The Everyday Co.

INSPIRED BY SIMPLE LIVING, DESIGNED FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT

SWEET & THOUGHTFUL SPRINGTIME GIFTS & EASTER "BASKET" IDEAS

Kathryn YeeComment

Spring is here, which means Easter is just around the corner! If there's an Easter Bunny in your family, and you’re hoping to create fun and unique baskets for your family or friends, we’re here to share some inspiration and our take on unique, easy Easter baskets!

We’ve curated a selection of small-batch goods from some of our favorite local and small-batch makers, and paired them with our cloth, linen goods. From wee little ones to your mom to your best friend, we’re sure these delicious and thoughtful gifts will create memorable and inspiring Easter baskets for those you love!

SWEET SPRINGTIME S'MORES

For the gourmand in your life, we think it would be fun to fill one of our signature muslin bags with lots of delicious goodies around a theme. For this example, we decided to package together the ingredients for gourmet s’mores!

Reuse our muslin bag (each order comes in one!) as the "basket"!

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  1. Honey Bunnies by EHChocolatier, six for $15.95

  2. Our Everyday Luxe Gray Dinner Napkins, $16.25 each

  3. Marshmallows by our dear friend, Mayflour Confections

  4. Homemade graham crackers made from Smitten Kitchen’s recipe

HOME & GARDEN MAKER

For that plant-loving maker you know---or even just someone without a sweet tooth---we love the idea of filling a wooden box with a plant, shears, and our heavy-duty, Libeco linen Jill Rosenwald Makers Towel!

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  1. Jill Rosenwald x The Everyday Co. Limited-Edition Makers Towel, $36 each

  2. The Everyday Co. Shears, $8 each

  3. Berry box from WAAM Industries, starting from $32

  4. A rosemary plant from your local nursery (We love doing our plant shopping at Niche!) (Plant image via Daniella Witte)

COOL TREATS FOR KIDS

For the wee little ones in your family with a definite sweet tooth, we’ve pulled together the fixings for a colorful and fun ice cream party! We especially love these natural, real chocolate, plant-dyed sprinkles by Ticings!

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  1. Everyday Signature Napkins with a Citron finish, $8.50 each

  2. A pint of Jeni’s ice cream, $12 (their favorite small pint will do!)

  3. Wooden utensils from meri meri, $12 for a pack of 24

  4. Natural sprinkle assortment from Ticings, $16.95

  5. Silver Dollar Bowls from Haand Ceramics, starting from $17.95

PODCAST WHILE YOU WORK . . . #TRYPOD

Kathryn YeeComment

Happy Spring! After a crazy holiday season and back-to-back shows and markets, my team and I took a short break to spent some much-needed time with family and get re-energized for another big year. Despite our lack of presence on our blog, we've been working hard in the studio since the new year and we are now in full swing planning out new product, styles and Spring events. Production is underway for our 2017 Spring Collection (have you checked out our new Spring Signature styles?) and Boston is showing it's warmer side. How is it March already?

When we're in the studio creating, cutting and sewing, Caitlin really enjoys listening to various podcasts and I get to listen along! They range from a wide variety of interesting topics but of course my favorites are around how inspiring companies and brands got started. So I asked Caitlin to share her favorite creative, business-related podcasts with all of you! It also happens to be that throughout the month of March, podcasters are encouraging everyone to “Try a Pod.” So here you go . . .

MY Top 5 Entrepreneurial, Maker-Related Podcasts

by Caitlin Topham

When I sew, whether I’m quilting in my home studio or making napkins here in The Everyday Co. studio, I love to have something playing in the background as I work. Since there are only so many episodes of The Real Housewives of Whatever City to watch, I turn to podcasts to keep me entertained and inspired. My podcast-listening queue (I use the Podcast app on my iPhone) ranges from true-crime stories to local news. Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular topics in my feed is small business and the creative industry, so we thought I would share my top five creative entrepreneurship podcast feeds with you!

1 / How I Built This

This is a relatively new show hosted by Guy Raz (also the host of the TED Radio Hour). Guy interviews the people behind many successful, well-known brands---like Spanx, Crate & Barrel, and Patagonia. It’s so interesting to learn about the evolution of so many big, successful companies---including their missteps and mistakes---and the show itself is beautifully produced.

Stand-Out Episode
Kate Spade: Kate & Andy Spade

2 / Creative Biz Rebellion

Owning my own small business, and working alongside Kathryn to grow The Everyday Co., I love podcasts that provide concrete information (like how to choose a website provider and tips on how to prep for holiday sales), so I was excited to discover this new podcast. The show is hosted by Kelly of Hello World Paper Co. and Caroline of Caroline Creates, and they dig into the nuts and bolts of running successful product-based businesses. Both they and their guests cover a wide range of helpful topics, and discuss what has and hasn’t worked for them over the years.

Stand-Out Episode
#28: All About Wholesale with Katie Hunt

3 / From Scratch

Hosted by Jessica Harris, this podcast features short interviews with a wide range of entrepreneurs. Similar to How I Built This, From Scratch digs into the origin stories of successful brands. It’s obvious that Jessica does extensive research prior to recording, and I enjoy that she asks her interviewees in-depth questions about business, family, and hobbies.

Stand-Out Episode
Essie Weingarten, the founder of Essie nail polish

4 / Young House Love Has a Podcast

I followed John and Sherry Petersik’s blog, Young House Love, for many years, until they decided to step back and take a break from the blogging world back in 2014. So when they launched a podcast last summer, I was excited to hear from them once again (albeit in a different format), and get their take on DIY, interior design, and home renovation. While many of the episodes are geared toward solving listeners’ design conundrums and interviewing stars in the design world, they also have a few episodes that touch on the nuts and bolts of blogging for business, and offer quite a bit of insider information that’s hard to find anywhere else.

Stand-Out Episode
#8: Three Pro Bloggers Get Real About Sponsored Posts

5 / While She Naps with Abby Glassenberg

Abby is a local blogger and podcaster whose focus is the crafting industry. She’s quite an adept interviewer, and her guests range from sewing pattern designers to craft magazine editors to the president of a fabric company---people that you don’t typically hear interviews with elsewhere.

Stand-Out Episode
#78: Annabel Wrigley

Bonus! StartUp

A popular podcast that Kathryn and I have listened to together is StartUp by Gimlet Media founder (and co-host) Alex Blumberg—award-winning radio journalist and former producer for This American Life and the co-founder of NPR's Planet Money. He tells the story of starting up Gimlet Media, convincing his wife of the unknown, going to Silicon Valley to raise money, the awkwardness of finding a co-founder, and the challenging of growing Gimlet. He hosts along side Lisa Chow who was also a reporter at Planet Money.

Now are you wondering how to get started listening to podcasts yourself?
John and Sherry, the couple of Young House Love, show you how to find and subscribe to podcasts in this helpful post.

We’d love to know what creative and inspiring podcasts you’re listening to while in the studio! Comment using the link below this blog post’s title and if you find a podcast you love (whether it’s one of the ones listed here or another), make sure to share it using the hashtag #trypod!

Happy Listening,

Caitlin

 

HOSTESS GIFT IDEA: THE PERFECT PAIRING with The Everyday Co. NAPKINS

Kathryn YeeComment

"Never go empty handed!" -mom

This was not just the advice but the requirement whenever I was going to be a guest at anyone's house or party . . . Whether it was a sleepover as a teenager, dinner party or holiday gathering, bringing something was and still is a must.

A hostess gift helps you says many things from "thank you including/inviting me" to "thank you for hosting and putting this party/meal/celebration together". It's a symbol of gratitude and appreciation.

Food is always great and easy (you can pick something up on the way over) but we like being able to add a little something that is reusable, eco-friendly and sustainable . . . Our Signature Napkins, Hand Towels and Cocktail Napkins are perfect hostess gifts that last beyond the holidays!

Also check out Feast & Dwell's Hostess Gift Guide where you'll find our Windowpane Hand Towel on her list!

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We paired a set of 4 Signature Napkins with a bottle of wine and this simple method requires no wine bag or paper wrap. Simply take a piece of twine or ribbon and you're good to go! Our cloth linen napkins accompany any bottle of wine, cheese or baked good perfectly. This hostess gift is easy and great for just about anyone!

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Add a sprig of herbs if you're feeling festive!

Unique Gift Wrap Ideas with our Everyday Cloth Napkins

Kathryn Yee1 Comment

Looking for an easy, unique and eco-friendly way to wrap up your christmas cookies, candy apples and treats this holiday season? Try our reusable, cloth napkins in our Dinner Napkin size! They make the perfect sustainable wrap and pair nicely with homemade snacks and baked goods for anyone on your list including neighborhood kids, teachers, your mail man, friends, and co-workers!

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Add a simple tag and your favorite ribbon. We love using cotton ribbon from local shop, Studio Carta! Imported from Italy, Angela's beautiful ribbon comes in three sizes and many beautiful colors and finishes!

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Scissors can be found in our shop, here!

Simple & SWEET holiday recipe: CHOCOLATE PRETZEL BARK BY Jill Rosenwald

Kathryn YeeComment

I cannot believe the Holidays are in full swing and Christmas is around the corner. To me the holidays are all about coming together with family and friends near and far, sharing in laughter and joy, enjoying yummy food and sending simple gestures of gratitude to those around you.

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Making simple sweet treats is one thing I look forward to every holiday season—they are easily giftable to friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. But if your holiday season is anything like mine, your calendar is filled to the brim. This year I'm making chocolate and pretzel bark using a no-fuss recipe shared with me by Boston designer, friend and collaborator Jill Rosenwald while we were working on our Limited Edition Makers Towel. It's easy, simple and sweet.

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Did you know each one of our Makers Towel comes with this recipe from Jill and her daughter, Thea!?

Holiday bark is a great and easy option that's delicious and festive. It requires little prep time and calls for only a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen . . . not to mention it's sweet and salty!? No brainer. It's a great activity with kids and perfect for teacher gifts. Wrap it with an Everyday Signature Napkin and you're good to go!

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The best part: you can make it your own. Add extra sea salt (we used La Jolla Pure California Sea Salt harvested in San Diego), festive sugar sprinkles, crushed candy cane, nuts and anything else you can easily sprinkle to top off your bark! I'm definitely going to make this with my nieces later this month while they visit from California!

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Read more about our special collaboration with Jill Rosenwald and our Makers Towel here.