The littlest letter set

I absolutely adore getting mail, proper mail that is; bills and marketing letters most definitely do not count.


Whilst I love the convenience of emails and phones for regular contact, there is nothing more delightful than opening the letterbox to find a handwritten note from a friend or loved one.


I'm always on the look out for beautiful paper and stock to make my own, and I discovered this gorgeous little letter set at Yellow Brick Road Boutique this week. As you can see, it is about a quarter of the size of a regular envelope so if posting, you would need to double-envelope or risk it getting lost altogether.


The best thing about it is that with limited space, the note can be kept short and sweet. After all, most good things do come in...


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A pencil for your thoughts

I have found my Mecca; a pint-sized shop tucked away behind Agnes Curran on the corner of Ponsonby and Franklin Roads, bursting with everything a stationery magpie could want, and a few I hadn't seen before.


The Pencil Boutique has the browsing pleasure of a cabinet de curiosité, where every square inch demands close attention so as not to miss a treat. Organic cotton Rob Ryan bunting (now hanging in my daughter's room), Miroslav Sasek 'This is...' books (as much for adults as children), a great selection of Moleskin notebooks, Rouge Caroubier ink...the list goes on. 


The shop is run and curated by Pebbles Hooper, who is clearly nostalgic for her beautiful childhood stationery, and rather than pricing everything sky-high simply because she can, I was pleasantly surprised at the value of these gorgeous quality goods.


If you're in the market for a gift, or just looking to enhance your desk appeal, take a peek here first and I doubt you will leave empty handed.


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Saturday Scrapbook : It's the little things

I'm a big believer in little luxuries. It's the things you come in contact with every day, sometimes several times a day, that add up to a big chunk of potential happiness, especially when those little things make you feel good.


So, this week's Saturday Scrapbook celebrates the finer details in life...starting with hand soap. Until recently I was a hand soap cheapskate, buying whatever was on special, but then one day I discovered EcoStore Coconut & Vanilla. The beautiful packaging is just the beginning, and don't get me started on the brilliant dispenser that squirts out the perfect amount of soap each time (you need much less than you think). The actual soap is silky and gentle, and rather than smelling of synthetic coconut and vanilla like most commercial cosmetics, it has the faintest aroma of a freshly cracked coconut.

Next up is sugar. I like mine ragged with a good caramello flavour, and that's just what I get from my Chelsea raw sugar crystals. I use these instead of white sugar in everything, from coffee to baking to an impromptu hand exfoliation (combine a teaspoon with some olive oil and rub gently into your hands then rinse off and hey presto - softest hands ever).

Chickadee Smoke Alarm

Unfortunately I don't own this little sweetie yet, but I will as soon as they hit the shelves. Traditional smoke alarms are so ugly, but if they all looked like this I'm pretty sure more people would actually use them. 

Night Owl Paper Goods wooden card from MagNation

Friends and family will tell you, I'm hopeless when it comes to cards; unless I can make one myself I generally give card exchange a wide berth. $6 for a tacky picture and cheesy one liner that soon gets lost in the bottom drawer? Daylight robbery! My one exception are these beautiful wooden cards by Night Owl Paper Goods. They are substantial enough to want to keep forever, and sweet without being syrupy.


Which little luxuries make you happy, Beaunz belles?


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Gratitude is the memory of the heart

The first I heard of a Gratitude Journal was when Oprah Winfrey interviewed Gwyneth Paltrow, not long after she had split from Monsieur Pitt (I'm team Chris all the way, by the way).

The thing that stuck in my mind was that she was thankful for her friend's freckles. Her freckles? I thought. I wonder if anyone is thankful for my freckles? (Turns out they are)

A few years later I was surviving on £20 a week in London, newly split from my partner of 5 years, and had just been turned down for a job I really, really wanted. As I sat on the bus home to rain-drenched Fulham Broadway, I cried for a few minutes then opened up a scrappy old notebook and wrote my first gratitude journal entry: I am grateful for...warm feet. My mother had just posted me the thickest, warmest merino bed socks from New Zealand. I was secretly wearing them under my work shoes and for the first time in months my feet weren't ice cold. Such a simple pleasure, and that's the point of the gratitude journal. Once you start looking for things to be thankful for, beauty appears from all corners of your day.

I have had several gratitude journals since, and love to read through them from time to time. I have always just used a standard notebook, so when I discovered Sarah Laurie's new Lifestyle Couture stationery line I was instantly smitten with her Gratitude Journal. With its delicate butter-yellow linen cover and thick paper stock, it is a thing of beauty itself.

Last night as I sat and contemplated what my first entry would be, I spotted a tiny freckle on my daughter's squidgey, peaches and cream thigh. Turns out, I'm grateful for freckles too.

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