merry merry merry

i hope this long overdue post finds you all well and happy
and looking forward to a lovely christmas . . .

here at paper boat HQ we are downing tools,
popping the bubbles, and looking forward to a good old break
over the silly season

it feels like, and indeed has been the way, that we've had
christmas with us all year in the studio . . .

we started making the ornaments in february
which are now sitting on trees all over the
country, and indeed the world . . .

thank you to every single one of you
who have shared 2011 with us, through reading this blog,
buying our work online, selling it in your beautiful shops,
said hello at markets we've attended,
sent emails and letters of love and support,
who have featured the work in magazines and online

i'd like to say a special thank you to
my wonderful stockists around the country
thank you so much for supporting the work we make
and making the links in the chain
of getting the work to those who chose it for their lives . . .

also a big thank you to everyone at anthropologie
who have worked so kindly and respectfully
over the last few years to see the release of my ceramic collection
in their stores earlier this year . . .
one of the highlights of the year for me personally and professionally
thank you

and last but not least to my wonderful team
everyday you come with love and enthusiasm
in whatever part of the business you work in . . .
and even when there are hard times in our personal lives
the space we create has seemed to be a place for solace too . . .
who would have thought . . .
it truly makes the whole experience of running this
little studio a whole lot more important than the
things we make . . .
but also makes the things we make all the more real
and full of love

every year at this time, there is without fail, a time of reflection
and each year there is triumphs and tragedy
laughter and tears
good and bad
wine and water
sunshine and grey skies
and this year is no exception

i wish for you all a safe and happy christmas time
and a new year filled with hope

we will be taking some time off and the studio will
be up and running again from late january
( somewhere around the 23rd )
our online shop will still be open just maybe not restocked as we'd hoped
and i will try and get through my incredible backlog of emails
( so sorry if yours is one waiting for a reply )

so thank you
thank you
and merry
merry

love kylie
x

real living . . .

some more lovely press
this time in last months real living . . .
thanks so much to the team and stylist who put
this great spread together
it is so nice to see the work displayed this way
pages and pages of it too . . .

we are still filling and packing and sending orders
looking forward to our paper boat christmas partee
tomorrow night too . . .
not sure where the weeks go

x

final market of the year !

ok, here it is . . . the last market of the year
at the gallery of modern art brisbane, queensland . . .

on the celebration day of their 5th birthday !
this saturday november 26 th

there'll be 20 wonderful stalls
the perfect place for some christmas shopping
and i'll be there too . . .
in the forecourt of the gallery, right next to the gallery store
from 9am - 4pm

to get all the info click to enlarge the image above
hope to see you there

and i'll be back soon with some snaps of all the markets
and the fun we've had . . .

christmas show .... and little online sale ....

hello again,
i told you i'd be back with details of our christmas show . . .
so details are following . . .
as well as some info on a sale online for our far away friends . . .

the paper boat press annual

christmas show

saturday november 19th
10 am - 2 pm

st francis theological college
233 milton road milton, brisbane
(entrance via baroona road)

i hope you can come along for a cup of tea
and a spot of christmas shopping . . .

for our far away friends we aren't forgetting about you
for the weekend of the 19th and 20th of november
we are having a 10 % off store-wide sale (excluding shipping)
simply quote the word christmas in the discount code box at the checkout
and then press update total to receive the discount . . .

sale opens 6am saturday 19th and closes midnight sunday 20th (AEST)

in the press . . .

hello all,
it's been a bit slow here of late on this little blog journal
but believe me there's been a lot going on behind the scenes . . .

we have nearly got all our wholesale orders out for christmas,
been to two markets (one interstate) both of which were fabulous . . .

and in studio are still making lots more work, including personalised stars

and one other thing that happened a couple of months back
was a visit from australian house & garden
we had a long day shoot, with lovely results . . .
so a peek inside my home and work space can be seen
in this months issue . . .
thanks so much to all the team behind the article
you were all such a joy to work with !

i'll be back soon with details of next weeks ANNUAL christmas show
but if you are in brisbane and want to pop along it is on

Saturday November 19th
10am - 2pm

details to follow . . .

another weekend... another market....

this weekend ... come one come all
to finders keepers in brisbane !

in the ever fabulous old museum
with an amazing line up of stall holders

it is on saturday and sunday
and i'll be there with a collection of new wares
my calendar, christmas decs,
and much much more
(as well as old fav's too)

hope to see you there...
details
HERE

adelaide bound . . .

we (studio gal maria and i)
are mighty excited as we will head to adelaide this weekend
for the bowerbird bazaar

it promises to be an amazing line up of artisans and designers
if you are in adelaide, do pop along and say hello
and support handmade and do some christmas shopping to boot !

we will have a full range of our christmas goodies,
calendar, journals, poetry work
and new jewellery too

for more info and to check out all the other stallholders
check out the bowerbird website HERE

finally . . .

finally, thanks to the amazing help
of my beautiful friend lou from loose.leaf paper
i have my new website up and running !

i have been so busy this year, it has taken me a long
time to get everything together
and there'll still be tweaking as time goes on . . .

in the mean time
i hope you like it, you can see it HERE . . .

and thanks also for all your interest in the new surprise
from the last post . . .
i'll be back later this week with the full reveal . . .

my true love . . .

i don't know where i've been ?
more often than not the last couple of weeks it has all
been about hearts !

here is a sneak peek at a very special item
we've been working on in the studio
i will reveal all next week

in the mean time
hold on to your true love
and if you can, tell them they are so . . .

just a thought . . .

have a lovely weekend . . .

in store . . .

our 2012 calendar stock
was delivered this week . . .
box after box . . .
and is now, finally, in store !

we are thrilled with the final result
and to celebrate we are giving a flat shipping rate of $5
(within australia)
on all calendar orders until the end of september . . .

we are also going to give a bonus for multiple purchase
for every 4 calendars purchased
you will receive a 5th one free
(and the shipping price remains the same)

both the bonus offer,
and the flat shipping rate will be available until the
end of september

hope you are having a good week
( sorry to bombard you with info that we are indeed
heading rather quickly to next year )
crazy but true

where do the years go i ask you !
i feel like i've not been here much
but there is much going on behind the scenes
and i'll be back soon
with more news and wanderings

calendars available HERE

another monday . . .

corners . . .

i can't quite believe it is spring time
(although our friends up north are starting fall/autumn)
we are all wondering where has this year gone . . .

but a change of season is sometimes what
we all need . . .

to celebrate spring,
and the addition of our new christmas ornaments
all now listed in our online store
we are having a little sale . . .

to receive 20 % off storewide (excluding shipping)
simply quote the word SPRING
in the discount code section of the checkout and press update total
(sale finishes midnight next thursday sep 8)

everything is available for this discount
including the ever popular personalised stars . . .

i hope this season brings you some lovely days

to look through our store
click HERE

monday . . .

terrain . . .

we've been busy little bees in the studio in the last few weeks
filling a big and beautiful order
for the fabulous US store terrain . . .

terrain is one of those stores i wish we had around the corner
but still nice to admire from afar . . .
and when they approached me about stocking my little 5 packs
i was thrilled that a store like theirs understood the spirit of them

so within a few days a big big box of this specially packaged
ceramic will be on its way to philadelphia . . .

recently terrain had a special day for
a group of bloggers and media
and it was lovely to have a closer look at this amazing store . . .
below are a few links to a few of my favourite posts
here and here

advances . . .

yesterday i received a special little parcel from my printer. . .
a few copies of my 2012 calendar
i am so happy with it, the colours are amazing
and the paper just beautiful . . .
here are a few sneak peeks

these will be for sale in my online store
by september 20 i hope . . .
and they will cost only $19.95

i hope you like these quick little sneak peeks taken on a rainy tuesday morn. . .

these days . . .

these days
studio life has been busy and beautiful,

quiet yet sometimes overwhelming,

inspiring and routine all in the same breath . . .

i just wanted to stop by and share a few corners
of this place :
my office
my home

time to share . . .

so, it's early i know . . .
but we've been working so hard to get these images
out to all our stockists so there's enough time to make them,
and get stock to them . . .
as well as stock up our own online store

so, we are finally ready to share some of this years
christmas ornament designs . . .

above is this years bird . . .
the little message of all is calm, all is bright
has been ringing in our ears in the studio,
reminding us to stay calm amongst the crazy . . .

below is the re-release of the big stars !
and new star of wonder . . .
(wonder being one of my favourite words . . .
so this has special significance for me)

and then a delicate little window star of david . . .
(with the vintage button patterns)
many of these get broken
in the making, and cleaning, and 'getting to the kiln' process
as they are so precious green, but once they are fired
they are strong and beautiful

life can be a little like that can't it . . . ?
some parts are hard and tricky and you have to take it gently

things break . . .

i've been saying this a lot in the studio to the girls,
while limping around with my slowly-but-surely-healing fractured ankle,
and while the swear jar gets fuller with ornaments breaking when
colouring or sponging is taking place

bones break . . . clay breaks . . . hearts break . . .

but in the end something beautiful can be found . . .
even if it is in the pieces . . . the spaces . . .

photo shoots . . .

the past week has been a little bit of a blur
for many a reason

there's been cake in the studio for my birthday,
a day or two break from working
(oh, that's what the outside world looks like?) . . .
but then working like sleep isn't part of what we need to do !

there's also been a spot of baking . . .

my fabulous web-shop gal teresa
who just happens to make the best rum balls
(they taste just like my grandmother used to make)
was a trouper this week and made some for my photo-shoot
of christmas 2011 products ( thanks T )

and i made the apricot balls ( with slightly less flair )
. . . but they did the job . . .

it is a little odd making christmas goodies in july
but today we had a mighty nice morning tea
thanks to the need for such things . . .

there's lots to share including the new ornaments for the year
but for now, i thought i would share a quote
that kept ringing in my ears
as christmas baking was made
so far out from the season

from one of my favourite storytellers around, brian andreas:

" She asked me when the season of joy
was supposed to end & I said I didn't really think
there was an exact date, so we left the tree up till
June that year "

pencil case . . .

this little thing has been my constant companion
for the past few weeks
as i finalise work on my 2012 calendar !!!

i didn't get a chance last year to complete one,
after having them made for many years previous to that
i disappointed so many of my dear customers

so this year, i got in early
with the help of my darling sister
and graphic-designer-gal megan

i am printing on the most lovely weighted
FSC card . . . and
they will be available in september
through many of my stockists,
online through my store and biome

as well as at any markets i do
including my annual christmas show . . .

i'll keep you posted when they are available
and share how it looks too

. . . back to the subject of pencil cases . . .
the trusty pencil case has featured in
one of my favourite 80's songs ( i have it on 7" )
it opens with

" i love you from the bottom of my pencil case "

how could you not love a song that says that !!!
the lyrics do ramble into a tale of many women
the songwriter has thanked for inspiration . . . but it is charming,
very UK pop, and dare i say it, a bit retro . . .
and as a girl who loves words, i do quite love the song's title

song for whoever
by
the beautiful south

i hope you enjoy . . .

sneak peek

we've been working pretty hard in the studio
these past few months
and thought i'd share a little sneak peek
at this years christmas bird design
we have finished prototypes out of the kiln
and are mighty happy with how they look

so soon when they are photographed well
and my stockists get first look
i'll share them here !

in the mean time
i hope you like this little tease of how they look
rough and just made
clay wet
finger prints still marking them
raw, earthy, and in, i have to say, one of my favourite phases . . .

i know i haven't been here
as much as i sometimes have been . . .

it has been a strange
up and down
few weeks
few months

i keep working hard
keep trying to keep my chin up
trying to find beauty in what is around me
trying to make beautiful things in my working life

but some-days it is harder than others

i have been writing again
( not that i ever stopped )
just writing a few more bits and pieces
passages that seem to be forming
new things,
poems maybe

but writing isn't always easy

for it talks and sings to me of things i sometimes
want to hide from

the truth, as is its way,
pushes through (as it should)
and this is where the words meet

last weekend i lent this beautiful letter box to my friends
lou and kristina for their market stall

it is a treasured thing
an object of love

objects are funny things
sometimes the most banal and battered,
purposed and domestic items,
hold secrets and stories

i loved sharing this letterbox for
lou and kristina's beautiful new project
as both the project and this letterbox
is full of such meaning

it is a token
a relic
a love letter in itself

it is home with me again now
this little box

this little house
that had the most treasured
of love letters delivered to me in it over the years

i continue to write letters of such kind in response
and always will

( and these letters will one day be read i hope,
as they are the in-between ones, the ones without end )

finders keepers THIS WEEKEND . . .

it's on again . . . .
the fabulous finders keepers market
in brisbane !

this weekend
saturday and sunday
july 2nd and 3rd
old museum

the collaboration i share with my dear friend sarah.b.
WAIT
will have its brisbane launch at finders

we are having such fun
putting this work together . . . together . . .
and look forward to sharing it with you all . . .
we are already working on new designs to release
later in the year
but for now pop by and see how this little
collaboration that we started a few years ago
has grown and evolved . . .

i've got a stall full of lots of new surprises,
my continuing collections,
and some super special market only prices
on my journals and jewellery . . .

hope to see you there !

full details HERE

i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)

- e e cummings

i've been away . . . flown the coop for 10 days . . .

i've had a little holiday in japan with my sister . . .

we had bought our tickets long before the devastation
and we decided to go and support their economy
( i always stock up on bits and pieces
for my studio and books and papers for my work )
as tourism numbers have been down nearly 50%,

that and we so love the country and its people . . .

and we are so glad we visited,
we felt safe and welcomed . . .

we met so many special people,
had such lovely little adventures
and supported their economy yes . . .
my pottery collection has
swelled somewhat . . . research i say !!!

and although i fractured my ankle 3 hours before
i got on the bus to the airport to come home a few days ago . . .
(x-rays confirmed today after i realised the pain was not easing)
it's been a swell past two weeks . . .

i don't know what the next two weeks will be like limping around
in pain as i prepare for brisbane finders keepers
and catch up with orders and all the rest . . .

but the glow from such inspiring travels has given me
the strength to keep my chin up . . .

so now, please excuse my
rambling instagram favourite holiday snaps . . .
it was a lovely to carry just my phone
and share with friends back here, and all over the place ,
the days and the moments . . .

overlooking rainy kyoto

tea with lovely hana from
kashogama
one of the most special times . . .

decorative gutters at
nijo castle

one of the most inspiring stops at

mina perhonen
seriously beautiful . . . (images above and below)

cafe's with pottery for sale . . .
this one in arimatsu on one of our day trips
to the home of traditional shibori in nagoya

and finally some pictures of the chion-ji temple handicraft market
on the 15th of every month . . . as luck would have it we were
there on the 15th . . . it was amazing to see a packed
craft market and on a wednesday no less !!!
and yes . . . localy made ceramic stalls aplenty . . .

i promise i won't leave it long again before i write again here
still so much to share of other happenings . . .
in the mean time
i'm going to put my foot up !

sydney . . . a few weeks back now . . .

this little post (as have others of late) has been a long time coming
i don't know where the days go at the moment
it is all a bit of a blur for many a reason . . .

a few weeks back i packed up my goods and headed to sydney
i had a couple of days visiting friends
and then a couple of big and wonderful days at sydney finders keepers

the response to sarah and my colaboration wait
was just overwhelming . . .
those who really 'got it' loved it
and those who didn't, loved them anyway . .

we had been working on our little traveling stand
for the past couple of months
it all compacts . . . and were very pleased in the end
of this little stall inside a stall . . .

it was so great to meet so many new people and catch up with
old friends too . .
thanks to everyone that popped by and said hello . . .
we will be gearing up again soon for brisbane finders keepers
and are working on some new waits
so those of you from our home city
who have inquired don't miss out . .

and . . .

although i spent the day and evening with pia on thursday
of that week ( such precious time )
i couldn't resist popping by and showing support
to her beautiful window and book event
at newspaper taxi in newtown
on late saturday afternoon . . .

newspaper taxi is also a paper boat stockist at christmas
so it was lovely to meet steph in person
and see her fabulous one of a kind shop . . .

( pia's beautiful window )

thanks so much to sarah and my sydney pal hayley
who helped all weekend at the market . . .

the busy and sometimes overwhelming parts of
doing a market stall are made all the more easier
by having you by my side . . .
x x

p.s. in my email mailout
i said the sale closes monday june 9 . . .
the 9th was in my head as i am going on holidays that day !
so i am extending the sale until the 9th (at midnight-ish)
details below in the previous post . . .