Creative Spotlights are part of the THS dedication to Handmade Christmas 2010. I’m bringing you the goods, showing off the talents of some of my favorite creators! Just a reminder, there are several different ways to participate, and several different reasons why you should consider joining us for Handmade Christmas 2010.
New Leaf Handmade Goods is Maria and Cecelia, sisters who make stuff and love doing it.
Maria and Cecelia have always had a soft spot for paper and fabric and buttons, not to mention garage sailing and thrift-shop-exploration.
The materials New Leaf Handmade uses are almost completely post-consumer, allowing them to make less of a mark on the earth while doing what they love to do.
“Most of the paper, fabrics, furniture, etc. are post-consumer materials: fabric we’ve discovered in thrift shops, parts of greeting cards we’ve received, stationary my grandpa found at a garage sale. It’s important to us that what we create doesn’t require a whole lot of newly manufactured parts.”
Through New Leaf Handmade, Maria and Cecelia have found a way to mix all these passions together to create items of loveliness.
“We like to think that the materials we use to create our products are turning over a new leaf.”
“There’s personality, and surely a few stories, attached to our materials. We make our goods in anticipation of bringing beauty into your life and allowing those stories to continue!”
All of the paper and covers for the notebooks, are hand cut allowing the ladies behind New Leaf to carefully selectt an interesting, yet practical (meaning leaving lots of space for you to fill!) mix of papers to bring together.
Because most of the paper has been salvaged, pre-used, repurposed or recycled to make these unique notebooks, so there is a lot of personality in our pages. Pages could include things like sketchbook paper, notebook paper, blank paper, computer paper, maps, photo copies, construction paper, junk mail, book pages, sheet music, tracing paper, thick paper, wrapping paper. Despite all these materials added in, be assured that most of the pages are blank, allowing for lots of room for drawing, writing, doodling, listing and thinking. 
On the inside of the back cover you can find "The Story" of where the paper came from. I love this little detail to each of the notebooks!
SPECIAL TREAT: For the month of October, THS readers can receive free shipping on their order at New Leaf Handmade Goods by using the coupon code "THSfreeshipping" in the notes to seller section.
EXTRA SPECIAL TREAT: New Leaf Handmade has offered to send one medium sized notebook to a THS reader! The winner of the giveaway will get to choose which medium notebook from the shop they would like to receive.
To enter this giveaway, visit New Leaf Handmade Goods on Etsy and share which item is your favorite in the comments section! You have until Monday, October 4th, 12:00 PM eastern time to enter.
