Stationery Scoop

What makes you happy

Tuesday today and I have happiness on my mind. On Sunday night, my husband and I dropped the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa's and went out on a date. That made me happy.

We had something to eat at Moxie's (with a gift certificate, thank you Uncle Ken) then saw the movie Duplicity at Silver City Polo Park. We have a rule for movie date nights - only at Silver City. Since we HARDLY EVER go to see a movie, we want the big screen experience. So we don't go to Cinema City, where the price is right but the screen is small[er].

I had popcorn. That makes me happy. It's an indulgence that I don't normally have.

Today, I'm sitting at my desk thinking about how much I love my office. I love my headset, my camera, my computer and my personal printer. I especially love my plants. If you have seen the building that Botanical PaperWorks was in from 2001 to 2008, you'd understand why I'm so happy with my office.

So off to do some work, keeping that kernel of happiness with me.

As you do through your day, what makes you happy? Big things? Little things?

Eco journals everywhere

Our assembly team has been working overtime to prepare these gorgeous plantable eco-journals for a special client. Here's a snapshot of part of the order.

A few of the boxes ready for shipping:

Thanks BPW team for your diligent work!

Thankful Sunday

It's a relaxed Sunday around the Reimer-Epp household and we're making Paska, the traditional Easter bread of my husband's family. I'm feeling thankful for my little family, for family traditions, for the fresh smells of citrus and for time to hang around and do whatever we feel like.

Here's a super nice comment from one of our customers that I'd like to share. Sandra ordered plantable paper from Botanical PaperWorks:

Enjoy your day to the fullest! ~Heidi

And the winner is...

We could only pick two winners for this week's draw of plantable greeting cards and using a random number generator (photographic evidence shown on the right), the winners are #6 (Kara) and #7 (Lavonne). Kara commented:

I know it's Spring when my daughter comes in with a huge bouquet of handpicked flowers (and weeds) from our little garden. She picks them the second they bloom, but the look on her face is priceless!

And Lavonne said:

I know it's spring when I'm not wearing a turtleneck sweater. :)

So true, Lavonne. As I'm writing this and the fresh snow is piled up around my house, guess what...I'm wearing a turtleneck! So I guess Spring isn't in Winnipeg just yet. Kara - could you please send me your mailing address so that I can send you the cards? And Lavonne, I know who you are and will personally deliver your cards, if I can get my card through the snow drifts!

However, Easter joy is definitely abounding in the Reimer-Epp household. Here's a look at part of the annual Easter display at our house. As the kids get older, the display gets more and more elaborate.

And in case you're wondering, those yellow things in the foreground are Marshmallow Peeps that my daughter decorated with small chicks. The Peeps are going to be pretty hard and inedible by the time Easter rolls around but there will be plenty of chocolate to take their place.

Making paper all together

We had a blast last night at Montrose School, teaching two classes of papermaking to parents and students as part of the Montrose School Arts Night. Thank you Angela for your able assistance and thank you Mrs. Mole for inviting us to participate.

We made paper using discarded white bond paper from the school office (thanks teachers for saving the paper for us) and colored it with discarded construction paper and tissue paper. If you'd like to make your own handmade paper, click here for basic papermaking and click here for tons of projects to do with your finished handmade paper including mini picture frames, pillow boxes and more.

Here's my mom, Mary, talking to the first group of students.

Thanks Noah, Bronwen, Jane, Deann, Stephania, Bijan and Omid for your enthusiastic participation! Here's one of the parents pulling a sheet of paper:

Disconnect

In my mind, I'm still insisting that it's Spring, but in reality, here's what it looks like outside (guess I packed away the boots and snow suits a little too quickly!):
Can anyone name where in Winnipeg I took this picture?

Today, I'm home with a couple of sick little girls who need medicine on a regular schedule, apple juice refills and copious amounts of Kleenex. Tonight, my Mom Mary and I are off to Montrose School for an Arts Night. We're teaching papermaking to parents and kids, something that we love to do.

Spring card give-away

It's starting to feel a lot like Spring. With the snow melting, Easter around the corner and people breaking out the colored clothing, I'm feeling festive. What better way to celebrate than with a giveaway! I'm going to pick TWO lucky recipients to receive a set of plantable greeting cards - Welcome Spring, Happy Easter, Celebrate Our Earth and It's Our Earth (for Earth Day).

To qualify for the giveaway, leave a comment filling in the blank to: "I know it's Spring when..."

The deadline is this Friday, March 27, so don't delay!

And if you're craving the sounds of running water and spring melt-off, check out this YouTube video. Hit play, close your eyes and be transported to the forest as you mellow to the sounds of a fresh, flowing creek.

Plantable invitations in Better Homes and Gardens

Thank you so much to the editors of Better Homes and Gardens for selecting a plantable card from Botanical PaperWorks for the April 2009 Ideas/Stylemaker section. In the article, the "Refresh" card from the Inspirational Plantable Greeting Card set is used as an invitation to an eco-friendly event. Here are the images:

We have tons of new plantable greeting cards that launched last week and I'll be writing a blog post for them tomorrow. Check them out now and come back tomorrow for a special Earth Day give-away.

Mexico recap and good reads

Petra asked me last week about my Mexico pictures, and I realized that in the fullness of returning from holidays, I had forgotten to post them. So without further ado, here are some highlights from my week at El Dorado Royale resort in the Mayan Riviera.

 

It was a glorious week, just me and John, the sun, the surf, and a huge stack of books. A big part of any holiday is getting to immerse myself in some good books. My selection this vacation ranged from light to less light including:
Something Borrowed
Middlesex
Making It All Work Work
Long Walk to Freedom, the Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
A Complicated Kindness

My book list continues to grow, and I'm indebted to my mom, Mary and friend Kara for being a never-ending source of good literature. Today, I found a new booklist to explore via management consultants Stagen.com, but first I have to finish the two books on my bedside table. That's my rule - finish up the ones on hand before getting more, so as to not get overloaded. Here's to good reads!

St. Patrick's Day speaker

Tomorrow is an exciting day - I have TWO speaking engagements. If you're attending the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce breakfast, I'll see you tomorrow at 7:30 am. And if you're a teacher or student at Bonnycastle School, I'll be paying a visit at the afternoon assembly.

Here's a picture of beautiful springy daffodils from Customer Care Assistant Manager Laurie's desk.