Ma and Grandy greeting cards

Oh I do love these graphic greeting cards from Brisbane designer Natala Stuetz of Ma and Grandy.

Named after Natala's grandparents who met in 1935 and were an example to their friends and family of old-fashioned romance, generosity and love. How cute are they!

I adore the colour combos and Helen Dardik-like style of Natala's work. Apart from the musings of love, there are some great options for Father's Day and birthday party season too.

You can find Ma and Grandy paper goods in the online store. Thank you Kim at eeni meeni miini moh for the heads up!

Images: Ma and Grandy

Danielle Stewart Design geo greeting cards

I'm still in love with triangles and have fallen hard for these geo cards by Fremantle, WA-based surface designer Danielle Stewart. I've followed Danielle's design work for years (from her days as a textile designer with her Of Paper And Thread label) and after a short break I'm excited to see Danielle designing again; this time a range of 100% post-consumer recycled greeting cards.

Danielle's colour combos are fresh and her designs are modern and punchy. I can't wait to see what comes next. You can find Danielle Stewart Designs greeting cards as well as limited edition screen-printed fabric in her etsy store.

Images: Danielle Stewart Designs

Make: Free printable advent calendar from Mibo

Christmas preparations are in full swing at our house and we have started our annual advent calendar to count down the days to the big one. Do you have one? It's not too late!

Our advent calendar was designed by UK designers Mibo a few years ago and we have been using the same calendar each year. Simply print out the first page (day numbers) on card stock and use a craft knife and board to cut along the dotted window lines. Then print out the second page on normal paper, glue the two pieces together, punch two holes at the top and add a festive ribbon to hang. Easy!

Some advent calendars have a small chocolate or treat for each day. Our Mibo design just reveals a cute picture each day and our girls seem to be just as excited. If you would like to download a free advent calendar by Mibo head to this page for Mibo's new 2012 design. You can also purchase this version which is also cute. The 2009 version that I used above is no longer available. I'd love to hear all about your advent traditions - please let me know!

Image: Steph Bond-Hutkin | Bondville

Inaluxe for Earth Greetings stationery

Oh what a beautiful marriage: the distinctively cool illustrations of two of my all-time favourite Australian artists - Kristina Sostarko and Jason Odd from Inaluxe - and the eco-friendly goodness of the Earth Greetings stationery company. This perfect collaboration features stylized Australian native birds and flora adorning greeting cards and wrapping paper. This is so completely up my alley, I can hardly stand it...

Among the designs you will find wildflowers, and native birds such as the Kookaburra, Leser Sooty Owl, Owlet Nightjar, WhiteBreasted Whistler and a pair of fantastic Gang Gang Cockatoos. The wrapping paper and greeting cards are made carbon neutrally in Australia, from luxuriously thick 100% post-consumer waste card, printed with vegetable-based ink and the cards are paired with a recycled envelope

Get the whole collection quick sticks, frame it, and adorn your walls with mid-century modern-inspired amazingness, Aussie-style. (I know, I'm excited).

You can find Inaluxe for Earth Greetings stationery products in the Earth Greetings online store as well as stockists around Australia and New Zealand. Read more about Inaluxe here on Bondville and Earth Greetings right here.

Images: Earth Greetings

Real Kids Room: Spoonful of Colour playroom and shared girls bedroom.. and giveaway!

I adore the white-with-pops-of-colour look that Melbourne graphic designer, paper product designer, all-round crafty gal and blogger Pascale Clearihan of Spoonful of Colour has pulled together for her girls' playroom and shared bedroom.

Pascale has included many of her own handmade decorations and artwork in her childrens' rooms. The stand-out A-Z Animal Print below is one of Pascale's own (you can find it in the Spoonful of Colour online store). I'm thrilled that Pascale is giving away one A3 print to a lucky Bondville reader! (giveaway now closed). See the end of this post for details. Enjoy this tour!

Room: Girls' bedroom and playroom
Age: 3 years and 4 months
Designed by: Pascale Clearihan (Spoonful of Colour)
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Write To Me nostalgic stationery

Melbourne sisters Anna and Nicoletta from stationery brand Write To Me are all about the handwritten letter; and I am too. Do you remember how exciting it was to get an email (you've got mail!) and now that we are overwhelmed with electronic mail, it's such a rush to receive something handwritten in the mail. (We have just to convince Australia Post to re-think postage prices). Let's have a look at some of Write To Me's beautifully illustrated and beautifully styled stationery...

Each product is designed, hand printed and crafted in their Melbourne studio on recycled kraft paper. The range includes cards, tags, wrapping paper, letter-writing sets, postcards, journals, notebooks, party invitations, announcements, treat bags and thank you cards as well as a collection of seasonal products and simply lovely wedding stationery. Oh and a whole new slew of products including a pregnancy journal, pantry labels, book labels and love lunch notes. It's all very nostalgic and I love it all.

I'm especially taken with the bicycle wrapping paper and the robot party pack. You could even let the kids go to town personalising it with their glitter glue stick and colouring in pencils.

You can find Write To Me in the online store and at stockists across Australia.

Images: Write To Me

Make: Thousand Origami Paper Cranes artwork

First stop on our North American tour was Vancouver to visit my sister and her husband in the super-cute Kitsilano area. Their garden was full of vegetables and their deck covered in pots of flowers and herbs - heaven for the local hummingbirds.

Apart from having a green thumb, my sister is also a crafty DIY gal and a whiz with origami. I adore this amazing artwork that she created for her husband as a wedding gift, featuring a thousand Japanese paper cranes that she folded herself leading up to their big day. According to Japanese folklore, the person who folds a thousand paper cranes is granted a wish by a crane. Origami cranes given as gifts are said to be powerfully lucky; what an amazing wedding gift!

You can make this artwork with your favourite paper (origami or not) and a serious amount of patience. There are a huge number of paper crane tutorials online. My sister recommends bundling the finished cranes in groups of 10 to keep track. Once you have folded one thousands cranes, use your imagination to display them in a frame. You can spray a little adhesive onto the frame backing to ensure that the cranes do not move once they are hung. Place the cranes randomly in the frame, or create a pattern. My sister used solid origami paper, a black backing sheet and a square black frame to showcase her work.

This is also a great project to try with older kids, and a great school holiday project. It's perfect for a rainy day but this craft is portable, so you can also take your papers with you to the park.

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Images: (c) Steph Bond-Hutkin

Spoonful Of Colour stationery and paper goods

My friend Sophie keeps telling me that I need to meet her friend Pascale. I hopped over to Pascale's Spoonful of Colour blog and Etsy store and was bowled over by the totally chic stationery products and paper decor with their bold and perfectly restrained graphics. Do you love?

Pascale's stationery and paper goods range includes greeting cards, art prints and this very special hanging mobile - the Important Things mobile. You can never have enough reminders of the important things in life, and this simple and sweet decor is a winner in my mind.

Luckily, Pascale is hosting a huge giveaway - a set of three Holiday cards, her signature spoon print, and the Important Things mobile, over on her blog. Head over if you would like to win (by13th Dec 2011)!

You can find Spoonful of Colour paper products in the Etsy store.

Images: Spoonful of Colour

Bespoke Letterpress Boutique 2011 Christmas Cards

Every year I like to feature the gorgeous designs and imprinted stationery of Brisbane's Bespoke Letterpress Boutique, and 2011's Christmas range is just as lovely.

Alischa, Hayden and team (let's not forget Ruby the letterpress studio dog) have released a range of beautifully pressed and printed Christmas cards and gift tags, along with their stock of baker's twine, Japanese washi tape, double-sided gift wrap, and ribbon (for all your gifting needs).

I've had such joy from my Boutique Letterpress Boutique stationery over the last few years; the cards and paper goods are truly Quality with a capital Q. I love this year's silver typography Christmas cards and Kraft gift tags that would match any wrapping. I know you'll love them too.

You can find the Christmas range in the Bespoke Letterpress Boutique online store. Lucky for us, Bespoke Letterpress Boutique are offering free shipping for Australian orders of $30 or more placed before 19th December 2011. Enter FREESHIPPING at checkout. International postage is $10 flat rate (excludes twine and gift wrap). 

Images: Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

Katy Jane Designs stationery Christmas 2011

Do you have an advent calendar sorted out yet? Bondville sponsor Katy Jane Designs created a unique badge advent calendar in 2010 and is back this year with versatile and stylish Christmas number stickers to create your own advent calendar.

Fix the stickers to small brown paper bags, coloured envelopes or boxes, slip a little something special inside each, and stack or hang to create a fun treat for each day of December leading up to Christmas.

Katy Jane Designs has also released a new collection of Christmas cards, gift tags, Santas stop here signs, badges, label stickers, and goodies for wrapping including the ever-so-popular twine, kraft bags, pegs and oodles of ribbons.

Pale blue, red and white is my favourite colour palette, and designers Katy and Jane do a fab job of combining blonde wood for a Scandinavian-inspired Christmas style. And did you notice the fun Santa sign? It would go perfectly with a glass of milk and cookies on Christmas Eve for the jolly old fellow.

You can find Perth-based Katy Jane Designs in the online store and at stockists around Australia and online. Read more about Katy Jane Designs here on Bondville.

Images: Katy Jane Designs.

miki.o stationery and paper goods

Bianca van Meeuwen is a multi-talented lady whose textile design I have written about here on Bondville. Now Melbourne-based Bianca is bringing us her stationery and paper goods design with miki.o stationery, wall art prints, and printable wedding stationery.

There is so much to love about Bianca's collection. The Fruit and Veggie calendar is totally inspired and something I have been searching for, for a long time. The print outlines monthly seasonal produce in Australia - something I'd love for our kitchen. And I need that menu planner big-time. The wedding stationery designs are fresh and printing yourself is so economical - a great wedding budget-slasher.

You can find miki.o stationery and paper goods in the online store and printable wedding stationery in the etsy store.

Images: miki. o

Twice Designs handmade brooches and greeting cards

I met Sarah Bartnett from Twice Designs at an ABCD Meetup in Sydney this year and loved the typewriter greeting card that she contributed to the goodie bag. And then last week, one of Sarah's cards was featured in a Bondville kids bedroom tour. I had to find out more...

So on top of her fun old-world greeting cards, Sarah also manages to find time to make lovely brooches, cufflinks and scarves. Even better, many of her one-off pieces are made from recycled and repurposed materials.

I'm dying for the laser-etched eye chart wooden brooch. So fun and a great conversation-starter. Know any budding photographers that would love the camera brooch? I think I've now got birthday presents sorted for a bunch of my girlfriends.

You can find Twice Designs in the Etsy and MadeIt (Australia) stores. If you head over the online stores now, there are sales on, including brooches from $2 and buy-four-cards-and-get-one-free. For more information on the latest designs, head over to the Twice Designs blog.

Images: Twice Designs