Get organised with personalised 2016 stationery from Hippo Blue

So it's less than twelve weeks until Christmas. Crazy right? If you're looking to get a head start on the gift-giving season, it's worth checking out these great personalised stationery designs from Australian designers and Bondville sponsors Hippo Blue. It's such a nice touch to receive a present with your name on it; and they make great gifts for grandparents, teachers, partners, sisters, brothers, or children who love to be organised (or need to be!). I'm sure we all know one of those.

Flexible kid's study space with pegboard

My 7-year-old daughter has been begging for her very own study desk where she can work on her homework in peace (when the kitchen counter becomes too hectic), keep her stationery organised, and work on art and craft. I've been sanding, painting, and assembling up a storm to create a movable space for her that will work for many years to come. (remember my mood board here?)

Desk top: IKEA Linnmon

Trestle legs: IKEA Oddvald painted with Taubmans Sweet Pea

Pegboard: Bunnings. Harris backed the pegboard with a wooden frame for extra stability.

Chair: Ozzio Design Pocket folding chair from the Conran Shop (UK)

Rug: Armadillo & Co.

Free Father's Day printables - cards and more

Tinyme has done it again with a fabulous collection of free printable cards and stationery for Father's Day.

Simply head to Tinyme to download the printables, print out on your own printer, fold and you're done. Great last minute Father's Day ideas!

Images: Tinyme

Confetti party collection from kikki.K

kikki.K has just launched their first party stationery collection for girls and it's super-sweet. Co-ordinate your party from top to toe with sweet confetti-themed pieces including invitations, wrapping paper, plates, cups, cupcakes, serviettes, straws, goodie bags, tags, string, decorations, and even a matching scrapbook or photo album to remember your special day.

Cutest dinosaur birthday party invites from Peaches + Keen

I spotted these ultra-cute dinosaur party invitations from Australian artists, jewellery designers and crafters Peaches + Keen on Instagram. Each dino features gold foil and is self-standing. Perfect for both the littlest boys and girls.

KatyJane Designs stationery and party products 50% off

Wonderful friends and stationery designers KatyJane Designs are closing up shop and moving onto new adventures. It's time to stock up on all the stationery and party products you have been coveting before it is gone forever, and at 50% off! Quick!

I've always loved the Fairy Garden Party design and the party set (10 invitations with magnets, envelopes and party bag tags) is now only $12.50. You'll also find co-ordinating cards, letter-writing sets, bag tags and more on the site. (this Christmas stationery and advent calendar are also great).

Head over to the KatyJane Designs website to snap up a bargain now. And, it's only $5 flat rate standard shipping to Australian destinations! We will miss you Katy and Jane! The world will be a little less colourful without your beautiful designs.

Images: KatyJane Designs

Fika with kikki.K - copper gold metallics trend

I recently received in invitation to good to refuse - a lovely morning tea/traditional Swedish Fika at Fika Swedish Kitchen in Manly to meet with Kristina Karlsson of kikki.K and view designs for the next few months. So lucky!

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

Whimsy Millieu printable hipster placemats

I follow the delightful Jacqueline Chan from Whimsy Millieu on Instagram and when she emailed to let me know about her cuter-than-cute printable DIY placemats, I couldn't resist sharing them with you.

These placemats are so fun for the hipster little kids (and big kids!) in your life. Imagine a Moonrise Kingdom themed birthday party with camping placemats for table settings (I'm looking at you Miss Lonny!). Or a pretty Spring baby shower or tea party set with wreath placemats and delicate tea cups. And of course the bunting theme goes with everything for the little girls in your life.

Simply download and print as many times as you like on your home printer. And the beauty of printables is that you can use them again and again for different events. So great!

You can find these placemat printables (and many more designs and printables to come) in the Whimsy Millieu Graphics online store.

Images: Whimsy Millieu

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

15% off all KatyJane Designs stationery

Gorgeous stationery designers KatyJane Designs are offering Bondville readers a generous 15% discount off all items in the online store (orders over $50) until 30th November 2012! You'll find a great range of party invitations, cards, gift tags, baby announcements, and party accessories.

For Christmas, KatyJane Designs have made these gorgeous advent calendar boxes and Santa signs:

Anyone with kids a school, preschool/kindy or daycare next year will love these alphabet bag tags (or keyrings) to set help your child recognise their bag. Perfect stocking stuffers:

And there is a great selection of Christmas stationery on offer including gift tags, badges, stickers, twine and Christmas cards:

You will find all these Christmas stationery items and more in the KatyJane Designs online store. Bondville readers can use the code BONDVILLE at checkout for a 15% discount on all orders $50 and over until 30th November 2012. Enjoy!

Images: KatyJane Designs

Winter Avenue Press wall art for kids

Sally Gross of Winter Avenue Press (formally Little Skipper) in Melbourne creates beautiful illustrations with a magical, fairy-tale quality for children's bedrooms and toy rooms. Sally's work has such personality - the characters are sweet and soulful, and just made for kids' active imaginations. I hope you love them too...

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

Printables: Free printable vintage Father's Day card

We love making our own cards and I was so excited to see this fantastic 3D printable card on the Sassaby blog. The printables designers at Brisbane-based Sassaby are giving away this vintage Father's Day card printable design, free for you to download and print on your own printer.

I cut the individual pieces out and let the kids go to town sticking them to the card and drawing pictures inside. We printed on standard white cardstock and used double-sided tape, but you could also use foam to get a more pronounced 3D look like Sassaby has achieved above. There are enough elements to decorate both the outside and inside of the card.

Thanks Sassaby for a great printable!

Images: Sassaby

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

Wendy June illustrations and artwork

Another fun The Finders Keepers market discovery for me was the artwork of Wendy June. I loved Wendy's acrylic hugging owl brooches so much that I bought one each for my nieces in the US. You'll find illustrations as diverse as beasties, kittens, Chinese dragons, cartoon birds, little folk with shaggy hair and creepy-cool houses inspired by the streets of North Fitzroy in Melbourne.

Based in Melbourne, Wendy creates a range of products based on her illustrations including notepads, tea towels, magnets, cards, art prints, brooches, stuffed toys and amazing laser-cut wooden houses to hang on your walls.

Wendy-June's online store is full of products that would make great gifts for kids and adults. Look out for her work at markets too (see the website for details).

Images: Wendy June

Beci Orpin milestone baby cards and homewares

I saw these amazing Milestone Baby Cards illustrated by Melbourne-based artist Beci Orpin in the Lark newsletter the other day, and thought I would check in to see what else Beci has been up to. And it looks like a lot!

Beautifully-designed products with Beci's signature folk look keep coming with these fun cushions, leather coin purses, screenprinted notebooks, shopping bags, jewellery, mobiles and art pieces. The sweet folk face cushion is fast becoming a new Australian design classic for kids' rooms. And the pieces in Beci's shoppe are just the tip of the iceberg. Head over to Beci's blog to keep up with all the amazing design work that she has been creating and collaborating on - third drawer down pillows! Japanese sweets! and... a book! (and don't forget kids' label Tiny Mammoth - I'm not sure this lady sleeps)


Now back to those Milestone Baby Cards - what a great concept. These cards, illustrated by Beci, were developed in the Netherlands by Mum Gemma who stared hand-writing her own notes to include in photos of her son. Fast forward, and now those notes are beautiful cards that you can add personal details to. Put card and child in the same frame and snap! These cards would be lovely displayed in a child's growing-up journal, or sent to friends and family - or framed and displayed on the wall in a glorious Beci Orpin-designed timeline.

You can find the Milestone Baby Cards at stockists around the world (including Lark here in Australia), and Beci's homewares, jewellery and stationery in the Beci Orpin online store (hurry - there are lots of products 50% off at the moment).

Read more about Beci Orpin here on Bondville.

Images: Beci Orpin (top images) and Milestone Baby Cards (bottom images)

Love Mae free printables

Those wall decal, melamine plate, wrapping paper, children's bedding style-makers Love Mae from northern NSW sure have their finger on the button. Their colour palettes, designs and products are so ahead of the curve. Lucky for us, they have a great selection of free printables on their website so we can surround ourselves with their special aesthetic. Straight to you from Studio Mae. Thanks guys!

 

You'll find free desktop calendars, birthday cards, gift tags, tutorials and all sorts of printable goodies. Enjoy!

Read more about Love Mae here on Bondville. 

Images: Love Mae

Sunday Morning Designs bed linen, clothes, art and kids products

It was exciting to see my friend Renee Treml's artwork at the new Koskela showroom on the weekend, and work by Feed The Dog (read my article from way back in 2008 here). There were also some simple but super-effective wood block houses, dipped in pink fluoro paint that I would love, love, love for our new place.

Another product that caught my eye (thanks to the great packaging) were the tshirt-soft cotton jersey pillow cases and doona covers printed with line illustrations by Dylan Martorell, by Sunday Morning Designs. My friend Mary has a pillow on her bed, and they would also work beautifully in a young person's room. I had to know more...

Sunday Morning Designs is a collaboration between Melbourne-based Lichen Kemp and Jitske Wiersma, featuring the illustrations of Lichen's partner Dylan Martorell. There are story-reading rabbits, lounging elephants and inquisitive owls amongst Dylan's delightful artwork. The current Sunday Morning Designs collection includes bed linen (pillow cases, doona covers), wall art (prints, wall hangings), clothing, accessories and jewellery (for adults and kids), stationery (greeting cards), and kids products (cardboard masks, colouring books, pencil cases, plates).

Sunday Morning Designs also uses top-line sustainable production methods including using local materials, small independent Melbourne based manufacturers, eco-friendly inks, recycled papers, vintage fabrics, green energy and pedal power. So much to love about this local design studio.

You can find Sunday Morning Designs products in the online store as well as stockists around Australia, NZ and France. (Oh and the jewellery is currently all half-price. Get it while it's hot!)

Images: Sunday Morning Designs (top image of bed from House and Garden magazine, Oct 2011)