Black Friday / Cyber Monday Sale!

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...

The Calm After the Storm

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

A Lovely Holiday Deal

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.

Holiday Banners

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

BIG (and exciting!) Announcement

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

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...

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...