The Canton Box Company

Black Friday / Cyber Monday Sale!

2011-11-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

We're having a sale! Enter "MERRY2011" at checkout to receive 10% off your entire order. This offer is good through Monday, November 28th. Our shop is chocked full of great holiday decor and gifts for everyone on your list. Check it out here...

Metropolitan Brick Coasters

2011-09-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

We're always looking for new {but reclaimed} materials to use. When we came across a whole pile of reclaimed Metropolitan bricks, {a company formerly of Canton, Ohio}, I fell in love. So Tyson rented a brick saw for the day and started slicing away at these fantastic paving bricks. Check out the final product...

Farmer's Market Finds

2011-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Swoon-worthy {BIKE}

2011-05-16T14:48:00.001-07:00

I've been drooling over this too-cute Kate Spade bike for the past few weeks. Anyone out there want to donate to the Angie-Needs-a-Kate-Spade-Bike fund?

We're Having a Sale!

2011-04-22T06:11:00.001-07:00

In honour of Mother's Day, we've decided to have a sale!

Now through May 1st, enter the coupon code Mom11 at checkout to receive 10% off your ENTIRE ORDER! We've got lots of new stuff on our site and lots more to come, so check back often to find that perfect gift for Mom!

Like this stunning serving tray / cutting board:

Available here

The Calm After the Storm

2011-04-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at Art is Alive this past weekend in Downtown Canton. In fact, it was one of our most successful art shows to date! In the weeks leading up to the show, Tyson & I spent every night working on our newest products until the wee hours of the morning...not to mention we still have full time jobs to attend to.

Needless to say...we are are taking some much needed rest this week. We've been watching some really good movies {The King's Speech, anyone?}, cooking, catching up on some reading and have gotten totally addicted to Storage Wars on A&E.

We do plan on listing a ton of new products on our Etsy site this weekend, so make sure to stay tuned and get first dibs!

Also...check back on the blog on Friday for a big announcement!

Brick Coasters - Available Here

Our newest Wine Waiter designs...available soon.

The Black Bird Mirror

My newest endeavor...hand stamped pillows!

Vintage Inspired Flower Press

Riveted Oak Mirror

ArtisAlive 2011

2011-04-06T09:26:00.001-07:00

It's that time again...

ArtisAlive!

Please come visit us at the Cultural Center for the Arts in Downtown Canton next Friday and Saturday. We're going to be introducing a ton of new products, which include what may be the coolest looking drink coasters ever. We'll be pretty easy to find...booth #1 {holding back a cheesy joke about being #1 in your hearts} right across from the registration desks.

Holiday Cards

2010-12-01T13:50:00.001-08:00

We're offering lots of lovey Christmas card sets in our Etsy shop. Check them out here...

Black Friday Sale!

2010-11-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

In honor of Black Friday & Cyber Monday, we're holding our first ever sale! Enter the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout and you'll receive 10% off you entire order from November 26 thru November 29th.

Visit our shop now to check out our newest items and take advantage of the sale!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:16:00.001-08:00

101 Reasons to Buy Handmade

2010-11-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite blogs, Poppytalk, recently posted a list of 101 reasons to buy handmade items. As the holiday season draws near, let's spread the word and help the "handmade" community be successful!

You can check out the blog post on Poppytalk here.

Halloween Banners

2010-09-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited about these new Halloween Banners that we're carrying in our shop. It's the first time I've designed the banner and printed it digitally instead of hand stamping. I was a little nervous at first because I thought they might lose their charm...but I'm definitely pleased with the results. You can check them out in our Halloween 2010 shopping section, or click on the links below for details on each individual banner.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN Double Banner

TRICK OR TREAT Halloween Banner

BOO Banner

SPOOKY Banner

Spooky Halloween Chalkboards

2010-09-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well...after a little break from blogging {not because I didn't have anything to say, but because I've been so freaking busy} I'm back with some very exciting new products that we just uploaded onto our Etsy site.

Check out our new Halloween Tombstone Chalkboards - click here.

Friday the 13th Greeting Cards

2010-08-08T08:18:00.001-07:00

Now available on our Etsy Shop:

Friday the 13th Greeting Cards - available here.

Lemon/Lime Cutting Boards

2010-07-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

In honor of our favorite time of the day - cocktail hour - we've concocted a new single drink cutting board. No need to drag out your big cutting board or risk damaging your counter top just to make one drink. This cutting board is the perfect size for lemons and limes.

We currently have these available in black walnut, cherry and oak. For more info, check them out here.

Dr. Seuss Knows His Stuff

2010-07-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

I recently came across this wonderful little quote by Dr. Seuss. It goes like this:

"You know your in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

So, we made a print out of this quote and introduced it at the July Art Walk at Banyan Tree. It was a huge hit. These are now available for sale on our Etsy shop.

These are available in red (shown), pink, hot pink, electron blue and yellow.

New Vintage Book Pages Prints

2010-07-16T16:47:00.001-07:00

We are very pleased to introduce our new line of framed prints on vintage book pages. These are all available for sale on our Etsy site. You can find out more details here.

What are you doing tomorrow?

2010-07-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

If you're in Northeast Ohio and are out and about in the Tremont area next Friday {July 9th}...stop and see us at Banyan Tree. We're psyched about being the featured artist for the July Artwalk. And we've got lots of new products that we'll be debuting.

Check out Banyan Tree's website for a look at their awesome store...www.shopbanyantree.com

The Paris Recap

2010-06-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally back home from my 1st international trip. In fact...I've been home for nearly a week. And while I really did have the best intentions to blog every day during my trip I barely had the energy to check my email at the end of the day. I really only had one completely free day to explore Paris. So when I would get back to my hotel after working about 10 hours, I would hit the streets to see as much as I possibly could during my 4 days there. Here are a few things that I saw:

Sacre Coeur - my official favorite site in Paris (sorry Eiffel Tower)

I liked Sacre Coeur so much that I actually walked up these 5 million stairs twice to see it. My legs hated me for it.

Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe - this actually wasn't even on my list of sites that I wanted to visit. I've seen it a million times on tv and in movies, but I thought...what's the big deal? It's just a gate, right? But I was close to it one night so I figured...what the heck. I'm glad I did. It's about 20 times the size I thought I was. And the most impressive part is detailing you get to see when you walk underneath it. Ah...the Eiffel Tower. It's just as beautiful as I thought it would be...

...and even prettier at night.

Saying Auf Wiedersehen to Germany and Bonjour to Paris

2010-06-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

On my last day in Germany, I decided to take the trek to Berlin to visit the Brandenburg Gate. I honestly didn't know much of the significance of this landmark before I went, but had heard that it was a great thing to see while in Germany. Turns out...it was probably one of the most significant landmarks I think I have ever seen. You can read some history of the gate here. Over the course of the Cold War, 152 people were shot and killed for trying to pass through the gate illegally from West Germany to East Germany. Today the gate symbolizes democratic freedom and a unified Germany.

The west side of the Brandenburg Gate

The east side of Brandenburg Gate {once occupied the the Soviet Union}

Right down the road from the Brandburg Gate is the Reichstag Building. This building now houses Germany's Parliament, but at one time was the site for many of Hitler's propaganda presentations.

What's is maybe more eerie than walking through the Brandenburg gate is standing on the same steps that Hitler once did.

During the Cold War, the Reichstag Building went unused after the Berlin Wall was built. After the Wall was torn down, the new democratic goverment decided to move back into this building. The glass dome that you can see in the above picture is meant to symbolize the political transparency that is now promised to the people by the goverment.

I'm a little bummed that I didn't know too much of the history of these amazing sites before I visited, but I'm really excited to start doing some research {I think I may have just become a history buff in training}.

And now on to more upbeat topics...

I'M IN PARIS!!!

I arrived in Paris at 9:00pm (3:00 pm in Ohio). I can't say if it is the most beautiful city in the world, but it is certainly the most beautiful city I have ever seen. When I was walking to dinner tonight, I came across this gorgeous building...

I'm not sure what this is, but I'm excited to find out tomorrow.

This is the view from the balcony in my hotel room.

Tomorrow I have a completely free day to explore the city before I head to a tradeshow on Monday...so stay tuned for more pics of Paris

A few things I learned in Leipzig

2010-06-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

1. Reliable & safe public transportation is priceless. I would totally trade in my car if we had a transportation system like Europe.

2. Ask for your check when you are ready to leave a restaurant. A server here in Germany will never bring you your check unless you ask. They consider it rude to bring the check beforehand because it would be like asking you to leave before you are ready.

3. Germans can DRINK. A LOT.

4. Its never to early for a beer in Germany. 9am? No problem! Beer is cheaper than bottled water or soft drinks and is served {and drank} at any time of the day.

Small little bars like this are all over Leipzig

5. Soccer is cool. And a big deal to pretty much every country but the US.

6. People go nuts over the World Cup...even if you're country's team isn't playing that particular day...its still a reason to celebrate.

Travel Photos...Buildings in Leipzig, Germany

2010-06-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

So a few months ago I found out I was going to travel to Leipzig, Germany and Paris for my full time job. Although I've been bursting with excitement over this trip, I've kept it completely hush hush from the blog. One, because I consider the blog to be about our journey of building our online retail business into a someday brick & mortar store. And two...I honestly was afraid that the trip could get canceled at any moment.

Anyone who travels for work, knows that you only get a fraction of the time that you want to explore the city you're in. That's been the dead-on truth for my trip so far, but I have had a few hours to walk around and explore the wonder that is Leipzig.

Downtown Leipzig is riddled with A-M-A-Z-I-N-G buildings. I found out that since Leipzig is in East Germany, this beautiful architecture is from the pre-Communist era. There are some buildings that have a more modern feel, but for the most part, Leipzig feels like a different world. Walking down cobblestone streets between building that look like they could be straight off a movie set and where bicycles and pedestrians are the norm and cars are the minority has been completely eye opening to how different the European lifestyle is from our own.

Tomorrow it's off to Berlin to site see for a few hours and then off to Paris. Stay tuned for more pics...

New Serving/Kitchen Boards

2010-05-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

We've been working on making tons of new items for sale on our Etsy Shop. My favorite new line that Tyson has whipped up is serving/kitchen boards. These make great wedding or housewarming gifts!

Wine Flight Serving Boards - Includes 3 stemless wine glasses!

Classic Kitchen Board - great for serving & preparing food

Cheese & Crackers Board

Classic Bread Board

These are all available for sale now...additional details can be found by clicking on the name of the product below each picture.

New Prints

2010-05-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

A glimpse at some new print designs on our Etsy Shop.

Make Do and Mend

It's Friday, I'm in Love
{oh, how I love this song}

I Heart My Bike

Cheers

These prints are available in any color you can think of and...best of all...they come framed and matted!

Dandelions and Spiderman

2010-05-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend, while Tyson was off at a bachelor party {trust me, not something I was thrilled about} I went down to Dover, Ohio to partake in the annual Breitenbach Winery Dandelion Festival with my mom and stepdad. I've been dying to go the past few years, so I was really excited to get the chance to finally make it down.

I knew going in that I wanted to take a ton of pictures so that I could write up a blog about the event and how great it was {which it was, by the way}. And I did take a ton of pictures which I planned on posting...but about and hour and a half in...and lots of wine and sangria later...we were waiting to take a tour of the wine cellar when I spotted what may have been the very last person I would have ever expected to see at the wine festival.

And who might this be?

Let's zoom it in a little bit...

Yep...that's right folks. Spiderman. Let me say it again. Spiderman. Seriously. At a wine festival. The best part was that there was no sign or poster saying, "Hey Kids, come see Spiderman today!" Nope...just this guy...walking around...getting his picture taken with the passerby's.

So any plans I had to post any other pictures got trumped by Spidey. I wonder if he liked the Sangria as much as I did...

I Spy...

2010-04-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

...our Natural Edge Serving Tray on the front page of Etsy! Etsy was kind enough to put our lovely little serving tray on their front page yesterday which is awesome for us because it means mega traffic to our site.

A closer look at the serving tray.

ArtisAlive Wrap Up

2010-04-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

So...I meant to post this right after the show...but other things got in the way. Things like napping, relaxing, Lord of the Rings marathon, anyone? Finally, here are some picture of our display ArtisAlive which took place last weekend. We had a great time and the show was a huge success for us. Thanks to everyone who came out and to all the new friends we made.

Clay Tile Wine Rack

Lots of new card designs

Bistro Menu Chalkboard

Vintage Themed Hat Check

I was completely obsessed with how cool this gift tag display looked.

Metal Stamp Sets

We had two really great sellers at this show...the Wine Waiter was one of them.

Terrarium Coffee Table...sold

Lots of great new serving trays

Spring Inspired Wreaths on Whiskey Stave Wine Holders

Riveted Industrial Mirror

Keep Calm & Pedal On (spelled correctly, ah thank you)

Our second best seller (shown in the back) was our new Sassy Stamped Clothed Pins

Message in a Bottle

If you see anything in the pics above that you are interested in, but may not be posted on Etsy, send us an email at cantonboxcompany@yahoo.com and we'll let you know if its still available.

ArtisAlive! Booth Space

2010-04-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

I've got loads of pictures to post of all of our products at ArtisAlive! but I first just wanted to give a sneak peak of what our total booth space looked like. More blog posts to come...

ArtisAlive! Showcase: Part Two

2010-04-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

A few more peeks at what's in store this Friday and Saturday at ArtisAlive! from the Canton Box Company

Wooden Bookmarks

Chips & Chunks BBQ Hardwood
Finally...a good use for all those scrap wood pieces we end up with.

Sassy Stamped Clothes Pins

Literary Stamped Cards

Romantic & Sweeping Wreath on Whiskey Barrel Stave Wreath Stand

Spring Wreath

ArtisAlive! Showcase: Part One

2010-04-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks (okay, maybe months) Tyson & I have barricaded ourselves in our workshop to make some new wares for the upcoming ArtisAlive showcase. It's finally time to reveal some of our newest creations...also if I look at my work table anymore I might pull my hair out so blogging feels like a healthier alternative.

More blog posts to come this week...there's just way to much to show in one post. And please don't mind the lack of creative names for all these products...my brain is feeling like mush right now and I just can't come up with anything better.

Number Cards

Dinner Invites

Tree Cards

Industrial Initial Cards

Terrarium Coffee Table

Wine Waiter

Bourbon Entryway Table (those legs are actually made from an oak bourbon barrell!)

Make sure to get down to the Cultural Center for the Arts in Downtown Canton this Friday (April 9) and Saturday (April 10)!

Spelling 101

2010-03-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Peddle (v): to carry (small articles, goods, wares, etc.) from place to place for sale at retail; hawk.

Pedal (v): to work or use the pedals, as in playing an organ or propelling a bicycle.

Funny story...

I recently designed a new spin off Keep Calm print that I was really psyched about. It went unsold for a pretty long time, which I thought was weird because it seemed like it was a clever and fun little print. So...finally someone bought it. She was even nice enough to send me an email right after she made the payment to let me know how excited she was to give it to her boyfriend.

And then I got another email after she received the print.

Apparently when she gave the print to her boyfriend, he noticed that...umm...I spelled pedal wrong. Peddle vs. Pedal. Peddle - to sell goods. Pedal - spin the tires around on your bike. When I got that email I probably stared at my computer screen for a good 30 seconds in total mortification, thinking "God, I hope this doesn't end up on Regretsy." How could I have looked at the print 100 times, taken pictures of it, showed it to my husband, written copy for it...and not noticed that I was a total idiot.

Luckily, my gracious customer was very understanding of my faux pas and was willing to take another print in the mail (Sarah - your print is in the mail today!).

By the way - if you're wondering why I've been missing from the blogging world its because I've been in my workshop getting ready for ArtisAlive! that will be taking place on April 9 and 10th. I promise to post some pictures soon of all the new things we've been working on...very good stuff.

Perfectly Imperfect Bottles

2010-02-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love these bottles I found online here. Can you blame me?

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

"I've fallen in love many times...always with you." ~Author Unknown

Best. Sugar Cookies. Ever.

2010-02-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of flickr

Well - at least the best ones that I've ever made.

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not the most experienced cook in the world {my husband, however, is a rockstar in the kitchen}. But I can bake. And even though I consider myself to be a stellar baker and have mastered many Martha Stewart recipes {grating frozen butter, anyone?}, the one recipe that has always eluded me has been sugar cookies.

Sugar cookies...SUGAR COOKIES! They're about as basic as it gets. Believe me, I've told myself this many times. As simple as it sounds, they just have never tasted as good as what I remember them to be growing up. I secretly think my mom might be trying to sabotage me by giving me a bogus recipe.

So, I think I've finally found a brand spanking new recipe I can live with. Thank you Paula Deen. I found this little miracle on FoodNetwork.com and you can partake in its glory here. I did change one thing...I used this buttercream frosting instead of the suggested royal icing. The texture of the cookies was perfect...not crunchy but not too doughy and soft. And the buttercream frosting was out of this world...sweet but not sickeningly sweet. A perfect balance.

Now, with the whopping 4 sticks of butter that went into these cookies, I don't think I'll be whipping them up every weekend. But I'll definitely be filing this recipe away in for holidays and any other day where a sugar cookie is in order.

Valentine's Day Goods

2010-02-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't do as big of a product blowout for Valentine's Day as I had hoped...but we did make some pretty good little items to spruce up your gift-giving {and best of all - you can use them after Valentine's Day!}

Canvas Prints

Be Mine Banner

Paper Heart Confetti

It's the little things you do...hand-stamped and framed print

Julia Child Marriage Quote - Canvas Print

All You Need is Love - Framed Print

Winter Hiking

2010-02-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

We had a nice big snowstorm this weekend...which makes for perfect winter hiking {one of our favorite activities}.

I thought I would share a few glimpses of our Saturday...

Waffles and Iced Vanilla Frappes

2010-01-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for New Years' resolutions. I always make a huge list and then end up completing only a few of them {or none at all}. This year I'm trying to make good on the resolutions I made. One of them was to learn to cook. I'm not a total dunce in the kitchen, but most of the things I make come straight out box. I want to learn to prepare and present food. Not only that, I want to learn to do it in a manner that fits into my busy life.

This morning, I figured I would tackle a traditional breakfast of waffles. I received a waffle maker as a bridal shower gift about 5 years ago, and I'm embarrassed to say that its only made its way out of the kitchen cabinet once.

photo courtesy of flickr - my waffles didn't even look close to this

So, if your a novice cook like myself, here are a few lessons I learned this morning. If you're an experienced cook - feel free to snicker away.

1.) Make extra batter - the first few waffles you make will inevitably come out torn, burned, charred...you name it...until you get the hang of removing the waffle at the right time.

2.) The steam - I read that the natural time to take out the waffle is when the steam stops rising from the waffle maker. However, I think what it really meant is when the steam slows down . If you wait until the steam stops your waffle will be burned. When the steam starts to slow down - that's when to remove the waffle.

3.) Don't fill up the entire waffle maker with batter! It will spill out the sides and make a gigantic mess. One ladle full of batter seemed to work okay for me for medium sized waffle maker.

The other thing I made this morning was Iced Vanilla Frappes. No - not from scratch, but they sure did taste yummy. I used this On The Go Vanilla Latte mix. Instead of just mixing with hot water, I used the powder with some milk and ice in a blender and viola - a drink that rivals the Starbucks Frappuccino.

i {heart} thursdays

2010-01-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Reasons why I love Thursdays:

10. It's almost Friday.

9. It's pizza night in our house - which has recently been made even better by our new Presto Pizza Maker {maybe the best invention EVER}.

8. Steve Carell.

7. Pizza Night also means wine night!

6. It's almost Friday.

5. If Tyson has enough wine, he'll watch Grey's Anatomy {although I think he secretly loves it as much as I do}.

4. My {usually severe} case of the Mondays is like a far distant memory.

3. A few months ago I would have been sitting in a classroom from 6-10pm...not the case anymore my friends!

2. There's really no limit on the bottles of wine for Wine & Pizza night.

1. Did I mention that it's almost Friday?

My New Favorite Decoration

2010-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have the very fortune luck of having a husband who gets me the BEST Christmas gifts {and birthday, and anniversary, etc}. This year he totally outdid himself.

If you've followed this blog, or taken a gander at our Etsy shop, you have probably gathered that Tyson and I have a bit of an allegiance to City of Canton. Sure it has along way to go and it's by no means perfect, but it has great history and great potential.

Which brings me to THE GIFT. Tyson found a picture taken of the City of Canton's skyline in 1913. Then be built a marvelous white oak frame around it and so became the birth of my new favorite home decor item that is now the staple of our family room. Check out some different angles below:

From our home to yours...

2009-12-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

...Happy Holidays!

A Holly Jolly Giveaway

2009-12-14T18:21:00.000-08:00

We're participating in a giveaway - just in time for the holidays! If you would like a chance to win a $20 store credit to the Canton Box Company then head on over to Dandy Giveaway to sign up! You can use the $20 credit for anything in our Etsy shop! Add a little extra holiday glow to your home with this Tealight Track.

We've got lots of items for your entertaining needs, including this unique Gnarled White Oak Serving Tray.

A Keep Calm print is the perfect gift for just about anyone on your list.

And remember to pick up some of our holiday gift tags to spruce up your gifts!

A Lovely Holiday Deal

2009-12-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like having your home glow with the soft warm light of candles during the holidays. After being inspired by the candlelight in our own home, we've decided to run a special Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion on our Cherry Beam Tealight Holders.

These beauties are made from recycled cherry barn beams that have been cut into varying heights and look great all mixed together. These make great holiday and housewarming gifts...or keep them for yourself to add some ambiance to your own home!

I like mine in groups of 3...

The discount will be taken off the lowest priced item. The cost of the free item {including the cost of the free item's shipping charge} will refunded to your Paypal account within 24 hours of purchase - but usually much sooner than that. To view our entire selection, check out the Home Accessories section of our Etsy shop.

The Season of Giving

2009-12-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the holiday season, we have decided to give away a free set of 5 monogrammed note cards with each order we receive in the month of December! Why so generous, you ask...

Well, it's because we really wanted to do something special for our customers around the holidays. We toyed around with the idea of doing a few different giveaways, but ultimately these fabulous little note cards seemed like the best product for us to giveaway this holiday season.

We introduced these note cards this past summer and they were a big hit at the Indie Girl trunk show at THE BLISSFUL. Unfortunately, since then I have been unable to keep a supply of the card stock needed to keep producing these cards. So, quantities are very limited and I won't be able to make more once there gone ~ at least not in the same colors.

This offer is good only until my supply runs out and I only have a few of each letter - so get your holiday orders in soon to get a pack of these 5 great monogrammed cards.

Holiday Banners

2009-12-02T20:40:00.001-08:00

This holiday season, we decided to start offering Holiday Paper Banners for your decorating needs. These banners are all handmade, which means the letters are cut by hand, glued by hand, glittered by hand and strung by hand. They're a lot of work {and a little tedious}, but the end result is totally worth it because they bring a charm they you just wouldn't be able to find in a big box store.

This will begin a full line of Holiday Banners that we will begin to carry starting in 2010.
For more details on each banner, be sure to check out our Etsy Shop!

Noel Holiday Banner

JOYEUX NOEL Holiday Banner

JOY - Holiday Banner

Merry and Bright - Holiday Banner

Comfort and Joy - Holiday Banner

Merry Christmas - Holiday Banner

Happy Thanksgiving...

2009-11-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

..from our table to yours!

As we are awaiting our guests for the first ever Thanksgiving held in our very own home, I thought I would share a few glimpses of our harvest-y decor {which will be completely torn apart tomorrow for Christmas}.

A shot of our mantel with my favorite piece of artwork.

A paper leaf wreath...made special for today!

My very own set of cherry barn beam tealight holders...I liked them so much from our
Etsy Shop that I made Tyson make me a whole slew of them

Ah...the entry way. I'm always stressing out about what impression our guests will have when they walk through the front door. I'm pretty pleased with the look and feel of our family room today.

And of course there will be wine. We were completely enchanted with the story behind Beaujolais Nouveau, so its one of the wines we will be serving tonight at our Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a good thing there's two of us...

2009-11-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

So....lately I have become quite the busy little bee {did you notice the lack of blogposts?}. I recently took on a part time job at THE BLISSFUL. I normally just work on Saturdays, but this week I decided to take on a whole pile of hours to help with the setup of the annual holiday debut party ~ which by the way, was completely fabulous. So combine that, with my normal 40+ hour full-time job and that has left me with no time for the Canton Box Company.

Luckily enough for me, I am only a co-owner. My wonderful husband, Tyson, makes up the other half of our little business and he has totally been picking up for my slack the past week and half. Behold some of his new creations...

Very cool storage drawer ~ looks lovely holding Christmas bulbs

Mini Hickory Cabinet

Distressed CBC Box

Riveted Mirror

Coolest serving tray ever! Already sold...

This week I will return to my craft table and start making some very festive paper goods for the holidays...stay tuned!

Message in a Bottle

2009-10-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of a message in a bottle. It's so timeless and romantic and everytime I walk on the beach I secretly hope that I find one. We decided to offer a fun kit for sending a Message in a Bottle at the Canton Box Company.

Each kit comes with a beautfil gift box that has been hand stamped on the front. Check out the Canton Box Company for more information.

A New Print

2009-10-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

The other day, I picked up a new sketch book from my favorite store, the BLISSFUL, and I loved what it said on the front.

~Choose Your Own Adventure~

I thought, that would make a great print! So I industrialized it up a bit, put a Canton Box Company spin on it and this is what I came up with...

It comes framed in a lovely black 10x13 wooden frame and can be purchased here.

The Halloween Survival Kit

2009-10-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

As two Halloween fanatics, we decided to make a Halloween Survival Kit available for purchase at the Canton Box Company. Having no idea what should go in a Halloween Survival Kit, the extensive internet research began! This is what we came up with:

CRUCIFIX: Helps fend of vampires and a variety of other evil creatures and spirits.

WOODEN STAKE: Exterminates vampires when driven through the heart.

HOLY WATER: Can be tossed on all evil creatures. Also comes in handy for the occasional exorcism.

SILVER BULLETS: For when you cross paths with werewolves. These should be shot straight into the heart of the werewolf.

GARLIC BULBS: To keep vampires at a safe distance – always keep on hand!

MIRROR: Keep with you when you are crossing covered bridges – you’ll know exactly when to duck when that sneaky Headless Horseman comes up behind you. Also a handy item if you’re trying to sniff out ghosts or vampires since they do not have reflections and will not show up in the mirror.

SALT: Toss a ring of salt around yourself when you are in the company of a witch - she won’t be able to touch you as long as you’re standing within the ring of salt!

This fun kit can be purchased here. Mention this blog post at purchase and receive a 10% discount.

Hello, Halloween...

2009-10-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

Tyson & I love this time of the year. We love the weather, the warm colors of the falling leaves, the pumpkins, the extra Halloween candy that always seems to make its way into our house, and so on and so on.

This Halloween and Fall season does feel a little different, I must admit. You see, as owners of the Canton Box Company, we are fully engrossed in preparing our products for the upcoming Christmas season ~ and it feels sooooo early! I just spent a few hours in our workshop and when I emerged from the sea of red and green {and lots of other festive things} the first thing I thought was, 'I'm completely forgetting about fall.'

So, in an attempt to slow things down a bit...and not start writing posts about Christmas yet...I thought I would share a few little peaks at the Halloween decor that is currently gracing our little abode.

The enormous pot of mums I picked up at the Farmers' Market last weekend.

another Farmers' Market find...

This little glass bird was a very sweet birthday gift I received last week. Its the perfect container for the fresh cut mums!

These gourds found the perfect home.

And now things get a little spooky. Lots of dark and bewitching things are currently gracing our mantle.

What I affectionately refer to as our Bucket-O-Bones. Bad house guests beware...you could end up here!

Metal Stamp Sets

2009-09-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

We debuted our Singature Metal Stamp Sets at THE BLISSFUL's Indie Girl trunk show earlier this summer ~ and since then we haven't been able to keep these babies on the shelf! We just uploaded 7 new sets this afternoon on the CBC Etsy shop. These stamp sets are perfect for jewelry making and stamping letters or numbers into metal or wood. But even if you're not a jewelry maker - they add a fabulous touch to any office!

Small Alphabet Set

Medium Alphabet Set

Large Number Set (& my personal favorite)

New Cards

2009-09-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Some new card designs have made their way into the Canton Box Company. The Wildlife Card set includes 3 zebra and 3 rhino embossed cards. These are super trendy with a bit of an industrial feel and would be a great addition to any stationary collection!

Fall 2009 Colors

2009-08-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

We are very happy to introduce a new line of Keep Calm and Carry On prints for Fall 2009! There are 7 new colors and designs available until November 15th. Enjoy!

The Beginning of a Mailing List (and a really good coupon)

2009-08-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy of FLICKR)

How would you like to receive a 20% off coupon for your next purchase at the Canton Box Company's Etsy Shop? All you have to do is sign up for our mailing list! Send us an email to cantonboxcompany@yahoo.com with your name and a short note saying you'd like to be added to our mailing list and we'll email you back with a coupon code to use during your next visit to our shop!

We promise not to bombard your inboxes - we will be sending out monthly to bi-monthly shop updates/special offers/exclusive discounts etc.

Hurry - this 20% off coupon code will only be good until September 18th!

Halloween Artwork

2009-08-18T16:51:00.001-07:00

Here are a few things we've been working on for Halloween. This artwork was fun to make...although creating and cutting the templates was a bit tedious. But I'm in love with the final product!

I love these so much that they will definitely be gracing my mantle this bewitching season...

Make sure to check out the CBC Etsy Shop for regular additions to our Halloween Line!!

Flying Bats - for puchase click here.

Spooky Cat - for purchase click here.

Jack-o-Lantern - for purchase click here.

Hall of Fame Days

2009-08-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Its my favorite two weeks of the summer in Canton - Hall of Fame Festival week! Each year during this time, the city we love is brimming with activities and we always make sure to take full advantage of them. So - this past weekend was the Hall of Fame race, which Tyson and I take part in every year. After begrudgingly pulling myself out of bed at 7:00am on Sunday (seriously, that should be illegal on the weekend) we went down to the Football HOF for the race kick-off. Despite the somewhat inclement weather conditions - the place was PACKED full of runners!

After we were done with the race, we decided to take a walk down to the McKinley Memorial ~ a place we actually visit pretty often. Its one of those rare kind of untapped gems that I don't think people have a full appreciation for here in Canton.

I was thanking my lucky stars that I thought to bring my camera with me because we ended up having the entire memorial all to ourselves (it was still pretty early in the morning). I was able to get some lovely pics that I thought I would share with you.

A shot from the top steps of the Memorial. The runners on the road below were on

their last few miles of the 5 mile race.
"A government like ours rests on the intelligence, morality and patriotism of the people."
A great quote by President William McKinley

My favorite part of the McKinley Memorial - the huge ornate brass doors that lead inside.

The details on these doors are stunning.

The statue of McKinley on the stairs of the memorial.

Took a short walk through the park before it started raining.

Lots of hidden treasures in Memorial park to be discovered!

Two tired runners relaxing on the steps of the memorial.

Stay tuned on the blog and twitter this week for more HOF Festival updates! And of course - the CBC Halloween line will debuted in a mere matter of days!

Indie Girl Fun!

2009-06-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the Blissful on Saturday for the Indie Girl Trunk show! We had so much fun hanging out with the other Indie Girls artists and getting a chance to talk to customers to get a new and different perspective on our work. Make sure to check out Abby's blog to see all of the other artists' work...its really beautiful. A BIG thanks to Abby & Debbie for inviting us and all their support throughout the event. And another BIG thanks to all the customers who came out to support local artists and who made this event so successful for us. Here's a little peak at what our display looked like on Saturday.

We will be working hard over the next couple weeks to get all of our new stuff on our Etsy shop (we already started this yesterday). In the meantime, if you see anything in the pictures above that catches your eye, shoot us an email at cantonboxcompany@yahoo.com and we'll give you all the details on it.

Indie Girl Preview

2009-06-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

With the Indie Girl Trunk Show just days away...we thought we would give you a little preview of some of the things that you'll find there from the Canton Box Company! Make sure to stop by our spot at the Blissful on Saturday, June 27th and sign up for our mailing list...we will begin to send out updates and special offers soon! If you can't make it to the sale, but would still like to be on the mailing list, email us at cantonboxcompany@yahoo.com with your name, address and email and we'll make sure to add you to the list!

Ok - not to toot my own horn...but this AMOUR print turned out seriously cool. I will definitely be making one for our home.
Love Print - A reminder of what's most important

Le Marche aux Fleurs (the flower market) My favorite item so far...and Tyson and my first joint venture project.

Utility Drawer providing some display space for our Monogrammed Cards

You can expect lots of Keep Calm & Carry On prints in brand new colors and white frames

Numbers & Symbols print - a bit of an industrial feel

We will be debuting tons of new card & invitation designs....make sure to stop by and check them all out!

Splinter Shelves!

2009-06-13T15:42:00.001-07:00

I am so excited that we will be able to bring some splinter shelves to the Indie Girl Trunk Show at the Blissful! We had been really up in the air on whether or not we would be able to make any in time. Tyson makes these shelves by "splintering" a piece of wood. The wood has to have enough imperfections so that the board can be broken apart. He was lucky enough yesterday to find a board that was perfect for making these shelves, so we will have not one shelf to take to Indie Girl, but several! Below are the one's Tyson has made in the past.

Creating, Creating, Creating...

2009-06-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

So for the past week or so, I have been creating our new monogrammed note cards (see previous post) that we will be debuting at the Blissful's Indie Girl Trunk Show. These will sell in sets of 5 and I want to make sure that I have atleast two sets of each initial. So what this basically amounts to is a whole lot of stamping for me. And as much as I love these new note cards...I needed a little break today from them. I decided to take a few hours this afternoon and work on some new stuff. Here's what I'm most excited about...

These are in no way finished products...but I'm excited about the direction they are taking. I'm loving this new kind of paper (new for me anyways). Its kind of wrinkley and imperfect, but I like the way that makes the ink look.

For now I'm spinning ideas on how to mount these babies - I may be digging into Tyson's wood pile.

BIG (and exciting!) Announcement

2009-06-04T12:33:00.001-07:00

We are SO excited to announce that we will be participating in the The Blissful’s summer event – The Indie Girl Trunk Show! For those of you not familiar, The Blissful is French inspired boutique located in Canton, Ohio and is one of my absolute favorite places to shop. In fact, I was so honored that proprietor, Abby Kerr, asked the Canton Box Company to participate that I don’t think I even read her entire email before responding back with my “YES!!!” The Blissful is filled with luxe European themed home décor, accessories and artwork that you really can’t find anywhere else. I could go on for paragraphs upon paragraphs about how much I love this store, but to understand how truly fabulous it is, you must visit the website for yourself and check out Abby’s blog.

The Indie Girl Trunk show is on Saturday, June 27th from 10-5. Until then, we are working like busy little bees getting things ready. We are making tons of new, never-before-seen, items from the Canton Box Company. These will be debuted at the trunk show and then go up for sale on our Etsy site shortly after.
Here’s a little preview of some of our new creations…

Alphabet/number wood stamps in industrial box

A variety of new french-themed gift tags

Tea Light Candle Holders made from reclaimed barn timbers

Monogrammed stationary

A Brief History on a Fabulous Print

2009-06-02T13:55:00.001-07:00

The Keep Calm and Carry On framed print that we sell at the Canton Box Company is by far one of my favorite pieces of artwork. I recreated this poster after seeing a version of it on a t-shirt when I was visiting Detroit this past winter. I instantly fell in love with the phrase because I think it is so terribly relevant right now. The t-shirt I saw did not have the original British crown on it, but had an image of the beautiful Spirit of Detoit statue. It wasn't until I came home and started doing some research on the phrase that I learned the history of the Keep Calm and Carry on print.

So here goes...

In the spring of 1939, just a few short months before they declared war on Germany in WWII, the British government's Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propoganda posters in the effort to reassure and lift the spirits of the people of Britian. All the posters featured the stark white lettering on a red background with an image of the crown of King George VI. The first two posters, which read "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory" and "Freedom is in Peril" were sent to the printer in August of 1939 and displayed for the public in September 1939 - the same month that Britain entered the war. The third poster, "Keep Calm and Carry On" was meant only to be displayed during times of extreme crisis or invasion. Although over 2 million Keep Calm posters were printed, the poster was never officially released. Some posters may have found their way up on government walls, but for the most part the poster remained unseen until a copy was found in a box of dusty books over 50 years later.

Sadly, the original artist for all 3 series of posters is still unknown. We have recreated the original artwork along with many other colors and have them for sale here. All of the prints come framed with double matting. If there is a color you would like, but don't see - let me know and I will add it for you!

The Beginning...

2009-05-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Canton Box Company's first blog! I must admit, I feel a little behind the times having just now entered into the blogging world. So, lets start out where all things must...the beginning.

I can't remember the exact day when I realized I wanted to own my own business. It was almost like a continuous build-up - like everyday I would get closer to realizing the fact. Tyson (husband & business partner) and I would talk about it now and then, especially when we were really hating our full-time jobs, but I never truly believed it would be a reality.

The day I do distinctly remember, however, is the day I decided to go back to school to get my Master's degree - also known as the big turning point in my career and life. At the time I was working as a computer support specialist at a local college - by no means my dream job, but none the less, a job that I was actually pretty good at. Without going into too many mundane details, there was a day that I had a conversation with my boss and realized that I was going NOWHERE in my job - no growth potential, no salary increase potential...nothing. There wasn't anywhere to go - or grow for that matter! I was far enough along in my "I think I want to own a business" mind that I filled out my application for my Master's in Business Administration that same night and turned it in the very next day. Tyson did the same a few months later.

Without rehashing the past 3 years, all I will say is that going back into school has been a wonderful growth experience - personally and professionally - for both Tyson and I. I have a new job at a new company now - no more frustrating computer questions for me! But even with the new job...I still found myself wanting more. So, it was during the MBA process that I ~finally~ came to the truth that, not only did I want to, but I had to own my own business. Tyson had always known and it just took me a little longer to catch up! The business that we both knew we would love was a home furnishings store.

We decided to start out small with our endeavor and always move to the next step when we felt we were ready. Our first step was starting a store on etsy.com. A wonderful website for artists, crafters, woodworkers, etc. to sell their hand-made goods online. We developed and etsy to sell all of the things we love making. For Tyson, its furniture making and woodworking...which he is super talented at.

One of the first things Tyson made for me and our home...and maybe still my favorite.

And for me, its making crafts. I don't have a particular specialty - no one thing I could just make forever. I love working with paper, but I also love trying new things and working with new materials.

We started our Etsy business ~The Canton Box Company~ in February this year. And I have to tell you, posting that 1st item for sale was a completely gratifying experience...one of those great this is what I'm meant to be doing kind of moments.

There is no grand story behind the name...only that when Tyson first said it, it stuck. We wanted to have "Canton" in there somewhere for the city that we love (and want so badly to make a comeback) and because we ultimately would love to have a shop downtown.

We're trying to make the shop as close to our style as it can be...a sort of industrial chic without being too modern or minimalistic. And most importantly...never, ever, ever selling anything that we wouldn't put in our own home.

So that is where we are at today...both still working full time jobs, both still going to school (I'm done in August, Tyson is done in December) and running the Canton Box Company. Only that last part doesn't feel like work and has honestly been more fun than anything else. The good thing is that we are moving along faster than I thought we would.

So now we are just waiting for the right time to take that next step...