Little Brown Pen

How would you like to have designer stationary at your fingertips?? Well that's what our next featured artist has to offer over on her very unique Etsy shop,
The Little Brown Pen. One can order whichever designs they like, choose from cards, calenders, even recipe cards and within 24 hours have them delivered to your email box where they will become available for your printing pleasure. You can print as many as you want and as she puts it, whenever you want. So if your in a bind and need some one of a kind cards, then her shop and this interview are for you!

Nichole of Little Brown Pen

1. Tell us a little about your self and the meaning behind the name "Little Brown Pen"

I am a writer, and I always have a petite brown Sharpie (my favorite pen) in my purse. We were in a restaurant, and my then 3yo wanted to send a note to his grandma. My husband used my pen to "design" some stationery and that led to the discussion of how cool it would be to design stationery specifically for my son. The idea for Little Brown Pen was born, and the name was fitting because everyone knows about (and knows not to mess with) my "little brown pen."

2. What made you decide to sell PDF templates on your Etsy instead of selling your designs already printed?

We made some for our son, and thought that others would enjoy them as well. I liked the ease of delivery, and I have no idea what it takes to sell actual stationery, so it seemed like a good idea. I had no idea we'd have the reception we did!

3. Since you create one of a kind stationary in the days of internet and emailing, why do you feel its so important for people to stay connected through the long lost art of writing each other?

I always hand-write thank you notes, send cards to my mom, etc. I love to write (both via the computer and handwriting), and I hope the art doesn't die. That said, I view our cards more as the kind you would use as a part of a gift or as an emergency card. I still buy traditional cards, and have a special place in my heart for letterpress.

4. Do you have a special space in your home in which you brainstorm and design your items? What do you tend to surround yourself with that may inspire you?

I think it's more what I am not surrounded by. I absolutely have to work in a clutter-free, zen space. Dishes must be done, beds made, toys picked up, etc. Usually I light a candle. I hate clutter or loose ends of any kind, and I literally can't function if either are plaguing me.

5. Besides creating very lovely paper goods, are there any other artistic/crafty projects you like to really get involved in? Are there any you would love to learn and possible get involved in further?

I am a huge fan of photography. I search flickr and "we heart it" almost daily, and drool over the many amazing photographs I discover. I recently bought a Nikon D40 SLR camera and hope to carve out more time to take my own photos.

6. Being an Etsy store front owner yourself, what would be the pros and cons of selling your handmade goods?

The pros are that it's easy to set up shop, easy to run and etsy garners a lot of traffic you otherwise wouldn't drive to your own site. The cons are that there is a lot of replication of entire brands and ideas and I fear it may be seen as a quick way to make cash. That will definitely tarnish its reputation. What I like about etsy is the ability to buy completely unique things. I hope that doesn't change.

7. So one of the ways I came across your blog as well as your Etsy was through your holiday video. How did this come about? How was it made?

The video was a way for my husband to try his hand at stop-motion video. He loves the genre, and had a blast putting it together. Once we started talking about tying it to the shop, it became a cool exercise in non-traditional PR (of which I am a huge fan). The video was fairly successful and it was a lot of fun to put together!

8. Any future plans for Little Brown pen? New designs? Ideas? products?

Many! There are quite a few shops that sell printable stationery now, so we have a few completely out of the box ideas we're planning to implement in the Spring.

9. On your own personal blog you promote the handmade community throughout your posts. In your own words why do you feel handmade is important and that the people who create their own goods should be recognized?

I am a copywriter and I write for a lot of beauty and fashion brands. It's easy to be noticed when you have marketing budgets and ad campaigns. Not so easy when you are on your own. I promote handmade because I love what I find, and because I hope it helps the business owner reach new customers.

10. Ok, so tell us 5 things you just cannot live without:

Coffee, books, my husband, my kids, and my cat.