We’re being a little selfish with this next product line. We have gotten such a high (natural – NATURAL!) from all of the great response from the children’s line of note cards that we are broadening this line in two ways.

The first is the very reason we blog away today: we’ve taken artist Elizabeth Holmes’ sweet and beautiful creations inspired by famous illustrators Beatrix Potter and R.J. Shepherd on our note cards and expanded them to invitations! We’ve added a few creative touches to them as well to complement Elizabeth’s artwork. We have them set up as shower invitations, but they also work great for a child’s birthday or they could be used as birth announcements – so don’t be shy to email us at info@paperiepear.com to request a specific invitation be reworked into a baby announcement or other invitation for you to see!

Without further hesitation or information, we present a sampling of the latest (but certainly, not the last) line of children’s invitations!  Please check out the entire line of children’s invitations here!

Are you hosting a baby shower and need that one-of-a-kind invitation? Or, are you a new mom and want the perfect baby announcement (and it JUST HAPPENS to match your nursery theme!)? Does your little one have his or her first birthday coming up? We hope you find it here with The Paperie Pear! If not, STAY TUNED – more children’s designs are on the way!

Have a great weekend!
Haley and Marya

It’s my (Marya’s) birthday today. Yep…34th to be exact – I’m just an old Gen-X-er. And I think I’m just going to stop right here with the age progression thing. I like 34, so I’m sticking with it for a few more years…or decades… I’ve decided I’m going to be timeless – as timeless as this week’s design (You totally saw that coming, didn’t you? I’m becoming more predictable as I age.).

So, speaking of timeless, this week’s design was inspired by the Victorian Era of architecture. Ornate columns, highly detailed gables, intricate ironwork – it’s all gorgeous and EXPEEENNNSSSIIIVVVEEE to replicate. Unless you’re in the invitation business – then it’s only a few hours’ worth of work.

Check out the image we created below that shows a sampling of the inspirational images of Victorian Architecture:

And, as timeless as Victorian architectural design is, we wanted our color scheme for this note card and invitation design to be equally so. So, we went straight for the Queen of timeless colors – Madame Noir herself! “Noir” is French for black. The color I’m attempting to REALLY build up here is black. Well, with some white, too.

Presenting – the Sarah Elizabeth Scrollwork note card and invitation design:

We think the invitation would work beautifully for an evening dinner or cocktail party – which is why we chose the wording for the sample. The note cards are perfect for thank you notes after a black and white wedding.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks so much!
Marya and Haley

The story for this week’s design begins with Haley’s friend, Nita, who mentioned to us that we should design a pink poodle note card to add to our children’s line. This got us thinking about vintage 1950s Europe – I immediately think of the old 1955 Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief with Grace Kelley and Cary Grant set in the south of France in a grand hotel on the beach. Everyone is dripping with glamorous diamonds, pearls and, of course, elegant outfits in pastels to perfectly complement the seaside setting.

And when you think about the glamorous 1950s, you can’t help but think of PINK! So, we go on our search for vintage (and glamour) inspired objects showcasing our pink infatuation.

All of theses shades of pink made me recall one of my favorite wedding-time quotes from yet another movie, Steel Magnolias:

Julia Roberts in an overly-done Southern accent: “My colors are Blush and Bashful.”

Sally Field: “Her colors are Pink and Pink.”

And without further ado or movie references – we present our new pink love – The Pink Lady note card!!!

This set of 20 notecards features a vintage inspired peony damask print background in three shades of pink along with a dotted-and-solid line nameplate and monogram with a retro feel.  This set would make a great gift for a super-girly friend or loved one that is all about the glamour!! Or, indulge in a gift for the inner Grace Kelly in you!

Have a terrific weekend – go out in the sun and get a little pink yourself!

Marya and Haley

Let me state for the now second time that this was all Haley’s idea. I’m kidding – it was a collaborative one – I just like blaming Haley for everything.

But, before I officially announce the idea – let’s back up to <yet another> “discussion” between Haley and me during which I want to design something big and bold and Haley glares at me. Are you catching onto our behavioral patterns yet?

So, I have this sweep-me-off-my-feet inspirational moment to design a brown zebra print note card and invitation. I see brown zebra print rugs and chairs in all of the magazines today, so I’m thinking it HAS JUST GOT TO BE put on paper. I design it and – VOILA! – proudly reveal it to Haley. Here’s where the glaring comes in…

Haley: “That doesn’t look like us.”

I go on and on about how I love it, and it’s so trendy right now. And that’s when the idea began to take shape.

Haley: “But I don’t want us to be trendy. Look at our designs – we’re a bit more…timeless.”

I begin to show her other websites of popular stationery designers that have zebra print designs.

Then she gives me a “tough love” discussion about how I get all caught up in my obsession of studying the competition that I start, even unbeknownst to myself, DESIGNING like the competition, which then doesn’t make us competitive at all. We just look like everybody else.

I think about this for a moment and finally admit that I had been toying around with the idea of sticking within a vintage/retro revival design niche. Our favorite designs fall within this category, so why not keep chuggin’ down this track? But, my fear that we may not be “trendy” enough was holding me back from committing.

Haley didn’t blink before committing and yelling, “YES! That’s it!”

She then adds: “I’m so excited about it, yet I feel it’s just what we’ve been doing all along, especially with the children’s line.”

Marya: “Well, it gives us more concrete guidelines to design within.”

So with great excitement, we’d like to formally announce that we are OFFICIALLY The Paperie Pear – Vintage-Inspired Stationery and Invitation Design. And we kick off the announcement with – of course – a new design!

Allow me to introduce the Anne Marie note card:

We got this inspiration from an old book on fabrics that my mother found at a used bookstore.  One chapter discussed floral fabrics created from block printing – and so this design born, but with an updated color palette featuring a black, white and French Blue combination.  We just weren’t feeling the pale mustard yellow and olive green combination we saw in the book’s dated pictures, you know?

Have a friend’s birthday or bridal shower coming up? Stumped on a gift? We’ve received several orders this week for note cards sets as gifts for these occasions, and wanted to share the idea with you! The children’s line also makes a great present to celebrate the arrival of a new baby boy or girl! Mommy has to write those thank-you notes!

Haley and I would like to thank everyone for their orders of the new vintage-inspired children’s line painted by artist Elizabeth Holmes. It has been a fantastic hit, and it has given us the opportunity to hear from our customers regarding their thoughts on our take on children’s stationery. We’ve gotten even more ideas for upcoming designs that we cannot wait to reveal. Stay tuned…

Have a great weekend!
Marya and Haley

Let me begin by stating that the record should show this was all Haley’s idea.

I (Marya) have a three-year-old son and, with my past stationery business, OutLoud Designs, had created bold, graphic note cards that featured diaper pins, bows, strollers, rattles – you know, the usual. As Haley refers to it – the “clip art-esque” note cards that you find just about anywhere these days. So, as a mom, I insisted that we needed a children’s line for The Paperie Pear – much to Haley’s dismay. Haley has not yet been blessed with the opportunity to experience sleep deprivation, formula-stained shirts and a once immaculate home now overflowing with toys, baby safety gear and the scent of a failing Diaper Genie. In other words, she and her husband have no children at this time.

And then inspiration struck Haley just in time. Her relative, Birmingham artist Elizabeth Holmes, had just published her illustrated Christian Children’s book, “The White Trees,” featuring beautiful watercolor images of a family of panda bears. Instead of the typical bright and bold “clip art” images that have been the standard of children’s stationery, Haley wanted to go back to images that captured the innocence of childhood. Inspired by “Peter Rabbit” author/illustrator Beatrix Potter and “Winne the Pooh” illustrator E. H. Shepard, Haley collaborated with Elizabeth to create simple, yet elegant, watercolor illustrations of young animals and their surroundings.

The result is our first installment of a beautiful line of vintage-inspired children’s stationery. Now that Haley has “the itch” (for desigining for childen, not for ACTUALLY HAVING them at this time), her ideas for future designs have expanded beyond the Animal Kingdom, but will not be revealed at this time…CLIFFHANGER! But, in the short term, check back for these illustrations featured on invitations as well.

Below is a small sampling, but be sure to click here to check out the entire line.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this new approach to note cards for children and babies. Please leave a comment below or shoot us an email at info@paperiepear.com for any idea you may have for future cards and invitations.

Have a friend expecting a new baby, or are you possibly a “non-Haley” and are expecting a child of your own? These cards make great gifts for an upcoming baby shower or baby’s first birthday!

Have a great weekend!

Haley and Marya

I tend to get on tangents when I talk. Sometimes, I get so carried away on them that I have no clue how to get back to my original subject, nor do I leave any breadcrumbs to help. And, apparently, I design much in the same way.

So, here’s the story: Haley and I are designing the other night (and into the morning). It’s funny how the process works – we started with a very ornate border-style, traditional note card and we began choosing the color scheme. Haley, still continuing her high of beach house hunting in Panama City <insert envious, mumbling thought containing curse word here>, develops this great coral color – which did not fit at all with the ornate, traditional theme.

We hit the Internet in search of coral inspiration and found two different complementary colors for coral – turquoise and navy. Both combinations translate into two completely different feelings – coral and turquoise feels casual, fun and beachy; coral and navy feels high-fashion and sophisticated. I created the graphic below to show you our main inspiration images.

Now here is where Haley and I are noticeably different. As Haley has put it, you can draw two large overlapping circles to demonstrate our design taste. I’m on the left side – with a more fun, bright, graphic, “More is More” style. Haley is absolutely on the right side with a refined, elegant, “Let’s bring that down a bit, Marya” style. And, in the middle where we overlap is what you see on The Paperie Pear site.

After inspiration struck, Haley immediately began to design a note card using the coral and navy palette. After some tweaking, she announces how much she loves it. I agree, and we call it a night.

Less than two minutes after Haley leaves, I’m back on the laptop.

I just want to “play ” with the coral and turquoise (read: bright, bold, ME!! WEE!!!). I email the result to Haley to which she responds the following morning with, basically, a “you get on my nerves” email. I get these on a regular basis, as well as narrow-eyed facial expressions which communicate the same thought. I’m pretty much immune to them by now…

The point of this rambling is to show how two color schemes from different perspectives on pretty much the same design results in two very unique note cards.

And though the coral color on both notecards is EXACTLY the same, it appears a bit different with its complementary color.

Here are the invitations we designed as well, using the same idea as the note cards:

We’d love to hear your thoughts on your preferred color scheme! Please leave us a comment below. But first – click on these links to view the note cards and invitations up close (click on each product’s thumbnail image to view the gallery):

• Elizabeth Haines Coral and Navy Note Card
• Elizabeth Haines Coral and Turquoise Note Card
• Coral and Navy Invitation
• Coral and Turquoise Invitation

Have a great week!

Marya and Haley

This week’s Before and After Inspiration design came out of well…jealousy. And I’m jealous of two things. The first is that our dear Haley is in the market for a beach bungalow in Panama City Beach! Congrats, Haley – just hope you don’t mind my random, unannounced visits.

The second is a very close friend of mine from New Orleans is planning her upcoming October wedding in the heart of the French Quarter, which immediately planted <in my always-buzzing brain> images of grand homes with gorgeous ironwork.

So, I combined these two items in my head (while steaming with jealousy) and developed an ironwork-inspired note card design with a color palette reminiscent of the pale colors of the Emerald Coast.

Order a set of these damask note cards today and send a quick note to a friend of yours at the beach, or send a few out from your own beach or lake house to all of your jealous friends. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the thought! Ha!

If you’ve taken a look at our online shop, you can immediately see that Haley and I (Marya) LOVE damask designs. It is truly a timeless graphic – I’ve seen it in Victorian homes dating back to the 1800s (check out the Victorian Village tour in Memphis, TN), in pictures of my husband’s grandparents’ home in the 1950s, and just this week on Target.com! Which brings us to this week’s Inspiration Before & After.

Damask is hot, and what makes it PIPIN’ hot right now is the combination of this ultra-traditional print with fresh, modern colors. It gives it a contemporary edge.

So, as I was perusing all the high-design (yet affordable!) products on Target.com, I came across this damask wallpaper.

I never knew Target sold wallpaper, but this design immediately tempted me to put this in my black-and-white tile bathroom in my 1950s-built home. However, I recently went out and bought these bright blue guest towels (that match my current bath decor) which hang on the towel rack on the focal point wall. And, then, as I was putting it all together in my head – guess what happened?

And there you have it – from my visions of “what the heck to do in that bathroom?” to a note card and invitation design.

This design can be used any time of the year – so why not use the invitations for an upcoming couple’s shower or bridal luncheon? It’s versatile so that it can be used for a formal evening event like a dinner party or rehearsal dinner, yet, with its modern color palette, it can transfer to a fun and casual luncheon or shower event.

Be sure to shoot us an email and let us know how you use your Jennifer June damask invitations or note cards!

Have a terrific Memorial Day weekend!

Marya and Haley

Haley and I find inspiration for new designs in just about everything. Whether it’s in Haley’s mothers’s to-die-for back yard, the patterned fabric of a gorgeous bedding set or the design of an elegant rug – some aspect about it just jumps out and screams “Put me on paper, too!”

Right now in Birmingham, it’s officially Spring. Yet it feels like Summer. Either way, it’s that time of the year that everything is green, the flowers are blooming and I am blessed with the opportunity to pull weeds. However, this is prime inspiration time, so we are kicking off our regular “Inspiration Before and After” design posts with a garden essence.

You’re thinking floral print, right? Ha! No! Growing up in Mississippi, my mother had a covered porch built on the back of our home complete with lattice work as open-air side walls, on which her pretty climbing roses grew like crazy. So, I use this memory as the inspiration for today’s newest note card design – the Patricia Lattice Note Card. Scroll down to see our inspiration and final custom note card design.

Garden Lattice Screen

The Patricia Lattice Note Card from The Paperie Pear

With a clear-day blue sky solid background and a white lattice print overlay, this note card features your personalized monogram (shown in Mahogony Script) in white against a springtime lime green name plate.

Click here to order a set today and send a note to a few friends, inviting them over for mimosas on the back porch and enjoy this weather before it’s SMOLDERING hot!

Have a great week!

Marya and Haley

Hi there and WELCOME to The Paperie Pear blog! You may be asking yourself “Why did they misspell ‘Papery?’” or “The Paper-what?” Well, we get this a lot, so here’s our official explanation of the name BEFORE we write our celebratory “Woo-Hoo – we’ve launched the site!”

And, yes, I (Marya) am a “Woo” girl, but, lucky for you, Haley is NOT.

A “Paperie” is, simply, a store or business that deals with paper and products made from paper. The English word “Papery” is an adjective that describes something that appears to be made from paper. With our use of “Paperie,” we like it to mean BOTH. So, yes, we’re grammatically incorrect, but doesn’t it sound nice? We also like using “Pear” in two ways: we love the graphic illustration of our pear in our logo – and plus, the two of us (Haley and Marya) started this business, so we’re also a “pair.”

In other words, we’ve put a lot of meaning in our name, as we’ve put a lot of heart, thought and inspiration into our designs.

So now <drum roll…> “WOO HOO! The site is LAUNCHED!” When you’re finished reading this post, be sure to click on the “Shop” tab and check out our freshly-posted note cards and invitations – just ripe for the adding-to-cartin’!

Now, what can you expect from this whole blog thing? Here’s the plan (subject to change at any time, as we get new ideas in our sleep) – twice a week we will post to the blog and will be showing you our inspiration behind selected designs so that you can see the “Before and After” of a new invitation or note card.

We will also use the blog to spread the word about new products or services in the future. Again, we get ideas constantly and want to bring them to life as soon as humanly possible. SPOILER ALERT: I see monogrammed melamine plates, decorative customized stamps, labels, and, above all A GORGEOUS CHILDREN’S LINE in your future!!!

So, please sign up for our Blog RSS feed, bookmark this blog OR sign up to receive our monthly newsletter to receive our latest product updates and inspiration! Also, please share our site with your family and friends with the “Share This” link on the right-hand sidebar on this page.

Above all, we would love to hear from you! If you have any ideas, feedback – or just want to tell us how much you love our designs (hint, hint…) – please shoot us an email.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!

Marya and Haley