Sweet Surprise

You know its going to be a good day when you find this on your front porch! My Mom has a habit of spoiling me with special goodies (I guess it has something to do with us living 3,000 miles apart), but yesterday I came out my front door to find a beautiful box filled with the biggest, most brightly colored cupcakes I have ever seen!

I am slowly working my way through these calorie laden baked goods, but thought they would make for an excellent Valentine's gift for a loved one! If they are anything like me and love a sweet surprise they won't be disappointed! You can make your own custom 6 pack with Crumbs' cool 6 pack customizer .

Thanks, Mom!

Have a sweet weekend!

xo

New Design Preview

Just wanted to preview some new designs we're working on. What can I say I am in love with the new owl design :)

You can purchase the towels below. Stay tuned for new clothing designs and more designs to come...xo

Owl Towels

Pistol Towel

Love Cards

I just realized that it is almost February! Ahh where did January go? As its almost February that means that Valentines Day will be quickly upon us- I am not one for chocolates or other Valentine's extravagances, but I do love a sweet, letterpress card anytime of the year! Here are some cute ones from some of my favorite designers

Tandem Bike Card from Letterpress

French Bulldog from Sycamore Street Press

Deerest Valentine from Shop Hearts and Anchors

"Calm and Cool"

So ready for winter to be gone... as soon as the holidays are over it seems that the cold weather just isn't as appealing! I am ready to open the windows and sit outside with the dogs and not feel like my fingers are going to fall off! The beautiful photo above by Alicia Bock is just what I need- fresh air, green grass and warm sunshine.

In Branch news, want to welcome and thank the following retailers for carrying our products:

Pink Pig Westport, NY USA

Aspasia's Boutique Jersey City, NJ. USA

Perch Osaka Japan

Have a lovely weekend! xo

Packaging Inspiration

T and I have been working on a little Branch re-brand, mainly re-doing our packaging. When we first created the packaging we currently have, a little over 2 years ago (whoa!), we were kind of rushed to get things done and we quickly turned it out. Its exciting now to take some time to create something a bit different. I have been checking out one of my fave sites for inspiration The Dieline and of course was immediately inspired by all the beautiful work.

Of course, I fell hard for the packaging created by Colorado based Moxie Sozo for soap line Leap Organics. The illustrations are so amazing- I think these would definately pop on store shelves. Gets ya thinkin'....

Created by Edmindson/Martin for a tropical fruit company. I am drawn to the bright, vibrant floral design and the way it wraps around the box. So fresh!

"Sweet" packaging by HartungKemp. I love the simple pastels and the way the stickers are placed. So much great inspiration!

Healdsburg Modern Cottages

After our long Christmas vacation, I am still excited to be in work mode, but when I am ready for a vacation this place might be just be the perfect spot. Located in the Sonoma wine country town of Healdsburg, CA. the Healdsburg Modern Cottages are a group of private rental cottages outfitted in the clean designs of 2oth Century Modernism. With a pool and relaxing atmosphere this little bit of paradise combines the privacy of your own little cottage with the ease of location to bike around and check out the restaurants and shops that are located right nearby.

Charmaine Olivia @ Fey Handmade

The lovely Christine is always surprising me with her beautiful and unexpected picks for her online shop Fey Handmade. I was recently perusing her site to see what new goodies had arrived when I happened upon the artwork of San Francisco based artist Charmaine Olivia. I was immediately enchanted with the sketchy drawings and rich photographs that she has created. With a cool 70's vibe her art is right up my alley, I can definately imagine these beauties adorning my walls. Love, love the Fox Masque featured above.

Serene Print

Headache

New Year, New Organization!

For some people the new year is all about those typical resolutions: lose weight, go to the gym, stop smoking... I am not one who really does the whole resolution thing, but the new year always seems like a great time to clean out the extra clutter and reorganize yourself after you have cleaned up the holiday fun! We here at Branch Handmade had an incredible and busy holiday season, and my office is looking like it needs some serious love, so I am just going to jump right in and clean up whats in front of me with the help of some great vintage office inspiration! Featured above In and Out Baskets from Tipple and Snack.

I could really use this great looking mid century file tray. My paperwork is way out of control right now, with very organized (thats what I tell myself) piles adorning just about every surface- I swear there is a sofa in here somewhere... I love the soft color and the fact that its not plastic!

How cute is this? Vintage storage case originally used to hold slides, but I'm thinking pens, staples, paper clips, business cards; all those odds and ends that find their way into my desk drawer.

Perfect to hold my orders that need to be filled! Great looking industrial rotating stamp holder. Another great piece to get all these piles of paper organized! Now that I have inspired myself I am off to find that sofa that is buried in here somewhere...