Spring Hopes

We hear about it all the time --life is all about seasons--but for the first time it is  finally hitting home for me. Looking back at even the past “winter” (in quotes because does LA really have winter?) I’m in awe at how far away of a life that seems, what I've learned, where I've gone and who I am.  I’m become much more at peace with things in my life, able to weather these seasons and see the beauty in being patient through hardships as they will always come and go. With Spring a few weeks away there is a huge buzz about spring cleaning and renewal and Ji and I are taking a huge part in that both  personally and with BITA. We are setting Spring Hopes, intentions to refresh things in our life we may have let dust collect on for a while. What are you looking forward to refreshing in your life this Spring?

Seed Paper Maker →

Our maker this month is Porridge Papers, a paper mill & letterpress studio that makes  amazing paper-- and of course our favorite--seed paper! Porridge Paper is a studio located in Nebraska and for over 20 years has created beautiful and high quality custom papers for all occasions. We love how they think so outside the box with their paper creations and designs. Some cool examples include paper from beer spent grains and hops, bacon scented paper for notebook covers  and even shredded US currency. All of their papers are made from 100% recycled fibers and are free from chemicals or additives. Their seed paper is made from locally sourced 100% post industrial waste.  Porridge Paper's commitment to creating such unique paper in such an environment friendly way is why they are one of our favorite paper makers!

We Love Seed Paper!

We love paper!! All shapes, sizes, colors, weights, materials-all of it. One of my favorite types of paper to create with is seed paper. Seed paper is a hearty paper with great durability and texture. Best of all it is great for the environment and can be perfect for a symbolic gesture of anything you make it from it to be planted and grown into something amazing! Great brands like Bloomin offer printed seed paper stationery and even wedding invitations! 

Love Letters Never Die

I am one of those people who believe that sometimes the old way is best way. In a digital age, technology’s convenience can undermine this belief for a lot of things, but when it comes to notes, handwritten ones still take the cake. A handwritten note suggests effort, thoughtfulness, and a dedication of time that is unique nowadays. As February is a month full of celebrating love, I believe one of the most romantic gestures is a handwritten love letter. The practice of writing love letters seems to be outdated and that in itself is why it is such a heartfelt thing to do, since no one expects you to do such a lovely thing! It is something that your loved one can hold on to forever to remind themselves they are loved and to even pass it on to future generations, which is a treasure in itself. Plus, how often are we really able to be silent with ourselves and write out what is it about our partner, friend or anyone that we appreciate and then be able to give it to them in a way that they can hold on to forever? These letters can mean more than anything else you can buy and should be written periodically not just for special occasions but as a tender act to let the special people in our lives that we cherish them. 

Sweet Basket : MK/BITA

We believe Valentine's Day is an important day to celebrate with something that is a unique statement of your affection for someone special in your life. We've teamed up with Matchbox Kitchen  to bring you a gift that is  a sweet and long-lasting statement to your loved ones. Each basket comes with a beautiful, handmade peony flower in two colors, delicious rosewater or chili chocolate shortbread cookies, and message to your sender that we handwrite for you. The yummy cookies will last one sitting, but our peonies will last a lifetime as a reminder of your love and appreciation! To order or to find out more info go the mkbita tab on our website! Our baskets are available until February 8th.

Gifting Inspiration For The New Year

There is always something great about starting off the New Year with inspiring words and images to guide you daily. I find opening a new calendar and seeing all the days available to achieve, grow and experience  so therapeutic. I am definitely a planner, and inspirational calendars bridge my need for scheduling and visual inspirational.  Nowadays you can find inspirational calendars for almost any interest or focus. They make fantastic gifts for anyone, especially yourself! My favorite part of inspirational calendars is being able to reuse them in extremely creative ways. Share the gift of inspiration and creativity with two of my favorite 2015 calendars below!

1Canoe2's  handdrawn Great American Authors letterpress calendar features quotes from famous novels and amazing silhouette illustrations. I just love the colors and patterns they used! This is a perfect calendar for the writer or avid reader in your life. 

There is nothing I love more than motivational quotes. This calendar by Graphique holds truly inspirational words for anyone and the simple drawing and bright colors are a great touch to such powerful words.

What's In A Name...

LA has an a wonderful community of creatives. It was the first place I've ever felt comfortable pursuing my creative desires and we are so grateful to be a part of the making community here.

When I joined forces with Ji on Blooms in the Air we knew we wanted to create something meaningful, creative and most importantly unique. In order to solidify a new direction we decided to go forward with our venture using Bloom In the Air's abbreviation BITA. To us it was much more fun, inspirational and honestly easier to say! Little did we know that BITA had a whole meaning on its own, a coincidence we couldn't have dreamed of!

Being unique is our deepest value personally and professionally. Ji and I both know what it is like to be different, to have dreams that most people don't understand and to feel discouraged and silly for pursuing them. We know what it's like to have different interests, all wonderful l in their own way, but being forced into a box, encouraged to choose OR instead AND. 

What we have discovered is that the most successful and happiest people choose AND. They choose to pursue all of their different interests and dreams, despite what others think, and shine the brightest. To be a creative is to dare to dream, to dare to be unique and to allow your soul to to thrive in your passions.

With BITA, we hope to inspire others to stand in their uniqueness and recognize it as their most valuable asset. We aim to be a brand that brings people from all backgrounds and interests together to celebrate their lives in unique, meaningful ways. 

Crepe Paper

“How did you start making paper flowers?” “What got you started?” are one of the most asked questions when people find out that I’m the hands behind BITA. The long answer starts with the word “recession”, I won’t get into that now. But the short answer is “European Crepe Paper”. Once I started "sculpting" my petals with it, I couldn't stop.

Crepe Paper is a essentially tissue paper that is sized and then “creped” (crinkled) to create gathers. It has a very distinct texture and feel. Unlike any other paper (at least the ones I know of) it can be stretched and sculpted as you see in the images below. 

European crepe papers are special because of it is so densely creped, allowing it to stretch 3 times it’s original size. When you take a workshop with me, you'll get to learn and feel the difference between all different types of crepe paper. Now, that's a fun (crafty geeky) learning experience. The ones I use most is from Italy and Germany. 

The colors of the crepe paper is still mixed by hand and fed into a machine that dyes the paper and then crinkles it. Therefore, each batch can vary slightly, which I've learned to love as well. Crepe paper is also UV ray sensitive, some colors more than others, which is was what really taught me to embrace the paper for what it is. Some colors age/fade really beautifully, loosing its original vibrance and intensity and instead start carrying its color in softer ways. However, some colors such as "sage" totally loose it's color. It actually turns brown. Which is why I now take swatches time to time and test them. Also the reason why I no longer use sage at all. I'm still sad about it. I don't think I'll ever get over that.

My "someday" visit to Italy or Germany will definitely include a visit to the factory such as the one shown here. This one is located in Italy. And of course, I'll share all the images from the visit right here on BITA blog. Until then, enjoy these images from the paper makers themselves here.

make it meaningful

2015 is here already, we can’t believe it!

 This year BITA is taking a new direction of which we are very excited about!

Here at BITA we believe that life is continuous string of moments that are beautiful, inspiring and meaningful. These moments are the day to day special connection we share with others, the holidays and occasions where there is widespread celebration, and even the tough times where encouragement and healing is needed.

Every moment in life is important and we hope for BITA to be a place where you can find the perfect tools to make any moment in your life and the lives of your loved ones meaningful.

Thank you for being a part of this journey and stay tuned as we continue to grow and make 2015 and many more years meaningful!

You Are The Pen To My Journal

Great journals  can be perfect gifts for almost anyone. This month we decided to share our favorite journals that are great to keep your journaling spirit alive or to inspire almost anyone to start to unload their soul through journaling. 

The best things about journaling is that it is such an open form of expression.  Although I don't have the drawing talent, I've also fallen in love with sketch journals and they are perfect inspiration for the artist in your life.  

Guided journals and journals for short reflections are great gifts for almost anyone. Not everyone enjoys long, blank pages and these are great to spark the journaling bug for someone.

I also love journals without lines and that are decorated beautifully. It inspires me to express myself in any way: by writing, by pasting pictures or anything that comes to mind. 

There are so many journals out there that can fit anyone. Here are some of our favorite journals:

San Francisco Maker- Melanie Abrantes

This month we are featuring a maker from one of my favorite cities—San Francisco. Melanie Abrante is a talented designer who has mastered the art of creating objects that are both beautiful and functional. Melanie handcrafts high quality wooden and cork vases, bowls and even ornaments! We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Melanie for various shows where we’ve been able to have our flowers sold with her unique vases. What Ji and I admire the most about Melanie is her dedication to creating items that last generations. Her creative process is complex to ensure her items are beautiful and durable. She isn’t afraid to remind us that “quality products take time to make” and she truly represents the spirit of handmade. 

MK BITA Holiday Gram

Celebrate handmade this holiday season with BITA and Matchbox Kitchen! We are teaming up once again to bring you a beautiful and delicious basket for the holidays! This time our basket comes with a handcrafted mistletoe, a yummy, organic smore kit and a personalized card from Clap Clap Designs. Our mistletoe comes in two colors, evergreen with silver glitter and moss green with red glitter, each handmade from European crepe paper and German glass glitter. Our two tasty smore kit flavors are vanilla bean and chocolate mint. On the beautifully designed Clap, Clap card we will be writing any message you’d like to include to your gift recipient. Two ship dates of December 10th and 17th are available.  We hope these baskets bring you and your loved ones all the joy and warmth of the holidays! To order or find out more info go the mkbita tab on our website!

Journaling For The Soul

There is not one memory in my life where writing wasn’t a part of it. Since a young age, having a book to fill with my thoughts was the best feeling. I would write so my stories and wanted to share so much ideas with the world. To be able to leave my thoughts and story behind for others was what made me feel alive. To me writing is immortality.

Although I have a very poetic view of writing, I also believe that it is simply a great exercise for anyone. You don’t necessarily have to be creative to be a writer, journaling can be therapeutic, relaxing and can challenge you to discover many new ideas about yourself. It encourages self-reflection and awareness that I feel is so valuable to the growth of the human spirit.

Nowadays there are so many different types of journals beyond just a book with blank paper. You can find journals for anyone that has specific styles, even drawing journals and journals with prompts and quotes. I encourage you to try one out for yourself and start capturing your journey on paper and maybe even begin to share it with others!

Sketchbooks/Journals of Illustrator Becca Stadtlander 

Hello Kitty x Poketo x BITA

Earlier this month we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the birthday of the one and only Hello Kitty! Hello Kitty turned 40 this year and a convention was held at MOCA in downtown LA. The official hotel was the beautiful Line Hotel and Poketo had amazing, exclusive designs for the event. The event hosted multiple workshops and through Poketo we got to teach our flower crowns to over 150 people who signed up for our workshops! We absolutely loved being a part of this iconic event and want to thank Poketo for allowing us to take part in it with them!

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Presentation Matters: I Carry Your Heart In A Glass Case

I carry your heart in a glass case

Protected but transparent enough to show the world

Who I am, because you loved me

I am so grateful for you Mom

Happy Birthday 

Giving and creating meaningful gifts is at the core of BITA's purpose so it only made sense for us to share ways we like to make simple gifts into touching mementoes. We also love  to celebrate presentation techniques in gifting and how much it matters to the gifting experience. We wanted to start our Presentation Matters posts with our gifting focus this month after we fell in love with glass tiered cases. They are perfect gifts and jewelry displays but also can spruce up any table or home decor layout. 

Vintage Glass Jewelry Box from English Cottage 

Personalized Glass Jewelry from West Elm

We found our three tiered set at cute shop at Fire Fly in Abbot Kinney.  As soon I saw it I knew it would be the perfect gift for my mother's birthday this year. I wanted to add some simple loving words to the cases so whenever my mom used them she would be reminded of how grateful I am for her and the love she has given me. This would add a meaningful touch but would also make the case a decorative piece.

To make it even more special we reached to a dear friend of ours and one of the most creative women I know, Dina Barias. Dina has an amazing talent for gifting wrapping and we will be featuring her on some of our gifting posts to showcase beautiful and creative ways to make your gifting wrapping more meaningful.  My mother lives on the East Coast  and since I was shipping her the cases, Dina created this beautiful, safe to ship masterpiece below. She made my words into elegant cards with her amazing calligraphy. You will learn more about Dina and her gift wrapping techniques in an interview we do with her for our Design feature this months but  look out for more posts on creative gift wrapping in our presentation matters series! 

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Portland Maker- Rachel Denny

This month we wanted to celebrate an artist from the creative city of Portland. Rachel Denny  is is a truly innovative artist whose use of various media for her pieces is breathtaking. What Ji and I love most about Denny is her honoring of nature in her work and her challenging of humans to be aware of the impact they have on nature in such a artistic and non-abrasive way.  Each of her unique pieces are handmade in her studio and her talent is clear in not only the beautiful lifelike shapes of animals and flora she creates, but her extremely creative and distinct way of bringing them to life with various material. Ji and I believe that choosing the right media makes all the difference in a creative piece and admire artists like Rachel Denny who have the mastered so many different types and techniques.

Self-Gratitude

Dear Bloomers,

November is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s the right moment before winter when temperatures are still brisk but not freezing. The colors around us all turn into warmer reds and yellow and of course there is Thanksgiving. It’s the most celebrated holiday in my family--what I can I say--we really love food. Surrounded by so much love, food and thanks, it is typical for people to focus on gratitude during this time of year. The main items always come to mind for me: family and friends, my home, and my health. But this year for the first time, I am comfortable enough to say that I’m am grateful for myself. At first I felt a bit self-centered, but how often do we really thank ourselves? How often are we truly grateful for who we are, what we have overcome and all that we encompass? What I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older is that is so easy for us to celebrate and give love to others, but when it comes to treating ourselves to unconditional love and encouragement we often fall short . This month I hope to motivate you to take a moment to be grateful for yourself. Be grateful for all the beautiful traits you hold internally and externally, for what you love and the bravery you show in pursuing your dreams and most importantly for all the mistakes along the way that have led you to new opportunities and perspectives.

Greeting Card from Hooray Today!

With ever-blooming love,

Leyandra

Useful West Coast Souvenirs

As an avid traveler, I’m always thinking of unique souvenirs to give my loved ones to ensure they share a piece of the amazing location I’ve just come from. I personally love cheesy souvenirs and have a collection that I hope to fill a huge bookcase with one day, but for others I really strive to find unique souvenirs that they will use often in hopes that it will inspire them to visit that place.  As I acquaint myself better with the West Coast, I’ve noticed that it is best captured in the one of kind souvenirs local artists have created to give new comers and tourists a representation of what these cities are like. This month for our gifting feature I want to share some fun useful souvenirs from the four cities we are highlighting. We hope you love them as much as we do!

USA Map Fabric Wall Decal

San Francisco is an artist’s playground. With breathtaking architecture and landscapes and appreciation for art and healthy living on every corner, there is a free spirited and expressive joy everywhere you go. Petit Collage, a local design studio that is gaining huge success with brands like Target and Bloomingdales, brings to life San Francisco’s notable attractions in vibrant, animated prints.  Her playful, modern drawings come printed on wood, as iPhone cases or my favorite as a pop out drawing that stands on its own any flat surface and makes for a fun project for any age.  

San Francisco iPhone 5 Hard Case

Petit Collage was created by Lorena Siminiovich, a children’s book author and illustrator. Each item listed above is printed on recycled stock with vegetable inks that speak to San Francisco’s value of sustainable living and production. I look forward to seeing what other prints of cities Petit Collage come out with soon!

Seattle Skyline Socks

Seattle is another West Coast city bursting with creativity. I have been to numerous cities in the US and seem some awesome souvenirs but never have I seen a souvenir like Skyline Socks' designs. I fell in love with this artist’s creative idea to capture landmarks on such a basic but perfect medium.  The best part about these cozy, cute and simple souvenirs is that by supporting this local artist you also support those in need in the Seattle community. For each sock you buy, Skyline Socks donates a pair to those in need. These socks come in vibrant colors and patterned designs, some with just a clean print of Seattle’s famous space needle and others with lifelike images of Seattle Mountains or the Seattle Downtown Skyline( these are my favorite!). These socks are certainly more a fashion statement than just a souvenir. Skyline Socks really lives up to the Seattle appreciation for art with these one of a kind socks. 

Seattle Skyline Socks

Skyline Socks are located in Seattle and created the brand to inspire awareness, giving back and celebrating your city in a stylish way.  They encourage everyone to “Put on for your city” and have designs for many cities all over the U.S including New York and Washington D.C. It’s so refreshing to see more creative companies giving back to the community and I truly commend Skyline for their unique designs and caring business model.

Portland Breweries Playing Card

Portland also is able to boast of beautiful landscapes and a culture that supports the arts. As in Seattle, we also found a perfect souvenir on a popular medium. Illustrated playing Cards hand sketches and prints their playing cards of city landmarks right in Portland. The crispness of these sketches are what really make makes me love them. Just from looking through one deck you can view 52 images of how beautiful Portland is. They have versions that cover all of Portland and have major landmarks like the Portland Art Museum, Skidmore Fountain and then a version that is focused on Portland Breweries, Mississippi Street, and the Albert Art District. There is also a deck called the Secrets of Portland and it comes in watercolor pencil that are truly breathtaking images right in your hand. Anyone of these series makes the perfect Portland souvenir. 

Portland Landmark Playing Card

Aaron Trotter is the artist behind these beautiful cards. He sketches these on location and is influenced by Renaissance artists. He describes these cards perfectly on his website “this is really not about playing cards. It’s about Art.” Aaron truly captures the Art of Portland and various other cities effortlessly and I’m so looking forward for his series of many other cities!

Randy's Donut Single Card 

Here in our city I’ve fallen in love with Ink & Smog's urban letterpress prints! Their illustrated black and white prints are so well done that the buildings and the monuments feel like they are jumping out of the page.  Ink & Smog effortlessly captures all of the buzzing life and significance these places carry for our city. Their products are perfect souvenirs that represent the creativity present in all of LA, especially in the buildings and signs that make up our unique landscape.  You can gift a set of postcards, greeting cards or my favorite—framed prints of their awesome La La Land city designs.  

LA Westside Neighborhood Postcard Set

All of  Ink & Smog's prints are hand done, initially with a machine they built from scratch in their living room. They have recently expanded into a new shop with a new printing machine after a successful Kickstarter Campaign. We are looking forward to see what other prints they come out with and so glad to hear of their new chapter and success!

Blooming BITA

As BITA transitions into a new direction, we've been working on many new and exciting things! Ji and I have been working hard to not only design great new products but also to  find creative ways to display who BITA is as a brand.  We've learned just how important unique, cohesive and creative branding is for your business and have been working on branding that really showcases our story. Ji and I have a passion for modern design, patterns, color and the beauty of typeface and those are the four main elements we have focused on developing during our production and branding process.  We will be solidifying our branding, products other items soon and can’t wait to share them with you. Stay tuned!

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Seattle Maker - Justine Ashbee

Dear bloomers,

Through BITA, Ji and I hope to inspire a community of constant bloomers. People who are open to new experiences and growth, that live their lives like a blank canvas, ready to be brought to life in infinite ways. We believe that being open to new paths and discoveries in your craft is a critical and beautiful part of being a creative. Our maker feature this month has an inspiring tale of transition as an artist, switching from different mediums but keeping the same esthetics of her unique work. This artist founded her first art-collective in the creative city of Seattle and she is one Ji and I’s favorites.

We first fell in love with Justine Ashbee’s paint pen illustrations that have so much life wrapped in them. Her lines and patterns feel like textiles blowing in the wind that hypnotically twist, turn and pulsate through you.  Her work has stunningly evolved as she brings us this same textured, flowing technique in her breathtaking Native American inspired weavings, which you can see here at Native Line. Justine has said it best herself “I felt like I’d finally come home,” she says. “The drawings I was doing, I realized, were illustrations of my weavings” (One Kings Lane). Justine proves that new directions and  elements, although challenging at first, maybe just like finding a new home for your creative calling. We are so happy Justine  found her creative place and can’t wait to see more of her new work!

With ever-blooming love,

Leyandra