January 10th, 2012

I've got a review today! Or tonight? I don't know. All I know is that I have been putting this off and after an EXTREMELY stressful night, I feel the need to write!

So, let me tell you about this amazing product line. First off, Deidre over at teo stationary is just fantastic and she has created equally fantastic products. One of the many unique things about teo stationary is that all of her products are 100% Canadian! You would be buying a TRUE Canadian product! All of the artists she commissions are Canadian! Can you believe that? How many products out there are like that?

These are the goodies she sent me! (And check out my new green duvet cover that my mom got me for Christmas! Shweet!) In my lovely package was an adorable dachshund postcard, an equally adorable dachshund and great dane postcard, both with matching envelopes, a set of her gorgeous sea dragon 'Nature' notecards, and three sets of her pin-up girl stationary: "Book Girl", "Circus Girl", and "Cowgirl". I have to say, though, the "Show Girl" stationary is mighty cute as well! You should check out her "Fashion Faves" sets, too! What letter-writer doesn't want cowboy boots on their stationary? Also, all of these lovely ladies are drawn by Alexa Porteous, and the notecard designs come from Kyle Scott.

Lets start with the letter-sets, shall we?

As soon as I opened these guys, I loved them. They are extremely unique. Why, you ask? First off, the paper used for printing is a natural colored, 24 lb, laid paper. Paper measurements are roughly 5.5"x8.5". For those of you who aren't paper connoisseurs, that means that the paper has a slightly ribbed texture to it. Don't worry, I had to look it up, too, haha.

*(note that this photo was taken at an angle to show the texture better)

Secondly, she uses 'paper bag' style envelopes! Ces magnifique! I kind of have the most ridiculous love for anything kraft paper-ish, this side of the west coast, so obviously, I fell in love instantly! They are even gummed! I did find that I needed a bit more than spit to seal the envelope, though, so a swish from a glue stick might be easiest! Why ruin the outside with tape, right?

Look at the lovely brown on the inside! *squee!* Something also great about these envelopes is that they are SUPER DUPER sturdy! Perfect for mail art!

Another thing that is just fantastic is that the stationary sets take to fountain pen ink! Without bleeding! And without feathering! Crazy! Your best bet is a wetter nib as the super dry ones can get scratching due to the ribbing. Check these out...even the swaps didn't bleed through!

Standard pens/markers:

Swabs:

Bleedthrough? what bleedthrough? Only minimul as you can see:

Pretty great, right? Now that I've sufficiently squealed over her letter-sets, we should get on to the couple of other things she sent me!

The postcards are all shot in 24mm film by Deidre, herself, and they range from dogs to equines. Super glossy and beautifully printed! The back is also glossy, so a fine Sharpie might be the best pen choice. They are standard postcard size and come along with a matching white envelope just in case you prefer to send it that way!

The notecards, designed by Kyle Scott, are pretty great too. They're much smoother than most notecards, so again, I would probably suggest something similar to a fine Sharpie pen. I'm really quite partial to the sea dragon motif! Cute, yet classy! An odd fact: all of the designs on the notecards are symmetrical!

I really love this brand. All of the teo products spell out quality. Besides, who doesn't love dachshunds, seahorses, and pin-up girls? As usual, I wanted to ask the owner some questions to get a feel for who she is and whatnot:

Tell me a bit about yourself. Hobbies, where you're from, etc.

My name is Deidre Ishii, I'm soon turning 30 (in 10 days) Agghh! I live in a town called Kelowna, which is located in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I love animals, food and art. I used to do portrait photography but now I've gotten into paper goods. Also have a full time 'day job' as an assistant manager at a used clothing shop.

Why did you choose to make this type/genre of product?

I decided to start Teo Stationery (after thinking about it for several years) because I found it hard to find stationery. Well it's getting easier with places such as Etsy! I've been writing letters since I was 13-14 yrs old and have been collecting stationery since then, can never have too much!

What are your favorite materials to work with?
Fave materials would be all about paper selection I guess... and I love 'laid' paper, it's my fave to use at the moment.

What inspires you?
What inspires me is just about everything! I'm def inspired by others art too. When I started out I wasn't quite sure where I was going to get all the content for the stationery collections but then I thought to commission artists, starting with a young gal I used to work with at a previous job. Just freshly graded and super talented (Alexa Porteous). I put up ads at local university and also have a family friend that just completed some beautiful sketches. I'm proud to say Teo is 100% Canadian, really believe in supporting local talent.

Do you plan to create things/own your own business as your life career?

I definitely plan to create things for the rest of my life, whatever it is, it's in my blood, a huge part of my identity. I would love to own my own business though I know I'd be super lucky, we live in such a competitive consumer driven world haha!

So, will you support local Canadian talent? Mosey on over to the teo stationary Etsy store ad take a look at all of the awesome goodies! Trust me, you WILL NOT regret it! And keep a lookout for the next giveaway where I'll be giving some goodies from teo away! Wahoo!

Also, congrats to montigneyrules for winning my Chewy Tulip giveaway!