Tag Archives for stationery

Spotlight on Caitlin McGauley

In celebration of our brand new collaboration, we sat down with Watercolor Artist and Illustrator Caitlin McGauley to learn more about her work and how she gets inspired. We first met McGauley through our friend Michelle Adams, founder of The Maryn. In fact, the artwork from our collection in partnership with The Maryn was also designed by McGauley!

We are excited to launch the whimsical Caitlin McGauley Animal Collection featuring the Cheetah and Fox motifs and envelope finishings customized by McGauley. We hope that you are as charmed by this collaboration as much as we are! #caitlinmcgauleyxdempsey

Caitlin McGauley
Caitlin McGauley Fox
Caitlin McGauley Cheetah

 

How did you get started with watercolor?

I was constantly drawing as a kid, so my parents signed me up for group watercolor lessons at 9 years old. I had a great teacher who was in her mid-eighties, and we would sit at card tables in her dining room and copy pictures of landscapes that she tore out of magazines. My next painting teacher was a friendly hippie who taught in a 70’s A frame cottage on a lake. I really loved watercolor and I never pursued any other medium.

 

What are some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on recently?

Custom projects with interior designers are always fun and diverse, and it’s nice to collaborate with fellow artists. Currently, I am designing a wallpaper with repeating feathers for the ceiling of a restaurant, and I’m in the sketch phase for an animal-themed wallpaper mural that will span a massive playroom without repeating itself.

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What inspires you the most?

Spending time at book stores and antique/secondhand shops! My daughter and I like to go and ‘look for treasures,’ and I keep my eyes peeled for weird or beautiful objects and vases that can be incorporated into my paintings. If I have an hour or so to kill, I would probably spend it at Books of Wonder on 18th street looking at children’s books. I am a picture book fanatic and I always attend the Children’s Book show at the Society of Illustrators, where they show the original work from all of the best picture books from the previous year.

 

Your two young children must have so much fun when they get to visit you in the studio! Do they share your creativity?

Yes, they definitely have the art bug! My six-year-old daughter stays up later at night than I do I presume, since in the morning she has all kinds of new ideas and drawings in the sketchbook that she keeps on her bedside table. My son is a perfectionist and asks me to put white-out on any of his coloring pages where he’s gone outside of the lines.

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Are there any places that you’ve traveled that have had the most influence on your work?

I worked at a small textiles company in my 20’s and was lucky to travel to Asia several times to source fabrics and visit factories. India and China have such a rich textile history and I am so grateful that I got to soak it all up in person. I still reference fabrics and pictures from my trips for inspiration. Time to go back, I think!

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What inspired this collaboration? We’d love to hear a bit more about the colorful prints that are featured!

I love to paint animals, so I started with the pink cheetah and orange fox, and the prints evolved from there. The fox felt masculine and preppy so I looked at vintage ties on eBay, which resulted in stripes and an abstract collegiate-feeling crest print in primary colors. For the cheetah, I drew from animal prints and foliage, but I used colors not necessarily found in nature.

Caitlin McGauley Fox
Caitlin McGauley Cheetah

 

Where is your ideal place to sit down and write a letter?

In the peace and quiet of my studio. I always send a hand-written note with paintings– it shows a kind of appreciation that cannot be conveyed over email!

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Where else can people find your work (aside from our stationery, of course!)?

I have a collection of wallpapers available through the showrooms Studio Four in New York, James in Austin and Dallas Texas, and Nicky Rising in Los Angeles. I also have a shop on my website which I consistently update with original paintings, mostly florals and animals.

Shop the Caitlin McGauley x Dempsey & Carroll on our site here!

 

From Dempsey, With Love

Imagine a time before it was possible to instantly connect with somebody across the country (or world) with text messages and emails.

Your letter gave me more delight than anything in the world but yourself could do; indeed, I am almost astonished that any absent one should have that luxurious power over my senses which I feel. Even when I am not thinking of you I receive your influence and a tenderer nature stealing upon me.

– John Keats to Fanny Brawne, 1819 (from “Love”)

In 1883, Messrs. Dempsey & Carroll published “Love,” a collection of love letters and sentiments from the ages. In the 14 days leading up to Valentine’s Day, we’ve been sharing some of our favorite excerpts from these historic words as a way to inspire others to put pen to paper and send the love. In our opinion, a handwritten letter will always be the most meaningful way to express deep feelings of affection.

We would love to hear more about some of your favorite love letters or Valentines. Perhaps you have a favorite quote from a famous (or not so famous) love letter that you’d like to share, or maybe you’ve written a love letter to a special person or place (we’ve written plenty of love letters to New York City, our cherished home, over the years).

Share with us on Instagram by either Direct Messaging @dempseycarroll or by posting a photo on your feed and tagging us and using the #fromdempseywithlove hashtag. We’ll be sending the first 10 submissions a card from our Love Notes Collection so that you can send the love in style this Valentine’s Day!

From Dempsey, With Love

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Want the House? Write a Letter!

As our CEO Lauren Marrus was catching up on her reading over the weekend, a headline in the Wall Street Journal caught her eye: “Want a House? Write a Letter.” As it turns out, a writing a letter might just be the key to securing real estate in a bidding war.

In a bidding war, penning a note to the seller can dramatically boost a buyer’s odds of success. Leigh Kamping-Carder’s article goes on to present quantitative evidence about the importance of adding a note to your offer to purchase a home.

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Kamping-Carder continues, “ In addition to flattering a seller’s ego—or assuring him or her the home will be cared for—a letter can also signal that the buyer is serious, which translates into a willingness to follow through even if hurdles come up in the sales process.”

I promise that we do not have a direct line to the Journal, but I can say that it’s still a real thing to write a note or letter to make a point.  Now in the time of instant messages, text messages, and email, a handwritten or personalized note or letter rises above the noise more than ever.

If you’d like to write this note on Dempsey & Carroll papers,  we’re here to help! If not, we still encourage you to pick up a pen and #writeitreal.

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National Handwriting Day 2018

Each year, National Handwriting Day falls on January 23rd as a reminder to put pen (or pencil) to paper and bring awareness to the importance of writing.

As noted in this article on Forbes.com, “Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and email to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it and they lack a personal touch. Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality.”

We’re celebrating the individuality of our penmanship by writing down our unique goals for the New Year in our distinct writing styles. There’s no better way to start the New Year on a new note!

How will you be celebrating National Handwriting Day? Share your thoughts with us on social media by using the #NationalHandwritingDay hashtag!

 

Megan’s thoughts: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

 

Come from a place of YES! – Carolyn

 

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Read more novels. Nourish my body. Cherish the small things. Create beautiful things. Master a new skill. Write down my dreams. – Chandra

 

Watch more sunsets. Live in the moment. Try something new. – Ariel

 

Explore new places and document everything in handwritten letters to friends and family. – Emma

 

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For 2018, all of my social media will be pen to paper. – Austin

 

 

A Note From Our CEO

We always think that it’s important to start the New Year on a new note. Our CEO Lauren Marrus shares a few of her thoughts from Bob Greene’s opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about the importance of making a meaningful resolution for the New Year.DSC_6428

Over the holidays I had lots of time to relax with my family and read books, magazines and lots of newspapers.  On December 29th as I was trying to come up with a meaningful resolution – beyond the usual – I found Bob Greene’s opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal.  Mr. Greene discusses the value to be found in generosity of spirit and quotes frequently from a speech made by Chief Justice John Roberts at his son’s ninth grade graduation. Worth repeating here, I am quoting directly from the speech.

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Chief Justice Roberts says, “Once a week, you should write a note to someone.  Not an email.  A note on a piece of paper.  It will take you exactly 10 minutes.”

He goes on to say that if you do this, for 10 months, “40 people will feel a little more special because you did, and they will think you are very special because of what you did”.

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Many of us already practice this habit – a quick note after a dinner party; a thank you for the business meeting; and a sympathy note all too frequently.  What if we all added in a few more notes to make those around us feel just a little more special?  I, for one, wouldn’t mind feeling just a little bit special every now and then.

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A Look Back at Our 2017 Partnerships

As we look back at 2017, our partners highlight some of the year’s greatest accomplishments. We were thrilled to work with a number of incredible teams in the past year – some for the second or third time, and some for the first. Each project with our partners has been a wonderful extension of the Dempsey & Carroll brand into new and exciting sectors and we are thrilled to have had the privilege of working alongside these incredible brands. 

 

FORM Design Studio

In our latest collaboration with our friends Josh and Rafi from FORM, we looked back at our first collection as well as some new, fresh designs from Josh and Rafi’s archives to introduce new styles to the line. We’re always thrilled when we see an email in our inboxes from Josh or Rafi, or better yet, when they come into town and stop by our offices. Working with them on this latest collaboration was, as always, truly fantastic.

Shop the collection here.

 

FORM Voices
FORM Voices
FORM Tache Gift Tags

 

The Maryn 

As longtime fans of Michelle Adams, we were delighted when she reached out about her new venture, The Maryn, and the opportunity to create a line of stationery for the store. This seaside-inspired collection featuring work by Caitlin McGauley was a great way for us to explore translating watercolor designs to our medium.

Shop the collection here.

 

Photo Credit: Caitlin McGauley
Photo Credit: Marta Perez

 

India Hicks

We have been following India Hicks for years now, and when we heard we would be able to join her and her team in creating a stationery line for her Curated Collections we almost couldn’t contain our excitement. The island and England inspired line was truly incredible – a sea of gorgeous assets, perfect for an exquisite line of stationery!

Shop the collection here.

 

 

The Met

Just a few blocks up from us, with one of the most unbelievable library of assets we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with – it was a dream come true for us to introduce our first stationery collection in partnership with The Met. Five gorgeous SKUs, featuring a range of works from the museum translated to Dempsey & Carroll paper. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Shop the collection here.

 

 

J. McLaughlin

In our second collaboration with our good friends at J. McLaughlin, we were drawn to their resort patterns and prints. How could we resist?! When they brought their designs adorned with gorgeous corals, beautiful, bright aquamarines, with a touch of wicker we knew we had to put them on paper. This print-forward collection has us smiling each time we go to write a note, or jot down a quick to-do.

Shop the collection here.

 

J.McLaughlin Correspondence Cards
J.McLaughlin Wicker Tablet

 

Hill House Home

If you’ve ever met Nell and Katherine from the Hill House Home team, you’ll know as well as we do, a good night’s sleep is their passion. Their product speaks for itself, and the wealth of information the two of them have gathered about the science and art of a perfect night’s sleep is beyond impressive. But more impressive than the quotes from authors from Oscar Wilde to Hemingway on sleep that they’ve collected in their studies, is how devoted they are to helping their clients create a dream bed and bedroom. With that in mind, we were thrilled to help them continue to make the bedroom a sanctuary with our collaboration on bedside tablets and coasters.

Shop the collection here.

 

 

Destination Dempsey: Labor Day

Labor Day is coming up and some of us are planning on taking advantage of the long weekend to enjoy the final days of summer. We asked the team about where they plan on heading, a fun fact or anecdote about their destination, and what piece of Dempsey & Carroll stationery they plan on bringing with them. Bon voyage!

 

Umara: I’m traveling to good old sunny California!

 

Emma: I’m going to Block Island to spend the week (and long weekend) with my family

  • There are too many reasons to love Block Island, especially because it’s been a family tradition since my dad was 11. I love the moment on the ferry ride over when I can see the first glimpse of the bluffs and then the town comes into view. Nothing beats spending the day at the beach and wandering through town or taking a hike on one of the many trails.
  • I’m bringing pieces from our collaboration with The Maryn because it’s perfect for spending time by the sea!

 

Jaimie: I’ll be at Yankee Stadium for the Yankees/Red Sox game! What better way to spend Labor Day weekend than watching the National Pastime and cheering on your favorite team (The Yankees, of course) while they play their #1 rival?Jaimie- Yankee Stadium

  • My favorite part of the stadium is Monument Park. I love seeing the history and all the retired numbers (#7 forever)! It’s also absolutely necessary to get a hot dog and a beer (and maybe some cotton candy). It’s a baseball game after all!
  • The Dempsey & Carroll Game On Handsome Tablet is perfect for keeping scorecards. Play ball!

 

Carolyn: I’m traveling to Newport Beach, California for a wedding206360_MW_ColiseumPool_378_r11

  • I’ve actually never been to Newport Beach before, but The Resort at Pelican Hill looks incredible! What’s not to love?
  • I’m definitely bringing some Jet Set: LA for my trip to the West Coast

 

Austin: This Labor Day, my partner and I will spend the long weekend as guests of a dear college friend at her house on Lake Pocono in Pennsylvania.IMG_0234.JPG

  • The lake sits in the middle of a vast preserve and, when the houses that surround it were built, there was a requirement that they not be visible from the lake. Eagles soar above as your canoe glides across the surface. No speedboats here.
  • Our host loves Dempsey & Carroll paper so what to bring her is a no-brainer. This year, a Schumacher Journal for her sketching habit, and Jet Set: Los Angeles note cards because she loves to travel and that classic airliner engraved in blue is a complete charmer! Stationery makes the smartest gift because the recipient will be reminded of you each time they treat a friend to a special handwritten note.