2013…Well Hello There!!

Greetings!!

Now that we have all survived the “end of days” the babes have taken to the wind and are all working on various solo and collaborative projects – we send the Creative Juices Fairy to them and cant wait to see their finished projects.

As for the Head Babe she has begun pre-paving for a BRAND NEW project for Blac Gurlz Ink and for now…mums the word – because loose lips suck barnacles from the bottom of ships…haahahaha!

It’s going to be really exciting and I am sure there will be periodic blogs with updates. We wanted to start blogging again and have some great ideas on content. But we’re keeping this first one short and sweet and simply want to wish you and yours a Love-filled, Happy & Prosperous 2013.

NOW let’s have some FUN!!!

2012 Market Research Survey is NOW LIVE!

Greetings:

In 2009 Blac Gurlz Ink conducted its first market research survey to see how YOU felt about your current greeting card  options from retailers such as Hallmark and American Greetings.  We also wanted to get an idea of how you felt about our initial greeting card selection, as well.

See How Much I Love U!

It is now 2012 and with 3 greeting card/postcard series available, the introduction of hand-crafted candles, couture greeting cards and custom graphic t-shirts, under our bustiers, we are eager to hear from you about our current products and of course, what you would like to see added at a future time.

With that said, beginning March 1, 2012 through March 30, 2012, Blac Gurlz Ink will be conducting its 2012 Marketing Research survey.

Please take a moment to complete the survey for us, as we really want to HEAR from YOU and we will send you a FREE gift for your time!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SURVEY & THANK YOU!!

Being a still fairly new business we are eager to continue in the right direction, and to do that we would like to know what’s on YOUR mind as a consumer. The only way we can think to do that is by asking you, thus, the survey.

So here’s the scoop on how this works!

Everyone who completes the survey, from March 1 – 30, 2012, will receive a FREE GIFT, of our choosing, for your time. That simple.

Thank You in advance for your time!

Love, Peace & Prosperity,

Spring E. Opara
President
Blac Gurlz Ink

Love American Style: Romance, Cup-caking & More Romance

You & Me!

In the states February is the month to show that “special” someone how much they mean to you. Somehow this tradition has been so commercialized that I know I am now wondering how all of this got started in the first place.

So I did a little digging and came up with all sorts of information on Valentines’ Day, Sweetest Day AND Sadie Hawkins Day – which is my personal favorite…hahaha!

The stories go something like this:

Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day (Official):

This celebration of love is most popular in the U.S. and a few other countries and contains many antiquated elements of both Christianity and ancient Roman traditions – though no one seems to know which elements those are.

The first story states that St. Valentine was a priest who secretly married lovers – because single men at that time could not get married because the emperor (Claudius II) decided that they performed better in battle, than men who had families waiting for them – thus, he basically OUT-LAWED marriage…bhahaha!

Another story regales that he helped Christians escape Roman tyranny – needless to say, the emperor ordered his execution. The story further goes onto say that the first Valentine’s Day greeting card (a note which he signed, “From Your Valentine”) was sent from his prison cell – to the jailer’s daughter no less! Martyrdom sprinkled with love is a sure fire way to get yourself a holiday. Now there is a lot of debate amongst those who “know” as to whether February was chosen to celebrate this illustrious holiday, in honor of St. Valentine’s death (the anniversary); as an attempt by the Christian church to legitimize the pagan festival Lupercalia or in recognition of Spring and the “blossoming” love…the world may never know.

Fast forward to 2012 and Valentine’s Day is the second most celebrated holiday behind Christmas – of course.  It is estimated that approximately 141 million Valentine’s Days cards are exchanged annually – this is where the pitch comes in – haha!…so be sure to check out Blac Gurlz Ink’s UNIQUE, hand-crafted, couture Valentine’s Day greeting cards! Each one is created with LOVE!!

Sweetest Day

Growing up in the Midwest, Akron, Ohio to be exact – I developed a fondness for Sweetest Day – a day dedicated to those who make our lives “special.” I actually thought it and Valentine’s Day were the same holiday though Sweetest Day is celebrated the third Saturday in OCTOBER!?  I was a confused a child…bahahaha!

Now that I’ve gone back to do some research for this blog – I totally understand why! Sweetest Day was founded in CLEVELAND, OHIO (28 miles north of Akron) around 1922 by a gentleman by the name of Herbert Birch Kingston who worked of all places – at a candy factory.  He and his friends passed out candy and small gifts to orphans, shut-ins, the sick, disabled and forgotten – to spread happiness and joy.

The holiday caught on in mainstream America due to the help of celebrities and philanthropists. Starlets Ann Pennington and Theda Bara showered strangers on Sweetest Day. It was reported that Pennington gave 2,200 paper boys boxes of candy and that Bara gave away 10,000 boxes of candy to adoring fans who came to see her movies and to patients in various hospitals in the Cleveland area. WoW! Talk about PR!

Sadie Hawkins Day

Of the three celebrations of love, my favorite is Sadie Hawkins Day. I remember reading the Lil Abner comic strip as a child and watched the short lived mini-series that just didn’t stand the test of adequate ratings.  The Beverly Hillbillies is a spin-off of the Lil Abner series.

In the Lil Abner comic strip, Hekzebiah Hawkins is fearful that his 35 year old spinster daughter, Sadie will NEVER marry and be with him til his death.  Not to be undone, Hekzebiah calls of the bachelors, of Dogpatch, US of A, and says,

“When ah fires [my gun], all o’ yo’ kin start a-runnin!  When ah fires agin – after givin’ yo’ a fair start – Sadie starts a runnin’. Th’ one she ketches’ll be her husbin.”

Capitalizing on the idea, the spinsters of Dogpatch, US of A, thereafter made Sadie Hawkins Day an annual “mandatory” event.

I don’t think anyone was prepared for the side effects of this comic strip.  This holiday ushered in a “gender role-reversal,” over America’s college campus where –women and girls took the initiative and chased the men/boys!  The foot race component of the holiday was lost and the “modern” ritual consisted of women asking the beau of their choice out on a date, usually to a Sadie Hawkins Day event attended by other beaus and their benefactors – which was revolutionary at this time.

By 1952 there were Sadie Hawkins Day celebrations at over 40,000 venues.  In Canada, Sadie Hawkins Day is a day-long celebration; we celebrate it on the Saturday following November 9^th. Hey, but wasn’t it in October? Hahaha!

At Blac Gurlz Ink, we are out to leave our legacy in the greeting card industry and with holidays like Valentine’s Day, Sweetest Day and Sadie Hawkins Day, we’re sure we will have tons of opportunities to show our love for YOU – our Sweetheart customers.

Happy Love Day!!

Holiday Greeting Card Giving – A Little Bit of History!

As a child the holidays seemed to be missing something for me, as an adult I endeavor to celebrate every holiday known to mankind…after all, if we’re One Big Global Family, that’s a lot of Holidays!

In my desire to create holiday cards that speak to your inner child, I set out on a cyber quest to see just how greeting card giving all began for some inspiration!   

To my surprise it all began with a gentleman by the name of Sir Henry Cole, who lived in England during the 1800’s.  Sir Henry Cole, like myself, initially created each card by hand and probably unique to the receiver.  However his family and circle of friends grew beyond his ability to continue creating, handcrafted cards and so he commissioned John Calcott Horsley to create a Christmas design that he could more easily use when sending his sentiments off to their destinations.

However, Louis Prang, an immigrant from Germany, can be credited for the popularity of the American Christmas card when in 1881 he began producing quality greeting cards from his quaint lithograph shop – and is affectionately known as The Father of the American Christmas card!

Wow! Im in good company on this one…haha!

My personal desire is to create stunning greeting cards that are jaw-dropping works of art!  And I believe Im on the correct path with our handcrafted couture greeting card.  When you want to give a work of Art and not just a plain card…think about US!  Because Blac Gurlz Ink is NOT your ordinary greeting card!

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

www.blacgurlzink.com

Happy Halloween!!

Halloween Card #7

Considering that I was raised in a religious environment that didn’t celebrate Halloween, or the fact that I am so not into horror or “slasher” flicks…many may find my enthusiastic verve over Halloween…well…strange! But I love everything about it!

I love the candy, the parties, but especially the dressing up! Being an eclectic weirdo…I embrace that…bahaha! I think it’s the one time of the year where I don’t have to feel outta place AND I bet we get visitors — from other dimensions and planets too, because we’re all dressed up and who can really tell, right – thus it’s one BIG Universal Party!!! WooHoo!

Haha! Since starting Blac Gurlz Ink greeting cards, I have pegged Halloween as the holiday we would set as our “limited, collectors’ editions” holiday – meaning I’m only creating a limited number of cards…this year I’ve created 8…with 1 card already winging its way to Northeast Ohio!! So we have 7 left…at a special rate of 9.99…it’s a queer number (divisible by 3)!!!

So with all of that said…Happy Halloween 2010!!

Please visit our website to view and purchase Our 2010 Halloween selection! www.blacgurlzink.com

Halloween Card #1 (outside)

Halloween Card #1 (inside)

Halloween Card #4 (outside)

Halloween Card #4 (inside)

Models’ Search – Femme PinUps!!!

The Blac Gurlz Ink Babes are excited to announce our next Models’ Search for our upcoming series…

Femme PinUps!

Submission Period: March 5, 2010 thru April 24, 2010

We are looking for members of the LGBT community who express the feminine aspect of the spectrum and want to share it with the WORLD!!!

How do YOU express “femme”?!

Sexy? Geeky? Large & in Charge? Quiet Church-mouse? How about Naughty School Gurl or BabyGurl? Better yet, Grown & Sexy or Bombshell? You get the idea – the list is endless!

Whatever it is…Bring It!

This Model Search is open the ENTIRE LGBT COMMUNITY!!!

Blac Gurlz Ink is proud to feature REAL members from our community and we won’t ever use “professional models” to act the part. With this premise in mind, we’re sending out a call for YOU to come and REPRESENT – show us, and the world, what you’re working with!! Haha!

Here’s what we need from you:

*Name
*Phone#
*Email
*Birthdate
*2 Photos – showing us your “best” side
*1 paragraph telling us why you’d like to be a Blac Gurlz Ink Femme PinUp!

All components are required to be considered for the photo shoot.

Again, the Submission Period is: March 5, 2010 thru April 24, 2010.

Send your submissions to: bgicasting@hotmail.com or hit our website: www.blacgurlzink.com – click on the “Community” tab and complete the online form. Easy!!

We look forward to receiving your submissions and Thank You!

The Babes!!

Blac Gurlz Ink – A Full Service Greeting Card Biz!

S. Opara, Owner - Blac Gurlz Ink Greeting Cards & Gifts

Blac Gurlz Ink is the brain child of Spring Opara. I am an American lesbian of African descent, who found that I could not find a greeting card, a print, a calendar, or bumper-sticker… that “authentically represented the diversity” of the LGBT community in general, nor the lesbian community, specifically.

Not being one to complain and a creative cookie, I launched Blac Gurlz Ink Greeting Cards, in December of 2008!

Blac Gurlz Ink is, NOT your ordinary greeting card business. We provide a full range of paper greeting and event items, as “in-stock” inventory or “custom” orders to suit your special occasion needs.  In addition to creating unique and authentic “premium” greeting cards, specifically designed with the LGBT consumer in mind, Blac Gurlz Ink also create gorgeous, 3-dimensional, “handcrafted,” couture greeting cards, for ALL occasions, which are so artistic they appeal to EVERYONE!

“See a Need…Fill a Need” ~Robots (the movie)

We are a full-service greeting card business and provide the following services:

• Custom Invitations
• Custom Event Announcements
• Custom Thank You Cards

Current Handcrafted, Couture Greeting Card Line
(Custom Ordering Available)

Birthdays	Baby Showers/Maternity
Weddings	Romance
Holidays Valentine’s Day Mother’s Day Father’s Day Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas Hanukkah and Kwanzaa	Seasonal Special Occasions – Anniversary, Graduation, Congratulation, etc. Pets

Blac Gurlz Ink’s handcrafted, couture greeting cards are also great for any industry professional who wants to add a more “personal” touch to their business interactions: i.e. Non-Profits, Real Estate Agents, Financial Services – a great way to close those BIG deals!

Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

Our handcrafted, couture line of greeting cards can be used as/for:

• Individual gift giving
• Fundraising/Raffles
• Donor/Funder Thank You cards
• Board Member Appreciation: birthday or anniversary
• Annual Event Announcements and Gift Bag Items
• Retreat “Swag”
• We even have greeting cards to celebrate your Pets!

Additionally, many of our designs make great PRINTS and are classy enough to be used in any home or office décor!!

The company’s name, Blac Gurlz Ink, was chosen because I and my former business partner are two, tattooed (inked), black lesbians and it was the most logical commonality we shared.  We felt it was important to ensure that everyone knew who was behind the scenes of this endeavor — two lesbians, who have a vision of providing “positive visibility” of the LGBT community, while filling a need.

Premium Greeting Card/Postcard Design

It is Blac Gurlz Ink’s intent to specialize in bringing quality greeting cards to the LGBT consumer, specifically, and to also produce greeting cards and gift items that appeal to ALL consumers!

Remember our motto – NOT your ordinary greeting card business!

We will continuously conduct “Calls for Submissions” and “Model Casting Calls” for future series that we will be creating to keep presenting “fresh,“ “authentic,” and “diverse” designs.

So Bookmark our website, subscribe to our blog, follow us on Facebook & Twitter or join the Blac Gurlz Ink e-newsletter (link located on the top of any of our website pages), to keep abreast of upcoming series releases and events!!!

Thank You!

Blac Gurlz Ink
www.blacgurlzink.com

Photography – http://www.ephemeralstudios.com/

Butches of the Bay Series Release Party!!!

Come Out & Meet the Blac Gurlz Ink
2010 Butches of the Bay Models!!

2010 Butches of the Bay Models

The Blac Gurlz Ink Babes would like to invite you to join us for our Butches of the Bay Postcard series release party!  Not only are we introducing our new product to you – Blac Gurlz Ink Postcards, we also want you to meet and mingle with the models who contributed to the project!!

In addition to meeting the models and previewing our new product line, there will be a complete menu of Asian/Urban blend food (vegetarian included), provided by Mazu of San Francisco; a well stocked bar, a DJ and more!!

Mazu Menu - Cold Soba Noodles

When: Friday, Feb. 19, 2010
Time: 9pm – 2am
Admission: $5
Where: Mazu – SF
3809 Geary Blvd. (btw 2nd & 3rd Ave. in the Inner Richmond)
San Francisco, Ca.

*Full menu available til 11ish, lite menu served til closing.

We, the Blac Gurlz Ink Babes, want you to get to know our models like we have and what better way than via a party – Fun, Food & Good Times!!

So Come on Out on Feb. 19, 2010 & Party like a Rock Star!!

http://www.blacgurlzink.com

http://www.mazusf.com/

Additional Stuff:

• Raffle
• Select framed, autographed prints
• Blac Gurlz Ink greeting cards and postcards
• And tons of FUN!!!

Fall in Love with the Blac Gurlz Ink 2010 Butches of the Bay

The Blac Gurlz Ink Babes would like to take February – the month of Love, as an opportunity to introduce a new product into our greeting card and gift line – Postcards!

AND to also introduce our selection for the 2010 Butches of the Bay!

In keeping with our mission statement to be “authentic” in our presentation of images specifically designed for the LGBT community, by using LGBT members as our models and to showcase the “diversity” of our community, we feel that the handsome women chosen, represent a cross section of the submissions we received, as well as our community.  They come from various walks of life, ethnic representation and gender expression within the dynamics of being “butch women.”  The Blac Gurlz Ink Babes feel that based on the models’ energy, personal expression of their “butch-ness,” in addition to being simply handsome…well, we’re happy with our picks!

We asked our models to give us a brief bio (see bios below) so that you would be able to get to know them as we have and come to “love the Butches of the Bay” as much as we do.  They are an amazing group of women; they were easy to work with and though they had only met one another during the photo shoot (it was an open casting call), their energy was so warm and welcoming that well…you can feel it emanating from their photos!

Who better to launch our POSTCARD series then gorgeous women who also endow such wonderful masculine energy! 

A set of 6 Postcards for $9.99 (assorted)

And there’s more!

We have also reduced pricing on our hand-crafted, couture greeting cards – in time for Valentine’s Day as well!

Now you can have one of these gorgeously crafted greeting cards for $12.99 – they’re great for expressing that “special” sentiment to the ones you love!  Our hand-crafted, couture greeting cards are great for weddings, baby showers, birthday, anniversary or any special occasion giving.

Valentine's Day You & Me Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

We here at Blac Gurlz Ink strive to enhance your shopping experience when you visit us at www.blacgurlzink.com and hope that you enjoy your purchases from our greeting cards, gifts and NOW our NEW POSTCARD line!

Our products are also being carried in the following retail locations, so please show support for local and independent businesses:

Laurel Bookstore
4100 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA  94619
510/531-2073

Crumps Clothing
7416 N. Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93702
559/449-8437

Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415/863-0620

VoluptuArt
http://www.voluptuart.com.

www.blacgurlzink.com

Please keep us ALL  in mind when making future purchases and Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Model Bios

2010 Butches of the Bay Model: C. Svendsen

Christine Svendsen is a college instructor who is always busy.  She is the president of her local pride organization, president of a local Dyke on Bikes Chapter and president of an advocacy council, all of this while working on her PhD.  She loves to write and is finishing edits on her first book, which she hopes to see in print soon.  She recently married the first, an only, woman in her life Schileen.  She feels one of her greatest accomplishments has been raising three great sons.

Loretta Cannon is surgical assistant who likes to volunteer in countries who little to no access to health care.  She is a firm believer in promoting good health and well being for all women and their families.

Loretta enjoys making gourmet meals for friends and families and team members.  If she had one wish, she would want all lesbian couples to see and feel the safest and warmest memories within each other.

2010 Butches of the Bay Model: L. Cannon

Loretta is embarking on a new business endeavor where she will assist you in “wooing” your sweetie – so watch out for it!

Ericka Schneider enjoys spending her days dreaming of a future as a porn star, but when she is not dreaming, she is spending her time running her own company – ELS Plumbing, “where their specialty is snaking your pipes”.

She also enjoys donating her skills to various organizations that help better the community, such as – Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO), First Christian Church of Concord (FCC) and the First Christian Church of Fremont, volunteer programs.

When she is not working or dreaming she can be found out on the softball field or at a pool table.  Ericka really enjoys meeting new people and learning new skills.

2010 Butches of the Bay Model: E. Scheider

2010 Butches of the Bay Photo Shoot!

Blac Gurlz Ink 2010 Butches of the Bay Selectees!

The Blac Gurlz Ink’s 2010 Butches of the Bay photo shoot took place this weekend and I must personally say that the wonderful energy of the models, the organic approach I take to photo shoots and Jennipur Jane’s (Ephemeral Studios) phenomenal eye, led to an amazing time and some great photos to work with for our 4th series release!

Our open casting call, which ran from April thru July of 2009 and which we posted to our website; Myspace page; circulated via our newsletter and flyers and spread by word of mouth, yielded quite a few submissions but due to location, date, time etc. — some were not able to be selected, however ALL submissions were placed into our Model’s Database for consideration for future photo shoots!

These handsome women represent a cross section of the submissions we received and the Blac Gurlz Ink Babes feel that based on the models’ energy, personal expression of their “butch-ness,” in addition to being simply handsome…well, we’re happy with our picks!

Now, if you’re thinking, “I dont see this or that represented?”  Well, that means YOU need to model for us!  In keeping with being “authentic” in our designs for the LGBT community, we will not use professional models and thus we wont ever “get” someone to “represent” you.  And well…if you didn’t submit your info during the casting call period…well? Im just saying…

The Blac Gurlz Ink staff would love to get as many of you onto our quality premium greeting cards and

Thanking the Models - Outtake 2

gift items as we can!  We believe “visibility” is important and we have tons of ideas for which we will be putting out calls for submissions — but why wait!

You can submit your information to model for us by completing our Model’s Submission Form on our website:  www.blacgurlzink.com

Also, if you haven’t already joined our email newsletter list, in which we announce all of our casting calls, contests and fun information, what are you waiting for? *Click on the Join the BGI Network at the top of any page on our website.

So look for the release of the Butches of the Bay series — coming soon!!

Happy New Year,

Spring E. Opara
Owner
Blac Gurlz Ink