poppies for grace - you and me

two posts in one day!

2011-04-11T16:28:00.002+10:00

saw these pretty felt bags on pinterest. followed the link to the blog and finally found the etsy shop. but sadly she doesn't have any for sale right now. lucas' favorite game to play these days is to put his precious toy bunny into a bag or tin suitcase and carry him round for a few minutes, pull him out, kiss him and put him back in. i think he'd like a buttoning bag. Ours just would not do as he has no concept of 'fragile'. I do think ribbon, circle tag & a button would look oh so lovely on our kraft bags. Which reminds me (warned you i'd ramble), the oh so talented Glen of Prop D used our lolly bags at a recent event promoting his business. When his photos turned up in my inbox I gasped. Oh the beauty.

newish month resolution

2011-04-11T16:03:00.002+10:00

Mondays will now be blog days, I've been so uncommitted in the past. which is silly, my favorite thing to do on a computer is look at blogs. i am a little fearful that i'm to boring for weekly blogging. so an apology- i will ramble, it may be all a little self indulgent and I can't spell.
(photo was sent to us by Anett. she filled our lolly bags with flowering tea of all things. what on earth is flowering tea and why have I not tried it? Hopefully I'll find out soon as she is starting a website: mylittleteapot.com.au)

lots of brown boxes

2011-03-28T13:51:00.003+11:00

our new things have arrived. Kim & sara had a morning of heavy lifting while I held down the fort. I ate my way through a pack of gummy bears and generally kicked back! I will never grow tired of opening brown boxes and seeing our stationery inside, all lined up and colourful. ahhhhhh sugar high. so if you are in need of a little poppies stationery- jump on the website, or follow this link straight to the new things. and don't forget we are donating 30% of sales to the Japan Earthquake Appeal from now until the 15th of April. xx

colours

2011-03-17T13:50:00.003+11:00

I had to share this picture of a few parcels I've just done up. I feel a little silly saying this- but our new things are so so pretty. I'm tempted to send them to myself. Total fluke that the new sticker designs match the new colourful string & tie envelopes. These will be available for purchase by the end of the month, along with all our other new things. We will be donating 30% of sales to the Japan Earthquake Appeal from now until the 15th of April. xx
(sorry for the photo quality- its a quick phone snap)

merry merry merry

2010-12-21T10:12:00.004+11:00

my desk has become rather impractical and wonderfully colourful. strips of bright paper, bakers twine, sticky tape, and the mess of a year coming to an end. i am full of thanks for this mess. I am thankful for you. thanks for writing notes to family and friends, for choosing to celebrate a birthday with a poppies gift- you have given sara and i work to do and we are ever grateful and continually surprised that this is the life we get to live- dreaming, drawing and making. we wish you joy and laughter and time spent in the sunshine this christmas. my hope is that the love shared will cause us all to dream bigger, live better and continually figure out what it is to be truly human. i'll be sitting with toes dipped in sisters pool reading the chronicles of narnia again, my yearly ritual. xx ( photo is little boy lucas and his well loved bunny- can you believe i get to see those cheeks and chubby fingers every day)

a year planned out

2010-12-10T08:04:00.002+11:00

Sara and I have big ideas for our new studio- all incredibly organised and pretty, no more piles of paper and chaos.
we're grown ups after all (found my first grey hair last week- then sara pointed out a second the next day)
in the spirt of all things organised our wall planners will be on sale for one week starting today. hooray for neat

i's and e's

2010-11-30T08:24:00.002+11:00

oops- spelt poppies wrong in the email address- it is all fixed now, thanks for letting me know so quickly.
email alana@poppiesforgrace.com for the magnolia square secret word. x

magnolia square+poppies+lots of other pretty things

2010-11-29T19:14:00.005+11:00

we will be setting up camp at magnolia square for four days of christmas fun- starting this thursday at 5pm. If you are a melbournite do stop by-it just happens to be one of the prettiest of market places. we have a secret word hidden up our sleeves, and if you whisper it to us (when you spend $30 on the stand) you will be carrying home a 2011 wall planner free of charge. If you'd like to know the word email alana@poppiesforgrace.com hehehehe- we are a little over excited by this bit of silliness. I'm rather impressed by my word choice. hope to see you there. with joy, alana & sara

a christmas time sale

2010-11-15T13:26:00.002+11:00

up to 30% off selected gift items. woohoo. all you need to do is go to the sale section of our website from the 17th of November-30th of November. we think things like desk sets and sticky notes make pretty nifty teacher gifts, so of course these are included in the sale. woohoo again. now off to make a merry cup of tea xx alana

amy oliver photography

2010-10-14T11:01:00.003+11:00

its always a delight to find photos in an email. here are a few treats from a recent email from sweet melbourne photographer amy oliver. i adore her style, the lighting is just dreamy. thanks amy for sharing these with us, its made our day.

wedding photos

2010-10-12T11:29:00.004+11:00

we adore our photographer Armel- she takes our slightly clumsy ideas and makes magic out of them. click here and you will see her beautiful work. happiness. We are thinking that we had such fun that perhaps we should dabble in a bit of event styling in the future.

abc

2010-08-20T11:31:00.002+10:00

my brother in law is one of those guys who likes to email beautiful, odd and silly photographs, or a link to a birthday invite to an exclusive destination and you can't clink on the 'yes' will attend button. ha ha phil, very funny. well today's email was about pencil carving. It took me by surprise. Worn, chewed pencils turned delightful. ah to be human, fingers covered in black, hours spent. xx

market to market

2010-08-17T10:08:00.003+10:00

it's been forever since we last set up a trestle, this weekend poppies will have a stall at Christchurch Hawthorn, Denham Street Hawthorn. The market is a fundraiser for heal africa and along with the stand fee we will be donating 25% of all sales. There is a polling booth next door, so why not vote and wander over and say hello to Sara's sister Raechel. Everything will be at market prices, and hopefully you can buy homemade pickles and jams too. xxx

if poppies were a classroom

2010-08-16T15:29:00.006+10:00

trade shows are always delightful. bright colourful things all around. sweet friends, long cups of tea and conversations about small, perfect moments. as always our dear friend rachel worked her styling magic and turned our 3 by 3 into a little poppies school room. in it we placed all our new things, including our christmas offerings. Another dear friend, artist Emma Morgan has designed a pigeon card series, sun shower invitation and a bashful donkey and lamb for christmas. heavenly. She will be popping prints of her work up in her etsy store soon. I'm bursting to get a print of the sun shower for lucas' room.

swallowed up

2010-08-04T12:59:00.005+10:00

I did find just the right spot on the photo, as my creativity has been bursting out of me these last weeks.
there is a bird madly flapping about outside my window, very busy. I feel like we could be friends.
we are getting ready for our next show. my dear uncle left two boxes of christmas decorations I grew up with at my door- I have grand plans of putting them with our christmas things on the stand. the jolly round santa is even greater than i remembered. my little room is filling with smells of the past. makes happiness jump out.
i will be back with photos of santa and our school themed stand late next week.

2010-06-03T14:16:00.004+10:00

we are on SALE
up to 70% off on all products.
Sale starts Monday 7th June until 30th June.
Limited stock available
xx

inspired to run

2010-04-13T14:24:00.002+10:00

i saw this photo on a friends facebook page this morning and wanted to get in it. like another friends little girl who is forever trying to get into the books she loves (she stands on them, hoping they may swallow her up) i need to run through this field. i feel so completely uninspired to draw. i feel lazy and pulled in too many directions. maybe if i built a little hut on this field and took a week to myself i'd find passion returning to me easily. i know it would. now if i could only find the right spot so it would swallow me up xx

a little 2010 sale

2010-03-15T13:37:00.003+11:00

our pretty little desk calendars and wall planners are now on sale on the poppies website. yay

trading

2010-03-04T09:39:00.000+11:00

what a wild adventure i've just returned from. It started with long term parking at melbourne airport- a baby on the front, a bag on the back, a bag in the left and a stroller in the right. Turns out that my high school back pack etiquette memories have faded- i hit a business man in the head TWISE with it while he was helping us get on the bus!
Sydney was a delight- we stayed in paddington and watched sail boat on the water, ate icecream, ate pizza and ate the best friend rice in the world. It was an extra treat to have 5 days with kate (she is based in sydney). Unfortunately teething, an over stimulated 8 week old and a cold made things trickier than we hoped. thank goodness all the beautiful stores we are in are mainly owned by women- who understand this great task we have- the juggling of being mummy and worker of stationery. there was nothing but kindness as lucas projectile vomited at their feet, finley cried and they had to fill in their own order sheets.
sooooooo good to be home.
xx

babes

2010-02-19T17:15:00.000+11:00

'the challenge for business leaders in the 21st century is to assume the mantle of spiritual elder for their cultures, so that life doesn't become trivial and grey for all the people who spend most of their life at work' - jim channon
certainly no dull moments at poppies.

mummy look at my wegs

2010-02-18T11:31:00.002+11:00

new chairs for the studio= delight in a box for charlie and tilly.

this is perfect

2010-02-10T11:37:00.002+11:00

I look at these flowers, and i must must must make something with those colours. maybe some writing paper or a spring card. jill thomas again. xx

the orchard

2010-02-10T11:24:00.003+11:00

we moved out of our orchard house almost a year ago now. i dreamt i still lived there for months and months. I saw these photos yesterday and it made me think of home. it also made me think of inspiration- and what inspires me- what I steal from! I thought i'd share the pics, and i'll keep sharing. I have a folder on my computer that I drop things into to look at when I am starting a new project. do you do that? it works rather well to open it up and look at what you've collected over the weeks. Certain things always stand out to me, like a colour that links everything together. It reminds me of going hunting as a child- collecting all sorts of treasure- coloured feathers and discarded things. so here is my treasure for the day. When I look at the picture of the table I can't help but imagine what I'd add to it-and thus the process has begun.The wonderful photographer is called Jill Thomas

when three became four

2010-02-08T09:42:00.000+11:00

forgot to mention sara had her little babe in december- sweet finely. how funny that we all have boys, I was so certain of girls. girls like pictures of flowers and birdies. charlie likes me to draw him bikes and trains. he also likes to be incredibly loud and 'crash' all day long. ohh the love.

life is no brief candle but a splendid torch

2010-02-05T11:49:00.004+11:00

soooo the book i'm reading. i take notes. thats how much it is shaping me. it is wonderfully empowering. it is full of quotes like this: 'it is high time the ideal of success should be replaced with the ideal of service'- Albert Einstein. to serve- what a word for this day, when it is so easy to be all about me. I will aspire to get there. to live a good life. here are a few sentences i scribbled out madly- 'to actively do good'. 'work that fulfills us'. 'building communities based on interdependence and co-operation'. 'nurturing relationships that breathe passion into our lives'. 'compassion count as much as cashflow'. 'life is no brief candle. but a splendid torch'. 'everything we do matters'. everything we do matters makes my heart beat faster, we can live big lives- pouring ourselves out for the greater good. for community, for an end to poverty and we can do it in a way that is truly us. listen to this:
'any idea you have is like an extension of your personality and any company that you build yourself has your thumbprint on it. It's an extension of yourself. It is your alter ego'- Anita Roddick how enlivening is that! shy lani can make pretty stationery and it be full of the things that make me me. and it may just become large and successful and i can choose to continue to be me in that- by actively doing good and standing up for things that matter. like women. like small businesses, communities and creativity. like children, mothers and the importance of education and a full tummy. I feel very much alive today.

truth

2010-01-12T13:26:00.003+11:00

Ended up clicking on a tweet from design tavern to this quote: "Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery- celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: "It's not where you take things from- it's where you take them to"". - Jim Jarmusch.
Sometimes I worry that the wonderful people that read this blog or buy our things think we have made it in a way they could not, Its just not true- it is the new year- if this is the year you desire to start something creative, start it. Sometimes I wake up and sit down to work and feel like a fraud, I am not one who can sit with a pencil in hand and draw you something beautiful. it takes days or weeks for things to come alive for me. I own a lot of erasers and tracing paper. I am not brilliant, I am not gifted, I stumble on, because poppies makes me happy, I like to make things, do you?
I'm spending my nights reading business as unusual. the body shop story. get ready for some quotes out of the book- it has brought me to tears over and over and breathed hope into me.
looking forward to getting back to work.

all is bright

2009-12-22T10:11:00.002+11:00

last weekend a magical moment happened. I was sitting at the table on the deck of my sisters holiday house facing the house. I could see that through the window winnie the poo had come on telly. I said 'look there's winnie the poo', my four year old niece looked out into the garden and said 'where? where?'. I had to hold my breath. all the beauty in all the world was right there at that table. My sisters house has a stream running through the garden, so it makes sense that winnie would like it there.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about that moment. when is it that we stop believing like children, stop believing in fairy tales and the impossible. this christmas morning i will wake up knowing that impossible can be possible. that fairy tales happen. that little babies can save the world.

under the pretty tree

2009-11-30T15:56:00.002+11:00

this year i decided to be incredibly organised and buy all my christmas presents before lucas was born. incase he didn't like shopping centers, prams and car seats. I ended up gettting lots from etsy, ah handmade, such joy. stores like sugarloop and roundabout . we will be popping in a little christmas treat into all our brown packages. So jump onto the website if you so desire.

welcome to the family little one

2009-10-08T15:46:00.003+11:00

introducing Lucas Tate. the warm little bundle now filling my days with joy. who knew i could feel like this, such an intense love that makes everything else seem insignificant. such beauty. the most creative thing. life. 'all that has ever charmed my eyes is but the poorest reflection of your infinite beauty'. i am blessed.

in the poppies store

2009-08-24T09:35:00.000+10:00

Finally we have counted, assembled and boxed all our new things....I'm especially in love with the butterfly notepads-ahh the springtime. I gave a pad to one of my nieces- she ran off to her bedroom and covered her pink wall in butterflies. she knows how to make my day, that and practicing ballet with her two sisters make for sweet moments. anyway, anyway everything is now available on our website and will be in stores over the next few weeks. yay for new things.

the latest poppies show

2009-08-10T10:50:00.002+10:00

two pregnant poppies, a whole lot of lollies and new things = the melbourne trade show.
all our new things are up on the website but not available for purchase until mid august. we hope you enjoy their brightness! thought I'd share a few snaps of us setting up and how the stand turned out. Our yellow paper strings turned out a treat- If you'd like to make your own all you need is a pack of doilies, spray paint and ribbon. we cut ours in half (big mistake- as they we're tricky to attach to the ribbon) I think folding them in half and hanging them over the ribbon would work better! I imagine them looking rather lovely in a little girls room.
right, time for tea.
xx

notebook giveaway

2009-07-07T15:17:00.002+10:00

we have a tiny bundle of our notebooks left, if you'd like to get your hands on one of the last 20 simply spend over $50 on our website and we'll send one your way.

nothing to do with poppies

2009-06-23T11:40:00.002+10:00

We are back from our little adventure. we had two days of summer weather- such a delight. I had forgotten how green england is,
so leafy and thick, that beautiful deep green. No tired trees worn by this drought of ours. Oh how I long for weeks of rain to kiss our earth back to what I remember it as. I've popped a few holiday pics up. My brother in law said I looked so special in my purple coat that he couldn't walk next to me. I hope you enjoy it, I had matching boots ( thanks to my in-laws who never throw anything out- they have everything you'll ever need) There is a photo of my dear johnny and I, a little pathway, a few cows we met on our walk and the hill I huffed and puffed up. xx

with the trees

2009-05-08T14:15:00.004+10:00

dear johnny and I are off to visit family for three glorious weeks. this little snap was sent to me by my mother-in-law just the other day. they live in a little village in Yorkshire, I plan on laying a big blanket under those trees, and staying there for hours with my thermos of tea, what joy.

belki love

2009-05-08T13:43:00.003+10:00

this beautiful gem of a store has been a long time supporter of poppies and we are ever so grateful. Tanya's eye for detail, her merchandising skills and the charming collection of things has always drawn us there. We are so thrilled that she chose poppies for grace to be in the window for mother's day. We popped down this morning for a little look-see and took a few snaps. Windows are tricky things, sorry for the reflections! The display is wonderful!!!! thank you Tanya. If you've not been to belki and live in melbourne the address is 631 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North.

new things in store

2009-03-12T11:29:00.002+11:00

today there is new cards, stickers and sticky notes up on our website. yay.
today I had my 12 week ultrasound and saw the little one wiggling about, what beauty.
today charlie and I are both wearing yellow tops.
today we ate lunch outside.
today we had cake and custard.

x

another poppies show

2009-02-27T16:17:00.000+11:00

since this show involved us getting on a plane (I have a massive fear of flying, not to mention pretty wooden tables don't fit) our stand design was a little less 'ta da' than I would have liked. hours of cutting out little paper butterflies to cover some of the white walls went down a treat. now we are working their prettiness into our next range.
we had such fun with the fine ladies of High Tea and of course Karen and Amber of Me and Amber, Elise Carrels, and the quirky, ever so lovely Nick of Two Ruffians
my most embarrassing moment: gushing over the buyers from Anthropologie, to the point I actually hugged the catalogue, dear me, when will I learn.
xx

remember me

2009-02-26T15:49:00.004+11:00

I can't believe the last time i wrote was november. I'm sneaking in a post before it becomes march.
market day came and went, as did the sydney trade show. our hands have been busily working on new cards, stickers and sticky notes. these will be online soon. promise. here is a little pic of the welcome card.
a few people have asked if we have been affected by the terrible bush fires. i think we all have. we have seen so much to have hope in though, so much rich humanity. we continue to pray for rain.

market day update

2008-11-27T10:12:00.000+11:00

we have almost everything ready for the market now, which is rather organised for poppies. I feel silly and like a commercial for saying what i am about to say, but here goes..... market day will mean a one day poppies sale: cards $5, tags $2.50, boxed cards $25, small writing sets $20, desk sets $35... come one come all and snap up a little christmas gift or two. owww do forgive me.

real living

2008-11-17T08:47:00.002+11:00

is it just me or does each issue get better and better. I adore it, a cup of tea, short bread bikkies, feet up and mag in hand. the november issue has the most perfect recipe 'warm roasted vegetable salad with couscous'. So good I've been making it every week, I like adding green olives and slices of chili salami to mine. Anyway this Christmas issue has a few poppies things featured. One being our lolly bags. Clair- such a talent stylist and beautiful woman has used some of our camellia sweets and isobel treats with red letters and christmas pegs. way to turn a simple bag into a work of art. She is amazing. sooooooooo incase there is any confusion we don't have Christmas themed lolly bags exactly!
Another feature is some home made envelopes, I'm certainly not the first to use children's book illustrations for envelope making, but I am still thrilled they made it into the pages. It is such a simple way to get crafting, so go on, run down to your local opp shop and see what you can find. The envelopes look oh so good on a gift wrapped in brown paper. If you can't bear to rip the pages out (like me) scan the image in and print out a copy.
xx alana
ps. isobel turned 3 yesterday. happy birthday dear sweet isobel. and yes, you are right you can go to ballet class now.

melbourne design market

2008-11-17T08:29:00.003+11:00

is that market we all love. It is on again next Sunday (30th) here are the details. We are bundling all our things in boxes and setting up shop for the day, so if you are in melbourne pop by! We are now in the process of sewing up our little birdies to keep us company. yay for market day.

where the dry leaves fall

2008-10-31T17:31:00.003+11:00

is the dear Leah Bartholomew's debut exhibition. on from now until the 16th of november at gorker gallery. 'Dry wheat stream like ribbons in the hot wind and the sun won't go to sleep. harvest time is coming and there is a whole world hidden in the corn fields- a world of innocence and nostalgia, children with skin like honey and feathers in their hair hiding from the future, singing about the summer and freedom.' eeeeeeeee it is all beauty, as is she. i came home with a camera full of bad photos and a receipt for summer love (the print in the photo above these words)

back in store

2008-10-09T14:58:00.002+11:00

our beloved sticky notes, square boxed cards and favorite lolly bags are all now back in stock.
phew.
tea and cake anyone?

deck the halls baby

2008-10-06T12:04:00.004+11:00

ah ha, all our christmas delights are now online.
we are introducing our latest birdie friend....
Paul Partridge. He's got a rather unconventional wing, we think he stands out from your every day partridge.

do pop on the site to see the full range and don't forget Sara and I are at the ready with our scissors and wrap!

with joy,
alana
xx

what a day

2008-09-16T14:22:00.004+10:00

ow what a good day:
1. the wisteria is starting to pop all over the fence. we become the purple house in spring; three lilac trees and wisteria, and we all know wisteria does what she pleases, each year she's found a new place to grow.
2. mum came for a visit and gave me green tea with rose from T2, such a treat
and then
3. a little package arrived from Kikki K. oh how i love the post. I had emailed Kristina earlier in the week to say how much I was loving all the colour in her stores, especially the cute diary and now Sara and I have one each and a bright yellow pen. thanks kristina, I feel so special! this is a good week for yellow (and purple)

sneaking strawberries before the party begins

2008-09-15T09:43:00.000+10:00

writing about being 27 reminded me of our dear friends birthday tea we had on the balcony the other week. the sun came out, we dipped strawberries in dark chocolate, sara made hummingbird cake and we drunk tea from nans delightful cups. it is so so good to celebrate.

the orange ball

2008-09-11T14:52:00.004+10:00

I am sitting here with a bright orange ball between me and the chair in an effort to sit up straight.
turns out you can't be serious when trying to keep a ball in its place.
well, I came on here to write about post trade show happenings, which is now all about getting everything christmas ready to post on the 1st of october, four days before I turn 27. (I still feel like the dorky high school kid. Every now and then I have an odd dream where I am told that the year I finished didn't count and that my whole year level has to repeat the last year of school. in the dream I fish out my old school uniform and pack my school bag.)
anyway, christmas. Our christmas things will be on our website by the 1st of october too, we are making wrapping paper this year so we will be offering a wrapping service. that sounded very shopping centerish. the wrapping service is me and sara, two pairs of scissors and some sticky tape.
In other news, we are not going ahead with our 2009 calendar. which is so sad, but the idea of not selling them all is worse, the waste would make me cry.
last of all, here is a picture of our notebooks blowing on the line.
xx

in the grass

2008-08-06T13:10:00.003+10:00

below are all the pictures from the show, including little abigail showing us her favorite bird house.
I can't take credit for the merchandising, that is all Rachel, super talented and most excellent of friends.
so thanks Ra Ra. We've played together since we were 8, digging up old fish ponds, baking or burning depending on the day, watching cutting edge and working out we could climb from her brothers room into the bathroom using the tree by the window.
It was very normal for us to be out in her parents shed last week hosing off dirty jars for our flowers.

close up

2008-08-06T13:04:00.004+10:00

welcome to the poppies show

2008-08-06T11:14:00.003+10:00

what fun we've had. months of preparation and the launch of our new range. and our little poppies garden worked out better than the design in my head, which is unreal banana peel. I'm feeling so uplifted this week, we met with so may beautiful store owners, stylists and designers. Drunk tea out of china cups which really annoyed the caterers who we're determined to have us use their paper ones. It was lovely to see our talented friends Amber and Karen of the stationery brand Me and Amberand wonderful Elise Caarels . Now we are home again, out of the city and back with the quieter places. Although it's not so still in this house, lots of orders to fill, yay.

its up up up and away

2008-07-22T11:27:00.004+10:00

eeeeeeee the glee. our wedding website is up and running, we have a few little issues to iron out, but all in all, its fabulous. our web designer has done such a great job, three cheers for our guy dan CHEER CHEER CHEER. click here to see the site
ow, the sun just came out, could the day get any better. yes... sara if you read this could you make me a ripper hot chocolate.
xx

happy world environment day

2008-06-05T14:13:00.004+10:00

what a perfect day for the sun to come out.
everything is looking incredibly green.
i really feel the seasons in this old house on the hill,
living here, working here you have to take note of it all.
since the water we use comes from the three dams on the property you
see the colour of the water change when it rains and every drop becomes precious, like a gift.
the odd weather is shown in the leaves on the fruit trees, on the size and colour of the fruit.
we depend on this place, for my husbands income and all the fruit and vegetables we eat.
this house has blessed my life, and opened my eyes.

so, poppies uses 100% wind power to run this little business.
our products are printed on FSC approved paper and 100% recycled paper.
our envelopes are made from 100% recycled kraft paper.
the ink we use is vegetable based.
most of our product is printed to the green standards.
our packaging reflects our commitment to being sustainable.
recycled paper boxes abound.

where we lack is in our individual card and tag packaging.
if you know of any bio-degradable, recyclable sleeves,
please let me know. the product needs to be 100% transparent.

I know we can do more, change our mindsets even more.
live lightly.
x

the little tree that is poppies

2008-05-30T14:00:00.004+10:00

Poppies for Grace is all about paper and its endless
possibilities- scribbling, giving, making fun and
jumping up and down. We think our stationery feels
like a perfect cup of tea would on a cold morning,
and hope that you might find life in our things.

Our collection includes gift cards and tags,
invitations, lolly bags, writing sets, book stickers and
a pinch of the fairytale all around.

Oh yeah, and this is where we work from. It makes it
very, very natural to create pictures. From our
window we can see crates of apples being driven up
the hill by alana’s husband johnny. perfect really.

late late always late

2008-05-30T11:57:00.001+10:00

I'm trying to catch up on poppies happenings over the last few years, just a few main ones. so excuse my posts about events that happened years ago!

under capricorn 06

2008-05-30T11:51:00.003+10:00

‘ It’s a trade event like no other in Australia; it features only newly released quality products, newly developed materials, technologies and services. It is the hub for many of the Festival’s business and social activities because it focuses on the people and the products. ‘Designers, business, industry, government, trade and media groups have all contributed to the vision that is Under Capricorn,’ Says national Design Centre Director, Kathy Demos, “ It is a vision that will further develop the credentials of the design sector and promote this region’s ever-expanding roll as the hub of design excellence”
Specially created commissions by emerging designers such as Pseudo Republik, Simon MacEwan and Poppies for Grace will decorate the space, and every element of the Under Capricorn environment will reflect a consideration for design and the comfort of its visitors.’- Kathy Demos. The National Design Centre.

red bull 06

2008-05-30T11:41:00.002+10:00

‘Each year Red Bull Music Academy seeks out a city that cultivates the coming together of like-minded communities from around the world; a place where friends can draw from the vibrant environment of their surrounds, a place that acts as a ‘real’ inspiration, and a place that can assist in closing the gap between the aural and visual creative arts……... the shell of the three story warehouse has been transformed from a typical dumping ground into a giant web of studio suites, recording rooms, and interactive spaces showcasing a resounding diversity in the visual arts.’

It was our joy to design a space in one of the studio suites.
‘This will only take us a few hours’ says Alana
what Alana learned that day: Sara is always right.
It took three full days, opps.

pretending to be cool

2008-05-29T09:18:00.006+10:00

i thought i'd post a little something on the trade show we did last August...
which we are now preparing to do again in 9 short weeks.
this is the place where we felt exposed to say the least. we set up shop amongst talented, established australian brands and nearly peed our pants. i can still remember our first customer... oh dear, he wandered into our stand and sara and i looked at each other with that 'what do we do now' look. thank goodness by the end of the day we got the hang of selling!
the pics are of our stand, the little dolls house and sara and her dear little man charlie (he's only a month old in the photo)

wedding bliss

2008-04-04T16:28:00.003+11:00

this photo is a peek at our wedding stationery range,
due to be up on our website in a month or so.
i'm so excited that I snapped a quick one on my camera phone,
not the greatest idea...but you get the gist.
six glorious sets to play with.
and finally the 'coming soon' sign can be taken down.
oh baby oh baby they are here and not blurry, discoloured,
ugly or odd.
I've also been drawing things to go on new cards, invites, writing sets and book plates.
we're also experimenting with five new products...
ohhh i hope you like them!

thank you

2008-03-31T13:05:00.002+11:00

also thanks so much to josephine, danielle and jess for your help with the technical bits!

our lives begin

2008-03-31T12:38:00.004+11:00

our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter- martin luther king
to not feel held back.
but let these words live in me:

sight
perception
liberation
wholeness
wholesomeness
movement
health
fullness
sanity
balance
hope.

i have been reading heat (it's about global warming) and taking notes, i'm not sure why i'm taking notes but i am.
along side it i've been reading about poverty and social justice. for a week or two I felt like I could'nt breathe.
How can I make pretty things out of something that takes and consumes. Surely the beauty is not true beauty unless it gives.
Unless we stop kidding ourselves by thinking we can live without limits.

We have found a printer who prints to the green standards, which is more than eco inks and recycled paper.
this is thrilling to me, but only the beggining.
I now have a list that could possibly be unachievable, but i'm going for it anyway.
a list that gives life and dignity to my brothers and sisters in poverty.
How can my joy be complete while someone else is in distress.
i will give.
i will donate.
i will pray and move my feet.

xx
alana

p.s the photo is from Sara on her holiday in tassie, it's so glorious!

eeeeeee.

2007-11-28T15:58:00.000+11:00

I know that if i looked somewhere, i would find answers to these very simply questions. Infact, i can almost hear the tutting. i confess i have no idea how to use blogger, and worse still, i'm lazy.
here are my questions, feel free not to help me!

one. how do i reply to comments that people have left
two. what am i doing wrong when i upload photos and they come out looking very odd. almost like a negative.

help!

joy joy joy joy joy joy

2007-08-17T16:40:00.000+10:00

our christmas cards are finished, proofed and all tied up with string...
and their brightness has caught the attention of our favourite stores.
(they'll be up on shelves in mid october) not to mention a few other little surprises.....
owww secrets!

when everything is more appealing than drawing, even cleaning dudley's paws so he can come inside.

2007-07-27T15:48:00.000+10:00

well, i baked 15 cranberry shorbread bikkies
did the dishes
wrote out a calander of the next months activities
made the bed with extra care
and now i have run out of things to do that have nothing to do with poppies.

looks like i will have to design our christmas range.
You see, we've never been this organised before, it's
always been a last minute thing, when the weather is getting warmer.
when it feels like christmas.
but
it is raining and its JULY.
well. i have till monday to have it done.
plenty of time.

call me simpson

2007-05-31T17:28:00.000+10:00

sara received a beautiful card this week.
simply because a man saw one of our tea towels in a magazine,
and fell in love with it, cause it was a way he could bring the birds inside his home.
unfortunately we don't sell tea towels anymore, but do have a few lying around.
sara bundled two up for him, as a gift, and into the country they went.

He wrote,
'My dear Sara,
Thank you for your delightful gift and the sincerity that inspired it!
I assure you, the "little birdies" will have a place of honour in my home
and often remind me of the lovely ladies who created them...
may life continue to be an enriching experince for you and alana'

how he enriched our lives, with his blue pen and handwriting.

new designs

2007-05-15T14:55:00.000+10:00

it's one of those days when i really really really should turn spell check on.
finally our new little booklet is finished, all ready to be printed and sent to stores.
its at that moment that your heart ends up in your mouth..
what will they think, have we lost the ability to draw. will no one order and i'll
have to get a 'real' job. ahh the creative mind.
i think that's why i'm posting some pics here before the big send out. like
a great nervous exhale. get yourself together lani.

pups

2007-05-03T09:35:00.000+10:00

mr dudley and his dear friend dieselle waiting at the gate
while we hurry home with our tub of yarra valley icecream.

the places we go to

2007-04-27T10:55:00.002+10:00

wide open spaces, thats what the poppies girls adore. There is something life giving about being able to see far far away.
My far far away is healsville. the cold air, drinking tea on the balcony whilst looking at still mountains..ahhhhhhhh. there truly is nothing better for the soul.

magnolia

2007-04-27T10:55:00.001+10:00

well, it seems everyone is delighted by 'alfred's garden'. Thank goodness, we're rather attached to our little bird friend.
The new card designs have been a long time coming, magnolia square market was the perfect place to launch him into the big wide world.
here's alfred, incase you haven't met him