blog — Belinda Love Lee Studio

Musings about the minimal, well designed lifestyle. Home décor, hand lettering, fashion and more, a design for life.

[belindalovelee]

Sleeping with More Ease with TEMPUR ® (ad)

Parenthood and sleep just doesn’t seem to come hand in hand, and pre baby I was already a light sleeper! But since having Ny’s I think I’ve slept the least I’ve ever had in my life, and she’s already considered a pretty good sleeper compared to most babies I’ve heard of. She was sleeping through the night by 4 months old if I remember correctly. But with every stage of babyhood and now toddler hood there are still interruptions with my nights; currently its being interrupted by Ny’s bad dreams! Pre Ny’s I was an early bird and ‘would hit the gym at 6am’ kind of gal, but I’ll have to admit a quick defeat since she’s been in our lives., I’ve hardly been able to get up past 8am, and most days we’re now up by 6am, but not due to choice - , more due to her being an early riser! 

TEMPUR ® recently came up with this fun sleep personality quiz and it’s fully confirmed that I am indeed a difficult sleeper. I wish I was profiled differently and more like Joe, who seems to sleep like a log, once his head hits the pillow. Some people are just so blessed! Try taking the quiz to see what kind of sleeper you are - and if you’re a difficult sleeper like me find out how TEMPUR ®  can help you get the quality sleep a Difficult Sleeper deserves! Which type of sleeper are you? More like me or Joe?

Sleep is so essential for everyone and alongside doing the TEMPUR ® sleep personality quiz, I recently learnt about sleep chronotypes. Basically, your body has a natural rhythm and sleep pattern, and if you maximize what works best for you, you’d be functioning at your best depending on what your chronotype is. I myself am naturally a ‘Bear’, early riser, early sleeper! But lately I feel like I’ve slipped into becoming more like a ‘Dolphin’, with more irregular sleeping patterns and I’ve been hoping to get back to my pre baby habits of waking up early and getting the day started with some me time in the gym.

Alas, with sleep being so fleeting as a parent, I’d do almost anything for an uninterrupted night’s rest! Sleep isn’t ‘one-size-fits all’, and thanks to the help of TEMPUR ® , I’ve recently been able to find a little more rest in between the midnight wakings. We recently got sent their TEMPUR ® pillows and it’s been a bliss to use! I picked up the Cloud Pillow for its extra-soft material, which provides support for my head and neck and makes me feel cradled. It gently conforms to your shape and legitimately feels as soft as a marshmallow!

Feel free to check out more pieces by TEMPUR ® . If their pillows have been such a dream to sleep on, then doubling the memory foam in their mattresses will probably be like sleeping on a box of marshmallows, especially when accompanied by their bed bases!

Thanks to TEMPUR ® for working with me on this campaign and for helping with a little ease to get more shut eye in! Here’s to both you and I getting a more rested night!

* This post is in conjunction with TEMPUR ® but all thoughts are my own.

[belindalovelee]

Ny’s Big Girl Bed Corner

So since I’ve become a mother (for the last 3 years already... how!), I’ve increasingly become obsessed with all things kids decor! I don’t know what it is about decorating a child’s room, but perhaps it’s the element of whimsy in creating an imaginative and safe space for a child to play and grow in! That’s what intrigues me to most about designing her room. I’ve specifically fallen in love with this special ‘big girl’ bed corner of her’s. And I thought I’d share!

We’re currently still living with my mother in law’s as we find a place for our own but one thing I’ve grown to learn is that making each room feel like home, even if it’s temporary, is so important to for the soul. I find that it’s also been important for Nyah to have her toys and such around her, because it makes her feel like it’s her feel at home. 

I've also grown to love the design challenge of making her room playful with pops of subtle colour, without completely forgoing my own style. I find unfortunately most child’s bedrooms, toys and decor tend to completely forgo design aesthetics which is such a shame really! Hence why I’ve kept her room still quite soft in colour pallet, materials and textures, like natural basket materials and jute rugs, instead of opting for the usual plastics, synthetic materials, and brights. For my own good really!

I’ll leave you with this adorable sleeping beauty in the mean time! I’ll probably do a full room tour at some point when all things have settled in more. But alas, the first blog post in a long while. I’ve missed this, and hope to return to the slower pace of blogging again!

For sources of her room decor, head on over to our Instagram @belindalovelee to see the small shops tagged in each post!

[belindalovelee]

My Beauty of a Bump!

I’m absolutely smitten by this maternity photoshoot taken by Robin Sassi, she’s made me feel and look like a God damn superstar babe whilst being pregnant, and as you know, when being pregnant you don’t always feel the most beautiful or ‘yourself’.

So I thought I’d share these beautiful shots she took, here are some of my favourite!

I believe I was 32 weeks here, I’m much bigger now!

I love that our little Moto was also in on the shots, he’s my everyday companion and best friend and she captured our relationship perfectly!

And that’s what I’ll leave you with, my half naked body and my beautiful baby bump! 

A huge thank you to Robin for doing such a great job at capturing ‘us’. So crazy to think that inside that belly is our little girl. If you’re also in Toronto, and are looking for wedding, maternity or newborn photos make sure to get in touch with her, she was a gem to work with and made me feel so comfortable in my own skin!

[belindalovelee]

New Drop in the Shop!: Letterpress Handmade Notebook

I’m super excited to finally be launching our journals online! It’s been a long time in the making and we’ve been testing them out to see how well they do in person/ at markets. What we’ve found is we can barely keep them on the shelves- a very good sign!

With that being said I’ve finally reserved a bunch for sales just online!

Our notebooks are letterpressed delicately on handmade cotton rag paper with each book handmade and bound by the book binders we work with.

Shop them over on our Etsy Shop!

A Big Book of Important Notes for $45 USD

A Sketchbook of Important Memories for $35 USD

A Photobook of Important Memories for $40 USD

A Little Photobook of Important Memories for $30 USD

Let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy them!

[belindalovelee]

Three of my Favourite Journals for the year 2020!

As you already know I’m a huge paper/ stationery fiend and lately I’ve been craving to share my excitement over these three new journals that I’ve picked up for 2020! For some reason I’ve been missing blogging a little, so I decided to put together a dedicated post just to express my love for them!

I know it’s February already, but for me the year is still just getting started and I’m super excited to sink my teeth into these three beauties. A lot of change is coming for us in 2020 with a new little peanut on her way, so it’s definitely made me want to embrace every waking moment, even more so by writing it all down!

1. Our Love Story Journal From First Kiss to Last Kiss from Promptly Journals

I so wish I had this journal earlier in our walk of life because it’s just the most dear thing ever! With each page asking you questions like eg. 'How was your first kiss?', to 'what was dating like?', all the way to writing down moments from your 70th wedding anniversary. It’s just so adorable.

I love the concept of this journal, as it’s the perfect little place to reminisce and remember why and how you fell in love! And it might even serve as a reminder on the bad days as well, who knows!

I picked up The Love Story Journal in Sand. The cover of the journal is wrapped in this gorgeous linen with the Promptly logo beautifully debossed.

2. A Completely Childhood History From Womb to 18 Years Old from Promptly Journals

Following the last Promptly Love Story Journal, this one is the perfect fit for us moving forward in our season of life. I am especially excited to get into this one because it will be all dedicated to our new little family member! It documents questions from your pregnancy all the way to 18 years of age with prompts, as well as blank pages to paste photos in.

Here’s a break down of the index, showing you how many years the journal covers. Also there is a spread for the family tree, as well as pages for the initial baby hand and footprints, how cute!

I mean just imagine getting this book from your parents on your 18th birthday, where it’s just facts and funny answers all about your childhood, it would be a gift of a lifetime, literally! If I received something like this, I would’ve cried so hard just knowing that my parents dedicated a moment to record something special each month/ year.

The cover for this Childhood History Journal is in the color Dusty Blue and the cover material is slightly different from the love journal, this one is made of a faux leatherette.

3. 2020 Year Task Planner from Appointed

This is my yearly planner and I’m so in love with it. Anything Appointed does, I always swoon after- and this task planner is nothing short of amazing. From it’s beautiful monthly side tabs, to it’s minimal layout it encapsulates the year perfectly.

It has space for each individual day’s to do list, as well as a whole other side with an area to write out your priorities, tasks and notes. The cover is wrapped in dove grey bookcloth with the 2020 task planner beautifully foiled in gold on top.

I believe the 2020 Year Task Planner in Dove Gray is sold out online at the moment, but if you check local stockists, they might still have their 2020 planners floating around and on sale as well! So give that a try if you haven’t already picked up a yearly planner. 

Well that’s a round up for me, I better get off this computer and start putting pen to paper, cause there’s a lot of journalling waiting to be done.

What journals are you excited to get into this year? I’d love to hear!

[belindalovelee]

Christmas in the New Home!

Christmas is the only season I dress the house 'up' for and with this move into our new home it only feels appropriate that I'd get into the full swing of the season by decorating the bedroom! I was so inspired that I even decided to put pen to paper (or more like finger to keyboard) and put together a long over due blog post!

I'm all about subtle decorations and so you'll find little bits of Christmas dotted through out the bedroom, like the his and her Christmas stockings that I sewed personally, or the little pinecones sitting on the window sill and mirror.

I'm also totally smitten for these new linen bedding that we got from Magic Linen, the little bows on the pillows are my personal favorite and the color of the sheets pair so beautifully with the pastel Christmas stockings! Where we got everything:

Stockings from myself GJÖRA Bed frame from Ikea Bouroullec Chairs from Hay Design (thrifted) Bowtie Pillow from Magic Linen Linen Bedsheets in Blue Melange from Magic Linen Leather Arm Chair from Natuzzi Stockholm Mirror from Ikea Mid Century dresser from West Elm

Hope you guys have a very merry christmas!

[belindalovelee]

NEW IN THE PORTFOLIO

With My Packaging by Belinda Love Lee

Share With My is a Korean based company with a focus to give back to children’s oral health and education. Using 27 natural ingredients, their cruelty-free vegan toothpaste is sold world wide. When working with Christina from Share With My, the aim was to keep the designs fresh and light, gender-neutral, and also attractive across the board to both kids and adults! They also donate 10% of their profits back into educating kids on oral health. If you would like to pick up a tube for yourself, the lemonade flavor is currently stocked in Urban Outfitters here!

[belindalovelee]

Runner ups for 2019 Planners

Around this time of the year, I get really excited because it’s almost the end of the year, which means a NEW year for a NEW PLANNER! OMG.

I’m such a freaking paper geek and I’m not even going to lie that I don’t get excited about picking next year’s calendar. This year I tried the digital thing only with my Google Calendar, and I enjoyed it, but what I missed most about not having a physical day planner was having a place to write down all my daily to-do lists. Instead, my to-do lists were written on scapes of paper here and there, which I would forget about and then loose and then well... there goes my productivity for the day. 

Let’s get to it what do I look for in a good year planner? Here are my requirements:

1. It can’t be super bulky, that’s a no go for me. I need it to be sleek and to be able to fit into my bags. When they’re thick like a school binder, it’s not going to come anywhere with me. 

2. It can’t be overly pattern-y, as much I love Rifle Paper and her cute illustrations I know that if my planner was covered in florals, I’d get sick of it. So something neutral, minimal and straight to the point would be ideal. The layout needs to be visually pleasing.

3. Pricing of course. I’m not going drop a bomb for a year planner. I want it to be reasonably priced. I’d be willing to pay about $25-50 max. 

4. It can’t be one of those yearless calenders. Cause well, they suck. I’ve tried them before and once you get one date wrong, that your planner ruined for the rest of the year.

5. No flimsy covers, or flimsy little paper tabs that rip really easily, it won’t last a year for me let alone a month long.

So with those categories being set out here are my runner-ups this year. (I always somehow have friends that ask me where to get their yearly planners, so let this blog post be set in stone for all people to read!) This is in no particular order, just the three best planners that have caught my eyes so far!

NOTEM

I’ve been a huge long time fan of Notem’s line, it’s just so beautifully put together. Modern, with subtle pattern work- overall, kept very minimal and clean. Their use and combination of colors always get me!

This calendar has me like ‘yes, please!’ I believe it comes in a grey and dark green. I really love that Dusty Blue one they have but it may already be out of stock. This planner seems to be very spacious and perfect for you every day to do list. 

And of course, they’re based in Copenhagen, everything beautiful comes from there.

Notem, Annual Journal 2019 for $40

Photos courtesy of NOTEM

APPOINTED CO.

I already own a couple of Appointed Co.’s products namely their Artist Pad and their Notebook, and let me say if you want luxury paper goods, this is the line for you! I am always and forever inspired by their beautiful lines and the simplicity in the way they approach their designs. 

I’m loving their this years calendar, with the monthly (plastic) tabs, as well as an area for your tasks each week. It’s perfectly designed, as per usual for Appointed Co. 

Appointed Co, 2019 Year Task Planner for $50

Photos courtesy of Appointed Co.

BESPOKE LETTERPRESS

The last and final potential planner goes to the 2019 planner by Bespoke Letterpress. 

Firstly it’s done in my favourite teal blue-ish color, so that’s what already caught my eye originally. But what really draws me in with this planner is how on top of the weekly planning pages, it has yearly reflection pages! There are questions and prompts at the beginning of the planner, asking you to reflect on the upcoming year, with goals, ambitions and dreams you’d like to achieve in 2019. I find that little touch so endearing. If you’re on Instagram, watch Bespoke Letterpress’ Stories called ‘2019 Planner’, it goes into real depth about how the planner is designed and laid out and it is beautiful!

Bespoke Letterpress, Linen Bound 2019 Planner for $40 

It has a pattern though, but thankfully it’s on the inside cover only so that’s ok with me. Lol, what a snob. 

Photos courtesy of Bespoke Letterpress

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Well that’s it! I hope this helps you find the right planner for 2019. Do you have a list of planners your dwindling down? If so please share because I’d love to discover new brands! My dream is to one day be at a place where I can fully design my own quality planner, oh if only! And then I’d be listing my own yearly planner on this blog post, aha!

[belindalovelee]

Shop Launch: Letterpress notebooks & more!

I'm super excited to finally have launched our little letterpress stationery line on Etsy!

It's been a long time dream of mine to create my own line but I've always let my own fears and perfectionism get the best of me. And it's held me back from actually creating anything for myself. I've finally come to realize that I need to start somewhere even if that means by stating slow. I don't have to have the whole line figured out or the styles I design in all cohesive from the get go. It's about the journey and process, not the final destination.

Featured here in this styled shoot is our 'Important Book' series, there are three book in this series:

- A Little Book of Important Truths

- A Little Book of Important Memories

- A Little Book of Important Notes

You can either purchase them individually or as a set of three!

The idea is that these books would journey life with you. That as you learn, process and grow that you would write down the key one lines / quotes / moments that change the course of your life! I know I've had my fair share of revelation moments that I just wish I had one special dedicated, somewhat more luxurious notebook to write down those 'aha' 💡 liners in!

We also have a greeting card line too now! Head on over to the Belinda Love Lee Shop to see the full range. I'll be creating much more from here out!

Thank you, thank you for following along and for supporting our little shop! I  am slowly developing my own style and design but being able to try out my ideas have been so much more fun than I could ever ask for. So thank you for all your purchases. They don’t go unnoticed!

[belindalovelee]

Just launched something lush and new over on @belindalovelee_paperie! Here's a little sneak peek. If your a handmade paper notebook fiend like me, this one's for you! I literally dropped it late last night and somehow someone (don't know how they found it so fast- purchased two books within 5 mins of posting, it made my heart sing! Thank you to whoever you are!) Headover to see the full thing, and also shop it, link in bio! (at Toronto, Ontario)

[belindalovelee]

Logofolio 2017 by Belinda Love Lee

8 months late I know, but it’s here! Here are some of my favourite logos from 2017. Click to see each logo in detail!

It was hard year 2017, I felt creativity not ‘myself’ so it was a bit of a slower year than usual. I was a bit hesitant to go into my 2017 work, hence this being v. late, because I guess I was worried there wouldn’t be any work ‘worthy’ in it. But looking back despite it being a bit of a drought season I can still definitely see my style and voice coming through. Hopefully you can too!

See more logos from previous years on my Behance Portfolio! My my have I grown.

[belindalovelee]

Mornings with Melitta

This post is sponsored by Melitta Canada. 

Growing up I was never much of a coffee fiend, but slowly into adulthood, I’ve acquired a taste bud for it. Lately, it’s grown on me to drink my coffee like a true adult- no sugar, no cream, just black. 

We all know how much I love relaxing mornings, and things just got much smoother with a little coffee pour-over from Melitta. There is something so soothing about the process of it all, the sounds it makes as it drip, drip, drips and as you patiently wait for the very first cup of coffee to rejuvenate you!  It’s romantic in a weird kind of way. It's definitely made my morning routines and coffee taste better! 

Not only is this Melitta Pour Over beautiful to look at, but it makes me slow right down and for that I’m grateful for. Find your own Melitta Pour Over here and by using my promo code Belinda15% to get 15% off your purchase from Melitta.

[belindalovelee]

I recently had an encounter with depression and sucide, where someone took his life. Though we didn't know him well, it shook me to my core. Why and how and what kind of hell would he have to go through to choose this final choice for his own life, I wish there was a way to help. If you know someone that's struggling or if you're struggling yourself, please take this as a reminder to reach out, send them a quick dm or better yet, give them a call because there's only one of them- there's only one of you.

[belindalovelee]

New in the Portfolio

Kelsie Grazier Branding by Belinda Love Lee

Kelsie Grazier is a contemporary visual artist based in British Columbia. What inspired her to create was her sudden deafness and tinnitus. The fine white lines as seen in her work, and across the business cards represent sound waves, or lack thereof in her life. When working with Kelsie, I wanted the branding design to compliment her subtle work, blending seamlessly into one cohesive look. Thus, the beautiful fine lines became a staple in the branding design. It dances gracefully across the letterpress business card printed printed by hand personally on our antique letterpress!

[belindalovelee]

This is for Kate Spade. Her sucide surprisingly really hit home for me. It’s hard to see someone like her who I’d naturally look up to pass away in such a tragic way. She was an amazing designer, world renowned, and such a successful business women- all of these attributes that I and so many of us on here ‘want’ to be like. She seemed to be living that glam perfect life.

Her life and death is a reminder to us all that it’s easy for us to look at others and perceive that everyone else has that 'perfect life’. But in reality besides being famous and having x amount of followers, making x amount of $ a year, having a face and name that’s world recognized- what truly matters in life, all comes down to how we love ourselves. We’re so quick to make business goals but rarely slow down to focus on our self care goals (if that’s even a thing?) I know I’ll be taking a bit of time out to reexamine my own heart, mental health, and life goals. Is work/ business really worth all the hustle if your heart and its issues are being ignored, dragged and wounded the whole time? 💔

[belindalovelee]

In Collaboration with Paula Lee Calligraphy: Vow Books for Him & Her

In collaboration with my sister in law Paula Lee Calligraphy, we have a new launch!

Both my husband and I grew up in broken families, so I take our wedding vows very seriously. Knowing the pain it brings, I wouldn't wish getting divorced or growing up in a divorced home on my worst enemy. I worked with my sister in law with her beautiful calligraphy paired with our antique letterpress on these vow books, which are now available in her shop! We've always dreamed of collaborating on something together and this idea was just the perfect way to combined our talents whilst saying we're in this marriage thing together as a family! (Ps. we do letterpress now, haven’t updated the blog in a while but you can see more of our adventure over on Instagram @belindalovelee_paparie.

Our hope is that beautiful, lasting words would be written in this book that couples could go back to, to remind them of why they first chose to get married! 

Each set of vow books are letterpress printed on soft handmade deckled paper, adorned with recycled chiffon hand dyed ribbon. Including 8 high-quality smooth finish pages for writing.

Head on over to shop at paulaleecalligraphy.com/shop to snag the booklets to make your day that much more special!

[belindalovelee]

New in the Portfolio

Nomad Branding by Belinda Love Lee

Nomad represents the freedom of the offbeat traveller, a modern globetrotter with a bold sense of discovery and adventure. With that same spirit of adventure, when approaching the branding I wanted to mimic that carefree nomadic nature with the loose lettering and organic watercolour splotches. Finished with a delicate touch of gold foiling and vellum, this branding is perfect for any nomadic occasion.