Papernation

We had a great time making this video! We wanted to show you what gorgeous creatures are lurking in the Magical Menagerie kit that we’ve just added to our online store. And if a picture speaks a thousand words, then a video just says everything there is to say.

We don’t expect stocks to last long so close to Christmas, so if this super set of 20 cardboard animals appeals to you, buy now!

A while ago, pen and paper fiend @sph33r asked on Twitter what people used all their notebooks for…did they doodle, journal, make lists or write epic novels? For my part, I mentioned that I use pocket notebooks as an alternative to conventional business card holders.

This sample of a new range of notebooks arrived on my desk at the perfect time. I needed a new notebook to use as a business card holder, and this has the perfect layout for that purpose – plain paper on one side and lined on the other. It’s a similar (but different) notebook to a Moleskine pocket notebook…I love it for its funky strap and end papers!

I’ve added the first batch of business cards, and shown some of them below. I haven’t yet got around to adding my notes on the lined page, but I’d normally add where and when I picked up the business card, as well as what I thought of the company and its products or services.  I stick the cards in using repositionable invisible tape, so I can take them out if I need to. I just tape the top end, so that I can flip the card over to see the other side. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year when you need to come up with some fab ideas for original Christmas presents. If you’ve got a designer (of any sort) to buy for, then it’s especially tricky.  Whether they’re a designer by trade, or simply someone who seeks out good design in everything they do, this is the person who causes the most pressy angst!  Will they like it, will they think it’s ’so last year’, will it ‘go’ in their home or fit in with their look.

Fear not, we’ve carefully selected our top 5 suggestions for what to buy the designer for Christmas.  Each one has a strong design-led feel and a design community following.  Here they are:

1. Anything Whitelines or Rhodia – both of these notebook brands have a cult following in the design world. Simple, elegant and functional – everything that a designer could wish for. If you’re looking for more than a simple notebook, the Rhodia range includes a Rhodia Essentials Gift Box, and some beautiful leather journals.

2. Speech Bubble Paper Clips – the perfect stocking filler for anyone who knows that it’s the little details that really count.

3. Fabio Handcrafted A4 Leather Journal – this journal is absolutely the epitome of the perfect leather notebook. With 100% cotton paper inside, and the finest leather cover, you can actually smell the quality of this journal.

4. An Acme Designer Pen – Acme commission designs for their pens from leading designers around the world, including Rod Dyer, Karim Rashid and Alexander Girard.  A solidly designed pen that feels as good as it looks.

5. A luxury any day diary – this is a sleek and chic diary that lets you start at any time of the year – you simply date the pages as and when you use them.  A great idea for anyone who wants to note their creative ideas as and when they arrive.

We’re very excited here at Papernation as we have just taken delivery of Fantastic Mr Fox Whizzpopping writing paper.  It’s been produced by Roger la Borde, and the set contains loads of writing paper (24 sheets), 12 envelopes and some fabulous stickers to decorate the envelopes and paper, all for just £4.95.

You can view the writing set here

Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox was one of my favourite books as a child.  Miraculously, I have carted it around with me since leaving home, via various flats and houses that I have lived, to my house in Bristol now.  I think I loved the fact that Roald Dahl wrote about nose picking and horrid things that I thought were hysterical.  I’m not sure my parents were so impressed, as I regailed them with tales of Boggis, Bunce and Bean at the dinner table.   Meal times, even in the 70’s, being so much more genteel than they are now.  Goodness, I think I’m giving my age away now.  Anyway, here’s a photo of my copy of Fantastic Mr Fox.

I’m not sure if I’ll go and see the film, it might spoil my memories of the book.  I probably will though.

We’re really pleased to announce that we now stock the entire range of Whitelines notebooks and pads.  This ingenious paper is VERY eco-friendly, and pretty clever into the bargain!

The clever part is the idea for the paper to have white lines on a very light grey background, as opposed to traditional dark lines on white paper. This reduces glare and interference and makes an amazing difference that literally has to be seen to be believed.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re delighted to announce that the Christmas-themed products from Cavallini & Co. are now available online.  As ever, they’re full of vintage-inspired fun and Christmas cheer, and they’ll definitely stand out on your gifts, cards and decorations at Christmas time.

The picture above is of the Christmas Glitter Gift Tags.  Here’s a rundown of the other Christmas lines in the Cavallini range:  Read the rest of this entry »

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve recently become a Collins Master Dealer.  Collins personal organisers, diaries and notebooks are well known for their quality, straightforward style and reliability, and we’ve been selling some of the range for quite some time now.  Moving up to Master Dealer means that we now stock the entire range of Collins personal organisers, which is great news for our customers.  Expect to see more notebooks, diaries and planners over the coming weeks too.

UPDATE:  08/10/2009 - VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS AWARD.
PLEASE KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR US! 

We’ve entered the Website of the Year Awards, run by The Good Web Guide.  Of course, we’d love to win and we’d really appreciate your vote to help us give it our best shot!  Click on the image above to cast your vote, and tell The Good Web Guide why you think Papernation should win.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Our very pretty Au Jardin notebook has been featured in the gift guide of this month’s Vogue magazine.  The notebook has a vintage garden theme, and has lined paper inside.  As the good people of Vogue point out, it’s a great gift for any garden-lover.

We were chatting in the office yesterday about how lovely these new notecards are, when it occurred to me that we have quite a few bird-related items in our store.

With (dare I say it) Christmas approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to highlight a few items from our range that would made great gifts for ornithologists.

These beautifully illustrated cards feature some stunning images from Jeroen Allart. They come in a lovely box of 20 cards for £9.95.

Next up is a firm favourite at Papernation. The Cavallini Birds & Nest easel calendar for 2010 will make any bird lover smile each day as they look at it on their desk. With 12 different illustrations printed on luxury cream card, these calendar images are perfect for framing  at the end of the year.

Cavallini Birds & Nest Easel Calendar 2010: £8.95

Sticking with the wonderful Cavallini range, how about these adorable bird-themed Sticky Notes?  Post-it notes don’t have to be dull, oh no…

Birds Sticky Notes: £9.25

And finally, who could resist this super-cute owl notebook? A5 in size, and with plain paper, it’s a great notebook for sketches or birdwatching notes.

Owl A5 notebook: £6.95

There are lots more bird-themed gift ideas in store – click here to take a look.  We also have bird-themed gift wrap, tape and greeting cards so you can really get the bird theme going!