Great.Ly August Update

Hello!

If you've been following me for a little while, you'll know i've been loving playing shop over in my Great.Ly boutique for the last few months!
This month i've been keeping the boutique updated with fresh new designs from lots of my favourite makers for you to browse and shop. This morning, i'd like to share with you just a few of my favourites from the recently added items...

I just love the bright, fun colours in this set of 4 notecards from Sam Osborne - they are blank inside so perfect for sending thank yous or hellos!

I have to confess, i've been thinking a lot about 2015 already! I know they say you shouldn't wish your life away but this beautiful little desk calendar could be straight out of Kate Spade with it's real gold foil and stunning typefaces but is in fact from Inkspot Workshop - gorgeous!

I've picked out some of The Black Bow Shop's notecards before as i love the simple bold designs and beautiful styling of her products. This pretty polka dot Thank You card comes with a rather lovely lime green envelope and is a perfect way to say thank you to your friends (or maybe even yourself as it is rather nice!) 

I've also had some prints being added into my boutique - i seem to be browsing lots of homeware for inspiration for my new home and this bow stripe watercolour print from Monica Lee has just the right amount of girly without being overbearing for me to be able to get away with.

Have you had any exciting Great.Ly finds yet?

Paper Crush: The Party Ship

Hello!

I was on the phone to my mum this morning who kindly reminded me it was now less than 4 months until Christmas - how scary is that?! Don't get me wrong, i LOVE Christmas but i'm not sure i want to be thinking about it in August...
August should be about sunshine, BBQs, music festivals and elderflower cocktails!

This August, i've also been featuring my current Paper Crush - The Party Ship - a lovely little Etsy store selling all my favourite party items from paper bags to stickers and kraft boxes!

Today i'm really happy to share with you a little more about The Party Ship and its owner Alice - a lovely lady who's following her dreams!

So tell us a little more about yourself Alice...

I'm Alice - the owner of The Party Ship – I am married with 2 young boys and live in Derbyshire. I had always dreamed of having my own business - although I think I always thought it would be Sport Development related as this is what my job is in! The Party Ship was in the planning stage for nearly a year before we finally opened our Etsy shop in June 2013 selling eco friendly, practical tableware for events as well as a range of stationery. 

Where did you get all the idea to sell party tableware and stationery?

My ideas grew from going to many parties and watching little people (and adults!) trying to balance a plate and a cup (with no lid). Parties can be really stressful to organise and host, so I wanted to be able to offer products that took away some that stress. I was frustrated that I could never find cups or icecream tubs that had lids and could allow me to pre pack food and store food safely. 

My other frustration was finding practical partyware that wasn’t ‘character’ related – but still appealing to children. This is where the stickers then come in to it and allow people to express their own creativity. Any image, any colour – not gender stereotyping.

You've grown your ranges quite a bit since launching last year, do you have any favourites?

Since the shop opening in 2013 I have added many products to the range – we do have 2 ‘themed’ ranges as well as the plain ranges too.

 

Some of my favourite products are the bottles with mixed straws and number stickers. A little tip to is to use a single hole punch to pop a hole in the lid – this is then the perfect size to poke a straws through!

Another one of my favourite products is the chalkboard labels and these on a cup or bottle labelled with a person's name avoids any mix ups with cups!

Sounds like you've got lots of great ideas to take the stress out of parties! Any other tricks up your sleeve?

Our little food boxes are really versatile too – they can be used to pack up party food in or my favourite use for them is to pre pack a cupcake or slice of cake prior to the party this saves time at the end of the party and allows the birthday cake to act as pudding at the party!

I’m also not a massive fan of the party bag. I find that a little box with cake and a simple little paper bag with a few sweets or homemade biscuit in is more than enough (our little bags and stickers are just the right size!).

With your lovely products selling well and great party ideas to share, what's next on the map for the Party Ship?

I am currently working on plans to offer a more personalised service and there are a number of new products that are in the process of being added to the shops too!

 

August Lucky Dip Box

Hello!

Yesterday i received a rather amazing surprise in the post - the August Lucky Dip Club box!!! And the theme is perhaps my favourite so far...Think Happy Ice Cream Parlour!

Now as both a stationery addict and an ice cream aficionado, i think it's pretty much destiny that me and the contents of this box were meant to meet..

I love everything about the Lucky Dip Club boxes, but most of all it's just nice to get post through the letterbox that makes you smile isn't it? A much better surprise than a phone bill!

This month's contents were definitely some of my favourite yet:
- A handmade ice-cream necklace with my name on
- An enamel ice-cream sundae brooch
- A sprinkles 'think happy' notebook
- A Sundae Girl pencil case
- A 'think happy' pink pencil with eraser
- A 'think happy' notecard
- A ribbon & ice cream button DIY kit to pimp my pencil case

As i'm sure you could guess, i'm over the moon with my new notebook and pencil and with all the stress of the house move, the 'think happy' message is definitely relevant right now!

I also love the handmade necklace - it's a perfect reminder over the coming months of all the fun of summer to come again next year!

Have you signed up yet for the Lucky Dip Box?
The next one is going live for orders on 1st September and with a Magic Forest theme is sure to be popular so make sure you set your alarms early - every single box has sold out within 24 hours!!

Office Crush #10

Hello!

I can't believe the last of our summer bank holidays in the UK has now been and gone - it definitely feels like the end of summer is here now though doesn't it? I went to a Luna Cinema showing of Romeo & Juliet last week, which started after the sun went down and despite being mid August i was sat in a hat, scarf and gloves, covered in a blanket with a hot water bottle! Who'd have thought it!?

Due to the bank holiday, it's a slightly later Office Crush this week, however it's very much inspired by the romance of the film last week...

This wonderful office belongs to Iris of Irideeën Blog - it's just beautiful isn't it? It's like looking into a modern day Juliet's home office!

Office Crush #9

Hello!

So this morning i wanted to share with you something a little different - it may look like a beautiful, open plan apartment-office, but this is in fact the interior of HAY store in Copenhagen! Look at all the beautiful woods and pinks!

I've still not managed to visit one of their stores, despite having featured them before in a post but i just love their styling. You can see lots more beautiful photos like where this one is from over at Joelix.com.

Back to School with Paperchase

Hello!

Earlier this week i did my first ever guest post over at Honey Lemon Pie blog, which i've had some really lovely feedback on and lots of people seem to have a very similar wishlist filled with stationery too!
With all the back to school sales going on across the high street at the moment, it's definitely the perfect time to start investing...well, it'd be rude not to really wouldn't it?

And if there's one place to start seeking out those beautiful new notebooks and planners, it has to be Paperchase! Their new range is full of fun, bright patterns and prints for you to add to your wishlists with some quirky little accessories to throw in too!


Lush Mush is super cute, super pink and super glittery - what more could a girly girl ask for? One of my favourite lines from their entire range at the moment is actually the Lush Mush thick exercise book - an absolute bargain at just £6 too!

If you like your stationery with a little more bite, then Beat Box might be more for you. It's all about fun shaped notebooks, pencil cases and sharpeners (yes that little green monster on top of the weekly planner is actually a sharpener! wowza)

And my favourite has to be Gaucho Glam! I love the move on from all the tribal prints out there - something a little bit different and all the clashing prints with the metallic finishes are just so much more interesting! And i never say this word out loud, but i will for this range, it's just quite "cool" isn't it?

Now i'll be honest, the perfectionist in me had to google a definition of gaucho..so for anyone else out there who just has to know everything like me - "a cowboy from the South American pampas" :)

Which is your favourite? Have you purchased anything from the new ranges yet?

Mini Trend: Summer Fruits

Hello!

So it's been pretty hard to ignore the mini trend this summer for pineapple and watermelon printed t-shirts, glassware, cushions, necklaces, bags...in fact just about everything has had a dash of fruit added this summer! And with all this lovely sunshine, i'm pretty sure we've all been embracing these exotic fruits both in our homes and our fridges - to be honest, if i eat any more mangoes i might just become one!

This fruity mini trend has also not bypassed our stationery world so to help you make the most of it, i've rounded up some of my top picks to share with you today...

As always, all products featured are available on the world wide web - Watermelon illustrated notebook via Lovely Sweet William, Fruit Salad notecards via Idlewild Co, Fruit Gift Tags via Yellow Owl Workshop, Pineapple notecard via Nikki Miles, Watermelon washi tape via The Heyday Shop, Tutti Frutti Box via Lucky Dip Club

Have you seen anything else fruity that you just couldn't resist? I've got a rather lovely pineapple pencil topper that makes me smile! Please do share :)

Office Crush #8

Hello!

I actually discovered this week's office crush last week and it very quickly got a lot of love on Pinterest! After seeing how much people loved it, i knew i had to share it with you all!

I know plain white walls are a bit like marmite but this monochrome look is just stunning don't you think? I just love how clean and organised the whole office feels. The pops of colour in the flowers and the accessories really make it for me!

You can see more of this office and lots of wonderful other interior ideas on Stylizimo Blog

July Lucky Dip Box

Hello!

Last week a very special parcel arrived through my letterbox - something i'd been waiting all month for... My first Lucky Dip Club box!

Selling out every month since launch within 24 hours, i set a rather early alarm to make sure i received my July box, which had a super cute Pet Parade theme. And i have to say it was absolutely worth it as the box was full of pretty packaging and lots of surprise goodies...

So, you may have guessed already but my chosen animal theme was cats..with a dash of unicorn!

And the full contents of the box were just such a lovely surprise...

- A handmade balloon brooch

- A DIY budgie bunting kit

- A pair of kitsch socks

- A trio of cat tags

- A Some Bunny Loves You greeting card

- A vintage kittens necklace

- A lucky playing card

I absolutely love my 'unicorns & cats are ace badge'!

The August box is already sold out (and i'm absolutely gutted to tell you i got there too late this time!) so make sure you set your alarms on September 1st to get your hands on the next one!

Office Crush #7

Good morning!

I can't quite believe it's August already can you? It's a very exciting month for me as if all goes to plan we'll move into our new house at the end of the month as official home-owners! Super exciting!!
We had the surveys last week and now just waiting for the official mortgage offer and getting some dates fixed for the contracts and then it'll be all go!

If you follow me on Pinterest you may have seen i've already been compiling some Home Inspiration into a board, which i can't wait to start bringing to life in our new home! My home office space is still to be decided (we need to find room for both my office and his workshop in a 2 bed...!), but if i've learnt anything from my research it's that any space can become an office if you need it to be.
Today's Office Crush echoes this perfectly - how great is this 'under the stairs' office found on The Black Workshop?!

I love the wallpaper and that paper bin under the desk is just amazing!! Any ideas where it's from?