misosouper, a shopping blog

The things I like about Laura Su’s company Prismera Design (there are many, so bear with me):

1.  Its name, which is a fanciful combination of “prism” and “chimera.”  Beyond its lovely connotations of phantom rainbows, it just sounds good rolling off the tongue.

2.  The fact that Prismera Design creates some of my favorite airy jewelry.  Big and bold, thin and delicate:  the collections make metal into flora, with names like “Titanopsis” and “Phlox.”

3.  In addition to jewelry, Prismera also produces a pantheon of everyday things, such as this sweet birdhouse-esque box for your jewelry, with a felt insert that keeps pieces in place.  Their hand-drawn cards, featuring natural motifs, are not to be missed; if someone wrote me a note on one of these flats, I’d probably frame it.

In celebration of Prismera’s new “Under the Sea” note card designs, we’re giving away four cards from the collection, printed with soy-based inks onto 60% post-consumer recycled paper and accompanied by a 100% recycled kraft envelope that resembles the prettiest paper bag you’ve ever seen.  To win a set of Algae, Branch, Coral and Pod note cards, leave a comment on this post.  Extra entries are available if you:  tweet this giveaway (please leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet…simply saying “I tweeted!” doesn’t count); post about it on your own blog (please leave a separate comment with a link to your post); and/or sign up to receive Misosouper via e-mail.

the fine print:

Comments will be closed and entries will not be accepted after 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, April 5, 2009. The winner will be selected at random on Monday, April 6, 2009, and notified by e-mail. Results of the giveaway will be announced on Monday, April 6, 2009. Misosouper, a shopping blog reserves the right to disqualify entries that are incomplete, inaccurate, or considered spam.

I have a special fondness for artists and shopkeepers that blog, because such public illuminations of their inner workings and inspiration are, well, so illuminating.  Plus, I know how much work it is to stay on top of a blog, so to heap that on to the creative process takes a gritty force of will.

Enter Linda & Harriett:  they letterpress and they blog, both with gusto.  Their colors are bold, their cursive is forthright, and their graphics are confident and simple in the best possible way.  A bespoke wedding invitation (again, that cursive…so assured, so divine!) impresses upon you the import of the event.

So I’ll pen my daily to-do’s on their notepads, which make tasks like “buy stamps” look a little more persuasive, and send my “I apologize for my rowdy two year old” messages on cards that don’t seem to be pandering.  This week, we’re giving away one zigzag notepad and one set of zigzag note cards, both of which will help you take charge of your business.  Leave a comment on this post, describing which object out of Linda and Harriet’s paperie you’d like to use, and why.  For extra entries, you can post about the giveaway on your own website (please include a link in the comments so that we can verify), and/or tweet a link to this post (please include a link in the comments, and use @misosouper in your tweet so that we can verify). One winner will be chosen at random.

the fine print:

Comments will be closed and entries will not be accepted after 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, March 8, 2009. The winner will be selected on Monday, March 9, 2009, and notified by e-mail. Results of the giveaway will be announced on Monday, March 9, 2009. Previous giveaway winners are not eligible.  Misosouper, a shopping blog reserves the right to disqualify entries that are incomplete, inaccurate, or considered spam.