Par Avion Paper and Pen Palling

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet on my usual Instagram of late. Others may have read my previous post on gifting during a pandemic and noticed something too…Well today I’m going to go into full depth about my latest passion project- Par Avion Paper. 

For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been an avid letter writer for the past two and a half years, writing to my pen pal Rachel who lives in Malta! Before that I had been known to write to my both my nanny’s, especially when I lived abroad and even as young as 8 I was writing to my friends in Essex when I’d moved up to Cambridgeshire. Letter writing has always been on and off throughout my life and it’s something I really enjoy and since the pandemic I’ve taken on a few more pen pals so I’m now writing on a weekly basis.



The only thing I wasn’t mad on? The writing paper! I’ve found designs I like very few and far between, either being aimed at children or just in general being very twee designs. Paperchase has produced some paper I’ve enjoyed over the years and the awesome OxMailStudios also does some fabulous designs but I wanted more! I took to my laptop and started playing around designing me own and before I knew it, I’d produced over ten designs from my head. I showed them to my husband and his first reaction was “why don’t you sell these?” I sat on this idea for a little while. Would anyone really want to buy my paper designs? Finally I thought sod it, I can put them out there and if people enjoy them that’s great but if not? Well I’ve got a bunch of designs that I enjoy and will definitely use. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that! 

The next step was setting up a shop and for me, Etsy was a no brainer. Yes they do take fees for listing but they also sort out your postage and I feel it’s a website that fits well with shopping small and supporting small creatives. Initially I started selling digital downloads of the papers, thinking this would be an easy and manageable idea for me but I soon realised I was yearning to actually make the papers come to life and so I began printing. That’s when the paper really took off and I haven’t really looked back since! 

Each and every time I get an order my heart soars with happiness. I literally do a happy little dance each time too and my most favourite thing is packaging up the orders. I may (ok always) add in some little extras as a surprise because who doesn’t love surprises!? It’s also lovely too see behind the scenes that people buy as gifts to their loved ones. 

So why letter write anyway? There are so many advantages to writing letters. You can re-read a letter but you can’t re-read a phone call! There’s also something quite special about receiving happy mail in the post and the anticipation of finding out the next instalment of your friend of family member’s life, dilemmas or news. Text messages are so instant too whereas letters take time and are thought through. Every word counts. It’s also a great way to connect with new people! There’s lots of Facebook groups to meet fellow pen pals and hashtags on Instagram such as #pepalswanted. I have 3 pen pals who live overseas and another 3 up and down the country and it’s interesting to read how other people live and have a completely different lifestyle to me. A lot of these people I’d never meet in real life and it’s a great privilege that they take the time out to write to me and also read my letters too. 

I’ve also found letters are a great way to communicate with elderly relatives; in particularly for me my Nan. She has Alzheimer’s and never remembers having a phone call. She also doesn’t live nearby so I can’t pop and see her as and when I want, especially with Covid too. I’ve found the letters have helped my Nan to remember things and she can re-read them as much as she likes. She never replies and I never expect her to but I like to think it’s a nice little surprise through her door every couple of weeks.



Another thing to consider is there’s also mental health benefits to letter writing. That’s right! Letter writing is good for you!! Studies have shown that it increases your resilience, reduces stress and can improve your mood. I personally find it therapeutic too. Sitting and putting pen to paper in a quiet environment is so relaxing and mindful as well as being a great escape from technology and glaring screens. It’s also a great fuel for my creativity, so much so I’ve gone on to design further papers and have some more ideas in the pipeline… 

So those are just a few things I’ve discovered from letter writing and through creating Par Avion Paper I’ve discovered so many wonderful and likeminded people, particularly on Instagram. The pen palling community is welcoming, kind and full of positivity! If you’re looking for a new hobby and/or want some beautiful paper designed by yours truly, definitely take a look at my shop.

Are you into letter writing?

A Break in The Lakes

With lock down restrictions slowly starting to ease, I thought now would be a good time to share a break idea for later in the year. Two of my favourite things are autumn and The Lake District. Put them together and you get one of the places to get away and have a break! So that's exactly what I did in October 2020.

Chris, Harry the hound and I stayed in the little village of Finsthwaite. Close to Windermere, we found the perfect little place to stay called Tanyard Cottage.

This cute little cottage had everything we needed for our stay. A cosy log fire, under floor heating, kitchen, dining table and even a washing machine! The cottage can in fact sleep 3 but we didn’t end up using the second bedroom with single bed. Oh and how could I forget- it's dog friendly too!

Whilst staying in The Lake District we visited some fab places which I definitely think you should go to if you plan a trip here!

Our walk to Windermere

As I’ve already mentioned, Finsthwaite is close to Windermere, so close in fact that we were able to walk through a beautiful woodland area where we saw these rocks and the gorgeous light pouring through. 

It looked like a lovely little fairy den! And this was just the walk to Lake Windermere…

Windermere

Windermere itself is utterly stunning and is the largest natural lake in England. With trails, peaks and villages surrounding the Lake, there is plenty to do in or off land and the autumn colours really set it off too. 

We decided to take a boat trip to Bowness-on Windermere and take in the sights that way. The dog absolutely loved taking in the sights and smells this way too!

Bowness-on Windermere

This town is awesome! If you’re looking for a mix of walking and outdoor activities paired with some epic pubs- this is the place. Chris and I discovered The Crafty Baa, voted the AA Best Pub in England.

Opened in 2016, this family run pub is built using 80% of upcycled and recycled materials! The decor is wonderfully bizarre and if you're into your beer, they have a huge array on tap for you to try and enjoy. Chris was in his element!

Another great pub was The Angel Inn with its panoramic views over the town.

Aside from pub hopping there were some lovely shops to look round and eateries too that were all incredibly dog friendly!

On the way back from Bowness-on Winderemere we decided to stop at The Swann hotel for a little tipple and watch the sun set over the peaks and the river. 

Grasmere

Another gorgeous place to go is Grasmere. 

It’s the most picturesque village with more gorgeous views (would you expect any less in The Lake District?) and quaint gift shops and eateries as well as links to Williams Wordsworth. I will say though you’re best to arrive early if you want any chance of parking here. We’d originally looked to visit here on the way back from Catfell but we couldn’t get parked up for love nor money!

There’s some beautiful walks here around the valley with Allan Bank National Trust on your door step too. This is somewhere I’d have loved to have gone, especially as part of my 12 Trusts of 2020 challenge but alas it was closed at the time due to Covid. 

If you’re a lover of food, in particular ginger bread then you should definitely visit The Grasmere Gingerbread shop. It tastes and smells incredible with queues of people down the street. It also sells it’s own award winning rum butter and a variety of ginger themed foods such as toffee, fudges, chocolate and more!

Catbells Fell

Whilst in the lakes you need to do one of the fells right? Have you even done The Lake District if you haven’t done a fell?

I’m not the biggest of hill climbers, quite the opposite in fact but I managed to climb Catbells Fell slowly and steadily and the dog loved it too!

I can see why this is one of the most popular fells in the area too- the views are just stunning. I’ll let the photos do the talking here!

So these are just some of the places I'd recommend visiting in The Lake District. There are many more and I myself am yet to visit them but here's a starting point for sure! Have you been to The Lakes and if so where did you go?

Fancy A City Break Soon? Here’s How To Prepare

 

2020 was a strange year for all of us. The pandemic situation stopped the majority of us from doing what we wanted to do. The plans we had needed to be put on hold as the world basically stopped in the vast majority of areas. Vacations and fun were put to a grinding halt due to the safety concerns – and rightly so in many ways.


With that said, it looks as though the world might just be getting back to normal sooner rather than later- yay!!! And, with that, it’s time to make up for lost time. Sure, we all have to work, but when we can, we should head out on vacation and enjoy ourselves whenever we can and make up for lost time.


So, might I suggest a city break? There's something about popping on clothes you’ll love to wear and getting around the hustle and bustle of the populous areas. Of course, you’ll still need to be cautious of your surroundings, but it’s something everyone should experience. If this sounds interesting to you, then here are a few ways you can prepare for the occasion:

Make Sure You’re Looking The Part

How you look doesn’t matter too much in the grand scheme, but surely you’re going to want to look and feel your best when you're on your break. The likelihood is that you’re going to be taking a tonne of photos of your adventures, so make sure you’re ready and looking good! One of my favourite parts of getting away is planning my outfits. Grab everything you need in some Italian Leather Totes, throw your sunglasses on, grab a hat and a killer dress for a meal out one evening and enjoy strutting around one of the most famous areas of the planet. If getting away isn't an excuse to get dressed up, I don't know when is!

Find The Loveliest Possible Place To Stay

It’s not just about what you experience when you roam around, how you chill out when the day is finished matters a lot, too. There’s nothing wrong with finding a small budget hotel, but if you can afford better, then you should take full advantage of it! I've stayed in cheap and cheerful but there's nothing quite like a beautiful room to relax in after a long day of sight seeing.

Have A Plan And Itinerary

There’s a lot to do – especially if you’ve been wanting this kind of break/trip for a while! There are plenty of itinerary ideas to mull over, so it’s worth sitting down (with friends if you’re bringing some) and talking out what you’re going to be taking part in. When you have certain activities at certain times, it makes the whole thing a lot easier to organize. It also means you won't miss out on things you want to see either and if there's a few places of interest in the same area, you can hit them all in one go rather than travelling across the city unnecessarily and wasting precious holiday time!

Bring The Best Company

We touched on it just now, but bringing the right people (if you aren’t going alone) is essential. While the trip and the experience is important, it can be ruined by the people you bring along. It sounds quite harsh, but it’s true. Bring people who you feel will take to the trip and not bring you down through the weekend, week, or fortnight you’re away. Chris and I love going away with our best friends Emma and Gareth. We're all like minded, easy going and the company always enhances a trip.

Don’t Let The Furore Of The City Overawe You!

Some people take to the city like a duck to water. They love the hustle and the fact that it’s so fast-paced. Places like London, New York, Dubai, and plenty of other big-name places can get too much for some. Do what you can to make the enter experience a lot more fun and positive. Don’t put it on a pedestal – you’ll be totally good to go when you arrive!







So those are just a few ideas on how you can prepare for your next trip! Are you planning any for when lock down is eased?