chirps & cheers

If you’re bubbling with ideas, then you’ll adore these new journals that just arrived on our doorstep from Andy Pratt designs. Lined paper is ready for you to fill with your thoughts, dreams and visions. Bright, bold and oh so inspiring to get you to put pen (or pencil) to paper. We’ve even got a few of Andy’s colorful greeting cards as well. Who can pass up these goodies when you have someone worthy of a “times square” thank you or a cheery “billboard” note? 

Pour yourself a big glass of creative juice and get flowing.

Cheers! 

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog to remember what it means to just have fun.

Happy Monday.

I am keeper of the book at our house and by book I mean the address book. I am the one who adds and updates the names and places of all our friends and family. Sometimes I am on-the-ball and do it when the moving announcement first arrives but more than not a stack of envelopes sits in the front of my book until time for the holiday cards to go out and then the changes take place. I know it would be easier and far more efficient to enter them in the computer but I would miss my book. It is a history of all the people I know and the homes, apartments and cities where they have lived. At first I would cringe at having to cross out an entry and add the new information but now those cross outs are my favorite part as they tell the story…the evolution.

For those of you still using an address book, rest assured we have the paper kind here at the shop. Here’s a cute one we recently got in from Mara Mi.

With my children in college, my days of getting school art projects are over but I still have things I like to hang on my refrigerator door. I neglected to think about this though when I purchased a stainless fridge. For several years I painstakenly did without until I found these stainless magnets in a little gift shop in Georgia. I was so excited and scooped up a few of the lifesavers. When I decided to open the shop, they were one of my first purchases. They come in lots of fun colors and are not only great for stainless, but work on glass and mirrors. I even keep one on my computer monitor. So fun for teachers and administrative assistants day gifts. And I love the one with the horseshoe for leaving good luck notes on my kids’ bathroom mirrors.

How about a must-have monogram Monday?  Just in and at the top of my want list are these adorable embroidered ribbon key fobs from Miller Ribbon. They take me back (way,way back!) to my days as a Pappagallo shopgirl when I was head-to-toe grosgrain with a headband, watchband, belt and button cover purse. Fast forward to 2010 when grosgrain, whether striped, solid, dotted or patterned, looks fun, bright and oh-so-cute. Choose from the oodles and oodles of ribbon swatches to make a personalized keychain or luggage tag. Once you pick out your own, get out your gift list as these make great graduation, teacher and sweet 16 gifts.  

So this is it. I am coming clean. As the owner of a stationery shop and proponent of all things organized, I am going to disclose my weakness. I have too many places for lists, notes and ideas. There’s my planner, my journal, my spiral and cubes, pads and folios of post its.  Perhaps it is because I have way too many choices and want to use just a little of every line to “test them out” or maybe it’s just fear of commitment to one style or the worst case scenario that I am just not as organized as I think I am. Oh no!  

Well, although it’s not earth shattering in the big scope of things, it is unsettling. As the field notes folks would say, “I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now.” I don’t need to complicate things by having to remember where I wrote it.

It is way past time that I take the “single notebook” pledge. I can no longer spread the love but must be forever loyal to my-one-and-only from this day forward.  But how can I possibly choose between field notes, russell + hazel, susy jack, elum? Between a notebook, journal or post-its? I have been married for 24 years so clearly I can commit. But when it comes to paper I am without question a serial paper dater.

I am weighing my options, looking at my possibilites and from my perspective they all look good. I seriously can’t make a bad choice. Even the batchelor didn’t have odds this good.

I am feeling lucky on this St. Patrick’s Day as we now have the Macbeth collection of “monoglam” home accessories at the shop.  Decoupaged metal goodies take home storage and organization to the next level with over thirty products that can be personalized with your choice of color, pattern, icon, name or monogram. Mix and match to create your own unique bucket, tray, clipboard, vase, party tub, wastebasket, etc…

Here’s my wish list so far…

a bucket with the big paw print and “fetch” for the gazillion of tennis balls most of which our under the sofa right now

a big tub with the whale (or life preserver) and “pool stuff” for towels and goggles

a trinket tray with the golf clubs and my husband’s initials to help tame the golf tees floating about

Now all those little things like shoes and socks and toys that overtake your abode can have a glamourous and labeled place to reside. And if you’re on the hunt for fun GIFTS (think graduation, mother’s day, father’s day, baby, wedding) look no further. Think it will be too hard to choose among all the options?  Rest assured that you can’t go wrong. Everything is adorable!