Woohoo!

Hello readers!  I cannot believe I am so late in sharing this most exciting information with you, but at the end of May Scribbles (and yours truly) graced the cover of the The Burlington Free Press’ Weekend Section and was treated to a full color spread in the middle of the paper!  A few weeks ago when we were contacted about a piece on wedding invitations the Scribbles crew had no idea it would be a full page spread - pleased as punch barely scratches the surface of how thrilled we were to receive such encouraging exposure.  Merci Hannah Crowley and all the folks at the Free Press, merci!

Resident cutie pie Amelia showing off the goods!

Thank you too to those who have made such wonderful comments about the piece.  We’ve received some incredible reception and hope that brides make their way to this “destination for wedding invitations.”

Proudly displayed in our window!  Close up . . .

Thank you again to all who were involved in making this article happen.  We are simply ecstatic!  Would you like to read it?  Here’s a link . . .

Our adventures at the gorgeous new Stowe Mountain Lodge continue!  Check out Chapter One to hear about our practicing yoga, enjoying the sauna and pools, and receiving paraffin and salon treatments.  After a long stretch of relaxing (we Scribblers love a good pun), Deb and I were ready to mingle!

We quickly got ready (we’d packed in a whole lot of spa) and headed down to the ballroom and balcony area.  Oh my goodness reader, this balcony!  It’s no wonder The Lodge wanted to invite the very best of Boston, New York, and Vermont planners and have them experience first hand how memorable an event their client’s would have here.  Unfortunately the sun had hid behind a cloud, but take a look at this view!  Can’t you just imagine it with oranges, reds, and yellows so vibrant they almost look fictitious?  Or greens so textured your guests would think it was a painted backdrop?  What a lovely wedding scene!

Guests and staff enjoying the outdoor fire and unparalleled view of Stowe.

Well, well, needless to say - without all the champagne and creative hor’dourves - I was instantly impressed.  Oh, but the treats . . . I wasn’t sure whether to choose between the slow roasted pulled pork taco with cilantro pesto and fresh vegetables or the seared scallop with thinly sliced lamb and curry sauce, so I did both.  Twice.  Then of course I simply had to try to the miniature flatbreads being passed around.  There was a seafood variation with mussels and clams, a roasted veggie pie with peppers, zucchini, and and asparagus, and my favorite, a Gorgonzola and lamb version.  Super yummy!  In addition, The Lodge had presented a very impressive cheese platter with delicious local cheeses and a knowledgeable server to explain their history and flavor.

After cocktails and chats with planners Carrie Lane from Storied Events, Belinda Norris and her wonderful sister Kendall from Belinda Norris Events (two of our favorite Vermont planners), and Emily Lalane from Rafanelli in Boston, we headed into one of the dining rooms for an intimately prepared dinner.  The layout was absolutely lovely and one could tell that Heidi had put a great deal of thought into making the presentation tasteful and inviting.   Unfortunately my photos of the decor were not as sharp as I would like, but I have included one so you get the sense of how exquisite the hanging quartz and well placed tapers looked (and I assure you that skeptical face I am wearing on the right hand side of the photo has nothing to do with this meal!).

Oh the meal!  We started with Chilled Asparagus Soup with Maine Lobster Salad, Vermont Creme Fraiche and Sustainable Caviar (pictured left), paired with Duval-Leroy Champagne.  The second course, perhaps my favorite of the night, was a Micro Green Salad with Champlain Cider Vinaigrette, Quail legs, Radish, Orange, Pistachio, and Boucher Blue Cheese (pictured right).  The quail was cooked to perfection and I particularly loved that all the ingredients came from Vermont (Highgate Center, Shoreham, and Benson, hooray)!  This course was served alongside a Domain du Salvard, Cheverney.  Finally, we had a Wood Creek Steak Au Poivre with Apply Brandy Jus, Spring Mushroom Risotto, and delicious baby vegetables (pictured below) and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again, each ingredient was from Vermont - well done Stowe Mountain Lodge! 

Perhaps you’re thinking, after such a sumptuous offering of appetizers and main courses how could I possibly eat more?  Well reader, I have the uncanny knack of being able to eat lots of courses so long as they’re in different genres of the meal, so while I was full on lobster, quail, and steak, I had tons of room for the dessert bar!  Thankfully, the Lodge had miniature portions of each delicatable dessert, so I felt no guilt whatsoever in trying the maple drenched crepes, eclairs, adorable orange smores, and personal creme brulees (ok . . . I had two creme brulees . . . ).

After such a scrumptious meal Deb and I were ready to enjoy the room and rest up for our goodbyes the next morning.  Not wanting to have the beautiful marble tub and shower go to waste, I tubbed, mom showered, then we slept peacefully, each in a queen size bed, on bamboo sheets.

My beautiful mother and Scribbles co-owner Deb and I enjoy some rocking in the lodge.

The next morning The Lodge treated us to yet another meal!  I choose hand squeezed orange juice and homemade granola with Cabot Vanilla Yogurt and fresh local berries.  As if that weren’t enough, when we checked out they had provided a cute sack lunch with half a ham and cheese sandwich, MadHouse Munchies chips, an oatmeal raisin cookie, an apple, personal mayonnaise and mustard in glass jars, and a homemade berry smoothie in Stowe Mountain Lodge water bottles.

Myself, Heidi, Deb Jarecki, Belinda Norris, and Kendall enjoying a farewell breakfast

Would the Scribbles team recommend the Stowe Mountain Lodge for your wedding or event?  Emphatically, yes.

Now, we know that this team was putting its very best foot forward to impress such influential planners from around New England, but they succeeded in spades, leading this critic to believe they would do nothing less for your guests.  The service team at The Lodge are keenly aware that each interaction is an opportunity to make your stay more comfortable, thereby encouraging repeat business, and, well, making your stay much more comfortable.

Excellent customer service aside, the resort is simply gorgeous and the spa relaxing beyond words.  Whether planning a wedding from out of state or needing a day to yourself outside of Burlington, The Stowe Mountain Lodge is well worth the trip!

Solstice, the resort’s restaurant.  Also pictured below.

Look at that natural light in the upper entrance area!

The view from the balcony leading from our room.

Another aerial view of the main entrance.

Deb loved the entire experience!

This past week my mom Debby and I became the luckiest ducks around, as we had the extreme pleasure of attending an intimate gathering of New England’s very best wedding planners at the exquisite new Stowe Mountain Lodge.  Heidi, our host and The Lodge’s extremely talented event planner, organized the gathering in order to give wedding planners a true taste of the resort experience, a hands on tour complete with spa treatments, five star dining, champagne whenever we’d like, and a stay in one of the 139 luxury rooms (suites of course!).  Us Scribblers simply love Heidi, who came to Scribbles for the event’s invitations and who’s natural openness and professionalism makes her such a peach to work with!  She also saved two of those invitations for yours truly, so that we could fully experience Stowe’s unparalleled new luxury resort for ourselves - thank you Heidi!

As you can probably tell, I am just full to the brim with praise for the Stowe Mountain Lodge.  I’d have to say it started from the very moment we stepped out of my swanky ‘92 Toyota Corolla wagon and were immediately approached by the head of concierge, Devon.  For the first time in my resort going life, someone immediately came up to the car and said “The Jareckis?”  The staff was so acutely aware of who was expected and when that we were actually greeted by name!  After exchanging a “well, that was a good start” look, my car was immediately taken by the valet (who offered to clean it for me after I referred to it’s rather embarrassing cemetery of discarded soy chai cups), and we were promptly swept off to our gorgeous two bedroom suite.

Before I tell you about our incredible room, let me say that throughout our entire stay The Lodge staff was the most attentive I have ever experienced.  We were waited on hand and foot; there was always someone ready to open a door, point the way, offer a fresh towel, or  bring a cool glass of water.  The moments were extremely few and far between that we ever wanted for anything.  I have no doubt this staff would treat you and your friends to the utmost in customer service, and from two retailers who pride themselves on hospitality, that’s quite an endorsement.

Oh the suite!  I must apologize because none of the pictures I took really do the room justice, so I will do my blogger best to describe it to you.  Depending on which door you decide to enter through, as our suite had two full rooms, you’re greeted by rustic chic woodwork and lovely green and gray marble floors.  For two people we had all in the space in the world, as this sweet also boasts a full kitchen, living room, two baths, one with a marble tub as well as a completely marble shower, three LCD flat screen televisions, IPod docking station, an international pillow menu, gorgeous custom designed lamps from Simon Pierce (a personal favorite of mine, I simply love a well made shade), a beautiful gas range, private washer and dryer, and a balcony spanning nearly half the suite that looks directly at the ski mountain.

Oh I could go on and on, but then I’d miss dishing about the spa!

After settling in to our inviting and sizable room (rooms I should say), we headed down to the The Spa and Cooper Wellness Lodge to be given a full tour of all the amenities before taking a very a relaxing and energizing yoga class.  What a perfectly lovely way to start the day!  After a much needed session of downward dog, goddess pose, and five pointed star, we set out for (easily) one of the best spa lunches I’ve ever had.

Balanced by the perfect combination of light and satisfying, we munched on spinach salad with strawberries and maple vinaigrette, gluten free orzo with precisely sliced onions, roasted zucchini, asparagus, and squash, salmon tartar, and mildly glazed chicken legs, with fruit salad, champagne, and infused waters (I choose pineapple lavender water, very refreshing).

Again, I’m so sorry to not have pictures, but you see I had successfully entered spa mode (another nod to the talented crew at the Stowe Mountain Lodge) and was so noodley in my delicious robe and sandals that I didn’t even think to grab it from the locker room!  I assure you, the presentation and service were simply top drawer . . .

Below is pictured one of the comfortable chairs on which I accidentally dozed after a jaunt in the sauna . . . oh how I adore a spa day!  It’s perfectly acceptable to simply fall asleep!

We were then treated to a paraffin treatment for our hands a feet, which was incredibly relaxing as it was accompanied by a small massage to each area.  Then, before getting our hair professionally tussled for that evening’s festivities, Deb and I headed back to the Wellness Lodge to sample the spa for ourselves . . .

The Wellness Lodge at the Stowe Mountain Resort is a 21,000 square foot facility with 19 private treatment rooms, a heated outdoor pool with indoor swim-out access (look, there’s me bursting sublimely into the pool from the gym area), a relaxing sanctuary, sauna, steam room, European hot pool, and my personal favorite, the hot or cold three-setting rain shower.  The spa has extensive menu for complete wellness, from massage and facials, to sound and body treatments, to full salon amenities.  Check it out!

After over an hour of mother-daughter-sauna-rain shower-pool time, we headed back to the sanctuary, designed so that you can enjoy natural sun or shade depending on the weather and your mood, for crisp green apples and even more relaxation before our appointments in the Mario Russo Salon.  The Lodge was treating us to styles before the evening’s cocktail reception and four course meal.  Hunter, the detailed perfectionist who runs the full service salon, gave me a special violet shampoo rinse to tone down my color a bit, ran Moroccan oil through my hair, and offered some excellent styling tips before blow drying my hair to perfectly coiffed in minutes!  We were also given goodie bags with a delicious bath soak and one full bottle of Mario Russo olive shampoo and olive and lavender conditioner.

Yes, after a day of yoga, paraffin, swimming, resting, and styling, Deb and I were ready to throw on some cocktail wear, meet the amazing professionals invited to the event, and be privy to some exceptional culinary treats . . . check out the next blog post to read more!

Last week I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing local calligrapher extraordinaire Geoffrey Burnham, an artist Scribbles has been using for nearly every one of our 15 years in the wedding industry.

In an age when electronic type rules the roost (and we say this as self aware bloggers), hand written calligraphy seems all the more like fine art.  So we think, what better way to address your wedding invitations?

After all, you’ve put so much time, energy, and money into sending your guests some true blue snail mail, why not top it off with delicate, painstakingly detailed calligraphy?

Like this . . .

I can safely say that Geoffrey is unlike any other vendor I’ve met and I mean it in the most flattering light possible.  Deliberate and precise, with an extremely dry, witty sense of humor and clad almost entirely in tweed, Geoffrey exudes that antique air one might expect from someone who has been practicing calligraphy for over forty years.   In 1963, when Geoffrey was a student at Brown, he took a job in the rare books library and came across a 16th century Italian writing manual called First Writing Book, which explains, step by step, how to write in italic.  Though over the decades he took on other posts (pun most certainly intended), often as a writer across Europe and in the states, Geoffrey always returned to calligraphy.  After moving to Vermont in the 1970’s, he began teaching at the “Church Street Center” which was located in the old firehouse, what is now the home of our beloved Burlington City Arts.  The Center had a large bulletin board outside where locals would write down things they were interested in learning.  Someone had written calligraphy down with Geoffrey’s name next to it and thus he became a teacher!  In 1980 he was hired by St. Michael’s College and has been teaching two classes a week, always to a packed house, ever since.

Scribbles and Geoffrey have fantastic working relationship.  Over the years, dozens of customers have taken their spectacular Scribbles invitations to Geoffrey for equally stunning addressing!   His most popular styles are Italic and Copperplate.  The Italic, which is shown in the example at the top of this post, is what Geoffrey teaches his St. Mike’s students and is classic without being excessively formal.  Copperplate, his more popular for wedding invitation envelopes, is a delicate script - we love it!  I love it so much that for my most recent batch of business cards I asked Geoffrey to write my name and title, then had them letterpressed.  Isn’t it fantastic!  Oooooohhhhhhh, I am so pleased!!

Take a look at some envelopes that he’s addressed for us in the past . . .

In fitting tribute to his antique art, Geoffrey doesn’t have a website or email address, but prefers clients to contact him via phone and consult with him at his home studio.   He can be reached at 802.862.7538, but you can always call us here at Scribbles (or email, we’re not quite as old school) and we’ll happily put you in touch with this fantastic local artist!

Hello there lovely readers!

So many of you were kind enough to comment on Eunice’s Moyle’s totally post-tastic Save the Date, but unfortunately I’ve had to take down the post.  Eunice, the deserving lucky lady, is having her unique wedding covered by none other than Martha Stewart Weddings!  The blog post was getting so much buzz, but we don’t want to give away too much, so until the wedding is published in the magazine we’re going to keep hush hush.  I’m sorry to all who wanted to see the invitation (which is to die by the way) but you’ll be seeing it in Martha Stewart Weddings soon!

Eunice we are so happy for you and Daniel - all our love and best wishes!

Oh yes reader, that’s right, we’ve got the coolest kitsch gift this here sheriff has seen in a long while . . . The Mustache Comb!  Flips on a dime, just like that switchblade you carry around, to tame your wild stache anytime it puts up a fight!  I just can’t get enough of my amazing new facial hair, shall we look at once more? Okay . . .

Oh yea, that’s a great looking mustache.
Part of our of Accoutrements Self-Adhesive Stylish Mustaches Set.

After my ridiculously fun photo session with the combs, I thought “hey Jenn - Scribbles is full of amazing products equal in stupendousness!  Let’s blog about them!”  Lo and behold reader, here are some of my absolute favorites . . .

Adorable Blissen Slim Wallet - handmade in Portland but an official cutie patootie, Jill Bliss

Patterned wraps from Peculiar Pear Press and Snow & Graham

A fantastic UpCycle Journal handmade by Moe.  For more check out the close up of this caring critters and this past entry on Moe O’Hara!

Check out this Lucy Lu Super Strong Magnet (much stronger than that fist I am making, somewhere my former personal trainer is shaking her head) - Scribbles just loves Sailor Jerry goodies!

A super green “made by human mitts” journal from Chris over at Yellow Owl Workshop.  Lurve this one . . .

Oooooh and look at this frisky Folkmanis Goat puppet . . . what a charmer!

He went for it!

Lastly, I wanted to share one of my favorite New Yorker cards with you. It’s a pretty fitting end, don’t you think?

If you’d like to take any of these fantastic goodies home, and heck, we couldn’t blame ya, just give us a call at the shop and we’ll package it up for you! 802.863.9004, we can ship anywhere!

It happens during rep appointments, as I’m sure fellow shopkeeps and buyers can attest, that one often sees much of the same.  Though extremely helpful, the appointment rarely yields that “oh my goodness, my heart just lept into my throat because I am so darn taken with this new product!’ feeling.  I imagine since this recession is keeping shoppers and retailers in the moody blues, designers must be feeling it too.  Except for Todd Oldham.  Bless you Todd Oldham!  Famous designer (fashion, graphic, motion picture, interior), Oldham re-popularized Charley Parker, a Midwestern illustrator known for his unique brand of minimalism whose drawings are truly exceptional: whimsical, vibrant, imaginative, and just plain sensational!  In the coming months Scribbles will be carrying Harper’s children’s readers, coloring books, games, and puzzles.  I am truly tickled - thank you Todd Oldham, I’ve missed this giddy feeling!!

Above is Todd Oldham’s book, with over 400 pages of illustration and fun fact!  I know coveting is wrong, but . . .

Oh yes, we’ll be getting this one!

This is the coloring book - isn’t it wonderful?  I can’t wait until we order!

I was scanning the Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild website while making signs for the shop and came across this totally whacky video!  I’m sorry that it’s not embedded, but I still need to master that process.  I am, after all, a paper gal and not an electronic one.  Enjoy and don’t forget, we’ve got that famous Freud finger puppet in the video, click here to bring him home!

Sigmund Freud \”On My Own\”

About 14 months ago Scribbles initiated our little hungry mason jar program.  Each jar raises money for our favorite charities, most local, some international.  These helpful little masons live right by our register and excel at collecting spare change or supplanting the last minute impulse purchase (though we in no way frown upon those).  Instead, people have a last minute donating impulse, hoo-ray!!

This holiday season our money hungry jars raised nearly $650 - $648.52 to be exact!  That’s why the jars now look a little hungry, we cleaned them out, as cute Scribbler Amelia points out.  We were ecstatic with these results, thank you so much community!  I suppose we’ll pat ourselves on the back a little here too, since we house the jars, but all thanks is due to those many happy, gracious folks who come into Scribbles everyday!)

We are doubly proud to have raised the MOST non-profit Vermont Cares wrapping paper.  An organization close to my heart, Vermont Cares offers free, confidential HIV testing and helps those community members and families living with HIV/AIDS.  This holiday season local designers created some swanky wraps and sold them at various stores with all proceeds going towards Vermont Cares.  Here’s me smiling with some of the awesome money we earned, but no wrap to be found!  We sold it all (and then some actually, we had a few deliveries people were so excited about it)!

If you’re interested in participating you needn’t stop by (though the jars would be happy to have you fill their bellies) because we’ve created electronic mason jars right here on the site.  By heading this way you can visit our Spare Change page and donate right away

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For about six short weeks out of a fairly long year Scribbles helps ring in holiday shopping with the absolute best in wrap, witty, whacky gifts, ribbons, bows, boxed cards, Hanukkah candles, bags, tissue, well, my heads spins just thinking about the fabulous spoils we have this year!

Here’s our precious little Scribbler Ginevra showing off a lovely packag she just wrapped.  Oh holiday wrapping, we’re a bunch of fiends - bring it on Burlingtonians!  We’ll wrap it all!

And look at these pretty products!  Here’s a sampling . . . hope to see you soon!

I didn’t even ask this awesome customer to point out our unique cards, she did it of her own volition!  Bazing!