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!

a collaborative effort.

Something I’m learning to appreciate more and more is good collaboration. I think some of the best products out there are a result of people with different strengths and passions coming together to create an end product that each party couldn’t have accomplished alone.

Since Andrew and I are both designers, we always want to design and produce our own Christmas cards. But for the first time in six years, we decided to look outside of our own capabilities and resources to produce something truly amazing.

We came up with our concept, inspired by our love for letterpress and these business cards. Our goal was to create something simple that highlighted the message but would also make people think about how it was created. We contacted Concrete Lace, an Atlanta-based letterpress printer who we met at Indie Craft Parade this year. Katie was great to work with, and was kind enough to send a few photos of the process over so I can share. Our card has a blind embossed (letterpressed) message on a beautiful heavyweight cotton stock. We then dip-dyed each card to add color and interest.

Below are a few photos of the process — from letterpress to dyeing.

Concrete Lace Studio, photo courtesy of Katie Daniels

Letterpressed! photo courtesy of Katie Daniels

Testing the dipping process/mixing colors

Dipped cards drying

The final product

Although I love print design, I’m fascinated by the thought this card doesn’t use ink at all!

o christmas tree.

The prospect of not having an actual Christmas tree for a second year running was a gloomy one, so after looking at several different tree options, we finally settled on a small live tree. I’m so glad we did! It was fun unpacking all the ornaments that we never pulled out last year and remembering the ones we’ve purchased or been given. Here are a few of my favorite additions this year:

Crochet snowflakes purchased on Etsy last year.

Delicate tin icicles from Tinworks.

Porcelain pears from Crave Studio.

Now to finish choosing what will go under the tree!

the story of our city.

One of my favorite things about Greenville is that we have people who know how to make things happen. Whether it’s Greenville Forward and their community-sourced idea generator What If Greenville, the folks at CoWork (more on them later), or one of the many small businesses and restaurants, Greenvillians are definitely not sitting still.

CityStory is one of the latest and greatest things happening in our town. Instead of talking about the fact that Greenville should have a coffee table book that shows off our city — these folks went out and made it. Not only that, it looks like they’ve done it well — a crucial factor in the success of any venture.

This team of writers, artists, and photographers set out to share the story of Greenville, South Carolina through words and photography. The final product is a beautiful monochromatic hard-bound book. You can see a sneak peek on their site, or check out a few of the spreads below.

Preview spreads from the book, Greenville — Imprints of a City

This project not only capitalizes on our city pride, it tells the story behind the buildings we see every day. CityStory has also produced some really beautiful videos using imagery from the book and interviews from locals. Even though I’ve spent hours digging through old pictures of Greenville online and reading about its past, I can’t wait to pick up this book and learn more about the city I already love.

If you want to check it out in person, the official book launch party is this Friday at art & light. Details are below!

CityStory Greenville Launch Party
Friday, December 2, 2012
art & light gallery, from 6-9pm
Pendleton St. in West Greenville

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!

keep it local.

A few weeks ago some friends and I headed up the road to Asheville, NC. The main reason for our trip was to meet Grace of D*S at her book signing there. We had so much fun exploring the city and checking out the shops, galleries and restaurants before we headed over to the bookstore. (If you want to see where all we went, look for more photos at Erin’s blog.)

Asheville has always had a strong ‘buy local’ movement (see examples of their campaigns below), but I was excited to see a new ‘Local is the new Black’ promotion around town. Beautiful silver screenprinted posters stand out against shop windows all over town.

Various Asheville Grown Business Alliance (AGBA) Campaigns as seen around town. Photo credits clockwise from top right: alicia.pimental / briface / ello lovey / Ron Gunzburger

It’s a great reminder as we head into the holidays. Every city has independent retailers struggling to make ends meet, and we can choose to support them and our local economy with our purchases.

If you’re not sure where to start, there’s a growing movement that can help. The 3/50 Project has been very instrumental for me in demonstrating exactly what kind of impact buying local can have. From their website:

“For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that money in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.”

The basic idea behind their project is to encourage consumers to pick 3 local businesses whose doors they would be sad to see close, and commit to spend $50 (total) each month at these stores. This is a great campaign with a very worthy mission.

I’ve seen a sign online that says “If you really want to occupy Wall Street, do your holiday shopping at a small independent merchant.” While I don’t know if that’s the entire answer, it’s definitely a good start! Support your local businesses this holiday season — whether that’s an artist or a restaurant or shop owner in your city. Think of creative ways to give gifts that support others in your community.

special delivery.

Several months ago, I bought a Living Social deal for Milk & Honey Organics. Last week, I called to place my order, scheduled the delivery, then forgot all about it. When I got home from work on Thursday there was a cooler and a bunch of bananas waiting for me. What a great surprise! I was excited about the idea of having fresh food delivered to my door, but look at how much wonderful produce was packed in that cooler!

Taking these pictures reminded me of the last time I had this many veggies on my kitchen table.

We’ve eaten most of the bananas, but the delivery also included: tomatoes, fresh greens, broccoli, cauliflower, parsley, sweet potatoes, chard, apples, pears, and peas.  

As always, by this time of the year, my garden has long been scorched by the South Carolina summer, so all this fresh produce is even more exciting! Now, to figure out how to prepare and eat chard.

a parade of goodness.

Here’s a glimpse of the wonderful things we brought home from Indie Craft Parade last weekend. I had much more time to shop this year and it was wonderful! Along with these goodies for us, we bought several gifts I’m really excited about (but can’t share of course). Here’s what I can show you:

Clockwise from top: port wine caramel sauce from Sweeteeth / fingerless gloves and a cozy cowl by erin elizabeth (I’m so much more excited about these than I look!) / stitched cards from Common Thread / handmade collar for Riley from Tree Parlor / owl ornament from Once Again Sam*

Not pictured (but things I can still share): leather clutch from Sew Few / bag with leather handles from lightnest / grey braided leather bracelet from Happylooks / What if Greenville poster from Shed Labs

*I know this photo is blurry, but I could barely get a clear picture of the owl since Riley thought it was a toy for her and kept trying to eat it in one gulp. I love they way they’re looking at each other here!

hard graft.

Several months ago, I traded my old Apple laptop for a sleek new MacBook Air. I LOVE my new computer, and so began the task of finding a case suitable for it. I dug through page after page on Etsy, searching for just the right one. In fact, I was planning to do a roundup blog post on all the great cases I found.

Problem is, I couldn’t find enough I liked and would recommend!

I wanted a beautiful handmade case. And having sewn a few things over the years, I’m  pretty picky about quality. I know that I could make myself a case, but I’d rather buy something that’s better quality than I can do at home on my sewing machine. None of the fabrics I saw were right (I have a hard time with patterns), and there are so many (expensive!) ones on the market with bad or uneven stitching!

After lots of searching online, I finally found the one I wanted. But it cost a fortune.

So for months now, I’ve been carrying around my new laptop in one of these (not even joking) while I saved up for the case I really wanted. And last Friday, it arrived!

I have to say, the packaging only confirmed my decision to splurge on this case. I took photos so I could share the Hard Graft experience.

Each case is handmade. Which means the attention to detail is unbelievable.

Aside from quality materials and construction, another factor that sold me on this case was the design. I needed something that covered the computer completely. The MacBook Air is super slim (aka kind of slippery) and I felt like a case with any open side would be risky since it could easily slide out.

There are many other similar cases on the market now, but I remembered this company and their products from years ago when they called themselves Working Class Heroes. Even then, their detailed but simple designs stood out to me, and they were the first company I saw creating industrial felt + leather computer cases. In a world of copycats, original ideas are worth honoring. And when a company is doing something so well, I don’t think there’s any reason to settle for someone else’s version. It was definitely worth saving up for!