s also a good feeling to look back and see how much we’ve grown because of Two Over Zero.

We owe a giant thank you to our friends and family who have been so supportive of this venture from the very beginning. From helping us package up products to being our regular customers and biggest fans, there’s no way we could have done this without you. Thank you all!

two-day sale.

Over the past few months, I’ve been talking with Belle Chic — a deal site for handmade goods — about Two Over Zero, the line of paper goods Andrew and I started a few years back. This is really exciting because that front has been quiet for a while, due to Indie Craft Parade planning, etc.

Beginning this morning at 11 am (our time) you’ll be able to purchase some of our Two Over Zero products at a discounted price through their site. The Belle Chic offer includes all our Christmas cards and gift tags as well as my favorite flat thank you cards. Visit and shop the sale here.

I am so excited about working with this company. There are a few other deal sites for handmade goods out there, but none quite so well varied and curated as Belle Chic. (Check out the sale coming up after ours…bakers confections!)

While I realize that for handcrafted goods, deep discounts like this aren’t always the best option, for us and our Two Over Zero goods, it’s a perfect fit!

So if you’re like me and love a good deal, and Christmas is on your mind, check out the sale, going on for two days only!

christmas in july.

We’re running a big sale in our long-quiet Etsy shop. All of our paper goods are 50% off this month only, so stock up on Christmas cards, gift tags, notepads, etc!

last minute holidays.

If you’re like us, it’s right about now that we start thinking about Christmas seriously. We know there are other procrastinators out there like ourselves, so we just put our entire Christmas selection on sale for you. All Two Over Zero Christmas goods are 30% off this week!

If you still need Christmas cards or gift tags, head over to our shop to take advantage of this sale, but do it fast! Supplies are limited and time is short. There are less than two weeks until Christmas!

giving thanks.

These thank you cards were actually created for Indie Craft Parade, but designing a simple thank you note for Two Over Zero has been the list for quite a while. With Thanksgiving a week away, it seems appropriate to share them.

If you’re like me and have an ongoing list of people you really need to send a thank you note to, these are great to have on hand! It makes it easier to pick up a pen and write someone a quick note of thanks.

Planning ahead.

This may be the first time I remember us being so well ahead of schedule. It’s the first week of November, and we have Two Over Zero Christmas products ready to go!

All the credit goes to Teresa of art & light gallery, who approached us not too long after Indie Craft Parade to see if we would be interested in selling some Holiday goods in her lovely shop. When I say ‘lovely shop’ — if you’ve never been to art & light, you really need to head over there this weekend! Teresa is an amazing curator, always finding new and fresh artists to showcase. She is an avid supporter of independent artists, which I really love. This month alone, I know that she has more than half a dozen of our Indie Craft Parade vendors’ work on display in her shop!

The card pictured above is my personal favorite of the three illustrations Andrew created for our Two Over Zero Christmas cards this year. They aren’t available in our shop yet, however you can see them and our other Christmas goodies at art & light this weekend!

Another reason to head out this weekend for art is that it’s not only First Fridays tonight, it’s also Greenville’s Open Studios weekend! This is the time of year you can visit artists in their studios throughout the city. If you don’t know where to start, check out the map, and start with your own neighborhood. There are hundreds of participating artists!

The perfect recipe box.

I wanted to suggest a box or two that would complement our Two Over Zero recipe cards, so I headed to Etsy’s vintage section. So many amazing options available, there was no way I could just pick one! And most are $10 or less!

It’s almost time.

So many really great things have been coming together for Indie Craft Parade in the last few weeks, both from the organization/planning side, as well as the participant side. (I’ll hopefully be sharing a few Two Over Zero sneak peeks soon!)

This last weekend we hung these posters up around Greenville to promote the event.

We are now less than three weeks away! I know that I’m extremely biased, but in all honesty, Indie Craft Parade is going to be amazing. We have so many fabulous artists who are pouring their hearts into their work just for this occasion. I don’t think I can describe what a wonderful experience this will be, so please plan to come see it yourselves!

I know I’ve said this over and over…but you really won’t want to miss it!

Two Over Zero

Last year, Andrew and I started a small paper company, called Two Over Zero. We had been dreaming about this for years, and decided it was time to actually do it. We wanted an outlet for creativity and also a good excuse to make some products we felt were missing on the market. Today I ran across these photos on my computer and wanted to share them with you. These are our grid pads, an example of a practical product we created just as much for ourselves, as for other designers out there.

All these photos were taken by local photographer, Mykal McEldowney

Unfortunately, we haven’t had much spare time to pursue new products lately, but we still have big plans for Two Over Zero! Right now we have our products listed in an Etsy shop, but we’ll also be selling these products (and more!) at Indie Craft Parade in September.

Greenbrier Photos

Images taken by Andrew at this weekend’s event. A big thank you to Greenbrier for putting it on, and to everyone who came out for it!