Aspire to everything Inspired

field trip report: the Paper Place

My last morning in Toronto, I snuck away for a brief hour to visit a shop I'd read about via Send More Mail...

It may not have been so shiny on the outside (hey! it was a rainy day!), but inside... Inside.  Oh my!  It's just the sort of shop we like to explore the bestest...

And maybe, just possibly, I picked up a few Must Have treasures.  Maybe.  Possibly.

But here's the part where I tell you that I always have a state of 'sticker shock' when I visit Canada.  How can things be so much more expensive, when our currencies are exchanging so closely?!?  I always wonder about that.  And worry about that. 

So let's just say that I tried to do my part to help the local economy.

The view from over here, No. 09

 
My oldest niece and her husband have birthdays that are just 1 week apart -- her's at the end of one month and his at the beginning of the next.  Admittedly, it's easy to shop for her, but a little more difficult to know what to get for him.  They've recently started a family, so... this recent post by Design Mom inspired a great idea!

I'll select one of my favorite children's authors and pick a different picture book for each of them.  I'm simply tickled with the idea!  Not only is it a great library starter for a young family, but its fun to revisit my favorite childhood stories and come up with the inscriptions for each book too!  :)

author Bill Peet for Birthdays 2011...  Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent and Ella

I'm already thinking ahead to Christmas...  possibly Anatole books by Eve Titus...  

It must be Spring... Shoppe Update!

It's been a while, friends, but look!  Pretty notecards, fashionable writing instruments, the perfect notebook (we call that a "supply" around here)...   New goodies now in The Shoppe!

Oi.  No shoving there in the back.  There's plenty for everyone - Promise!  :-)

Check out all of the superlative stuff now at The InspiredStudio Shoppe.

The Drawers I couldn't resist

I mentioned the Newark airport, didn't I?  I probably didn't mention that I had a seven hour layover.  But don't panic, dear friends, because I did that on purpose (the layover, not the didn't mention).

Sometimes a girl just needs a few hours to take two trains and a subway in order to visit the Muji store on Times Square. 

This was one of those times.

Unfortunately, my carry-on bags were F U L L.  Both of them.  Somebody's birthday present and a glass milk bottle in one.  A computer and my notebooks in the other. 

Discretion was advised.  Only purchase what A) you really really want, and B) you can actually pack into these bags.

Right.  Well, with that in mind, let the browsing begin...

• Pens?   check!  Those will fit.
• Cool spiral erasers?  check!  Those will fit.
• 4x4 inch blank hardcover books?   check!  We can just squeeze in 2 of them somewhere.
• Small kitchen ladle?  Sure!  check!
• Handkerchief printed with a map of Paris?   check!  Bring it on - Paris will fit! 
• 5-drawer acrylic box?    Uhhhhhh....

 
At first, I just stared at it.  Thinking of all the possibilities.  Then... lightbulb moment!  I could put {gasp} postage stamps {glee!} in the drawers.  Just think!  One cent... Two cent... Three cent...

{GASP OF JOY}

Conversation with self:  "Oh.  Carry-on bags are full.  FULL, I tell you.  Right.  FULL means FULL."

Then I had this idea... what if I take all the odds and ends in my two carry-on bags, and packed them into the 5 drawers?  And consolidated almost everything into the backpack, leaving the handbag partially empty with just enough room for an acrylic box, a milk bottle, a mug, a pair of socks, a bag of choco...  well, you get the idea.  Would it work?  Possibly?

YES

 
{GLEE!}

of course, the only problem is that now I want another one.   Six cent... Eight cent... Ten cent...

[Are you suffering from acrylic box envy?  Do you need one too?  Well, guess what...  check-out Muji on-line!  And if you get one, you have to promise to tell me what you put in yours.  Because maybe I need to do that too.  Promise, yes?]

Because sometimes weight DOES matter

For example, like when you take your suitcase to the airport and want to Check It.

Going to Toronto, my bag weighed a lovely 49 lbs.  The standard bag weight limit is 50 lbs, but I'll admit that I never pay attention to these things.  (Having frequent flyer status does have an advantage there... my 'secret' limit is 75 lbs.)

So.  I knew there would be things coming out of my bag -- notebooks and pens and such for the client we were visiting.  No worries I thought, my bag will be less coming home.

Then I packed.  and expanded the bag.  and squished.  and stuffed.  And probably huffed and puffed too.  But, finally, all closed up and on my way home.

 

Airline Agent:  "Just so you know, Ma'am, your bag is 5 kilos over limit.  But we won't charge you this time... "

Me:  "Thank you so much!"

 

But truthfully, I don't speak metric, so 5 kilos didn't really mean anything to me.

Until I got to the Newark airport and checked in for my next flight... and discovered my ready-to-burst suitcase weighed 60 lbs. 

SIXTY POUNDS?!?

What in the world was in there?!?

I mean.  Seriously.  I packed it.  But I had No Idea what could possibly be in there weighing 60 lbs!!

 
Well...

Perhaps it was a week's worth of Canadian newspapers, saved for a friend?

Or a shoebox full of Canadian chocolate... Smarties, Aeros, Kit Kats.  Treats for my Sunday School class.  Really.

Or pretty vintage silverplate teaspoons and butter knives that I picked up? (Um, that might have been at the weekend antique fair that I haven't mentioned.)

It couldn't possibly have been the six books I bought at the bookstore.  They weren't even all hardcover!

And I'm sure that packing my boots so that I could wear my fashionable new shoes on the plane... yeah, that had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

SIXTY POUNDS.

Good grief.  Someone should really talk to the person who packed that.

I just bought an entire Post Office

But really, can you blame me?  It's so impossibly cute!

 
All that, plus it includes a classic red phone booth???

{swoon!}

Yep.  I just bought an entire Post Office.  And I have no buyer's remorse whatsoever.  The dial button on the phone?  It rings.  The cash register on the counter (that you can't see in this picture)?  It chimes.  I mean, seriously, it's totally awesome!

Want to come over to play?  You should bring one of the village houses...

[From the Happyland toy line by Early Learning Centre, UK.  Saw it first while checking out this Royal Wedding set on the ELC website.  But, sadly, they don't ship to the USA.  So I ended up buying my Post Office from here... which is even better, because the UK version didn't come with the phone booth. {gasp!}  LOVE the phone booth!]

Enough and a Souvenir

As I was walking through old Brussels, I noticed something interesting.

I wasn't tempted to buy Lace.  Not a tablecloth.  Not a doily.  Not a pretty doo-dad whatchamajigger.

No lace.

Even though Belgian lace is famous and considered an art form in its own right.  15 years ago, I would have bought a lace something, just on principle.  I'm in Belgium, therefore I must have a souvenir of lace.  But I wasn't tempted at all, in spite of the many charming little shops we strolled past.  Why?  I may have just reached an equilibrium, I think.  A point of enough.

I can admit it:  I have enough.  Oh, maybe not enough books.  Definitely not enough postage stamps.  Or comfortable socks.  But enough dishes?  Probably.  Enough pretty table linens?  Definitely.  I just don't need any more.  I have no where to put them and I'm probably not using what I have very wisely as it is.  (That gorgeous tablecloth from Versailles?  Just doesn't get used all that often.)  So I have enough.  I can say it and mean it.

What an interesting realization!

And as I was walking along with this meaningful epiphany rattling around my thoughts, I saw something totally unique.  And different.  Something that captured my eye with it's character and shimmery glow...

Well, my goodness!  Beautiful handmade plaques by a local artist?   With tantalizing rooflines and rich shimmery colors that seem to glow from within?  I certainly didn't have any of those! 

"Didn't" being the key word.  Because we can always make room for a petite Librarie and Chocolaterie, don't you think?  And especially La Poste?

Which just goes to show that it's entirely possible to have Enough, and still discover something New that just... fits.  And perfectly.  Because I'm quite sure I'll enjoy looking at these beautiful petite works of art far more than I would have used a lace something-or-other.

What was it P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins said again?  Ah- that's right:  Enough is as good as a feast.

The Persnickety Pen

Did I mention that I picked up a new fountain pen in Rome?  Well, I did.  It's a lovely, marbeled red...

And it writes lovely too.  But here's something interesting, or perhaps just plain wierd.

If I don't use it every day?

It starts to gum up.  The ink in the nib starts to dry, and then it takes a few awkward scratchings of the entire alphabet or the complete sonnets of Williams Shakespeare to get things flowing smoothly again. 

So I suddenly find I have to write something - anything - a post-it note to the mice even! - every day. 

Every. Day.

I think my letter writing might just improve.  Or at least my post-its to the mice.

...at least until this ink cartridge runs out...

Favorites... art supplies

My favorite art pen is by Faber-Castell.  I LOVE these pens.  Love, love, love.  They're so delicious that I use them for regular writing, random doodling, intentional illustrating, and all sorts of other Important Things.  If they were flavored or had any sort of nutritional value, I'd probably try to eat them.  In my list of favorite writing instruments, they're second only to fountain pens.  And for some things... they're even numero uno.  Yes, j'adore!

Earlier this week I had the brilliant idea to check online to see what other colors might be available ...and I ended up discovering a few other exquisite collections by Faber-Castell that I'd love to get my hands on!

   upper left - Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils, in an exquisite Wood Case
   upper right - Polychromos Artists Metal Tin of 60 Colored Pencils
   lower left - 12 Piece Monochrome Art Drawing Set in Tin Case
   lower right - PITT Brush Pen Gift Box Set  (which I'm seriously wanting)

I know you can't see it, but my inner-Van Gogh is drooling...

All of the sketches shared last week?  They were created using my favorite Staedtler Aquarell (watercolor) pencils, sketching pencils from the Tate Modern, and a large Moleskine watercolour notebook. 

Just imagine what we could do if we had that PITT Brush Pen box set too... it makes me sort of giddy! 

So, what's something on your Favorites list today?

A Pottery Barn Summer

I stopped by my local Pottery Barn over the weekend.  The bed sheets were lovely and tempting... the Daniella bombe chest was too...

Don't you think this condiment set is clever?  Just what we need for the family summer picnic table.

This lemonade jar and these glasses looked perfect for that family picnic too...

{sigh}

I might have picked up two small wire chairs, a few pint-size vintage milk bottles, and clock-themed dipping bowls.  Maybe.

Sometimes, it's just better not to even visit Pottery Barn, y'know?  :-)