Today is a big day.  It is Mr Viking’s Birthday!  Hooray!  It is Christmas Shopping Night at school – the little event I have been planning for about 3 months now (and those are just passing showers we are having here) – non?  It is also the start of the Black Friday long weekend – the most shopped weekend of the year because Christmas is not that far away.  So I am having a little special – if you enter the code BLACK2011 at the checkout of the Paperklip Etsy shop – you will save 20% off your purchase.  All weekend through to Monday night.  Enjoy.

I have had these 2 super lovely books on order for a little while, and they were in my post box yesterday.  Yippee.  Paper + Craft is written by Minhee and Truman Cho who have a beautiful stationery business called Paper + Cup in the US.  There are many fantastic and simple papercrafting ideas inside, I am definately going to attempt an old-fashioned paper frame.  All of the ideas are open for your own interpretation too, which I like.  I also took this photo with the book’s inside cover open, there is a beautiful pop of pink inside.

The second book is called Fanciful Felties and it is full of projects by Etsy seller mummysam, aka Samantha Cotterill.  I first noticed one of Sam’s projects in Little Birds, her work has a lovely naiviety about it and her softies are so quirky.  Sam also has a cute range of fabric based on her illustrations.  I am thinking of adapting one of Sam’s softies for the Spring Creative Collective project.

Have a great day.

Ahhh, the sweetness and the colour.  I LOVE Pilli Pilli’s things. Pretty appliqued embroideries that are so, so nice.  And practical.  Imagine whipping the little pencil case out at a restaurant when the kids are going crazy – I am hearing ‘Where did you get that, Mum?’.  Instant silence and some colouring in ensues.  Pilli Pilli’s things are made by hand ‘always with a wink and a smile’ by a lovely girl in Rovereto, Italy.  I wish I knew her name.  I will email to find out.  I love the name of the town where she lives – so romantic.  Pilli Pilli’s blog is lovely too, with lots of pretty, delicate pictures to swoon over.  I think my favourite in the birdcage pouch, though there was a lovely tote bag in the sold list too.  Do you have a favourite?

Good Afternoon.  Hope you have had a great day.  Today’s Etsy Friday find is from Florida based artist Barbara who makes lovely things from polymer clay.  (Is that not the new name for Fimo??).  I know, I thought it was porcelain too.  Barbara’s shop on Etsy is called Floridity, meaning an ubundance of flowers.  You will find lovely nature inspired jewelry designs with a little subtle colour.  I suggest you go and have a look as the prices are very reasonable.  Everything is nice and wearable.

I love the joy pin.  Joy is my middle name.  The next post is number 100.  Wow.  Who would have thought.  Must be time to launch a new something!

Oh, and happy voting. May the right (or left) person win.

Today’s Etsy Friday find is by Eight Hour Day.  Designed by Katie and Nate who are based in Minneapolis, this letterpress print is a Stationery lovers dream.  Also perfect if you love yellow and grey.  I hit the buy button straight away when I spotted this on the front page of Etsy earlier this week.  (I am hoping it comes under the handmade class in Dotti’s pledge which I am still on by the way!!).  I will hang it on my office door with that little open sign there in the middle.  There are lovely letterpress prints of jars of sweets in the shop too.  In mint and pink.  Be quick though, there is a notice that they will close shop for a little while in September.

Tea and Ceremony

I love, love love Sandra Igbodo’s Etsy shop Tea and Ceremony.  Great name.  Why do I love it?  It is bright.  It is colourful.  And it has a very distinct Scandinavian feel to it that I just can’t resist.  There are lovely prints, cute tags and a very sweet tote among other delights to be found here.  My pick is the I heart Tea card.  Because I do heart tea.  Lots.

Designed and crafted by Sandra in Manchester, UK and ships worldwide.  Most reasonably too.

Hello!  Just popping in to say hi.  I have quite a few orders on at the moment (and a busy family life) and I am not the most disciplined person when it comes to regular posting.  The thing is, I believe that is what people like.  Regular posts.  Do you agree – put you hand up if you do.   I would love to know what you think.

So, this is what I plan to do.  And why.  On Fridays I am going to showcase a fellow Etsy seller that I have some connection with.  Mostly because I love their things, probably because I have stepped over the line and made a purchase from them and have been super satisfied.  You are welcome to make suggestions.  The Etsy platform is amazing.  It’s customers and sellers have been truly grand to me and I just think it’s nice for them to be recognised for all that creative inspiration they give us.  I am also hoping this feature will keep me on a good blogging path and that you might be interested in sharing my finds.

Firstly, I would like to share Ormolu.  A very sweet stationery shop run by Kaitlin in California.  I first contacted Kaitlin before our wedding last year to ask if it was possible to do some custom signage for our tables.  I was looking for a vintage scroll frame with our table names in the centre.  Our tables were named after the places that the Viking and I have lived together (from Bondi to Jolimont, Frederiksberg to Coogee).  They were perfect.  Kaitlin also did a little sign for our table centres.  The idea was to have a small posy for each lady at each table arranged to look like one centre piece.  The sign was to let the ladies know to ‘take a posie before you go’.  We were very happy.  So I often check back to see what Ormolu has in store.  I always find pretty gift  and journalling tags, paper buttons, and even DIY paper chains.  And great shipping prices.  I am a repeat offender here!