Choosing Green Friday and mindful gifting from my little Australian studio
Every year around this time, my inbox fills up with flashing SALE signs. 60% off, 70% off, limited time only, hurry before it is gone. And every year, as a small business owner, I feel that familiar pressure creeping in. Should I slash my prices too? Should I compete with giants who can afford to play the discount game?
But then I pause.
Do you ever wonder what it costs a business to offer 70% off? If they can comfortably take that much off, what was the original margin in the first place? It always makes me think about the true value of things and the invisible cost someone along the way is paying.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand wanting a discount on something you have been waiting to buy. And full honesty, my partner bought Crocs for us and our toddler on Amazon last night because they were half price. So I get it. But running Paper and Bloom has taught me that discounts come at a very real price for a small, handmade, fully Australian made brand like mine.
This morning while walking around Lake Monger, one of my favourite spots here in Perth, I listened to an episode of The Brand Marketing Show on Spotify called Green Friday to Green Christmas. It resonated so deeply. It felt like someone finally said out loud what I have been feeling for years. Enough of the Black Friday noise. Enough of the pressure to buy things we do not really need. Enough of the frantic rush. I want to make it a Green Friday, a day to celebrate mindful gifting, sustainability, and thoughtful choices instead.
I did not start Paper and Bloom to add to the chaos. I started it five years ago because I have a deep love for thoughtful gifting, sustainable stationery, and the joy of creating something beautiful that becomes part of someone’s story. I wanted to design with purpose, craft with love, be inspired by flowers and nostalgia, and offer an eco friendly alternative that treads softly on the planet.
So instead of joining Black Friday this year, I am choosing something gentler.
A softer way to shop this season
Every order placed from now until Christmas will receive a free set of 3 plantable postcards, made from my own printing offcuts and faulty cards. Running a handmade business means misprints and scraps are part of the process. Instead of throwing them away, I recut and stamp them to give them a second life. Little moments of waste transformed into gifts you can pass on to someone you love. It feels honest. It feels human. It feels right.
And I am keeping the small touches that matter to me:
• Free premium gift wrapping
• Your purchase helps plant trees in Australia
• Everything designed and made right here at home
Gifting should feel thoughtful, not rushed. Not a frantic scroll through endless sale pages. Not grabbing ten random things because they are cheap. True gifts create memories. They last. They bring joy long after the wrapping has been opened. They do not end up in landfill after the holidays.
Choosing mindful gifting
This season, I invite you to slow down and choose gifts with intention. Support small makers who pour love into each creation. Choose things that tell a story. Things that will be treasured, planted, grown, or kept.
So no Black Friday at Paper and Bloom. Just a more mindful, nostalgic, and joyful way to celebrate Christmas. A Green Friday with sustainability in mind. And a little bundle of 3 plantable postcards from me to you, made from the imperfect pieces that remind me why I started this journey five years ago.
If you choose to shop with me this season, thank you from the bottom of my flower filled heart. It means so much.