So, with tons of friends having babies and lots of kids all around, I thought I'd share the sewing that I've been up to recently as my Make-It Monday post today. I came across a couple of patterns for stuffed animals at Magical Scraps (amazing fabric/kids items store in Breckenridge) by Valori Wells from Stitchin' Post and couldn't resist getting Elsa the Elephant and Leonardo the Lion! Here are some pictures of the steps in making the Elephant. The pattern was very easy to follow and it's a good project for a beginning sewer. Basically, cut out the shape, sew the edges with a seam allowance, turn and stuff, then close it up! I can't wait to share Leonardo the Lion with you next week! Until then, go visit Valori's site to order the patterns! (I'm currently swooning over Prudence and Henry, a giant owl and oversized elephant!)

The-Paper-Shop The Paper Shop in Winter Park, Florida draws you in! Ellen has been in business for 30 years! I just had to hear some of her stories and of course learn more about her dog Nikki! Ellen's store is a desired place for all wedding paper needs. The Paper Shop offers gifts, stationery, baby goodies and much more!

How many years have you been in business? I've been in business 30 years (how did that happen??). The shop opened in January 1981.

Do you have a website, if so, what's the address? www.papershop.com is our web address... our site went up in 1994 and we were doing e-commerce all over the world for a while (this was long before finestationery.com and wedding paperdivas,etc.)... now our site is just a marketing tool for the store.

If you were to sell something other than stationery, what would it be? What else would I be selling? Well, in the mid-'80's one of my customers talked me into opening a high-fashion shoe store with her .... it was great, but after 2 years I decided "partners are for dancing" and she bought me out (closing the shop 8 months later)... and, in 2000, I opened a linen shop, called Luxe Linens, which lasted 8 1/2 years... I closed it 3 years ago when the economy started to falter... but, we still carry linens in The Paper Shop.

Besides the obvious (stationery ), what is your favorite thing to give as a hostess gift? My favorite hostess gift to give is a silver wine stopper topped with Lapis or Malachite - if there is a drop of wine or champagne left over, it seals the bottle airtight, and looks pretty ... or, a fabulously scented Rigaud candle. My closest friends sometimes rate a small tin of good caviar.

Here at Haute Papier, we love to eat! When in NYC for the National Stationery Show, where is your favorite place to grab dinner? As for dinner in NYC ... after working as hard as we do, from 9 am until 6 or 7, there is no such thing as "grabbing" dinner....no, dinner is what gets me through the day and the thing I look forward to the most.

Several of my favorites have sadly closed last year, but my standby favorites are: Park Avenue Cafe (now known as Park Avenue Fall; Park Avenue Winter, etc) and 11 Madison Park. On that one night when I really can't face an entire evening out, I like to fall into the Brasserie (53rd St).

Any other tidbits about your store you'd like to share? I had one employee who worked for me (part-time) for 22 years, until she retired; another who has been with me for 13 years; several who leave (to go back to school, to get married, to move out of town) and then keep coming back (makes training a snap).

I am now writing wedding orders for brides whose birth announcements I wrote .... bar/bat mitzvah invitations for children whose birth announcements I've done ..... we've done some brides' first and second wedding invitations and currently are working on our first double wedding.... Every day brings a fresh new challange and a new story ... that's what keeps life interesting.