14 Apr 2014

Creatives: BPaperie (& Giveaway)

by | posted in: creatives | 2

Sometimes, when you get to watch someone do an every day job (say, an office assistant), you know they have a creative streak in them that is just dying to come out.  That is the way I felt as I’ve gotten to know Beth of BPaperie.  Beth and I worked at the same location in Louisville, then went to the same church.  She of course is a wife, and has her sweet dog which you can always find pictures of.  And she has a day job which she is great at.  But, a love of hers is creativity.  She is wonderful at taking the ordinary and making it bright and lovely and inspiring.

Christ Wells BPaperie Quote

For my office (which is really a corner of our dining room), I wanted something new and inspiring as a I write and do photo editing.  She happily obliged with a giveaway for my readers – just like you!  And she designed this beautiful art with a quote I got from singer/songwriter Christa Wells from Emily Freeman’s book A Million Little Ways.  Since this has been such a hard season of life with many changes coming, I picked this quote because it spoke to me of hope.  When I look at it encourages me to keep going and keep pressing on in my dreams.

I asked Beth to answer a few questions so y’all could get to know her.  Here is a sneak peak into her life as a creative:

1.Why bpaperie?

I started bpaperie as a creative outlet. My “about” section on Etsy says this, which I think might answer the question: I’ve wanted to own a design shop for as a place that smells good and is filled with fun things. A place to be inspired; a place where my puppy can run around in a cute sweater. And a place that’s affordable, too!
But since my husband’s in school, I’m stuck with a boring 9-5 job instead.  I’ve wanted to open an etsy shop for a while — a creative outlet of my  own — but I’ve been too scared to do it. It’s easy to let doubts fill  my heart and keep me from doing what I love — what if no one likes my  work? What if nothing sells? What if I’m a failure?
I can’t let  those things hold me back anymore! Bpaperie has been a long time coming. It’s the next best thing to a “real” store. And if you want to see  pictures of my cute pup in a sweater, shoot me an email. I’m happy to  oblige. 🙂

2. How did you come up with the name for your store?

My husband, Wes, often calls me “B,” and I love paper goods.  I was trying to decide between two names, and this one stuck.

3. What does your creative time sometimes look like?
             A lot of times I end up designing while on the couch watching TV. Glamorous, right? 🙂 Usually while Wes is watching Law & Order or something I’ve seen before that doesn’t require a lot of attention. We sit as a family of three on the couch (Wes, me, and Lucy, our puppy) and I’m content to play around with different fonts, textures, quotes, and graphics until I figure out something that seems to work.
4. What happens when the creativity just isn’t flowing – kinda like writer’s block? 
             I’m not sure what you mean by this question. Like when I have “real job” deadlines and I don’t have time to get creative? It’s hard. My day job demands a lot (most!) of my time and mental energy during the week. I’m still in the start-up stage for bpaperie, which requires a lot of investment in terms of time, money, and creativity. I’m trying to get my name out there via facebook and instagram, I’m selling in a shop in downtown Louisville (Block Party Handmade), and I’m looking forward to the day when most of my customers aren’t friends & family members. 🙂 But mostly, I love what I’m doing; this has been a dream of mine for a long time. So that motivates me to work hard and make things happen!
BPaperie
I hope you can find encouragement to pursue your creative dreams by hearing just some of Beth’s story.  Here is the fun information on the giveaway:  Beth is giving away one print from her Etsy story to one reader of kd316.  Here is how you can enter:
1.  Go to BPaperie on Etsy and come back and tell me which one of her prints you would want to have in your home
2.  Follow thekd316 and bpaperie on Instagram.  Come back here and tell me that you followed.
3.  Share this blog with your friends on FB or Twitter and return here and leave me a comment telling me you did so
Winner will be announced on Friday!
27 Feb 2010

Taste of Louisville: Blue Lagoon

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The Highlands in Louisville is definitely known for its eclectic dining venues and busy Friday nights. Well, the traffic was nothing new on Bardstown Road at 715 on a Friday night, but this little place with an up and coming chef was a nice little surprise.
My friend Sarah and I went there for an evening of shared food and conversation. Love these meals. She knew the chef, so we got to place a special order (it had recently been taken off the menu).
I totally forgot my camera (blame it on Friday-night brain) so you’ll have to deal with descriptions.
To start: sweet potato fries. I’m used to large, regular-fry looking, sweet potato fries – which I LOVE! But these were different. When our waiter asked if we would like them for dessert or an appetizer, I knew I was in for a treat. He quickly brought out a small bowl set on a plate of petite cut fries. A light snow-dusting of powdered sugar with a small bowl of dipping: saffron honey. I could have downed the whole container of saffron honey. If saffron weren’t so expensive, I’d go buy some and make some for myself. The very last bite (once we had dumped the bowl of fries on the plate), was laced with the chili powder that had been dusted on the place. AMAZING. That was the best bite of the whole meal.
Jody, the chef, made us this wonderful Persian–version of paella. It served both of us and we weren’t stuffed, so that was good. The rice was perfectly done – not sticky or crunchy. There was plenty of seafood in it: shrimp, cod, scallops, and mussels. He didn’t skimp. It was very seafood-y so you would have to enjoy seafood to appreciate this dish. The only thing I could say that was a disappointment was it was not very complex in flavors – very monochromatic if I can use that word to describe food? But, we ate it all!
When the waiter brought our check, he also brought out these lovely tea shots as a palette cleanser I guess. Simple, yet a perfect way to end a meal.
So, if you are looking for something out of the ordinary and somewhat unknown still (so no wait on a Friday night) – go to Blue Lagoon on Bardstown Road. (order the sweet potato fries).