Little Paper Lane

Life Instyle 2012

2012-02-24T14:12:00.000+11:00

We set off yesterday to Life Instyle which is our favourite trade fair for products. It only happens twice a year, once in Sydney in February and again in August in Melbourne, so we get our butts to it every year cos its pretty much like Xmas shopping for the shop! This year was going to be a little bit trickier as I am now 30 weeks pregnant and my Pelvis has not had a good adventure so far...I have SPD which basically means my pelvis is WAY too loose and just grinds and parties and wiggles all day long which cause pain. SO, off we went with my new wheel chair and crutches. We found many new and lovely things which will be in store in the coming weeks and some companies have even sent confirmation emails today for products which is very organised which means new bits could get to the shop as quick as next week! We took a few little photo's of some of our new products on the way, but between trying to push wheelchairs and ordering and trying not to faint from pain we couldnt take as many as we wanted. But you'll still enjoy!!Concept Japan is new to Little Paper Lane. We are excited for the Piperoid paper robots to arrive! Iggy has already looked at them and told me i have to bring one home for him!

MIRIAM COX Paper cuts had such beautiful cards and her actual papercuts are amazing

PONY RIDER Had such a great stand and i really want to make the little Jars most importantly

TELEGRAM as per usual had lots of our favourite brands including brand new MT MASKING TAPE from Japan with so many new colours I actually had to have a cold drink from all the excitement

Very excited about the new Palomino Pencils. These pencils are made in Japan and are the best in the world....we tried them...they are amazing! And actually just look rad! Look out for the beautiful wooden box set of coloured pencils coming to the shop as well....although I may have to take a set home they are just divine!

YELLOW OWL WORKSHOP has always been a favourite and it was so exciting to see the new packaging and new stamps we will be getting soon!

TMOD yet again was probably one of the best stands with the most creative and fun displays and their new products are very spesh!! including new scratchie Invites how AWESOME!!!

And i think our favourite product on its way to the shop would have to be the Forever Flamingo's. I am quite in love with Flamingo's and these were such an exciting find! You get two in a box and I think everyone needs them! They are just way to rad

Steve and I had a little fun at TMOD

So we still have more Trade Fairs so go to over the weekend and we will be sure to try and take as many photo's as we can, but most importantly order as much new fun products as we can!!

Confetti everywhere

2012-02-20T15:21:00.000+11:00

Is anyone else just a little bit obsessed with confetti? I cant seem to get it out of my head right now! I have always loved confetti, its so happy and is a symbol for fun times....who doesnt love fun times?!?! Our wedding invites(7 years ago) were packed with confetti and glitter and it still makes me smile knowing some of that glitter wont come out of peoples carpet haha. Confetti is memorable!

Ohh how much would u love to get this invite! You can have a look how to make these for yourself atOh Happy Day blog.

How adorable are these little confetti bags made by Tokketok

Another wonderful confetti creation by Tokketok

Even Martha Stewart loves some confetti.

You can even buy Rainbow Confetti garland on ETSY which i may have to do very soon!

Ahhhh Confetti Nails how fun!

Happy V Day

2012-02-14T12:18:00.000+11:00

I hope today is a happy one for you! Today is not just for couples...remember this when u reach for that third mars bar....god i want a mars bar now(damn pregnancy cravings) it's for love! Of coarse every day is for love, but its nice we have a day to remind the ones we love..that we love them! here is some love...

Laughing couples in Bangalore

The boy and his dog

Just Married

Old Friends

Origami Heart Invitations

2012-02-12T13:19:00.000+11:00

How happy would u seriously be to get this in the mail!!! I am so in love with unique invitations and what a perfect invite this is! The way cool Amy Moss from EatDrinkChic designed and made these amazing invites for her engagement back in 2010. I know I know 2010 was forever ago, but not every one of u might have seen these amazing invites and i thought with Valentines Day coming up it was fitting!

You can actually pop over to Amy's blog and not only drool over everything she blogs about and creates, but you can download these for yourself and make your own!! Check it out HERE for all the details!!

Block Printing

2012-02-10T14:28:00.000+11:00

Do u remember in art class doing lino cutting? I loved it! Art class was always such a great class for me. Even though i am not particularly 'arty' although i still wish to this day i was able to just draw amazing pictures or paint something inspiring, i definitely have creative bones, just not in the i can draw a pretty picture kind of way! But i want to try new creative things this year and after having a little read through the very delicious blog Oh So Beautiful Paper i stumbled upon a tutorial about block printing! How Much fun does it look?!?!?!

You can see the full tutorial by Katherine Watson at Oh So Beautiful Paper

A little happy surprise

2012-02-09T12:13:00.001+11:00

I was very excited to receive my very first Glossy Box today. I had never even heard of it until last month when the lovely Emma from Nest Designs posted a pick on her Instagram. Basically u just sign up with Glossy Box and for $14.95 a month they send you a box full of beauty products! Being a Make up artist I was VERY excited about this and signed up straight away! So today I received my happy little hit of beauty and was pretty happy!

So what i found inside~Proactiv deep cleansing wash~Eau Thermale Avene Skin recovery cream ~langlois Natural Olice lip balm~Miranesse 3D forever lipgloss~Star and Rose Floral Wonderland Emergency Nail Files~$15 voucher to www.activeskin.com.au~and some valentines lollies heheSo overall, even though its justa little surprise every month and a few products i dont love, for under $15 a month i will be keeping my happy little surprise! just the box alone is awesome! i can never have to many pretty gift boxes!

February Photo a day Challenge

2012-02-06T12:48:00.001+11:00

Are u apart of the February Photo a day? The lovely Chantelle..blog hero..from FatMumSlim!! a blog that, if u havent ever looked at before u need to be looking at daily, has created the photo day challenges! Basically it started in January, and each day she has given us all a word of the day and u take a photo to compliment that word! I was a little slow off the mark and missed January, but follow a lot of people on Instagram who were doing it(including Fatmumslim) and i couldnt miss February! I told my Mum, Aunty and Cousin about it on Saturday and they were so excited and started it, and i thought, even though we are a few days into Feb, u may also love to join!! If u need some more info on the photo challenge pop over to FatMumSlims blog for more details This is February Photo Challenge

Here are some of my photo's!This was day 2~ Words

This is my Mums first one and i thought it was very clever!it was from Day 5~ 10amThese are her cookies she makes and sell, so YUM check out Sweet n Pretty

This was Day 4~ a stranger...My bump, cos we havent officially met ;)

And this was Day 3~ Hands

So you see its very simple and i would love to see your photo's on instagram if you use it! My instagram is littlepaperlane!!

Australiana Zine

2012-01-30T21:48:00.001+11:00

Yay more paper reading for us to all enjoy! The very Talented Gals from Paper Runway have put together this very enjoyable little read! We seem to be a nation of very talented little paper people and paper is gaining popularity at a rapid pace! So i am pretty sure that to keep up with all this wonder paper goodness u really need to read Australiana which celebrate Australian designers and of coarse u must never miss an issue of Paper Runway cos its kind of like a bible of paper love...I'm a Fundie Paperista...are you ;)

You can purchase Australiana and Paper Runway at Little Paper Lane and dont worry if you dont live near us, we are happy to post and we are in the process of building our online store for easy peasy paper goodies shopping

My week of Instagram

2012-01-25T22:27:00.000+11:00

A few fun things have been happening this week and as usual I've been instagramming my way through life!

This is the very new zine from the gals behind Paper Runway and i will be doing a little post about it very soon, so keep an eye out!!

This is my current obsession!! Buying cute clothes for my bump who happens to be a girl....and if the ultrasound lady was wrong...then i will have a cross dressing baby boy, cos these outfits are too cute to sit in drawers!

These are our giant pencils for our back to school window which i didnt get a picture of yet of it but will get it tomorrow for you all to have a little looksie!!

Justa few new products we have in store right now at Little Paper Lane in time for going back to school....i wish i was going to school...i love getting all my supplies ready....i have started so many flipping courses and i kinda think i dont finish them cos i just like starting them...because of all the stationery you get to buy hehe

More little goodies in the shop!

And i thought i would show u some very cute cards my talented husband designed that we have for sale in the shop! They are so rad!

Paper love

2012-01-13T16:08:00.001+11:00

With Valentines Day just around the corner, maybe instead of just sending your loved ones a card u could make a little something for them!?!?! or just pretty up your own world! Remember...'loved one' doesn't just mean your partner....what about your niece or your grandma or your neighbour? Love is for everyone!

These cute little hearts are a great idea to hang over your window, door way or even a chair or mirror! Check out Studio Slyter on how to make this cute little trinket....if u dont sew, just find some sticky tape and go nuts!

Washi tape is always an easy and awesome way to make your gift wrapping look amazing! The red and natural colour theme is perfect for wrapping your gifts this Valentines day! check out Chykalophia for more ideas on how to use washi tape and pop in to Little Paper Lane for all your washi tape purchases :)

Instead of fresh flowers this year, u could make some paper flowers instead! they will last a lot longer than freshies. Martha Stewart is the place to be for DIY

Make your very own pop up card.... Thanks again Martha

Shower someones world in heart post it notes! Very cute and cheap way to add love to a room. photo from Pinterest

Things are happening

2012-01-11T21:41:00.000+11:00

This week we looked at a few spaces/offices above the shop as we are running low on space and as the business and my belly expands, we need more room to move and create! With the estore in the process of being built and our increased invite designs the time is right to get some more room! The fun thing about getting a new space is how we will make this space look spesh ;)Having a little trawl through Pinterest as i do most evenings before bed, i have found some inspiration for our new studio and thought i might share what i found

The Design Sponge is always a must go to for inspiration of any kind!

Must have a globe/s photo's from Pinterest

Damn i wish there was floor boards upstairs...might rip the carpet up and paint ;)

Somehow my shelves never loo this neat. Photo from Pinterest

Garland and washi tape will always be included. Photo from Pinterest

Love it. Photo from Pinterest

My week in Instagram world

2012-01-09T12:54:00.001+11:00

So most of you now know what instagram is and are probably as addicted to it as i am! So i thought i would show u a little of what went on the last week in my instagram world!

Sitting by our blow up pool which has been a life saver on the hot days and its nice to be able to float with no weight on my pelvis. Vitamin D was very helpful after all that horrible rain

Iggy on his new slip and slide that he managed to pop at the end of the day from way too much fun!

Paper lanterns i made for New Year window!

New Year window

I made these curtains soooo long ago. I found vintage hanky's from ebay(dont worry they are not used ewww) and when my husband bought me a sewing machine a few Christmas's ago i made these as my first project....LUCKILY they look better a bit roughed and crooked cos there is no way i can sew very neat and tidy. now i want to make more for the baby room cos they let such a nice light into the bathroom where they now live

I was very excited yesterday to be having a little sit and read of my magazines(bibles) and while i was flicking through Home Beautiful Magazine I was very excited to see our wonderful shop helper Kat was featured inside! She has such amazing taste and is a wonderful stylist and talented Illustrator and we are very lucky to have her part of the LPL family! So if u are also an Instagram nut like me come follow me if u want? My instagram name is 'littlepaperlane' see u there

New Year means so many possibilites

2012-01-08T20:55:00.002+11:00

Happy New year to you all :) I hope your Christmas and New years was full of fun, smiles and i hope u were all safe! We had such a great year in 2011 at Little Paper Lane and we are looking forward to a great year in 2012. A few things to keep an eye out for is our new estore...its still a little bit more to get done, but we are in motion and it wont be long before everyone everywhere can have a little bit of LPL anytime at all! Custom Invitations are a huge part of our business and this too is expanding! Make sure u get in contact if u need any invites, logo's, business cards or any graphic design work. Remember we also have a caligrapher on staff and our lovely shop helper Kat also has her own design business and is an amazing illustrator. Check out her work here Studio Kandy. Stationery from Studio Kandy is also available at Little Paper Lane. Some personal goals i have is to have this baby. Some of you may be regular customers at LPL and know that i have not been in the shop pretty much since i got pregnant. A few of you now know why i havent been able to work in the shop but for those that are curious....Basically i suck at being pregnant!! Its true! I was so sick from about 6 weeks that i pretty much lived in my bed and on my couch sipping ginger tea and wearing seasickness bands that honestly i dont think do anything...but i NEVER took them off. Around 9 weeks i started to get a very familiar and not so fun pain in my pelvis! I had the same pain with my last pregnancy and was induced at 39 weeks due to the pain i was in. Last time it wasn't until i was about 32weeks that we actually found out what this pain was. Its called SPD(Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) and it can happen to a lot of pregnant woman, but usually its the last few weeks of pregnancy and usually its more uncomfortable than anything. I am of coarse one of these woman that has the more severe cases. This pregnancy has been very painful. Its a lot worse than last time and started a lot earlier. Basically what happens is The two halves of your pelvis are connected at the front by a stiff joint called the symphysis pubis. This joint is strengthened by a dense network of tough, flexible tissues, called ligaments. To help your baby pass through your pelvis as easily as possible, your body produces a hormone called relaxin, which softens the ligaments. As a result, these joints move more during and just after pregnancy, causing inflammation and pain, known as symphysis pubis dysfunction or SPD. I also have a twisted pelvis and Scoliosis as well as having a knee reconstruction when i was 15 i am a little bit bone wonky and after a good chat with my new and awesome Osteopath she has told me the severity of my SPD is because of how twisted my pelvis is. She did high five me for being able to give birth the old fashioned way last time cos of how twisted the pelvis is and the added pain of the SPD...this time may be a different story though. Will worry about the end result a little closer to the end though...as long as bubby gets here safe and sound i am more than happy no matter which way i have to give birth! So if u have been wondering why i am never at LPL its cos this little button in my belly wants me to sit on the couch and not move too much...Even though she is very happy to move and kick and wiggle all day and more than anything at night! I am very lucky to have the support that i do. My Husband is amazing and i am very very lucky that he knows how to wash, clean and pick up chicken burgers for me and my Mum is the best ever! They both work really hard to keep LPL running the way that i like it to and they have done an amazing job with the shop. And my little Iggy is even a HUGE help... he holds my hand when i need to walk down the hallway to the toilet and he even puts the washing in the basket from the washing machine and takes it to the line! He is going to be the best big brother and he makes me smile every second of the day!So hopefully another new years resolution i can keep is to blog more! i really enjoy it, but i end up getting so busy with the shop that i dont end up having time! But now i am at home a lot more i plan to be on puta a lot more...As well as use my new camera

I love cameras and this is my newest addition and it takes the very cutest photo's...mini polaroids.

I also want to make at least 1 project from my new cross stich book that we sell in store...Twisted Stiches by Phil Davison i think the front cover design is what i will end up doing? i think it would look awesome as a cushion!I am very excited at the possibilities of what this year will bring! As always, I'm trying to be as positive as i can and hope the universe brings positive adventures for us and for all of you! Happy New Year.....oh and i almost forgot.....LOTS of new Papery goodness is headed to the shop as we speak! Keep and eye on Our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with everything!Take care

DIY Christmas

2011-12-18T11:26:00.000+11:00

It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated to make Christmas look wonderful!!! Get the kids involved in making some fun things for Xmas or to help you decorate! Garland is always a winner at Christmas and u can make an area or room look so lovely by draping it anywhere!here are some cute idea's to get you started!

Down to the woods Little Lamb Garland available at Little Paper LaneDOnt forget Fairy lights will make everything look magical...just add some decorations to them to give it a little personal touch

junkaholique has so many wonderful idea's

housetohome has some great diy idea's...pompom garland is easy and loots so cute

Sometimes its ok to be sick

2011-10-18T17:02:00.002+11:00

It seems like everyone is having babies right now! When i had Iggy i remember thinking so many strangers are having babies around me and i think we just tune into pregnancy more when we are pregnant! But seriously, everyone is having babies, so many people i know are up the duff, so we didnt want to miss out on all the fun!!!
This cute little button is the whole reason for me being so sick the last 6 weeks 3 days, yes im counting. I am starting to get energy a bit more now, but unfortunatly i seem to be one of these pregnant woman that will never ever be on the show "i didnt know i was preggo".
So if u have been wondering where i have been these last 6 weeks 3 days...i have been on my couch, trying hard to work from my computer, which just doesnt happen cos concentration makes u vomit...did u know that...so does water, air, opening your eyes in the morning and funnily enough the stupid corolla ad with that stupid song about going under bridges and over bridges and under bridges.....worst ad ever!
So i am trying to slowly emerge back into the world, i was in the shop for 2 hours or so all up today and it was lovely to be off the stupid although very comfy couch, and looking at all the lovely papery goodies! AND I GOT TO SEE ANOTHER LOVELY PREGNANT HUMAN. The very glowing and lovely Pia Jane Bijkerk just happened to pop in today and you can read about her lovely bump HERE.
So all is happy and vomitty!

Newspaper Taxi Snail Mail Comp

2011-10-10T17:42:00.003+11:00

I am very sorry to be so absent. I am pretty sick and have been for the last month. I am getting better and will start to be around a little more often now as i think i am getting better!?!? I had a couple of good days last last week and though i was on the mend but started to feel yuk again the last couple of days! we will get there slowly and my mum and my husband have been looking after the shop so so well and i want to thank them so much for their help cos LPL would have dissapeared if they wern't around!!
So i just needed to quickly put this post up so you didnt miss out on this amazing competition from Newspaper Taxi.

Write a "we love mail" letter to Newspaper Taxi and include a little stationery related treat inside. Just a little something from your desk.

It could be a pretty card, some stickers, an envelope label, glassine bags, some vintage papers, a luggage tag, a handmade envelope, string, ribbons, some vintage stamps or a roll of tape. It doesn't have to be expensive, just a little something you can spare from your own stationery collection.

Please send your
"We LOVE Mail" letter to:
NEWSPAPER TAXI
247 Australia Street
Newtown NSW
2042 Australia

so its as simple as that...dont miss out!!!
Be sure to include your return address so we can let you know if you are the lucky winner.

Competition closes on Friday the 4th of November 2011

Just pop over to Newspaper Taxi for all the info you need and also to check our their very cute blog

Day 1 at Life Instyle

2011-08-11T22:19:00.004+10:00

So a week ago we set of for Melbourne for Trade fairs!! Although it is an exhausting trip its something i really look forward to, not only because we find lots of goodies and see our lovely supplier and meet with new ones, but i have my family down there and it so nice to sit at night having a chat and many laughs!
So while we were at Life Instyle we thought we would take a few pictures so u can see what lovely things we get to see...and bring home yipeeee!!

Down To The Woods

Poppies for Grace as always is such a beautiful stand to compliment their amazing products! Cant wait for the new arrivals

TMOD
OMG the chalkboards paint kits are fantastic and i hope they arrive very soon!

Cards that are also Party hats...Genius as always

MT Masking Tape
MT XMAS Tape OMG cant wait for its arrival

New MT Tape...this is very very exciting!! its thin and stripy

OOoooo this bad boy will be available in store very soon!!

It was very exciting to see these stamps as i had viewed them at the NSS in May so very excited to have them in store very soon!

A lovely place for lunch

Paper wallets from Dynomighty wallets a few select designs are on there way

our lovely animal heads from Made590...some of their friends are on the way to the shop yippeee

There is approximately 600 metres per kilo on this roll of twine! about 10kg, almost 6 kilometres of twine!
Lots of lovely colourful twine on the way

East of India Stationery and YES Xmas is so soon, we will have so many Xmas goodies this year its very exciting!

Jade Imports will be in store very soon, its on its way :) YAY

Competition Time.

2011-07-22T14:03:00.005+10:00

Anyone feel like winning the very limited Hokey Croquis Fashion Sketchpad from us? The original Sketchpads are in hot demand as they have now changed to a new format, and these are the very last of this edition!
We have some for sale, and because of the hot Aussie dollar right now i am excited to be selling them for $29.95 now! They were $39.95. So if u don't win u can still grab your copy :) but hurry cos once these are gone...they are forever gone!

So basically what you need to do to enter is go to Memoirs of a gay guy blog and see what you have to do to enter!
HURRY competition closes in a week!

Easy Paper decorations

2011-07-15T16:46:00.005+10:00

PAPER HEART DECORATIONS
I have been unwell for quite some time now and very very over it! But the positive that has come from it all, is that i can trawl on Pinterest lots and find inspiration and fun things to create!
If u haven't been to Pinterest yet, its time you visited! its Just a visual feast!! So today is so rainy and i am starting to feel a bit better and feel like making something and came across some fun and easy things to make with paper!! I know this is the last weekend of holidays for some and now here in Sydney its cold and rainy, so some of these decorations may be a great way to keep not only the kiddies entertained but also make your house that bit more special! So the first is pretty straight forward
-cut out hearts from old magazines
-stick fishing wire on the back with double sided tape,
-attach a heart in the same size to the other side
-hang up
pretty simple
for those with golden sewing hands you could sew a few in a line!

photos from Fiskars Craft

COFFEE FILTER LIGHT SHADE
So the next may be a little bit more adventurist, but the end result is quite beautiful!
i would try a much smaller version if this seems a little bit too over the top, and by changing the size of your paper lantern this is quite simple!
All you really need is
- a hot glue gun
-paper lantern
-coffee filters
You can have a look at Parlour Home where i found this paper puffy goodness for more info and pic's. Its pretty straight forward though. I love colour and i think experimenting with some water colours on the filters would look amazing as well. Even if you just brushed the ends of the filter with your chosen colour it could be quite beautiful! I will be trying this at some stage so will let you know how i go!!

MAGAZINE BUNTING
So a party that i very much wished i was able to attend was the Pinterest meet up that was held at another Paper Boutique in LA called Urbanic Paper. unfortunately due to not have ridiculous amount of money to fly over on a private jet to the other side of the earth, i will have to make do with pictures from my very good friend the Internet :)
One thing i spotted was that they had made bunting from what looks like magazine pages!
quite simply all you would need to do to make would be
-cut triangles of equal sizes from old magazines
-sew them together if you can sew
-if u cant sew, punch a hole in the top corners and use twine to thread through!
-i would use jute as i like the rawness of it and i might even add random pages from old books or newspaper just to bring something a little different to the whole look!

You can buy this spoil n scissors from Little Paper Lane as well as the balls of brown string refills

Cover your world in Washi...literally!

2011-07-14T14:35:00.002+10:00

Holy shit balls this is awesome! So i am sure most of you follow the very lovely Hello Sandwich Blog and u have probably seen this today already, but i HAD to pop some pic's up just in case u haven't seen it!!
I actually first saw it onPoppyTalk which is another exceptionally awesome blog if you haven't read before, and every one's talking about Washi Tape for your walls! Sincol and MT have come together to create washi wall paper....and i want it all now!!
like i want to cover my car, my shop, my floors and furniture in it! Amazing!!

Photo's from Sincol

Message in a bottle

2011-07-08T18:51:00.003+10:00

So this week i have been at home with a lovely cough. One of those delightful coughs that sounds like a dog barking and also swallowed a squeaky chew toy at the same time...mmmm nice! so i have been a little exhausted and sore from all the flipping coughing and on Tuesday i thought I was getting better and went to work(sorry if i coughed on you). It was a nice enough day, lovely customers, but not very busy!
In the afternoon an older gentleman in his 70's popped in for a little look. He has been in before and he is always so lovely and has a little chat. He is also not one of these older guys that go on and on, he just seems to know how to tell a good story then buys something then off he goes! He reminds me of a fisherman. He wears one of those beanies that old salt's wear with a duffle coat like before they are about to set off to sea on a cold winters day! In summer he wears one of those cricket hats that Sir Donald Bradman wore...What a stylish guy, he is great!
Anyway, he spotted the O CHECK message in a bottle that we sell and thought it was quite awesome. He told me that he was the caretaker and lived at Palm Beach Lighthouse for 8 years and whenever there was a westerly wind he would write a message in a bottle and throw it in the water for someone to find! He told me that he received a few messages back in the years he was the caretaker and that he received a letter from someone on Norfolk Island 5 years after he sent a bottle out! He always put a self addressed stamped envelope in it so that the receiver could write back.
What an amazing feeling to receive a message back after so many years! He received them from all over the place including Western Australia!
He told me that recently a bottle washed up a shore in Australia he didn't say where, but the bottle with its little letter of happy was written by a man who was on board a ship in the Navy during World War 1. It had taken this long to come ashore. I feel like the message in a bottle is so romantic and old school and although its kind of littering the sea, I love the thought of putting your thoughts out to sea in hopes that one day someone would read your words!
Now I'm not suggesting we litter the sea, but maybe 1 day on some very special occasion we could all put our own thoughts out to sea in hopes that someone you don't know out there in the world can read them!
Maybe a beautiful thing to do when you get married! Together with your partner you could write a message about your love to each other and put it out there. That would be a very special thing to find!

Message in a bottle is available in store now at Little Paper Lane

photo from Jervis Sparks

if u ever want a great walk i would totally recommend The Barrenjoey Headland Walk up to the light house! The view is amazing and if its a cooler day and the sky is blue its perfect for Palmy. a little tip from a local...Palm Beach is quiet Monday to Friday, its so perfect for visiting, but the weekends are chaos even in Winter when the weather is nice!

Watermelon makes kids wee a lot, and Poo story

2011-06-28T21:43:00.007+10:00

Warning this story involves kids poo and wee

Ok so i normally write about paper and things surrounding paper, but i have had one of those days and i think in order for me to let go of this day, i need to write it down!
So this morning at about 5am my husband bought our very sad 4 year old into our bed. He has nightmares quite a bit and i thought he had had another bad dream, once he cuddled in he went straight to sleep. I remember thinking YESSSS its 5am and i still have a couple hours sleep and i went back into a deep sleep with my little man cuddled under my arm!
My Husband left at 6am and he is working on the road until Thursday so i remember saying goodbye in a haze. Luckily for us our little man is one to sleep in so when my alarm went off at 8am i happily hit the snooze for 10 minutes! i started to get ready before he woke up as i knew when he woke up it was breaky and getting ready for kindy..He has to be there about 9:30 and then i can be to the shop before we open at 10:00am......SO at 8:30 my little sleepy eyed, bed head, beautiful morning boy that he normally is, woke with very rosey cheeks and tears in his eyes :( "Mummy Meine nose not working" AWWW poor thing had a stuffed nose that for some reason was also running, and a delightful cough. Now for Iggy to even mention that he doe not feel good is strange! He and my brother Sam(22yrs) are the only humans on earth that will not even mention or act sick even when they are very ill. I remember my brother was in hospital after an operation and clearly looked in pain, and when my Mum asked him 'are u ok dahl, should we get a nurse' he just shrugged and said ' nah its all good'...it was not 'all good' at all....they just never complain and just seem to suck it up, so when my little man had a tear running down his face, i knew he was feeling yuk!
We have all had this stupid cough/cold/body aching sickness all last week, so i guess it is Iggy's turn. Steve and I are the type of parens to keep Iggy home from kindy when he is sick cos well, we are caring, plus i dont want the other kiddies getting sick, cos that's just mean, and they all end up continually getting sick. This is where my dilemma started. My brother is stayng with me and was ok to look after him at night but had a training thing on in the day, My mum not only works for me but also has other jobs, my Dad was working on the other side of the city, my other brother works full time and his partner is at home but their little girl has been sick and clearly didn't need to get sick again and Steve is away!
So in the small time frame i had, i had no choice but to take him to work with me....BUT i needed artillery....i grabbed the beanbag, his crotchet blanket, luckily my husband had made his kindy lunch the night before so i took that in his kindy bag(THANK GOODNESS more about that later) and trains, track, colouring, sticker books, DVD's and my laptop!
I was starting sewing class tonight so i had my sewing machine, all my sewing bits n pieces as well as my work stuff and we somehow got out the door at 9:36 which is fine cos it takes 10 minutes to get to my shop so all good.
THEN as i was loading the car with all the bits, luckily i have a 4WD witha good boot i needed it today, i saw it....FLAT TIRE...oh my freaking goodness...c'moooooon.....its just a slow leak LUCKILY and i have a petrol station very close so i filled her up and off we went coughing and snotting all over the place.
1 minute later as we approached the Bilgola Bends traffic was stopped..FUCK, just perfect!!
it was backed up the entire Bends because they were sweeping leaves in Newport. Thank goodness for all the signs that people put up, u can have a little look at some signs we get to see every day at Round The Bends!!
So finally when i approached Mona Vale i was feeling a little less anxious as it was only 3 minutes to 10:00 which is annoying but not as late as i thought it was going to be. As i turned into the driveway(i have parking out the back of my shop) i realised this week they were starting reno's on the building which meant...tradies...tradies and their many vans and Utes and trucks taking up my fucking parking spots....bitches...there is nothing that pisses me off more than someone parking in my two spots that i pay shit loads of rent for every flipping week! i felt my heart start to race and pretty sure i went red not only in my face but my hair ends were sizzling. Luckily there was one spot in front of the fish n chip shops spot but they don't often have two cars there. I parked and tried to calm my soul, unloaded the car which felt like i was unpacking for a holiday there was so much stuff. Got Iggy out, who 'needed to be carried' of coarse, then asked the very lovely fish n chip man if it was ok if i parked in his spot and he was so happy as always and said 'of coarse', which seriously made my day and we then got in the shop!!!
Now usually Tuesday is the quiet day so this was why i wasn't too worried about Iggy being with me at the shop....but today, we started with 6 very lovely gals from Newcastle ready to shop!!!
So the day was busy but ok not too out of control, but a fatal mistake that was made today by me was giving Iggy at 10:30 some watermelon...if u are a Mum u should know, this is the fruit of choice to induces many many wee's through out the day!
I do not have a toilet in my shop, there is some in the upstairs office, and also some out the back near the car park. As Iggy only just turned 4 he cant just walk off to the toilet when needed, he needs his Mum or Dad or responsible adult to help! i was alone in the shop and Iggy by 12:30 had done 6 wee's...6 WEE'S!! i was lucky that at one point of the morning Jack(16yrs) who i used to be the Nanny for their family, popped in for a visit and bought me a sugar free redbull...LOVE YOUR GUTS JACK, and he took him for a toilet visit, but the other times we had no choice but to use a jar i had out back....now some of you may think this is gross, but if you are a mum i am pretty sure there has been a situation in your life where u have had to take your child to some strange 'toilet' whether it be a jar, or a bucket or a sink or wherever the hell you can find! Thank goodness for the sink and washing up liquid for cleaning and the fact he a boy and well its a lot easier, but man watermelon makes kids wee a lot.
So by 2pm Iggy was doing very well, he had snuggled on his beanbag and watched movies and played Thomas the tank games on the Internet and played puzzles and really been a very good little man. THEN i smelt something, there was a customer in store and for a minute i thought she had let one rip...trust me it happens a lot haha, but then i had a thought...Iggy has been very quiet for a while...as a parent we know that quiet means they are either asleep, doing something naughty or doing a POO.....OH GOD...the smell. I asked Iggy quietly, 'bubby, do u need to go to the toilet' his little face was a bit pale and he said 'nahhh i just popped' haha, so i was feeling a little bit relaxed, then i got chatting with a customer and a cute little face was standing next to me with those very big blue eyes and said 'mummy, i really need to do a poo'... i said 'can u hang on for two seconds lil man'.......'mmmmmmm' was all he said.....i think we were in the 'turtle head poking out' point and he couldn't hold on for any longer...the customer who was chatting with me clearly didn't understand the seriousness of the situraton and just gave him the 'awwww cute' smile face and continued to try and chat with me...clearly not a mother. She finally left and just as i was grabbing the keys to run another person was in the shop...Iggy was dancing up and down really needing to get upstairs. Luckily for me the customer that was in the shop didn't like smiling and didn't like that i said 'hello how you going?" to her and left...and then we bolted....i left all the stock out the front of the shop shut the door and threw Iggy over my shoulder and bolted....we didn't make it....i wrapped the undies up and threw them out....i wont describe the severity of what was happening but lets just say...THANK GOODNESS I BOUGHT THE KINDY BAG WITH SPARE UNDIES AND PANTS.... so now, we were dealing with this cough,snot, hot head, diarrhea situation...with no toilet access easily and only 1 spare pare of pants. the next 2 times it was going to happen, no one was around and i bolted and it was cool....at 4:35 my dad finally rang to say 'hey i will be there at 5:30' to get Iggy so you can go to your sewing class and i was being optimistic about everything thinking it was all going to be sweet, then a lovely lady was in my shop looking for cards and gifts and i was telling her Iggy was unwell and wow what a day and she was very understanding as she has 3 kids, and just as i was putting her sale through that cute little pale faced blue eyes angel was looking at me. The lady was so nice and helped me throw everything in her bag and grabbed things out of the way and pulled the door shut for me cos she knew it was time to run...THANK YOU LOVELY LADY IN MY SHOP AT 4:48pm today!
Iggy had already ran up the stairs ahead of me and as i was getting to the top of the stairs where he met me and he said 'my bum exploded in there' and laughed and i really had to laugh but i also realised his pant had been pulled up no wipe...that's our job still.....GAME OVER!!!
Usually i shut at 5:30, but for the sake of my sanity and my poor little mans bottom i shut up shop and cancelled sewing, because well Mums are probably the only humans on earth that can deal with 'poo' issues! there was no way in hell my dad would even know how to change a nappy when he was a baby let a lone deal with diarrhea and my brother can hardly get his washing done let alone deal with his nephews poo, NO this was a job only Mummy could handle today! So as we drove home dreaming of how wonderful that bath would be and the loads of washing to be done, just as we came into Avalon. Iggy fell asleep...with poo stuck to his bum and my car smelling delightful.

Just a little side note to totally gross u out..... on Saturday, i got some dinner supplies from Thomas Dux and thought i would get a little treat for Steve and Iggy. Steve being Canadian i bought him some Root beer and Iggy a cream soda, the fancy clear kind. For some reason Iggy wanted his Blue and Green, so i put a bit in his cup and put like 1 drop of green food dye and he loved it and when he was finishing off the rest of the bottle he asked Steve if he could have it blue.....so instead of 1 drop, Steve got a little food colour crazy and well Iggy's mouth was blue even after i brushed his teeth....soo yeah, did you know that if u give kids too much food dye their poo goes like paint green for a week.....yeah that's what I'm dealing with today!!!

Iggy is going to hate my guts when he reads this when he is older haha...hello future Iggy, Mummy loves you!

you can buy Cream Soda at Thomas Dux don't food dye

National Stationery Show 2011 NYC

2011-05-27T22:03:00.010+10:00

As most of you know, i headed to New York city recently to attend the National Stationery Show, or the NSS as us paper peeps like to call it ;). I somehow managed to book our apartment only 10 blocks from the Javits centre where it was being held, and on the first day was happy to walk even though it was raining, but walking in New York is the best way to see the amazing city it is! So after my 10 block walk in the rain, i was all of a sudden confronted by a huge line of people...GREAT...everyone was dressed like they were going to dinner and i thought it was a little strange that people would wear heels to a stationery trade fair, when the whole day all we do is walk around. Soon i started to see flowers and presents and kinda realised i was not in the right spot, despite the HUGE flashing sign saying Javits centre. I was clearly at the wrong entrance and thought that if i got past this very very very long line i would hit the right entrance. So i started to make my way past the people and worked out it was a Graduation day and these were the families waiting to get in. After nearly every single person in this line of at least 200 people stared at me(i was getting used to the looks, the entire city had been staring at me and my 3 yr old for the previous 3 days, i somehow stand out in NYC) i ended up at the bottom corner of the Javits centre nearing water. I looked left and i did not see an entrance. There was no way i was walking past those staring eyes again, its ok when a person checks the hair out every now and then but when a mass group of people do it, its a little daunting. So i walked the long lonely wall. it took me forever to walk around the entire centre and finally i had arrived at the entrance... if only i had gone left at the long line of people instead of right, the entrance was all of about 10 metres from them! I blame Tony and Guy and their awesome haircuts..So once i was in i stopped for a coffee because i seriously needed a sit down. I was going to get a quick email check in and give my back a little rest before the big day of walking around and then a lady sat at the table with me. Now she was lovely, but she was also a talker....like a full on talker, one of those people that you cant get a word in to excuse your self and clearly wasn't taking the hint that i really needed to get going. so after 40 minutes of trying my hardest to leave, she told ME " You have to go, I just have so much work to do"...damn why didn't i rudely butt in at minute 7 with that one, and off i went!
When i was in, i was on a mission. If u ever come to a trade fair with me you will see i turn into a sort of friendly robot! i am by nature polite so i always say no thank you and smile when being pushed by people to come look at their products, and i am quick, but when i spot something i like, it can sometimes take me a little longer to leave!
I really like to chat with the creator and find out a Little bit about the background of them and their creation. I think its really important for shop owners to know where their products come from. I mean the humans behind the products most importantly!
So after lots of chats with lovely people and looking through many many products i wanted to show u a little of what i found!
I will be getting new things soon, a few people called me last Monday to find out if the new products had arrived!?!? I only got back the Sunday, it does take a little longer than a day to get products from America :) so i promise we will have new things soon enough, but u will have to wait a minute or two!!
for now enjoy a little of what i saw!

Smock is starting to pop up a lot in Australia and although i don't stock them(yet!?!), i wanted to show u their papers! its such a lovely product range and their invites are just amazing. and so so many! i think they are truly leading the letterpress world in the States.

What a very cool product line Viva Greetings really is!

Sometimes simple things are often the most visually stimulating! I had to take a little pic of Paper Boat Studios display! how lovely is it!

If there is ever an ethical and wonderfully happy brand to check, make sure its Ecojot. When i was in New York 2 years ago, i actually bought a set of two Ecojot notebooks which i still have on my shelf and when Little Paper Lane was being thought up, Ecojot was on the top of my list of products to adorn my happy little shop! I have had them in the store since day 1 and will continue to, especially after seeing the new goodies on its way!! if u have a spare second also check out their Give program. With the sale of each 5x7", jumbo journal and all eco sketchbooks, we will donate a school workbook or pencil to a child in need. - BUY 1, GIVE 1. We are so happy to be able to contribute in supporting kids in developing countries and u can too! just come and buy a notebook :)

What a visually esthetic stand this was to find! What can i say?!? just rad...check out Spitfire

I was so very excited to see Yellow Owl Workshop because i have been stocking them from the day we opened at Little Paper Lane and although our friends at Telegram are the Australian distributors now, it was so wonderful to meet and be greated with a big warm hug and hello from my friend Evan who i had only met via email. Evan handles all the emaily stuff and when i first started getting their products in, he was always so very happy and helpful and made everything so easy, even though products needed to come across the seas. I always managed to get the products in about a week...which is amazing!! it was also awesome to see the new goodies we would be getting soon enough!!

One of the most pleasant and colour soothing stalls was from Gold Teeth Brooklyn. What a happy little stall to visit. I had had a little chat and browse through the cards earlier in the day and even Evan from Yellow Owl Workshop told me to go back and look again :) i think they were a crowd favourite and they were for sure some of my fav cards and i will be trying my hardest to have them hit our shores soon!

Throughout the whole show stalls would be adorned with wonderful paper works of art! These lovely Paper roses were made to showcase some of the papers on offer from Soho Paper

I would have to say that one of my very favourite products of the show was these adorable Tooth Fairy Mail bags from Wild Horse Press. They come with 5 little letterpressed envelopes that you use for when you loose a tooth.....I hope it doesnt take too long for these little babies to be here!

I was Lucky enough to meet with the one and only Ed Roth and got to have a little chat to him about his awesome stencils. We have the Stencil book instore, but watch this space as we are hoping to have a few of these stencil packs in store in the near future

I will be posting about 'The Paper Runway' that was put on by sponsors Kates Paperie. I was lucky enough to visit their Lafayette store...but more about that soon :)

New York and Stationery

2011-05-10T15:36:00.011+10:00

I am very excited, as i am off to New York City tomorrow morning!!! I have been lucky enough to see the bright lights of this fantastic city before, but, this time its not only a holiday, but also a hunting trip! I will be attending the National Stationery Show and couldn't be more excited! what could be better than NYC and Stationery? Plus i get to take my Mum who is the hardest working human on earth as a HUGE thank you for all she does at Little Paper Lane and my lovely little Iggy will be with us just to make it even more fun!
So in honour of NYC and Paper thought i would show u a few little amazing papery treats

These amazing little gems come from Daisy Lew which i found on the Behance network, which if u can ever have a browse through is a must!! I thought this was a perfect post to show you before i leave for the big Apple

Photos from Behance Network

My heart wanders book signing at Little Paper Lane

2011-05-03T10:54:00.004+10:00

We are so thrilled to be included in Pia's wonderful new book release and we so hope that you can make it in store to meet with Pia and have a chat about her journey at Little Paper Lane
If u are interested in purchasing a copy of the book please pre order by emailing me jayde@littlepaperlane.com.au we will also be giving away a lucky dip on the day to say Thank you for coming in to visit :)
If u would like to see more about Pia and her amazing books and life check out her website HERE she is such an inspiring person!

Paper Runway

2011-05-02T20:01:00.004+10:00

I am quite passionate about a few things in life. Two of these things have been combined and i could not be happier...Paper and Magazines, what an exciting combination!
This week we celebrate the Launch of Paper Runway . And with great big happy open arms we say Welcome!
The creative masterminds behind Paper Runway Nikki Buckland of Paper Scissors Rock Stationery and Maree Oaten of Little Branch have been working day and night with many sleepless nights and endless research to find us the most amazing Paper discoveries and have even included little ol me in their first issue which i couldn't be more happy about!
Thank you to the girls so much and if u want to read Paper Runway online have a look HERE. You can also purchase Paper Runway online or at Little Paper Lane

Photo's from Paper Runway

Every week Paper Runway will be giving readers the chance to win some wonderful papery goodness! The first week 3 very lucky readers will win a wrapping paper set by Mae, which includes 9 sheets of wrap! We stock the wrap in store and can i say it is absolutely divine! You can see more of Mae's creations HERE

If u love creating, be sure to enter the Envelope making competition in conjunction with Hello Sandwich! You could win a Hello Sandwich Gift wrap Zine! for more details check out Paper Runway Giveaways. Don't fret though, if u miss out on winning you can always buy a copy at Little Paper Lane

Paper is the Music of my Heart

2011-04-28T22:38:00.004+10:00

This is quite simply amazing! i cannot seem to stop looking at it. I just stumpled upon The Makerie tonight(Thank you Pinterest) and am quite inspired by what i have seen! This masterpiece was commissioned for an event that has been established for emerging photographers,film-makers, artists and musicians to showcase their talents! Quite clearly the stand out talent is The Makerie

Images from Behance network who are the proffessional platform for The Makerie

Origami kusudama flowers

2011-04-27T16:47:00.004+10:00

SO for the last couple of weeks i have been sitting making paper flowers for my shop window display! its has been so easy and fun to make and i thought you may like to have a go! I found the instructions at the Folding Trees website and they were so simple to do! the only thing i would suggest is using a hot glue gun, even on the little flowers! i did a few with double sided tape and they were OK but some just couldn't handle it and the hot glue gun was the saviour!
Try it with different sizes as long as its a perfect square you cant go wrong

My shop window display at Little Paper Lane

Photo from Folding Trees website

What its worth!

2011-03-27T14:06:00.005+11:00

For a little while now i have been seeing a lot of items that i sell in my shop, which are from small boutique suppliers, in a lot of large chain stores! 1 particular chain store that on the surface likes to look and feel like a boutique Paper shop, but is in fact a massive chain owned but another massive chain that has 2 other chains stores...We are talking MEGA CHAIN...now i personally dont usually have the biggest of problems with chain stores, I dont often shop in them, but i do find myself browsing around when i have no choice but to hit the *eek* Mall..... When u have a 3yr old, Target and Big W really are very handy sometimes!!
Soooo my point....I am getting to one i promise...is that the two days ago while reading one of my very lovely home magazines i came across a product page with a product that i have instore. This particular brand is usually reserved for indi shops and boutique retailers, so I was quite shocked to see it was 'available' at said paper chain store!

So firstly i was a little taken back at the fact that my supplier would want their product in such a shop, but more importantly i was completely shocked at the price it was being sold for! It was being sold for 10c more than its wholesale price! I actually would be ok with the product being sold in this shop, cos its only 1 product and the brand has sooo many wonderful amazing products for us all to have in our shops, BUT, why is it being sold for almost cost price?
Firstly, straight up the brand is cheapened, it makes the product seem like its just a cheap little novelty gift, when in fact its a wonderful piece of stationery. and Secondly, how the hell are the rest of us little guys meant to survive when products are being sold for pretty much wholesale price? I mean i would LOVE to sell every product everyone for wholesale and the world would be covered in flowers and everyone would sing to each other and no war would ever happen....but its not reality! I am passionate about my Paper shop and i dont do it for the money that can be made, but money does need to be made! Rent on the Northern Beaches of Sydney is the highest anywhere and i really need to eat at least once a day!
So how on earth can these giant companies do this?
I do try and look at it from a customers point of view, and most people, especially in Australia where we are one of the most expensive country's to live, i can see that people want a good price for things. Small boutiques offer beautiful quality producst and in most cases rare items that cant be bought anywhere else. If people continue to stick with teh giant mega chains then small boutiques wont exsist, and everyone will be walking around in the same clothes, have the same interiors in their houses and loose their indivduality and rare items will be so hard to get, the cost will be so extreme only the ridiculously wealthy will be able to afford things that right now are in reach of almost everyone!
Try and support yoru local boutiques and yoru local boutiques will support you!
The reason i felt i needed to say something was because i read a wonderful article by Pip Lincolne from Meet me at Mikes, that is all about the big online companies selling books for less than wholesale....even her own book, that she cant even buy for as cheap as some companies are selling it for....She is the AUTHOR! go have a read Meet me at Mikes Blog Here

Photo from Pip's Meet me at Mikes Blog Here is available at Little Paper Lane forthe price its worth :)

Su Blackwell

2011-03-16T13:12:00.008+11:00

I just discovered this phenomenally talented woman Su Blackwell and had to share with you the beauty of the art she creates! i have not seen any other Paper sculptures quite like them!
Take a look at her website for more amazing Paper wonders!

Photo's are from Su Blackwells website here

My type of place!

2011-03-02T22:48:00.006+11:00

Just having a little browse through BellaMumma's Blog and stumbled upon this cute little place of loviness. I do like a bit more space normally but i think if i had a little cottage that looked like this i would be a very happy girl. It may get a bit squishy in the bed with the Loud Canadian and Mr Iggy and Jet the cat, but man Jet and Iggy would have fun climbing that ladder.

Absolutely Wrapped

2011-02-26T22:49:00.015+11:00

So in the shop yesterday i got a LOT of new washi tape. It is always a very exciting day when new colours come in and tonight i was having a little look through the world wide web to see if i could get some new ideas for using this multi purpose glorious tape! And i seem to stumble upon a lot of different wrapping idea's which include a little tape! I thought you may want to see what i have found!!!
Enjoy!

You can make your own garland wrap Here at The Design Sponge

Photo fromMy Life as a Magazine

Photo found at My Life as a Magazine
created by Esther Ramirez,have a look at her blog Essimar

Photo found at The Gifted Blog
created by Esther Ramirez,have a look at her blog Essimar

Photo found at The Gifted Blog
created by Esther Ramirez,have a look at her blog Essimar

Photo fromMy Life as a Magazine

A gift made by hand, is a gift from the Heart!

2011-02-10T11:26:00.008+11:00

I know its been a little while since I said hello on here, its been a little bit of a bumpy start to the year! But we are on track and I thought that Valentines was the perfect time to say hello!!
So i know a lot of people consider Valentines day just a huge rip off that Hallmark created to boost sales and blah blah, Saint Valentines day was named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established in 500AD and was to celebrate the love and affection between two intimate companions...a tad bit earlier than Hallmark I must say ;)
Obviously in 2011 we celebrate Valentines day as not only the love between two people but the love people have for a child or for a Grandparent or a friend.
We are lucky that people are becoming more understanding that love happens between all sorts of humans! and i think That Valentines is a perfect way to show someone you appreciate them, even if u are not in a committed intimate relationship with them!
I remember growing up, on Valentines Day, not only would my Mum get Flowers from my dad, but he would always buy me flowers as well, this was not just for Valentines day but for surprises 'just for'.......or maybe he was in the bad books with Mum and perhaps giving me flowers as well was a clever way of getting in the good books haha. Whatever the reason though, I always ALWAYS will remember how special it made me feel that my dad would think of me as well as my Mum and I hope I can be that type of parent with my children!
Now obviously I am a shop owner and would LOVE for you to come and get your cards from me, but I am also a huge believer that a gift made by hand is a gift from the heart, and I know you that you don't need to be ridiculous when it comes to Valentines gifts!
Whilst on my little 'research' journey on google images I found a few very wonderful idea's that you can make for your loved ones!
These beautiful heart garland was discovered on the amazing blog Dottie Angel and if u can sew a straight line then this will be simple!
Just cut out 3 different sizes of hearts and sew them in random orders of size..eg small small large, medium, large small etc etc and attach them to wall or above a window with coloured Washi Tape and enjoy :)

The cute little jars would be a wonderful gift that the kids could also help make!
Simply find some old Jars and using either coloured paper or even glass paint, colour each jar in pink and red and simply attached white fabric or paper cut into 'hearts' and 'x' and glue on!
U could use fairy lights in the top like the picture but i think just simple tea lights could work as well!
If u use tea lights don't leave them unattended and never let the kids light them ;)

So no matter who you love or even just like a lot, even if u don't want to spend squillions on extravagant gifts, be sure to take the opportunity to tell the people that are special in your life that you think they are rad!
We should try and do this with our friends and family each and ever day of coarse but if u don't, then make this Valentines day a special day to let them all know you think they are just swell ;) haha

A beautiful cubby....that i would like my house to look like

2011-01-07T15:56:00.009+11:00

WOW, have a look at this gorgeous cubby!! I want to live in it! The multi talented Belinda from The Happy Home Blog has just shared with us the beautiful cubby house they created for their kids! If u have a little look above the door you will see the wonderful deer head we sell in the shop. Of coarse the deer head here has been prettied up to fit with the cubby theme, ours come natural and ready for you to do whatever you what with or to be left natural!

Make sure you check out Belinda's Blog The Happy Home Blog

Happy New Year :)

2011-01-06T22:45:00.007+11:00

Happy 2011 everyone!! I hope u all had a great Xmas and a safe and fun New Years eve! We were very very busy leading up to Xmas so I was a little negligent on the old blog....plus I am still getting used to it. 2011 will be a big year for Little Paper Lane. We have lots of exciting things coming into the shop so keep an eye on our Facebook page for new products and updates and of coarse lovely facebook only discounts :)

We will also be launching our website this year which will be very handy for all our lovely customers that cant get to Mona Vale. And there are lots of other exciting things happening that we will let you know as soon as we can!!

So i just wanted to share some very beautiful little paper arts of work from a wonderfully talented designer Helen Musselwhite and I thought it may just brighten your day or night(depending on your time zone) so enjoy and be sure to go and check out more of her amazing creations Helen Musselwhite

u can visit Helen's website HERE

Paper Doily Xmas Wreath

2010-12-11T22:26:00.006+11:00

Another very cute Christmas wreath for you to make yourself!! I was having a little browse through one of my favourite blogs The Red Thread and stumbled upon yet another wonderful DIY project!

This Paper Doily wreath is perfect for Xmas this year, it is just stunning! Please have a go and make sure you put a pic up our Facebook Page. We love seeing your projects! Thanks Lisa for showing us yet another wonderful Xmas project :)

Tutorial is on The Red Thread.

A Mon Tresor Xmas

2010-12-10T10:41:00.006+11:00

Wow wow wow! This beautiful Xmas dessert table has just made the start of this day so happy! Its so nice having the business that i do, because being on facebook means meeting all sorts of wonderful and creative people! One very talented Suzanna from Mon Tresor a beautiful online Boutique, created all of this lushness! A lovely lovely gal with a lovely lovely eye for all things lovely!

This is just stunning!

Handmade Heaven

2010-11-11T17:54:00.003+11:00

Pip Lincolne the superhero of the handmade world and crafty creator of Meet Me at Mikes, the very super awesome cool shop and blog, has come out with a book so rad, I almost want to keep the copies I have in the shop all to myself! I am pretty sure at least a copy is coming home with me ;)

I was extremely impressed when I got Meet Me at Mikes first in the shop and people have loved all the beautiful projects inside!!

Sew La Tea DO seems to be packed with wonderful projects to sew!!

Now......i just need to learn how to sew a little more than a straight line!
Check out more wonderful projects and interesting things that Pip is so famous for on her Meet Me at Mikes Blog

Pretty little birdy

2010-10-30T22:40:00.003+11:00

I was having a little look through The Red Thread blog today for more wonderful idea's to make and came across these gorgeous bird mobiles! My brother and his partner just had a baby girl and I think it would be so beautiful above her cot. I was also thinking that if you used your Xmas colours, then you could make your Xmas a little bit more special. maybe even try to make an angel or star instead of the bird for a different twist. Its such a beautiful mobile and relatively easy to make. I cant wait to get started! you can find instructions here!!!!

My New Favourite

2010-10-30T15:25:00.008+11:00

I was very excited to see that one of our very favourite suppliers Alarna from Little Jane St got hitched over the weekend. The few photo's we have seen are just blissful and looks like the day was just so gorgeous and full of Alarna's unique sense of style! I highly recommend you take a very big browse through my new favourite photographer Jonas Petterson website and look at the amazing photos's that seem to almost make you cry they are so lovely!!

Congratulations Alarna and Dave we wish you all the very happiness,smiles and sunshine in your future together :)

Paper Snowflakes

2010-10-24T19:15:00.003+11:00

I have been getting the shop ready for Xmas, starting to make little paper decorations and I put my mum on a mission to make these beautiful snowflakes thinking it would be too complicated for my brain to handle! When I saw the first few my mum had made i was busting to try and make them! In about 3 minutes my very talented mum showed myself and Rocky(my wonderful shop assistant) how to make them! They really are simple and I went home that night and made two straight away!

I have been busily making more in our shop Xmas colours today and I thought it would be nice to share with you all how to make them so u can give your own homes a touch of papery goodness!!

Try and use paper from old magazines or newspapers that would normally go in the recycling bin(i hope). U can find the instructions Here at Cut Out and Keep I would suggest you use a hot glue gun though as it makes it so much quicker to dry and hold the paper!

Once our Xmas window is in full bloom I will show u the snowflakes we have made! Feel free to put your pictures of your own snowflakes up on my facebook page! I love seeing every ones creations!

Beautiful Toilet rolls

2010-10-19T14:04:00.004+11:00

I was completely blown away by these beautiful little pieces of art. They are made from toilet rolls and are so so cute!

The artist Anastassia Elias is one talented gal....and has fantastic eye's and hands to be able to work with making cut outs so small and perfect!

You can see more of her work Here!

Xmas with a beautiful twist

2010-10-12T21:23:00.004+11:00

My Little Jedi always has the very best blog posts and I so love reading everything Vesna(My Little Jedi creator) has on her beautiful blog. But today I was so excited to see XMAS!!! Ahhhh I love Xmas so much and if u know me, u know I am obsessed with my Xmas wrapping! So u can imagine how excited I was to see the beautiful pictures of the red and teal Xmas Vesna had put up on her blog!!!

My house is SOOOOO getting worked over with these colours this Xmas season! so exciting!!!

Thanks Vesna for sharing with us, and you can see more pictures on Vesna's blog My Little Jedi

Paper Christmas

2010-10-06T10:52:00.003+11:00

Yay another fun Xmas project! This cute little Wall Paper Xmas tree is so simple I think it would be a fun project to do with the kids! I think the little fan's by themselves hung everywhere at Xmas will add to all the Xmas fun!!

You can find the instructions on how to make this at Craft projects, as well as other fantastic idea's!

Oldschool New

2010-10-05T15:43:00.005+11:00

I have been sooo wanting to use my Polaroid lately and although i am not a tight ass at all, each time i take a photo with my camera it cost $3 per shot! Now that we are part of a new digital world, our photo taking seems to not be as careful as we did in the day. We can just delete pic's that are not the most attractive, but when it comes to that Polaroid, once u hit that shutter button, then its forever!!! Which I love, but when you take a dodgy pic and it cost you $3 then its not so awesome!!!

I was trawling through my millions of mags over the weekend trying to find inspiration and came across a feature in Real Living Magazine,(not too sure which issue sorry) but they had displayed a wall with Polaroids, or what i thought was Polaroids. It was actually a down loadable Polaroid that you simply drop your own digital pic onto and it turns it into a Polaroid for you!! I printed one up to text it and its amazing!!! I am in love and I thought you all might want to share in the joy!!!

You can download free here at Polaroid and make your own little bits of fun!!

Christmas wreath

2010-09-27T16:18:00.005+10:00

Christmas is just around the corner and it got me thinking about how i would be decorating not only the shop but my own house!! I generally don't go for the traditional colours at Christmas and I always do some sort of theme, but i am loving the red's and natural colours that are around this year and I am pretty sure this is the year for me to do a somewhat natural Christmas! Every year i tend to start thinking about Christmas in September, and along my journey i stumbled upon the most wonderful blog called the red thread! What a wonderful blog with so many fantastic 'do it yourself' projects!! There is step by step guide of how to make this beautiful Christmas wreath and I am pretty sure i am going to have to give it a go!! make sure you go check it out!!

Images and instructions are from the red thread make sure you check it out!

Amazing Pencil artist

2010-08-28T20:02:00.004+10:00

I opened an email this morning from my beautiful friend Sarah(Sareeeee) to find these amazing images!!! Some people are truely talented!!

2010-08-28T19:53:00.006+10:00

Pretty New Cards

2010-07-30T19:06:00.003+10:00

So today I ventured about an hour from my house to a suburb called Concord West. After driving around very frustrated with my old GPS that doesn't ever get upset when I scream at her for not being up to date with maps and seems to take me the very longest route possible, somehow i found 1 of 3 Station Streets in Concord...of coarse I found the 3rd one last!!! I arrived at Fred Hosking expecting to get a few little cards and be on my way in half an hour. But after having a look at the range they have of beautiful letterpressed greeting cards I was in the showroom for a while!! I am so taken with anything letterpress and would love to be talented enough to be a letterpress genius, but until that time I will just have find little cards like these for you all to enjoy!!! I have a stand full of cards in the shop right now, because I was lucky enough to drive away with all my product in the back of my truck and get it to the shop!! even though it took a whole day, it was totally worth it!!!

Stylish Budget

2010-07-27T16:11:00.007+10:00

Anyone that ever bag's out Ikea, needs to set their eye's on this! Stylist Lo Bjurulf from Agent Bauer takes items from ikea and with a romantic eye and a lot of creative talent seems to transform these simple pieces into tasteful and very desirable settings! And the best part is, we all can afford Ikea and with a little bit of brain power and maybe a glance here or there at Lo Bjurulf's styled works of art, we too can have our own classy Ikea table setting!!! And you may be familiar with the beautiful hanging lamps!! we have one in the store and it is complemented all day every day!

Styled by Lo Bjurulf

Diana Platt Invitations

2010-07-24T15:16:00.005+10:00

We are so lucky to have Diana Platt invitations in store now!! There are 10 invites and 10 envelopes per pack and the illustrations are just Divine!! Diana is one talented woman and to view more of her collection you can look at her website or come into Little Paper Lane to see the range of Invitations we have!!

Two Little Birds Cards and tags

2010-07-19T11:38:00.005+10:00

Two little birds is the newest cards and tags to walk in the doors of Little Paper Lane. Made from eco friendly products and by the looks of it, lots of love by its designer Alexandra Morris from Surry Hills in Sydney! We knows these amazing products will just fly out the door as they are just too wonderful to stay put!

Xmas in July will make you smile :)

2010-07-17T18:17:00.004+10:00

This is my type of table setting!! We are lucky enough to be a supplier of these wonderful poms from Ah Tissue and am sure everyone will want these beautiful poms for any occasion! The creative mastermind behind Ah Tissue Pom Poms is Daneve Frankish, and you can see below in these amazing photo's that she loves to decorate!! And she does it so well! You can keep up with Daneve by visiting her Blog

Pop into Little Paper Lane for more poms and more colours!!

Free wrapping paper

2010-07-15T10:20:00.004+10:00

Well i was very excited to stumble upon these lovely free dowloadable wrapping paper prints!!

I was just reading Studio of Mae's Blog and spied the free gift wrap to the right and was very smiley when i clicked to find these beautiful prints available for personal use!! You can cover your jars or use them for card making or even make your own labels!!

Who doesn't love free stuff!?! Especially when its this beautiful!! Have a little read through the blog as well as it has some very beautiful articles featured!!

Avery and Olive

2010-07-14T22:15:00.003+10:00

So....I know I am all about the paper, but I kinda couldn't resist these one off pieces of visually stunning and way too lovely jewellery. Mia Breakspear the Sydney based designer behind this soon to be known all over the place jewellery, searches far and wide for vintage one off pieces of fabric, gems,buttons, lace, and anything else her tasteful eye can find, and makes beautiful necklaces, brooches, headbands, earrings and even rings with little teapots on them....Teapots people...how could I not have just a couple of these wonderfully unique treasures in my shop!!
These pieces are all one offs and will make you feel love like you haven't felt before!

Beautiful decorations!

2010-07-13T21:49:00.003+10:00

These are simply gorgeous and they seem quite easy to make! Have a little look for your self Here!!! to find out how to make these beautiful little creations! I am pretty sure these crepe paper delights will be adorning my front window in the shop very soon!!!

Ruby Victoria Letterpress

2010-07-12T15:13:00.005+10:00

I am more than excited about these way too adorable letterpress note card sets!! We have them in store now and they are just beautiful!!

The very talented Narelle Badalassi is the creator of Ruby Victoria Letterpress from beautiful Tasmania and seems to have an eye for everything letterpress!!! Her studio is based at her home and she specialises in lino cut and letterpress printing, and does it with perfection and style!!

You can have a little look at Facebook or check out the Blog for more products and information!!

World Sweet World

2010-07-12T14:48:00.004+10:00

So so bitter sweet!
Oh why is it, when we find something so wonderful, its the last issue ever made :(

Well even though this very creative magazine is the last our eyes will get to see, it is one to not miss out on!!!

World Sweet World is one of those rare magazines that has idea's in it that us normal humans can actually recreate!! There is no need for super human building skills, just a little eye for the creative things in life is all you need!

Dont Miss out on the very last issue which i just happen to have in my store today, but you will need to hurry in because once they are gone, then they are really gone!!!

Love in Leura

2010-07-09T22:17:00.004+10:00

Sorry I haven't been around lately!! I have been flat out in the shop, which is wonderful ( and exhausting) and searching for wonderful products which has been massively successful and will soon have new and exciting things in store!! I will keep you updated obviously when these lovely products arrive at the door!!!

So today i was lucky enough to have a day off to spend with my family and take our 3 year old Iggy out to the zigzag railway because Thomas the Tank Engine was going to be there, and Iggy has a somewhat small obsession with that number 1 blue engine!!!

So after 4 hours in the car, because some flipping truck needed to break down right in the middle of the road works, which is double annoying, and being in the car with a cranky 3 year old and my father who I love with all my heart, but does not have a single patient bone in his body, so as u can imagine, we were all very happy to get out of the car, even with the 8degree temperature outside....yes 8 degree's Celsius!

So after fun times on Thomas and Iggy getting his lovely little face painted as a lion and lots of tears because we couldn't live in Annie(Thomas's carriage) we were back on the road and headed to Leura!

What a delight!!!

Before we even reached the beautiful town, we had decided to come back and hire a house for a weekend and see the sights!

As soon as I was past the little round about, I spotted what seemed like 'heaven'!!! Bright warm lights, and beautiful white furniture and LOTS of stationery!!!

Somebody was looking down on me(Pop) today because the town of Leura was busy busy, and yet a parking spot was right in the perfect spot, and due to my big black truck being a little on the large size, the spot was about 1 and a half the size of any spot in Sydney, annnnnd no one was behind me making me anxious about getting into the parking spot while I was reversing into it!! Iggy was asleep and woke just as I was getting out of the car and let me put him in his pram with Dogga his beloved and completely trashed stuffed dog and then sat very quietly the entire time i marvelled at the fine stationery that this little gem of a store had to offer!
Elizabeth Rosa is a mecca of some of the best stationery there is! I was completely in awe of the wonderful paper this place had! Products like Vera Wang stationery, and a fountain pen that was a smooth $3300! Apart from the higher end stationery, there was also many affordable and gorgeous products many of which are actually in my very own store!!! I spent a good half hour just looking through the large amount of products there was to offer! I would have been in there much longer, but we were all starving after not really wanting to eat the pleasant food down at the sheds on our Thomas adventure earlier, plus my dad is very proud of my own store and the smirk on his face made me think he may tell the many customers that they should head to Sydney to visit my store instead....which would be ok if we were maybe outside the store and the manager wasn't cleaning up behind me after i had spilled a stack of postcards on the floor from being too excited about finding a website of certain cards i had been searching for, for a long time, it was definitely time to go! We are going back soon anyway!!

So if u are as passionate about beautiful stationery as I am, and you need to get out of town, it so worth the drive to Leura. If u are coming from the Northern Beaches take the M2 to M7 to M4 and follow the signs to Katoomba! Leura is just before Katoomba! If you go that way and no trucks break down, whilst they are doing road works then it will take 2hrs from Leura to Newport! Its worth even being stuck in traffic for this delightful town!

New Greeting Cards..with a twist!

2010-06-30T23:20:00.004+10:00

These sweet ass cards are in the shop TODAY!! They are from Full Colour Black and are quite simply AWESOME!!

Benconservato

2010-06-28T12:17:00.005+10:00

These wonderful colouring books have just walked in to my door, Thanks to Emma Kidd, the amazingly talented Artist behind Benconservato! I am always on the search for unique products! This is perfect for boys and girls which is fantastic for me personally as my little Iggy will be loving this book as well as my lovely customers!! I anticipate these little gems to walk out the door, so get in quick to have a look!!

If you are interested in having a look at what other gorgeous products Emma has, have a look Here!!!!

I have a crush on you too!!!

2010-06-26T20:12:00.008+10:00

I have been a fan of BlackBird Corner on facebook for a little while now and received a lovely message from them saying "they had a crush on Little Paper Lane", which was hilarious because that's how I was feeling about their unique shop!!! So now our shops get to be long distance lovers, due to the fact that this little minx of a shop is located in Newcastle! If you are ever in Newcastle or anywhere near, or even far far away!! I would say this shop which calls its home at 70 Darby St, Cooks Hill 2300, is worth the trip!! I will be making the drive in the near future, because I see the beautiful products which seem to only reside at BlackBird Corner will probably sell through very quickly, and I do not want to miss out, and I am pretty sure you wouldn't either!!!
Ohhhhhh WOW!!! Shop lust!
The little birdcage key rings are so lovely and the merchandising is delightful!!
I am totally loving the way everything is displayed and very in love with these sets of drawers!! I will be searching my guts out for similar drawers!! Pretty sure every man and his dog will also be keeping their eyes open for a treasure chest like this too!!!
Sweet collection of Lomo camera's that just happen to be my fav right now!!! Ohhhh I love all of them and looking at all these camera's makes me want to get the film developed that's straight from my Diana lomo camera, which i spy a few similar up in the top left corner!!! highly recommended!!! Its so wonderful to see such a great collection of different styles in one shop!! I will be visiting soon!Check out BlackBird Corner's Blog for more wonderful products and info about this one and only store of lustful products!!

I'll Swim to you

2010-06-25T21:18:00.006+10:00

The perfect medicine!

2010-06-23T21:21:00.005+10:00

The Capsule Letter by MMMG from Telegram, is so tiny and so cute, and the "pill" has a small intricate scroll in which you write your own little personal message on! I am pretty sure my ridiculously large writing is going to mean I will have to either learn how to write smaller or just write a couple of things.....hmmm my laziness makes me think I will be writing very short messages!!! Everyone else will be sweet;)

Memo to self....write more memo's!

2010-06-22T15:03:00.003+10:00

I am pretty sure these delicious fruti memo pads from My Little Jedi will go pretty quickly out the door in my shop, as they have to be the very cutest memo pads i have ever seen!!

MMMG is finally here!!

2010-06-21T19:30:00.013+10:00

These ridiculously scrumptious cards are new in store TODAY!!! Ahhhhh I am so happy they are finally here as they took a little longer than expected to arrive at my door! I especially like the little Vampire and am sure due to Twilight fever that has swept the world They will be a huge hit!! Dont miss out on these Cards by the Korean company MMMG, there are also many other wonderful products by them in my shop...but u will have to come in to see them!!

Photo's that can warm any heart.

2010-06-20T19:16:00.010+10:00

Irene Suchocki is a very talented freelance photographer from Montreal. Her photo's will invoke a whimsical sense of bliss to your emotions! My breath was taken away when I spied one of her pictures in Paris, that See's the Eiffel Tower in the background and heart shape lights out of focus over the picture! Her photographs are romantic and very calming which makes me keep looking at them over and over again...quite a bit deal considering I am no way romantic. But somehow these pic's warm the heart :)

More of Irene's Photographs

???

2010-06-20T19:02:00.003+10:00

I kinda dont know what these are??? But I know that i WANT them!!! I would be happy looking at these cute mysterious objects everyday!! What a beautiful decoration for a cocktail party!!

AWWWWWWWWW!!!!

2010-06-20T18:22:00.004+10:00

OMG too cute!!! What an adorable little product! If you are Jewellry and Paper mad like myself then this is the perfect solution for those times when you just wished the two were somehow combined ;) I might have to downsize my writing for this one!!

I dream of...

2010-06-20T12:42:00.004+10:00

These freestanding hand cut wooden letters are decoupaged with vintage maps and can be made into whatever word u would like! You can also choose the map you would like on your word or phrase. Having this on my shelf will make my wanting to go to Paris more motivating I am sure ;)

Cake for everyone

2010-06-19T14:29:00.003+10:00

Some people are just so creative and truely amaze me! What a beautiful package for your take home cake after a party!!

Susannah Tucker Treats

2010-06-18T20:02:00.006+10:00

These beautiful photographs by Susannah Tucker are probably my favourite images right now!! I love the colours used in all her photos and I LOVE the fact us normal humans that are not part of the Forbes 500 club can actually afford these visually stunning masterpieces!

You can have a look and buy Susannah's amazing Polaroids at her Etsy Store

Yellow Owl Workshop Wonders

2010-06-17T23:13:00.006+10:00

These absolutely gorgeous products are in my lovely little shop right now and are flying out the door because they are too cute!! The wooden stamps remind me of when i was little and visiting my Nan and Pop in Melbourne. We would always go to the Cardiology Shop in Frankstone and my Nan would let me buy a couple of wooden stamps!! As soon as I set my eyes on these i felt like I was 7 again and so happy!! They are available in NYC, Paris, Bird gage and of coarse Rainy day! We have wooden box sets that come with 5 stamps and have different themes

Owen Gildersleeve

2010-06-17T18:45:00.000+10:00

The amazingly talented London based illustrater and designer Owen Gildersleeve will give your eyes a much needed boost of colour and happiness!

Magazine's on your head can be beautiful.

2010-06-17T17:43:00.000+10:00

Well this is just gorgeous!! I would be quite happy putting this little flower on my head! Who would have thought magazines on your head could be so beautiful!!!

My Beautiful birthday boy!

2010-06-16T22:40:00.000+10:00

The Beautiful Birthday Boy with his new tool belt fixing up his cubby house!

2010-06-16T22:39:00.000+10:00

Iggy's 3rd Birthday

2010-06-16T21:30:00.000+10:00

My 3 year old is my world! I always want to spoil him, and when it comes to Birthday parties, there are no exceptions! I have just recently opened my beautiful little Paper Shop, and I have been flat out every single minute of everyday since I decided to take on this adventure at the start of this year. And when I decided to throw my lil man his birthday party at home, it was going to be a small simple "party pies and fairy bread" party with a few balloons and not much else! Then somehow a small party of 14 turned into 40 people! Of coarse there were all of only 5 kids and 35 adults most of who are my friends that I haven't been able to catch up with enough since the opening of Little Paper Lane, so being the long weekend it was a perfect excuse to see friends, celebrate the 3rd year of the most gorgeous child on earth, and a way to let loose after working my ass off for so long!!! And celebrate we did!!! The day before was a caotic day of making bunting out of beautiful MT Masking tape that I sell in the store, and wrapping jars with black n white Vandoros ribbon, as well as fluffing up Tissue paper poms that look absolutly amazing hung at all different levels! I am very fortunate to have a husband that knows how to deal with a retail shop, and he came into the shop to help me out whilst I got balloons filled with helium, masses of lollies, food to feed 40 hungry humans and ever other thing that needed to be done, that could only be done by me due to my slight OCD for all things decorative!
After a crazy day of running around and a whole night putting together chocolate crackles in black and white holders which Iggy the lil man of the moment actually helped me make, and helped to make a huge mess of rice bubbles on the floor, we were ready for bed at about 1:00am. We woke to a very crisp day that was cloudless and perfect for our own little VIP to have his party outside!!! Iggy was born the week that the Pasha Bulker was swept on shore 3 years ago and Sydney had the worst storms with roofs being blown off houses and so much flooding, so every year around his birthday it has been torrential rain and not ever dry enough for outside partying. This year was perfect! We celebrated in Black and White stripe with a dash of Purple and everyone loved and it Iggy had the most fun and ate so many yummy lollies and even though I was exhausted, I was so happy to spend time with friends and family and see my lil man smile and giggle and have a wonderful day!

Paper food...sooooo Lush!!!

2010-06-09T21:57:00.001+10:00

Just when i thought that food was delicious the way it is...then i spied this amazing meal, and it seems my senses went on overdrive!