Select invitational papers, photo albums, guest books and more. We decided to extend the dates of our sale for the bride that can make it herself! We have added more beautiful photo albums and guest books for you.
Pass it on!
We are open everyday from 10-6
Our new winter hours will be held until March 31, 2015. Come visit us soon!
Naughty or nice~Gifts For the Stocking or Under the Tree
For her, something special that will be a joy to use everyday! Be prepared to see a huge smile on her face when she opens up her gift to find one of these babies!
Its fun to watch men in our store, they shop very differently than the ladies. They go directly to our "man case" and say, "I'll have that." No fuss. No muss. These are some of the more popular choices (according to our observations!)
For the sweet peas in your life, Paper-Ya is a treasure island. For all ages, and this includes the young at heart, you will find a little something special, different, functional and fun.
By the way, it is quite common to hear our customers say that they are embarrassed to admit that some of their Christmas purchases are for themselves! Oh, how naughty! Don't worry, you are not alone! Enjoy the season~
The Beautiful Art of Calligraphy: Getting Started
Calligraphy has a rich and beautiful history and is considered to be one of the world's oldest forms of writing. V. Lazursky describes it as "a kind of music not for the ears, but for the eyes." It allows you to paint words across a page and bring a new layer of meaning to the text. With all the styles out there in this art form, it can be quite daunting to try to learn!
Starting calligraphy takes investment in the right tools, some patience, and lots of practice. Beginning with a simple dipping pen, ink (we have plenty of scrumptious colors to choose from!) and a few different nibs is a great starter kit.
There are many different sources to help you figure out where to begin, so don't worry! Books, video tutorials, and our newest edition of the Uppercase Magazine can all help you figure out what style you'd like to experiment in.
Christina Luo, calligraphy and lettering artist based in Vancouver and creative mind behind Fox and Flourish, gives this piece of advice, "Find a class or workshop (either in-person or online) that teaches the style of calligraphy that you are drawn to. There are so many different subsets: copperplate, spencerian, gothic, blackletter, and of course the more modern takes on pointed pen. Once you learn how to use the tools properly, work on mastering that alphabet, and once you feel confident in the consistency of your letterforms, continue to add our own style." Christina offers workshops for modern pointed pen calligraphy in Vancouver.
Above are just a few examples of the beautiful things you can create with paper, pen, and ink. There are so many reasons to love calligraphy, and when asked why she loves the art form, Christina said, "That moment when the ink is still drying onto the paper, and afterwards, how you can run your fingers across the words and physically feel what was just written mere minutes ago. I'm drawn to the ephemeral and nostalgic quality of it, but as a graphic designer by trade, I think it's so amazing that we can take these handwritten words and create digital copies of them for my other paper- based love, the art of print!"
Calligraphy can be used to personalize a gift, create party invitations, commemorate a special event and so much more. It truly is a stunning art form! Visit us soon, and get started.
The Bold & Beautiful Stendig Calendar
The Stendig Calendar, which happens to be the only calendar in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art, has proudly been sold at Paper-Ya for many years now. The beautiful and functional piece of art was designed by Massimo Vignelli in 1966 and has been enjoyed in many homes since.
Kathryn and Perry's "Have Less Do More" Apartment | Apartment Therapy | Photo by Ashley Poskin
The boldly designed calendar measures three feet by four feet and switches between a black background with white letters and numerals and a white background with black letters and numerals for the different months.
"Sweeden in Scotland" | Canvice | Photo by cushandnooks
Stendig themselves suggest that this "impressive wall calendar (in the European style where Monday is the first day of the week), makes a great corporate gift, especially for architects, interior designers, real estate agents, or others in the home or design industry." And, since it is a classic design, it can be incorporated into many different places!
Midori Traveler’s Notebook: For all the travelers who have a free spirit.
The Midori Traveler's Notebook has been a favorite at Paper-Ya, and who better to describe the wonderful journal than the makers themselves!
"Traveler’s notebook has a leather cover, which the more you use, the better quality it becomes, and the simple notebook (that comes in two sizes) is easy to use. We hope it tempts you to go traveling having this notebook in your hand. Please write down at random what you feel or what you think in the café you dropped into during your travel, which will surely be your precious treasure. Besides, you may find a new feature every day, going to work, having this notebook in your hand. It may change your life!"
"Each leather cover is made by hand in Chiangmai, northern city of Thailand. It appeals its own raison d’etre by the simplicity; roughly cut leather and a rubber band (that can be replaced with different colors) with the clasp made of tin. The inside notebook is made in Japan carefully and has Midori’s original paper made to pursue the highest comfortability to write."
"The inside can be changed with the refills for this notebook (plain, squared, lined, perforated edges, planners in many different styles, etc.). After using for a long time when the leather quality changes and scratches remain as your memories, this notebook will be more precious than ever to you."
The traveler's notebook will surely inspire the free spirit in you. "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" - St. Augustine. Here's to reading more pages!
Keep The Little Ones Busy & Creating These Final Summer Days!
With Fall looming on the horizon, here are a few ideas to keep the little ones busy and engage their creativity in these final summer days and evenings before it's back to school! Whether it's learning origami, drawing, painting, cutting, pasting, or writing, kids tend to love creating if they are given the chance.
Origami is fun and fairly easy for a little one to learn, especially with our paper sets! Not only can they choose to create giraffes, paper airplanes, dinosaurs and more, some even suggest that by creating those little origami animals it can help develop their brains. That's a pretty good deal!
Setting them down with a blank page and giving them colored pencils, brush pens, or paint sets can be a fun (and perhaps messy!) way to see what their imaginations can come up with! If they are having a hard time coming up with something on their own, then we also have sketchbooks that give them ideas and prompts to help spark that individuality.
Have them color in postcards to send to their friends living in other cities or send one to their grandparents, let them create maps of their favorite places, draw a flamingo-giraffe, or just write about their favorite part of the day. There are so many different ways to let children start enjoying art and creation from an early age, and although the final days of summer can be bittersweet, let them be full of fun and creativity!
