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

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