We spent last week in New York City for two trade shows and built in a couple of days to explore the city. I've typically gone by myself over the years but last year (and this year) I was able to take two of our shop employees with me as a little bonus treat! 

This year's trip started off rocky with a cancelled flight and a half day delay into the city which threw off our plans and also ended in a travel disaster sandwich with over half a dozen delays and a cancelled flight. But the in-between was fun, memorable and full of good food! I'll do a proper photo dump + recap of the trade shows to give y'all a lil peek at what's coming soon to our shop next week once I have time to decompress after a truly stressful travel experience!

But I wanted to share some of the local restaurants, coffee shops and small businesses in the city so in case you have short trip coming up or are going to plan a trip, here's a quick itinerary for your convenience! 

Enjoy :)

Day 1:

Breakfast - Bagel (duh! We wanted to try pop up bagel in the city but never made it there and since we aren't bagel snobs, we assume all NYC bagels are better than any bagels back home) 

Lunch - Rubirosa (reservations needed! Order the lasagna and tie dye pizza!)

Shopping - Goods for the Study (there are two side by side, one focusing on writing utensils and next door you'll find more notebooks + desk goods) and Little Mooney (adorable kid/children's shop with clothing, toys and books!) 

Matcha stop - Matchaful

Dinner - Congee Village (We ordered the beef chow fun, scallops and veggies and sweet & sour pork) 

Dessert - Levain Cookies (Good luck just getting one cookie as you inhale all the good smells as you are waiting in line to order!) 

Day 2: 

Breakfast - Supermoon Bake House (Everything is so good! You can't go wrong with anything you choose!)

Shopping - Nico Necco (teeny tiny stationery shop that is possibly my favorite spot in the city!) 

Lunch - Xian Fine Foods (I will dream of their noodles for the foreseeable future! Their regular spice level has a good kick even for me, someone who loves spice!)

Shopping - Chelsea Market (loved visiting Pearl River Market - an Asian department store as well as the flea market inside)

Matcha stop - Cha Cha Matcha 

Dinner - Her Name is Han (modern Korean food! Their garlic chicken as well as Asian inspired cocktails were so good!) 

Dessert - Soft Swerve or Keki Cheesecake

Happy October to all our paper friends! 

There are so many new things in the shop and we wanted to share our team's favorite stationery. And with this new season and month, we're so excited to announce that we will now be open on Wednesdays, too! You will be able to visit our storefront in Austin 5 days a week.

From spooky to seasonal to everyday stationery, we hope you FALL in love with what we picked because we know you will love them as much as we do!

Pei

Card: Gift to Hu-Manatee

Pen: Sarasa Nano Gel

Notebook: Correspondence Collection Desk Note

Office/Desk Supply: Postage Candle

Wild Card: Pink Geometric Shapes Matches

I am a self-proclaimed card hoarder and never need an excuse to buy a cute card to add to my stash - this cutie manatee card is my fave ever since I realized if I were to be a marine animal, I would choose a manatee! This gorgeous wood box holds a set of letterpress printed stationery, perfect for a quick note. I am also loving the new nano (0.3mm nib) version of our favorite Sarasa vintage pens. And of course, what's a candle without fancy matches? 

Anna

Card: Yas Yay Omg Congratulations

Pen: White Signo Gel Pen

Notebook: Large Green Rollbahn Notebook 

Office/Desk Supply: Colorful Push Pins 

Wild Card: Staircases and Archways Boxed Set

This is my go to notebook for all of my thoughts, doodles, and more. It fits great in my bag and I love the cool green color for Fall. These colorful pins add a pop of color to my desk and these archway boxed set are both a work of art and a fun way to send snail mail!

Meg

Card: P+CP Boo! Ghostie Card 

Pen: Sarasa Vintage Pen in Camel Yellow 

Notebook: Ruff House Mini Yellow Rainbow Notebook

Office/Desk Supply: Idlewild Mushroom Paper Clips

Wild Card: Smoky Quartz Crystal Tower

I love this golden yellow notebook and pen combo, they are perfect for on-the-go! The adorable mushroom paper clips are a must for organizing paperwork or even keeping notes in your planner. I love decorating with these beautiful crystal towers for Halloween and year round.

Aislinn

Card: Scream Cheese

Pen: Ohto Rays Black

Notebook: Stalogy 

Office/Desk Supply: Large D-Clip Cats

Wild Card: The Yellow Candle

My notebook and rays pen go everywhere with me! This fine tip pen is  great for writing down daily tasks and planning various events in my notebook. The cat paper clips can be used for holding papers and random stickers together or marking your page in a book. If I can incorporate Halloween into my stationery I definitely will!

Audrey

​​Card: Sunny Side Up 

Pen: Le Pen Mustard Yellow

Notebook: Archer & Olive Leaf A5

Office/Desk Supply: Bright Abstract Sticker Sheet

Wild Card: Cup of Sunshine Tea

I am huge on bullet journaling my habits, calendar, and to-do lists! My love for Archer & Olive knows no bounds, and this one especially is in one of my favorite colors. The Le Pen mustard has such a sleek thin barrel and lovely felt tip, and it's so easy to pack in my purse for a quick note. The mustard also matches the yolk of my favorite egg pop up card! The sticker sheet is equally fun and adds some flair to my bujo for silly labels and thoughts to remember. And the tea... oh the tea.. I used to make a huge batch of ginger turmeric tea and make a big ol' mess, but now I can just pop a tea bag in my mug for a warm pick me up while I journal. A really sunny side up way to start my day (:

We hope you enjoyed our current favorite shop picks and hope you discover some of your own favorites in person or online! We can't wait to see you guys FIVE days out of the week now and of course, 24/7 online! 

If you missed last season's favorite products, click this link to see some of our other favorite stationery and meet the team, as well! Spring Favorites + Meet the Team!

3 Things to Look for in a Planner

Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year? Props to anyone who has stayed on top of their New Years goals and a special congratulations to those who are still using the same planner they started with! 

Now that it’s nearing the end of the year, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with what you may have not yet accomplished and sometimes you just need a fresh start to inspire you for the remainder of this year. 

While some people love their tried and true planners, this blog post is for those of you who are looking for a change or perhaps interested in trying a new planner!

What to Look for in a Planner: Size

The size of your planner can be determined through several factors:

• Your Bag. Are you going to be carrying this planner with you to work, school, etc.? Having a comfortable fit in your bag will make it easier to take with you and keep up with. You won’t want a planner that takes up too much room because eventually you might opt out of bringing it with you. Unless you are find with carrying a planner, you may want to find one that suits your everyday bag.

• Handwriting/Visual. Do you write small or is your handwriting a bit bigger? Normally, a bigger planner will allow for more writing space but if you are comfortable adjusting your writing size, then any planner size can work for you. Another thing to note is how big you need the font of your planner. It is easier to read dates and headers if your planner has the room to make these things bigger.

• Preference. What size is comfortable for you? Do you like the feel of a big planner or does a medium to smaller one fit you better? Sometimes a big planner can be overwhelming while a smaller one can feel like not enough room. 

What to Look for in a Planner: Layout

There are several different types of planners to fit your preferred layout:

• Daily. These planners will typically dedicate a page for each day, allowing you to plan more in-depth than a weekly or monthly planner. This is a good layout if you need to block out specific time slots for school, work, hang-outs, etc. If your average day is very busy or you just need to see your day broken down, this is a good layout to have.

• Weekly. This lets you have a weekly view of your agenda. It’s the perfect layout if you’re someone who needs to plan long-term and have a week-by-week view of your tasks.

• Monthly. Like a weekly layout, this will let you plan further ahead and see all of your to-do’s at once. Monthly spreads are great for tracking bills, pay-days, birthdays, holidays, and other recurring events. 

• Combo. A planner that has some combination of daily, weekly or monthly. Sometimes all 3! 

Keep in mind that many planners will also have a mix of these layouts, so don’t worry if more than one layout seems to fit your needs. Some will dedicate a majority of the planner to a weekly layout but will have a monthly section, too. Some can be described as a daily planner and also have a weekly section. Many planners will also have a page or two for a yearly spread and several pages included for notes. 

What to Look for in a Planner: Binding

The type of binding can affect the way your planner lays and looks. 

• Spiral. This type of binding holds your planner together with a plastic wire looped through the pages. Spiral-bound planners are able to lay flat on a table or fold over in your lap, due to the flexible binding of the spiral wire.

• Perfect-Bound. Unlike spiral bound, this binding gives more of a paperback look as the pages are held together with a layer of adhesive glue. You won’t get your planner as flat as a spiral bound one but the pages are still flexible enough to maneuver.

• Saddle-Stitch. Similar to the perfect-bound binding, a saddle-stitch planner has a subtler bind than the spiral one. The pages of these planners are gathered with a staple, driven vertically through the fold, like magazines or booklets. These will lay flatter than the perfect-bound planners but not as flat as the spiral-bound. 

It is also a visual preference! If you like the look of a perfect-bound over the look of a spiral-bound then look into perfect-bound planners. The look of your planner can also motivate you to keep up with it so find one that fits your tastes!

Some Extra Tips and Tricks

• Undated Planners. Our favorite type of planner is undated! You can start/stop as you please and undated planners typically are pretty minimal, allowing you to customize each spread and add your own creative touch! If you don’t have much going on or you forget to use it, you won’t have to skip a bunch of dated weeks or be reminded by the gap.

• Sticky Notes. Can’t commit to a specific day? Write what you need to do on a sticky note so that you can move your plans around. With sticky notes, there are so many different sizes, colors, and shapes, giving you a variety of options to decorate your planner with.

• Notes Section. Like we previously mentioned, some planners come with a notes section. Use this area for school subjects, business meetings, personal journaling, party planning, or just doodling! It’s a great way to keep all of your separate notes near your plans and a better way to have everything in one book! 

Not every plan can be fun but it can be fun to plan! Organizing your life is better when you have a planner that fits you. We hope this information can help you find the right planner or even motivate you to continue the one(s) you have now!

Here are some of our favorite planners in store now:

The Completist: Weekly Undated Planner

• undated weekly + monthly spreads

• numbered section for lists

• dot grid section for doodles + other notes

• comes with a bookmark!

Poketo: Daily Weekly Monthly Planner

• spiral

• undated daily + weekly + monthly spreads

• lined pages for notes

• colorful cover

Mish Mash: Undated Monthly Green Planner

• slim + flat

• minimal undated monthly spreads only

• great for decorating + adding your own touch

Shorthand: Undated Planner

• spiral

• undated monthly + weekly spreads

• square shape + enough space for customizing and planning

• many different cover colors to pick from!

We spent a whirlwind few days in New York last week for not one but two trade shows! It's been over 2 years since I was last in the city and it felt good to be back. And it was extra special being able to bring Meg and Anna along with me. 

Trade shows have changed a lot for so many reasons. The cost to exhibit is astronomical, the pandemic has caused small businesses to shift their priorities etc. But I personally still love it! It's a chance for me to see and visit current vendors we work with as well as discover new brands too. 

Things to do, explore and eat in New York

Here was our itinerary for our trip:

We took an early flight out on Monday morning and immediately headed to lunch for some much needed food - we had some of the best sushi. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and visiting some local shops - this quirky shop with the best/most clever signage, a cute and colorful stationery shop, and another because we love stationery (obviously), we stopped for a cold pre-dinner dessert, and as we were headed to dinner, stumbled upon yet another little stationery shop that is also a post office! We ate dinner at one of my favorite noodle spots in the city before capping off the night with, you guessed it, more dessert! 

All day Tuesday was dedicated to NYNOW and Shoppe Object - two bi-annual trade shows that showcase hundreds of businesses. We grabbed bagels and walked the highline towards the convention center and spent about 4 hours walking the floor. Then we headed to the second trade show but stopped in Chinatown for some really yummy food (get the fish congee - pronounced "con-jee", beef chow fun noodles and salt & pepper shrimp) p.s. It's customary for them to serve your table a pot of tea instead of water, the tea always served hot and is really good! 

Wednesday was Meg's and Anna's last day in the city so we wanted to have some more fun and squeezed in a few more stops. First we had breakfast (I made the mistake of getting a bowl that was super bleh but they loved their sandwiches!) Then we went to what I like to call the Italian foodie Disney land for some espresso and coffee. We walked past this spot and realized we were all huge fans aka nerds - another bonding moment haha! We decided to pop by one more stationery shop, it's teeny tiny but probably my new fave in the city! Then we stopped by my favorite matcha place on the way back to the hotel to grab their bags so they could head to the airport. 

The trip, while short, was so memorable and fun!  I cannot wait to show you all the wonderful things I found for the shop :) 

And if you do visit New York, be sure to add these spots to your list! 

Since opening our doors in 2015, our shop + studio has hosted hundreds of creative workshops and classes! The goal has always been to create a community here in town, serve those who are seeking more creativity in their lives as well as to showcase and support our instructors who are artists + small business owners too! 

We took a long pause on all our in-person classes starting March 2020 and resumed them in a new format in Oct 2021. We shifted our focus with intention - intimate and smaller class sizes so students can get more one-on-one instruction and an overall elevated experience inside our brand new workshop studio. Our new workshop studio space is a designated and separate room filled with natural light, it's a dream space to be able to work in! 

One of our biggest commitment is to only bring the very best workshops to our workshop calendar.  We take care to create exciting curriculums, source quality materials and on the very top of the list is to ensure all of our instructors provide an amazing experience for their students.

Here's a look at how our workshop space as changed over the years!

Then....

vs. now...

And now the best part! are a few of our "regulars" you'lll see rotating through our calendar! We asked them to provide some insight to our workshops so you'll get an insider peek to why we think our classes are the best!  

We hope to see you at an upcoming workshop soon :) 

Anna Muniz from WatercolorATX

Anna is the artist and owner of Watercoloratx, based in Austin, Texas. Her work is inspired by the architecture and character of her hometown, Austin.  She creates detailed and personalized watercolors based on Austin and specializes in custom and stationery watercolors. She has taught numerous Watercolor Architecture workshops and will be teaching this Summer's Foodie Watercolors, and the Watercolor Pet Portrait workshops. All of her workshops are great for beginners and a very relaxing time!

Audrey Jahanian + Zaid Gallo from 7th Street Candle Co.

Audrey and Zaid are the founders and owners of 7th Street Candle Co. They specialize in small batch candles and use Texas grown aromatics and plants by partnering with local businesses and farms around the state. They teach candle pouring classes in order to share their own apothecary with students and help them craft their own custom blended candles.Audrey and Zaid are the founders and owners of 7th Street Candle Co. They specialize in small batch candles and use Texas grown aromatics and plants by partnering with local businesses and farms around the state. They teach candle pouring classes in order to share their own apothecary with students and help them craft their own custom blended candles.

Pei Sim from The Paper + Craft Pantry

Pei is the owner and founder of The Paper + Craft Pantry. Her workshops specialize in watercolor florals, embroidery, and more! Pei considers herself a curious creative who enjoys dabbling in a variety of mediums. She enjoys sharing her love of art through botanical subjects, flowers, plants and nature. She teaches Watercolor Loose Florals workshops, Intro to Embroidery workshops and other classes throughout the year.

Why do you like teaching?

Anna: I love getting to see people who've never used watercolors start to play with them and have fun! Everyone's work always turns out so cute and I love seeing students take photos of their work to share with their friends and family. 

Audrey & Zaid: We love teaching simply because our business started with Audrey teaching Zaid a new tactile craft. Getting to share that experience with students is one of the better reasons we love to instruct these workshops! Everyone gets to customize their own aromatherapy blends and the room always buzzes with new ideas and fresh fragrances.

Pei: Getting to share my love of creating in our studio is one of my favorite parts of having our shop and studio space. I feel like as adults, it can be hard to prioritize time for yourself and coming to our workshops gives you the time, space and support to do something for you!

How do you prepare for workshop day?

Anna: In the days before a workshop, I gather all of the supplies together and make sure everything is there. There are brushes, palettes, paints, paper, erasers, and more to organize! The final touch is putting together the booklet that goes along with the class and prepping any templates that might be needed. On workshop day, I set up the supplies for each student at their spot and review my plan for the class!

Audrey & Zaid: Workshop prep usually begins weeks before the day because we have to check that we have enough inventory and supplies to give the best experience to our students. The week leading up to it is all about getting those supplies divided out for each student attending, and catering to the theme of class. Workshop day is usually a blur of packing the car up and unloading, having the most fun telling all our bad aromatherapy jokes, and sharing all the tips and tricks to make one a successful candle maker. Then take-out. Because neither of us want to cook dinner after a full day like that! 

Pei: Workshop prep starts months in advance sometimes. From concepting a curriculum to creating samples, photographing pieces before ordering all the supplies before the workshop. Workshops tend to go by so fast! Students are often shocked that they've spent several hours creating and to me that's a good sign of a fantastic class!

What do you look forward to on workshop day? And what is one of your favorite workshop memory?

Anna: I most look forward to seeing the students excited to paint! I love when they start working on their composition and they get so focused on working.  

My favorite memory is when at the end of the first Foodie Watercolor workshop, the students all clapped for each other as they held up their finished postcards! Everyone was so supportive and excited about their watercolors of croissants, ice cream, pizza and more!

Audrey & Zaid: Saying hello and catching up with the amazing team at P+CP! We appreciate the kindness and care the team all put into workshop day (and every other day for that matter). And getting to share our craft and silly jokes with new students! 

One of our fave memories is when Audrey led the students through a meditation before an intention setting candle workshop. All of our workshops are memorable and one of our favorite recent traditions we've made is using everyone's leftover scented wax from class into one collective super scented mystery flavor candle.

Pei: I love seeing the transformation of a beginner student who may be a bit  hesitant at the beginning of class turn into someone who is confident by the end of the workshop! 

It's hard to just pick one favorite memory of workshops! It's been magical knowing so many students are repeat workshop attendees. We have current students who have been taking workshops with us since we first opened in 2015!

Hope you had fun going down memory lane with the photos of our old/first workshop studio space as well as getting to know our workshop instructors and process :)