Stationery Scoop

Hiring Papermakers

Good morning on this hot last day of July!

Thank you to everyone who has responded so far to our job posting for Papermakers. We've been taking in resumes and getting ready for interviews. If you haven't sent your resume in yet, please do it now because we want to hear from you and don't want you to miss out on this chance to join our team at Botanical PaperWorks! If you have any questions about the position, download the posting or contact Stephanie Roehr, Operations Manager. Thanks!

Check out this woodcut of how they made handmade paper in the olden days. The process is still a glorious combination of art and science, but now we have user-friendly presses and dryers + great instruction and documentation to make every batch of paper fantastic!

Poppie Clothing

I had such a wonderful dress shopping experience earlier this summer that I wanted to share it. It's a great example of exceptional customer service, something that we strive hard at Botanical PaperWorks to provide.

It was late May when I arrived at Poppie Clothing in Winnipeg, in search of a dress for last weekend's wedding. The owner, Cecily, asked me if she could help and I said yes, explaining the event and the level of dressiness that I was looking for.

Cecily walked around the shop and deftly plucked out about half a dozen different dresses. I tried them all on and fell in love with the emerald green dress by French Spy. I've never worn emerald green and would never have picked this dress, but it was perfect and I'm so grateful for Cecily's help.

When I shop, I always look for experiences that I can apply to my own business. So what did I take away from this experience?

First, Cecily's help lead me to not one, but two fantastic dresses. I bought not just the emerald dress but also a white eyelet dress. Great customer service can lead to better sales for a company.

Second, because of the care that Cecily took in choosing dresses for me and then helping me select the best ones, I felt really confident about how I looked. Her great customer service gave me huge post-purchase confidence.

Third, great customer service needs to be shared so that's why I'm telling you about Poppie. I went to Poppie in the first place because my friend Kara had recommended it. And now I'm recommending it to you. Word of mouth is much more compelling than advertising.

So there you go - if need a special outfit, head down to Poppie Clothing and come away gorgeous. I know I did!

Congratulations Ben & Anne

It's Sunday morning, the day after my brother Ben's wedding and we're exhausted but so happy! The day was absolutely wonderful, from the gorgeous weather to Ben and Anne's incredible graciousness to the delightful venues.

I think what made the day so amazing was that at every turn, Ben and Anne had special touches that exuded "them", both as a couple and as individuals. As a classical percussionist, Ben carefully chose the music including Holst's "Jupiter" from The Planets and a piece by Arvo Part. Kristjanna Olsen did the arrangements and her quartet the Animata Strings played. 

As a fashion designer with MJAnne Couture, Anne of course designed her own gown and that of her sister MJ. Both dresses were beautiful and perfectly suited each of them. Here's a pic of Anne under her parasol.

As a stationery designer and owner of Botanical PaperWorks, I read a lot of bridal magazines (really, a lot!!). I'm so proud to say that this wedding was better than any I've read about, because it was my brother and my new sister-in-law and a celebration of friends and family in the most personal and special way. What a wonderful day, and a wonderful way to start a marriage.

Félicitations Ben et Anne!

Rehearsal's Done, Time for the Wedding

It's Wedding Day in the Reimer family as my brother Ben marries Anne at the Leo Mol Gardens in Winnipeg. Here's a pic from last night's rehearsal which went really well. The weather today is gorgeous and everyone is excited!

Ben and Anne chose the Bali invitation from Absorb Creative and will have Plantable Heart Notes from Botanical PaperWorks. A good choice, I must say!

Looking to improve my handwriting

After one too many jabs from co-workers on the abysmal state of my handwriting (Priscilla has been known to say that I missed my calling as a doctor - my terrible handwriting is perfect for the job!), I've embarked on a handwriting improvement project. Here's a picture of my first exercise paper. I look like I'm back in grade school!

While I'm on the topic of handwriting, check out this article from Martha Stewart on addressing wedding invitation envelopes.

First Things First

I really resonate with Steven Covey's First Things First approach. This is an article that summarizes the basic principles.

Plant Papermaking Unlimited

I'm curious to hear from anyone who has attempted papermaking with any of these plants, all of which are in bountiful supply right now where we live.

Join Our Team!

Hello friends! We're looking for two great people to join our team in the area of papermaking. Bring your enthusiasm and we'll provide the training in the art and craft of hand papermaking. Both positions are full-time, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30.

Download job_posting_for_papermaker.pdf

Sunflower Seed Paper

Today, I was remembering the sunflower seed paper that we did a few years back for a Van Gogh exhibition. The museum commissioned Botanical PaperWorks to create plantable stationery embedded with sunflower seeds (inspired of course by Van Gogh's painting Sunflowers). We used a yellow cotton pulp base with chunky seeds to create some fresh, fun product.

Here I am beside the sunflowers that we have growing in our garden. My daughters and I had good fun planting the seeds and watching them grow. Sunflower seeds are very satisfying to grow because they are easy!

Easy + huge plants = wildly exciting for children and adults alike!

Pen of the week

What pens are you writing with these days? If you're like me, you have your pen of the week. For a while, I reconnected with my Waterman fountain pen, a graduation gift of many years ago. Then, on a recent shopping trip to Staples, I found a package of 10 Silver Ball rollerball pens by Staedtler. Now my daytimer is resplendent with all the colors of the rainbow and I've even  been known to sign cheques in a gorgeous shade of turquoise!

(the journal is Miquelrius from Kate's Paperie in New York)