Stationary and cards and tape.. Oh my!

It's hard to not feel romantic when surrounded by such loving sentiment and pretty loving images as we have been while exploring shops in California. Each store has beautiful window displays dripping with hearts and bows and words... words of love and joy and cheeky playfulness! Here are some Valentine's day cards we found while drifting through some of our favourite stores... and also a display of some of the brilliant Washi tape we bought and have now stuck on everything in our path!!

One of our all time favourite stationary stops in America is the treasure chest that is Paper Source. Here are some valentine paper tags we found... perfect for leaving in secret locations for loved ones to find... or adding to projects... or using to make your own creative cards...

We've had a lovely Valentine's Day surrounded by love and words and each other. And we hope everyone else has too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love Rose & Violet xxxxxxx

Timeless treasures... found in flea market heaven!

And seeing Alameda is a dream come true!!

It has been on our list for a long time now... and finally... Miss Rose Sister Violet made the journey across the Bay to find San Francisco's Alameda Flea market. With an empty car, we drove beneath a beaming Californian Sun across the Bay Bridge, and through the gates of Flea Market Heaven! Oh the fun we had!

We found the above taps, which we've already turned into flowers (like every inanimate object left in the hands of Rose and Violet)... and which we'd love to use for wall art or creating words for display or  absolutely anything....

We had an absolute ball.... and came home with a FULL car. (Next time we're hiring a truck!) Here are some photos from our day at Alameda... and memories that will keep us happy until we meet again.

In the mood for love....

Valentine's Day is just around the corner!

We've been so busy packing orders and sending them off in all directions... all sorts of romantic goodies to find loving homes with romantic souls. It's so beautiful to think of shops being decorated for Valentine's Day... shops filled with beautiful love... and our products amongst it all, adding a little touch of romance... waiting to be taken home with someone and shared in the beauty of their life. It makes us think on love and all the magic that it holds, and the power it has to make our lives wonderful.

Here is one of our most treasured poems, celebrating the magic of being in love with someone....

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life: which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

E.E. Cummings

Such beautiful words. (sigh). Thank you E.E. Cummings.

Here are some of our treasures we've been busy making and sending out for Valentine's Day... in hope that they'll share love with whoever finds them! And find a place in someone's heart.
Love to everyone
Rose & Violet xxxxxx

exciting things ahead...

We've started planning for our first trade show for the year... The Sydney Gift Fair at Darling Harbour in February. We've been having so much fun drawing up display ideas and playing with new product designs, and it's making us very excited for the year ahead... even if at times a little overwhelmed by all that needs to get done!

It's a wonderful thing though... to dream up a vision for a little pop-up shop... and get to work on making it a reality. We, here in the Miss Rose Sister Violet office, sometimes pretend we're set designers or creative shop owners.... building a set for Broadway, or decorating our cosy little shop on Columbia Road in London... we have so much fun that we often feel like we're "playing at" business and it's a wonderful way to exist.

There's much planned for this year... and lots of exciting sketches littering our office floor... just waiting to be brought to life. We can't wait for the year to unfold and bloom and for us to be able to share everything with you all.

For now, here are some of our latest creations... new accessories and pretty things waiting to decorate the world.
Love Rose & Violet xxxxxxx

Pretty Inspiration....

We found these beautiful photos taken by photographer Lisa Warninger and we absolutely love them. They are so inspiring as we sit down to start the year... thinking of the year's projects ahead and day dreaming of all the beautiful things we want to create. We hope you enjoy them too!
Love Rose and Violet xxxxxx

A new year....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

While sitting here at the computer.... working late into the night... and listening to Jo Stafford sing christmas carols... we've found this: a reminder that Christmas is starting all around the world... and we wish nothing more than to be a part of it. (we found this poster on a pretty blog "Tea for Joy"). Wouldn't it be wonderful to visit this little Christmas market... with the hope that carols would be swirling around... people bustling to and fro in search of early Christmas gifts, or special treats for themselves... and the smell of Christmas mulled wine in the air...

Wherever you are... we're sure Christmas has started. And we urge you to jump in wholeheartedly! (if only so that we're not the only ones already listening to dreamy Christmas carols and day dreaming of Christmas chocolates!)

Look for Christmas markets... hum along to Christmas music in department stores... and let the world sparkle.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... and we LOVE it.
love Rose & Violet
xxxxxxxx