Dear Everyone ~
I’ve recently received, re-stocked, and rejoiced over new arrivals in the shop: notecards, postcards, notebooks, and mini-noteblocs whose side view absolutely reminds me of striped beach chairs.
For many moons I have been in high swoon over translucent, beguiling watercolours from fir+wren in the U.K. When Zak and I traveled to England last autumn, I had been following artist Sue Kane on Instagram for ages. I knew we’d be relatively close to Manchester, where Sue has her studio. I was able to invite myself for a visit! It took hours to travel there, waking up at the crack of dawn to get a taxi to the train station, and then the train to Manchester, and then a taxi to her studio. The very heavy rainfall the entire day made the journey to and fro very soggy. But nonetheless, a happy day indeed.
A couple of months ago, Sue let me know that some of her images were being published as notecards, and she put me in touch with her agent. The cards have arrived pronto-ly, and they are dreamy in person. They are lovely to look at, delightful to write on, and even to frame! I'm charmed that Bari Zaki Studio is the first retailer to import them.
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Also noteworthy are notebooks from Korea, with summerweight pages of hanji, which is made from the inner layer of mulberry bark. The paper is almost mysteriously robust, and receptive to all manner of writing & drawing implements. The graphic elements on the covers (here a dash, there a dot) are classic yet refreshing, and perfectly ripe for personalizing by hand.
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To start the summer season, I’ve replenished my stock of notebooks from Season Paper in France, including four new cover designs and one new Jaunty Journal. There’s also a charmola new postcard set, called À La Mer, with two each of five peachy, beachy designs. I’ve also re-stocked the Les Fleurs postcard set.
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For a bit more beachiness, consider a mini-mish-mash notebloc. These petite pads of lightweight cover stock are neat, but decidedly not discreet: they are vibrantly striped. Each bloc presents its own assortment of colours. Perfect for a very little list or an eye-catchy enclosure.
Fir+Wren Notecards
Hanji Notebooks
Season Paper Notebooks & Jaunty Journals
Season Paper Postcard Booklets
Marvy Mish-Mash Noteblocs
Concluding this summery summary, Bari