Introducing Cafe Analog x Breezy Studio Limited Edition Collab – A CUP OF QUIET – Inkpad Set

It was a cold September. I sat with my favorite mug, sipping my homemade pumpkin spice latte while checking Cafe Analog’s email. Our customers asked many questions regarding Breezy Studio’s Limited Edition ink pad sets, asking if they’d be returning since they were sold out instantly when we first brought them to the shop. I was so sad to reply that they won’t be coming back because they were Limited Edition items… but then, I was thinking: what if we created our collab inkpad sets with Breezy Studio, so our customers who missed the previous ink pad sets can get a chance to buy another Limited Edition ink pad sets—albeit having different colors?

I have always adored Sylvia’s design and her autumn-earthy color schemes. Last autumn, I used her tapes almost everywhere in my journal as they captured the perfect coziness and calm of sitting on my journaling desk, decorating my page, and writing down my thoughts while sipping my favorite warm beverage. So, I contacted her and asked if she’d be interested in collaborating with us.

I have this idea of creating some sort of ritual: to have my favorite beverage with me, sip it calmly, and set an intention to have a me-time and a relaxing moment, then open my journal and start working on it. It’s like a private ceremony for myself, but it also serves as a “hint” to mark the time change from office work to my calming journaling time. The cup of beverage I have with me is like the gate to shift my mind from work/business to self-care/wind-down mode.

I told Sylvia about my idea for the collaboration: an inkpad set with colors inspired by some of my favorite homemade beverages. I made it to remember some favorite beverages I’d tasted during my travels. I also want to include a small recipe booklet/zine for those who want to make these beverages at home—using simple ingredients. They are not the real deal, but they are easy recipes/shortcuts to make at home, and I always find it fun to try things out. Ultimately, when you make something yourself, even imperfect, there’s a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction!

I was so happy when Sylvia responded to the idea and started exchanging emails about this project. The first thing we need to check is the inkpads’ colors. The original prototype has these 6 colors: pumpkin spice latte, pistachio latte, pink chai latte, butterfly pea latte, warme chocomel (a wink to our Dutch customers!), and affogato. We wanted the affogato to be a unique color of dark brown (espresso) with white speckles (vanilla ice cream) on it, so when you stamp with this ink, you will not have the perfect and even color… some parts of your stamps will be “white”—which we hope will add a vintage feel and a surprise to your stamping experience.

We went back and forth at first to find the best color formula for the drinks. I told Sylvia I would trust her judgment because she was the one who would be able to see these colors in person—and I believed her aesthetic taste and her eye for good colors! Ultimately, we adjusted the color formula and had our colors sorted.

However, during the sampling process, the manufacturer had some difficulties creating the “Affogato”-effect we envisioned, so we needed to pivot quickly. We decided to keep the same dark brown colors and change the Affogato color to Barbajada because if you like coffee and vanilla ice cream, you’ll love coffee with cocoa and milk! So we still kept the dark brown color with an adjustment, and we had to say goodbye to the “white speckles” (for now! :D). These are the final colors for the set you will hold in your hand: pumpkin spice latte, pistachio latte, pink chai latte, butterfly pea latte, warme chocomel, and barbajada!

Once the colors were agreed upon, off they went to be manufactured. A month passed, and we started thinking about the whole concept. In October and November, we needed to decide on the name of the collection and the packaging.

I suggested “A Cup of Quiet” for the name, to remember that “quiet” time when we sip our favorite beverage and journal. Sylvia agreed to it immediately and whipped her magic to design a logo for the collection: a cup with foam on top. When the logo is pasted on our inkpad packaging, the foam will carry the color of that particular inkpad.

Next, we’re considering the packaging for the whole set. We know we’d like something reusable and also something “light” so people can carry the set easily. We’ve entertained the idea of having either a mini tote bag or a drawstring pouch, but we decided to have the drawstring pouch because we think it will also come in handy to store some trinkets from your travels if you don’t want to use it to store the inkpads. Sylvia chose some colors for the pouch, and we decided to give people two options: an oat milk pouch or a pastel mint pouch.

December came, and Sylvia and I were too busy for the Christmas and New Year order rush, so we decided to get back together again in mid-January. During these times, I tried to make some simple recipes to be included in the booklet/zine for the collection and did my best to “summarize” the steps and ingredients to only 1-2 paragraphs (the most challenging part!!!) to make sure they fit the zine. Once I did this and submitted the recipes to Sylvia, she asked, “Do you think you can still summarize the recipe to only a few lines? Because this will not fit the illustrations of the steps at the bottom.”

I was hysterical with fear, hahaha. It was scary to summarize a short recipe of my imperfect favorite homemade beverage into an even shorter recipe! Still, I decided to try it and managed to compact everything together. Please take the recipe with a grain of salt! 😀 Then Sylvia worked her magic again and designed the zine that accompanied the inkpad collection, adding her cute illustrations of the steps you can follow to make the beverages at the bottom of the recipe. Hope you’ll give them a try!

Time went by so quickly, and February came along! We stayed in touch closely to discuss the “finishing touch,” like which kind of paper we would use, the placement of the labels, and how to include the zine in the packaging. Sylvia also wanted to add a Chinese name for the ink colors for her customers, and we agreed that we’d have both Chinese and English names for these inkpad sets!

We also decided to have you fold your recipe zine, which is included in the package! We think it’s nice to have this Do-It-Yourself project since we also have the Do-It-Yourself recipe for the beverages. 😀 We have a video tutorial on doing this on the product page, so that you can make your own zine at home! Next time, you can include a zine inside the happy mail you send to your stationery friends!

Finally, everything is done and ready to go—things are packed and shipped in the first week of March! We’re always a bit nervous with shipping because, depending on our luck, they can arrive on time, early, or late (!). We have planned to launch the collab and get them ready for sale on March 21st—but until March 20th, our package wasn’t here yet, so we’re thinking of opening pre-orders instead to be able to launch this together with Breezy Studio.

However, the Universe has magical powers: today, March 21st, in the afternoon, the package arrived!!! So from March 21st, 7 pm CET onwards, the inkpads will be ready for sale; there is no need for pre-orders! What a lovely spring surprise!

We hope you’ll enjoy A Cup of Quiet and the story behind its creation. It’s a collab that took Sylvia and me 5-6 months to realize, and we hope you’ll cherish the colors, the recipes, the zines, and the reminder for a calming, quiet time for yourself and your creative soul it represents. We’re so grateful for this collab, and we enjoy the experience of working hand-in-hand with Sylvia to bounce back ideas and realize this set—and it has been a breezy experience (pun intended) knowing we can trust her 100% with the design and packaging process, as she has an aesthetic we love!

Enjoy this new Limited Edition collab, and have fun playing with them!

love, H.