From an early age in Elementary school I loved having colour-coordinated notebooks and binders. I was big on having dividers to stay organized and good pens when I really started to study in Junior High and High School. Stationery has always been about expression for me and surrounding myself with designs that I love. Nothing has really changed – I’m still rather particular about the products I use, as well as how they look and feel. I love discovering new brands, re-discovering old (Hello, Lisa Frank stickers!) and enjoying using pretty paper & pens every day.
Rifle Paper Co. – Bright and Beautiful
For the past few years my favourite paper goods (etc+) brand has been Rifle Paper Co. I love their whimsical, floral designs. This year, the agenda that I’m using is from Rifle Paper Co. and it is so beautiful. Their botanical illustrations are always so seasonally cheerful and bright. The company prints in the USA which I love, and they’re led by female boss babes for the win, too.
This year to stay organized I opted for a monthly agenda layout rather than a daily. I asked Ryan for the one from Rifle Paper Co. for Christmas and to our luck, one of our favourite local boutiques, Boogie and Birdie, had the agenda in stock! Check out Boogie and Birdie and their sister store The Gifted Type on Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa. We’re big fans!
I’ve purchased Rifle Paper Co. agendas for the past five years and I have also picked up a few of their other goods along the way – they have so many gorgeous bits and bobs, fabrics, clothing and accessories too. They also have really cute Instagram GIFs – I highly recommend giving them a follow as they post often and share their beautiful pieces and collaborations.
Can we just appreciate the simplicity and beauty of this wall calendar? I grabbed this Rifle Paper Co. from our local Chapters in the Byward Market and it looks great in our kitchen. I love having a simple, elegant wall calendar, preferably in the kitchen, to refer to and mark important dates on. I used to always get an Ansel Adams wall calendar, but the past few years I have gone for the Rifle Paper Co. hand-painted floral calendar. I love the paper thickness, calendar coil, and the overall quality of their calendars, and all of their other products.
Ottawa Stationery and Paper Goods Shops
Two of my favourite shops in Ottawa to buy paper goods are Paper Papier in the Byward Market and The Papery in the Glebe. I also love the Modern Shop on Sussex in the Market – they have a great (albeit small) selection of paper goods and pens including Hay Denmark products.
Another one of my favourite products that I repurchase time and time again are these Decomposition notebooks as seen above. I picked this one up from The National Gallery of Canada gift shop. The notebooks come in a great selection of colours and designs. I prefer their coiled notebooks the best, and you’ve got to love the 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, soy ink, and printing in the USA.
When we moved to our new home in 2019 I picked up a Dymo Label Maker and it has been a real saving grace for good-looking organization in our house – highly recommend. I found ours here on Amazon.
Do you have any must-have stationery brands or products that you swear by? I’m really interested in finding more Canadian-made stationary and paper goods to add to my collection. Let me know your stationery favourites!
– Megan
Barefoot and Roaming 