News From the Field: Seoul Power!

MMMG Stitched Journal

After a bit of a lapse between updates here at Field Notes we are glad to be back with some news direct from Seoul, Korea - a design stationery haven as yet untapped by Australia and indeed most of the west.

MMMG Hardcover Drawing Book

The attitude towards stationery and design all over Korea is a bit different to here in Australia, with ubiquitous love of stylish, functional and unique designer stationery. Like fashion in Europe, appreciation for gorgeous stationery is mainstream.

O-Check Wooden Ruler thanks to NoteMaker

Still conceptualised and produced by small inventive firms, yet adored by the masses: that's our kind of market!

Pansy Daisy Notebook!

Any stationery lover could find suitcases worth of cool stuff to bring back home, where it would be totally unique.

Pansy Daisy Notebook!

The king of Korean stationery, O-Check Design Graphics, is available in Australia but there are seriously cool up and coming brands, like MMMG and Pansy Daisy which are still unavailable to us.

O-Check Colour Pencil Set thanks to NoteMaker

Some of the Field Notes team are off today to New York City so keep an eye out for posts straight from the Big Apple about stationery and design straight out of the epicentre of the West.

Local Find: Sedonia

I'm not sure what you got up to this weekend but I found myself in inner city Melbourne at Yarraville and stumbled upon a beautiful little shop called Sedonia - stockists of beautiful stationery, gifts and gorgeous things.


Inge who runs Sedonia has hand chosen some cool and quirky products from O-Check to Cavallini & Co. to Blink and also some lovely hand made cards by Melbourne based designer Clare Whitney.


I especially adored the hard to find Blink Sew-It-Yourself kits - what a cool idea!


And if the products themselves weren't enough, the store itself is truly beautiful - i just loved the unique retro feel.


Cute vintage furniture, a love window display, a retro World Map (not even our friends at NoteMaker have got these yet!) and bits and bobs to make you feel nice and cosy.


It's only a nice stroll from the Yarraville village with nice organic groceries and cafes too so well worth the quick trip West of the city for a really great local find.

If there's an under-appreciated store - stationery, paper or anything - near you drop us a comment so it can get the attention it deserves!

Scanning the Field: Time for a link list!

So much to do, so much to see! I could tell you about how much I love an O-Check journal, I could tell you about this cool page Deviant Art I recently stumbled upon and I could even tell you about the Melbourne Writer's Festival and some all new Moleskine notebooks. I could mention my favourite blog this week - The Journal of Little Mo & Friends - and the coolest hand made gift box ever!

But it's like they say...no matter what you're trying to say, somebody else has already done it better! With that in mind, check out some of the links below and drop a comment to share the cool stuff that you can't quite articulate as well and help fill the void at spot #10!


1) Heidi & Seek lovin' O-Check journals


2) My Life as a Sugar Lander lovin' this too-cute Train Blanket


3) Deviant Art's queenvera wondering about what's really going on inside our heads...


4) A caption competition for the Melbourne Writer's Festival!


5) NoteMaker has Moleskine Folios! They're big and beautiful!


6) The Journal of Little Mo & Friends! So cool, especially this gift box.


7) Biffybeans (albeit old...) review of a Rhodia Meeting Book. So thorough, amazing as always.


8) Hello Sandwich thinks we should all indulge in our inner kid and play with our food!


9) Retro Sticky Notes at UK institution Papernation!

10) ...

Trends in the Field: Loving Origami!

We've been making eyes at Moleskine Art for the past week at Field Notes and have basically just been in awe of some pretty amazing art and artists. And as special as the fruits of pen and paper are, paper on its own can be pretty amazing too!

Images Courtesy of Flickr

Origami (from oru meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper") is a Japanese art form in which the challenge is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns, preferably without the use of gluing or cutting and using only one piece of paper.

Image courtesy of Orgiami.com

It can be incredibly intricate and technical at its highest form. But, it can also be super fun for beginners who just want to make something crafty.

Image courtesy of Goldengami

And as with all art forms, somebody is out there to democratise it - to make it accessible for those of us who a) aren't that great at it and b) just wanna have some fun!

Image courtesy of ehow.com

Suck UK make Origami Sticky Notes which are great for office relations. Instead of tossing that old note at a co worker or making an eye-gouging (and so passe) paper plane, turn your sticky note into a friendly pig or adorable squirrel. Look at how easy it is!

Further, a note written on a piece of origami is a really touching form of communication and makes a nice surprise, compared to a standard greeting card. If you really don't have the fingers of an origami sensei, check out these 3-d cards!

Image courtesy of NoteMaker.

If you are up to the challenge, try Origami.com for an endless reference of origami diagrams.

So have some fun and make some art!

Field Notes Icons: Our Mums

With Mother's day approaching this weekend, we at Field Notes would like to dedicate a post to our Mums. They've spoiled us for so long and deserve a nice break and some big time love.

So we've been going through some of our favourite sites and blogs looking for great ideas to spoil our Mums with.

Image courtesy of NoteMaker

There are plenty of great gifts around. NoteMaker has some lovely gift ideas for Mum and we always find inspiration from Kate Spade too. 

Image courtesy of Paper Tastebuds

And as much as gifts are an essential part of spoiling your Mum, it really is the thought that counts. Taking inspiration from Paper Tastebuds DIY Invitations, we realised that making it yourself is the best way to make Mums day. 

Image courtesy of Ian Potter Centre

But if you're not super DIY-literate, you can always take Mum out for a day. In our native Melbourne, the Ian Potter Centre is showing the Cicely & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award.

And don't forget to get some flowers too - and a nice big kiss!

Hot new stationery from O-Check

The stunning range of stationery from O-Check is now available over at our friends at NoteMaker.

O-Check Design Graphics creates stunning and unique paper products. The designers of the product are a husband and wife team who are both graphic artists. Their attention to colour and classic design makes the range truly interesting.

NoteMaker stocks the full collection of O-Check product. The range is ever changing, all products have a simple, functional quality.