July 2014 [Pen to Paper] “I Love You” Box

We have had so many of our lovely subscribers messaging us to rave about our July “I Love You” box and I can’t wait for you all to see the paperie goodness and love that went into each and every Elephantshoe box.

Just before our lovely intern Kathleen left for her new exciting travels she wrote our latest review. Take a look below. . .

Hi there, Kat here. I have to let you all in on a secret. Some might not believe me but I’m telling you, it's really true. Are you ready to hear this big secret? Alright? The thing is… The Elephantshoe Stationery Studio is a time machine!

It feels like it was just yesterday (*read* the month of June) that I stepped back into the warm and welcoming Elephantshoe Stationery Studio, and it’s just been go go go since then. I’ve worked on some wonderful projects with the team here and it’s been a lovely, creative and sometimes crazy adventure! Now, as I sit here preparing to write my last "I Love You" box post (I shouldn’t say “last” but it will be for a while), I’ve realized it’s July! As the icy winter days keep coming and my days here at Elephantshoe draw to a close, I bring to you the July [Pen to Paper] I Love You Box review.

We went old school this month and celebrated paper and the good old pen. Here’s what we included in the July box:

This month, and every month, we should go out of our way to ditch the emails and text messages every once in a while and take pen to paper. In other words, what we’re trying to say is, sloooooow down. We’re all living in our fast-paced, on-the-go bubbles – always rushing somewhere, but that’s life, and we all get a bit caught-up in it sometimes. But enough rambling – this is what we want to encourage you to do: write a little letter. Write it for a close friend, a caring mother, a great colleague, a special husband/wife or even a cousin who lives across the globe. The best part is it can be a quick and meaningful “I Love You” stuck to your significant other’s desk or a little update to a friend you want to reconnect with. To get you started, we’ve supplied our subscribers with a quirky little writing notepad and quirky “HELLO” eco-friendly pen. It all starts with a little “HELLO”… the rest is up to you.

Finished writing your little letter? Fold it in half, now pop it into your choice of our stylish kraft envelopes – scrambled letters or paper airplanes – and seal it with a nifty wax seal. Pop a postage stamp on from your nearest post office and your letter is ready to travel the world… or perhaps just down the road!

I can’t remember the last time I received a postcard from someone, but I can remember how happy I felt when I received a special message from a friend in the post. Make someone happy and send them a postcard. This month our subscribers received 4 custom, and totally awesome postcards – ready to make someone smile. The best part about them? They serve equally as some trendy/cool wall art for your home office. Pop it in a frame or stick it your wall and you’ll have a little reminder of that special friend/loved one.

There’s nothing quite like opening a wax-sealed envelope. The instant feeling of importance and elegance that surrounds it makes opening one of them just that extra special. But when you want to opt for something a little more casual – pop a cute sticker on. Or use one the stickers to hold your handwritten note to your friend’s desk.

Traveling somewhere soon or have a friend that’s about jet set off on an adventure? Why not attach one of our printed kraft tags to a special going-away gift or better yet – use them as trendy luggage tags!

Lastly, each subscriber received a handwritten letter to fill them in on the thought-process behind the July box. The letter was written with the sole purpose to explain, inspire and mostly just because we love you.

The letter went a little like this

Dear…

Thank you for subscribing to this month’s Elephantshoe box of love.

We thought we’d mix it up a bit this month and leave the typed messages behind. We’ve been thinking a lot about what makes life special and lovely. Think of blue skies in summer, your first sip of tea, forehead kisses, tight hugs, brown paper packages tied up with string and handwritten letters.

This month we would like to encourage you to go old school and take pen to paper, dig up your favourite milky pens from school and write a little letter. There’s something really special and novel about receiving a handwritten note in the age of emails and text messages. It doesn’t need to be a long letter/an essay – just a simple “you looked great today” or “I love you” is perfect. It’s the thoughtful notes that go the furthest and mean the most.

So here you have your very own supplies to get you going. Fix yourself a hot drink, grab a blanket and let the words flow.

Happy writing!

Love Elephantshoe 

It’s been an absolute pleasure to be involved in the conceptualisation and production of the Elephantshoe “I Love You” boxes over the last couple of months. If you’re a subscriber or just a Ellieshoe follower – I hope you’ve enjoyed the contents and effort that’s gone into making them extra special for you.

Stay tuned for the August box of awesomeness that I’m pretty sure will blow your warm fuzzy socks right off!

Bye-bye for now,

Kat

Elephantshoe “Hot Out The Oven” Free Printable

Today our new "Cookie Pocket Printable" was featured on theprettyblog. Take a look here to see what it was all about. 

When winter’s chills creep in we all crave some comfort and often a little cheer-me-up! Sometimes the answer to these cravings can be found hiding in the kitchen. Whether it’s a cup of tea, warm cocoa, a hearty vegetable soup or perhaps something sweet and homemade that will warm you up from the inside. We like to get creative and whip up some yummy goodies for our family and friends.

This week we were inspired to make jam heart biscuits to enjoy with our endless cups of tea here in the office, (luckily this tasty recipe can be found over on The Pretty Blog). They are delicious as a small afternoon treat or as naughty midnight snack, but we believe sharing is caring and we wanted our friends to try them too. We’ve designed a nifty little cookie pocket for your home-baked biscuits. Simply download the free printable PDF, select your favourite design from the various patterns and colours and follow the easy steps to fold your biscuit pocket. Pop in your delicious homemade goods, seal it with the printable sticker or a kiss and give it to a dear friend as a little something to say “I care for you”. 

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

  • A4 Paper Card Stock
  • Wax paper
  • Scissors / Craft Knife & Ruler
  • Spray Glue
  • Double Sided Tape
  • A Fresh Batch of Cookies

DIRECTIONS

  1. Print the cookie pocket and round sticker design that you love from this PDF on an A4 sheet of paper.
  2. Cut a 20cm x 20cm square of wax paper and glue it on the back of your A4 print with spray glue.
  3. Trimm the cookie pocket with scissors or a craft knife along the outer edge of the print.
  4. Write a message for the lucky person that will be receiving your homemade treats.
  5. Fold in the corners of your biscuit pocket to make an envelope (the wax paper should be inside the pocket).
  6. Glue down or stick  these corners with double sided tape to form a square envelope.
  7. Cut out the round sticker from the print.
  8. Bake a fresh batch of delicious cookies.

Thank you as always to our awesome friends at Blackframe Photography for shooting these images with us. We appreciate all the time that you put into our collaboration DIY projects. Thank you Andre and Maritsa. 

GIVEAWAY! WIN WITH ELEPHANTSHOE AND THE PRETTY BLOG.

We're giving away two maple wooden stamps, one that reads Handmade by Me” and another that reads “Fragile handle with care”. To stand a chance to win one of these two beauties simply keep an eye on theprettyblog social media pages for more information. Enter via either facebook , twitter or instagram, tag @Elephantshoe_ and @theprettyblog, with the tag line #happinessishomemade & share with us your favourite Elephantshoe DIY project that has been featured on The Pretty Blog to date. *terms and conditions apply. Entries only accepted from South African Residents for delivery & shipping reasons.

Entries close 21 July 2014 at 12pm. Winners must correspond within 3 days after they have been contacted via Social Media.

JUNE 2014 {Winter Warmer} "I Love You" Box

The past two months have been so so WONDERFUL - we've had Kathleen back in our Elephantshoe studio once more to help us with a few very NB projects, (one of those being my brothers wedding - more of that coming to the blog later this month). Kat has helped James and I brainstorm a whole host of ideas including the goodies that went into our June "I Love You" box. She has become a part of our Ellieshoe way of life here and I will more than likely, {o.k I will} shed a few tears when she leaves in the middle of next month. But for now let me share her review on June's box of love. Thank you Kat!

JUNE 2014 {Winter Warmer} "I Love You" Box

Winter is officially here and it is CHILLY up in Joburg! When the temperature takes a dip, the first thing I do is grab my favourite mug and pop the kettle on. There’s nothing better than a cup of tea or coffee on a cold winter’s day. We've been inspired by our love for tea and coffee and decided to dedicate this month’s “I Love You” box to caffeine, friends, family and all-round goodness.

Here’s what we popped into the June [WINTER WARMER] “I Love You” box:

  • 2 x ceramic chalkboard mugs with chalk
  • 1 x box of custom paper coasters / 12 x custom paper coasters in kraft box
  • 2 x custom “Thanks a latte” kraft tags
  • 2 x custom kraft cards
  • 2 x custom stripey lined square kraft and black envelopes
  • 2 x custom stickers
  • 1 x custom button fridge magnet

What better way to say “I love you” or “feel better” with a cup of tea, coffee or even hot chocolate. Simply write a sweet little message for your loved one or friend on the awesome chalkboard mug.

Who said tea parties are only meant to be held outside in the summer? Make room for a fabulous winter tea party with friends – complete with charming paper coasters! This month, our subscribers found a beautiful little brown box tied up with string in which they could find their own custom paper coasters. Get the kettle ready and bake the cake and your tea party is ready to go go go!

We love making people feel special – this month you could do it too. Our quirky kraft tags are the perfect little addition to any big or small parcel or bunch of flowers. Say “thanks a latte” to someone special this month. 

Who doesn’t love a quick coffee date with a friend that sometimes turns into lunch? Make him or her feel great with one of Elephantshoe’s custom kraft cards. Whether it is passed on as is in our elegant yet simple envelopes or given with a gift.  We say YAY to coffee, friends and hand-written cards! Take a look at our custom range of envelopes form the shoppe.

In the midst of winter we don’t always feel like our healthy selves. We’re saying save the germs and “seal it with a sticker” instead of a kiss. Each subscriber received two custom stickers to spruce up a parcel, hand-written note or envelope.

“We like big cups and we cannot lie” tra leee la la la – add some spunk to a gift for a friend, or pop the awesome button magnet to your fridge. Soon we will have these online for you to purchase but for now take a look at our May fridge magnets from the shoppe. 

Grab your blanket and your chalkboard mug filled with you choice of hot drink and get ready for the exciting JULY “I Love You” box which will be shipped next week. 

Love Kat