The Dandelion Patch

If you are screaming to show your inner diva, look no further than Bella Ink. Queen diva, Melissa Danaher (founder of Bella Ink), must channel smart, successful, and savvy women when creating her fabulous designs. If Carrie Bradshaw were to order invitations, Bella Ink would be a must! (All divas know who Carrie Bradshaw is, right?)





Bella Ink’s invitations are the mack daddy of style and fashion!



The creative genius behind Bella Ink, Melissa (the fashionista) …and me.

Labels: National Stationery Show

The past week has been a great media week for The Patch!

First, I met Karin Tanabe from Bisnow on Business at a NOVA National Association of Women Business Owners’ (NAWBO) meeting on June 19th. Cool shout out to The Dandelion Patch, huh? For the entire article, click here.



Second, I was interviewed by one of my favorite stationery designers, Whitney English. (You can read more about Whitney in my first blog entry from the National Stationery Show). To learn what I have to say about life as a retailer, go to Whitney’s new blog and read my answers!

Finally, I attended my monthly Association of Wedding Professionals meeting last night. AWP is an organization where I get to meet the top vendors in the wedding industry as well as learn about trends in different categories like photography and floral design. I always become recharged when I meet a quality vendor with a mile-long resume. Last night was one of those nights. Ron Jones with Jones Photography was a heck of a nice guy with an impressive handle on wedding photography. Check out the kind words he says about us on his blog.

On a dreary NYC spring day in May, I was so relieved to see my next stationery trend I will share with you: COLOR. Tons of it--everywhere. From screaming citrus, gleeful greens, outrageous orange and punching pinks, the kaleidoscope of color was at its best this season.

Some of my favorite styles are from the folks at Jenny Sweeney. To quote them (loosely), “We add a dash of sparkle and a pinch of shine to every design! Our colorful creations find inspiration in the tiny wonders of the world.” Here’s a few of my favorite greeting cards from them:





Celebrity divas Mariska Hargitay, Debra Messing and Courteney Cox all find that Jenny Sweeney tops their lists of favs too!










Another colorful addition for The Dandelion Patch… a new line from Boatman Geller called Carrie and Tuck. These portfolios won’t be coming to The Patch until fall, but in their words, “they make writing a grab-and-go activity.” Here’s a picture of Greg Geller with his newest offspring.

Labels: National Stationery Show

In my last post I mentioned that stationery trends follow runway collections. Well, here’s another observation: animal prints are wild this season! My friends from Lady Jayne sent out a roar with their spotted leopard prints and black and white zebra prints. This animal attraction may be just the thing you need to liven up your office!









Just in case you don’t have the animal instinct on how to WEAR the fashion statement this season, you might check out this entry from Cynthia Nellis on “How to Wear Animal Prints”.

Labels: National Stationery Show

In the world of stationery, design trends usually follow fashion. And if you haven't noticed, “bling” is the rage all over the runways... so this year is no exception. In fact, Stevie Streck won a Louie Award AND a cult-like following in the stationery world (as in: polite and gracious, but I GOTTA HAVE IT kind of following) for her designs with die cuts and glitter galore.

Now, I must admit that I LOVE Stevie’s designs and the fact that our customers constantly flock towards our wall of "Stevie" doesn't hurt … but the real reason I love her so much is because she always asks me for feedback and new ideas for designs. So customers hear this: sometimes your suggestions make their way directly to Stevie and sometimes even directly to her showroom!



Here’s a picture of me and Stevie showing off her well-deserved award.



Can you guess what I was thinking after a long day's work? (Drinks anyone??)



These are my favorite invitations for rehearsal dinners, bridal showers or save-the-dates.



As you can see, all of Stevie’s designs have a 3-dimensional feel: bling, feathers, ribbon and tulle are her signatures. Want to make a lasting impression on your guest with your invitation?? You won’t go wrong with any Stevie Streck product.

Labels: National Stationery Show

It can’t be a surprise to you that everyone’s goin’ green. The Stationery Show was no exception. Caroline Kennedy, Executive Editor from Gifts and Decorative Accessories says it best: “whether its paper manufactured from 100% post-consumer waste or elephant poo… eco-product is here to stay." And at this year’s show, I found that we don’t have to sacrifice style and quality for the environment.

After seeing the uplifting and introspective line of greeting cards from PositivelyGreenCards.com, I decided that we just HAD to bring them into The Patch. Come support a local business (us), buy a thoughtful card for a friend and feel good about doing your part to fight global warming… WOW! It doesn’t get any better than this tri-fecta!


Did you know that your existing tires had such an impact on Mother Earth? Tip #39: Properly inflated tires roll easier, last longer, reduce engine wear, improve gas mileage and prevent 250 lbs. of CO2 a year from polluting the atmosphere.


Which one is your favorite quote??

Never fear… we have the whole collection coming soon to a “Patch” near you!

Labels: National Stationery Show

While I was dashing through the aisles of the Stationery Show, I found myself laughing all the way (ha, ha, ha). I saw some of the most clever and unique novelty products with “girl humor” (and perhaps my name) written all over them. I mean really, who wouldn’t benefit from a little “Bochox” chocolate? From greeting cards that make you smile because someone thinks just like you (!) to conversation styro cups that are sure to get your party talking, a sense of humor is always in good taste.


The coolest thing about these conversation cups by T-Hee Greetings is that each one in the sleeve of 10 has a different witty saying. Isn’t that way better than those over-used wine rings anyway? They even come in an 80’s version too. While I was engrossed testing my knowledge about Flashdance, Pretty in Pink and Rubik’s Cubes, I was thinking two things: 1) what ever happened to Andrew McCarthy? and 2) are leg warmers ever coming back in fashion?



Amy Smyth has one of the hippest booths in New York. While I love her greeting cards, I love her more because she frequently quips one of my all-time favorite quotes… “write a freakin’ note”. My thoughts exactly.


The folks at Bloomsberry & Co. have one wicked sense of humor. From their “girth control” to their “ultimate balanced diet” of chocolate, you can surprise your girlfriends to a deliciously funny and yummy treat!

Labels: National Stationery Show