You'll Want Mo Little Mo and Friends

There are a lot of us that love sending hand written letters, and love paper products in general but have a concern about trees being cut down so it can happen. Luckily there is Helena, an illustrator, from Australia. Whose stationary is as adorable as it is environmentally friendly. Helena graciously allowed me to interview her so, we could learn more about her and her artwork.




Helena, tell us what kinds of items you make?


I make paper products! I love books and papers and old-fashion snail
mail. So it was only natural for me to make a range of stationery
products that were cute and fun for everyday use.



I really love the paper dolls, what is the inspiration behind them?


When I was young, I had a huge stash of paper doll cut outs and I
would spend hours playing with them. I was really fascinated by the
colourful outfits and accessories that I could mix and match with the
dolls.

I thought it would be a sweet idea to illustrate a Little Mo and
Friends paper doll set so that people could adopt her and bring her
home:)


I noticed that you print all your paper products on 100% post consumer waste paper, why is it important to you to use recycled paper?

I am a huge nature lover. As you can see from my products they are
mostly nature inspired, with illustrated trees, garden and animals.
It’s hard not to be environmentally conscious these days when we read
a lot of media reports on the effects of global warming, pollution and
wastage.

Primarily I am an artist and my medium is mostly paper. So taking that on board, I wanted to be able to share my love of art with others and make it as environmentally friendly as possible. Printing on 100% post-consumer waste paper helps me to eliminate and reuse wastage.Most importantly, no trees are cut down on making the paper.

I also recycle all my paper scraps from my shop as I intend to make my own range of handmade paper. I believe that as artists, we can find
ways to design and produce art and still be kind to the environment.

Do you do other things in your life with the environment involved? You live in Australia, is there a lot of concern about the environment in your country?

I do think that Australians have started thinking green these days.
Just little things like recycling, using grocery bags, saving on water
and energy, making use of public transport, walk and not drive….little
things like can help. Obviously there is a long way to go to teach the
rest of the community or society to follow suit. But if a person or a
family alone practices healthy green living, then that is a great
start.

Where can people go to buy your stationary and paper dolls?

Come on over to www.littlemoandfriends.etsy.com
My stationery would make really sweet and happy gifts for nature and
book lovers!



Tell us a little about your blog and where to find it.

I blog about random things; sometimes about my art, my work in
progress, nature and recipes or just things that make me happy in
general. If you find all this exciting to read, then do come over for
a visit, I love meeting new friends
www.littlemoandfriends.com/blog



What exciting new products are you working on?


I have a long list of products waiting for me to finish on my
illustration board! As we speak, I have a few products that I have
already finished in terms of design and illustrations, like new
postcard sets and memo pads. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money to produce them because all of my paper goods are professionally printed and there are costs involved.

So usually what I do, is carry on with my designs, and let them sit
and wait until money and support comes in through my etsy shop. Only
then can I use the funds to fund my new products. This is what
independent art and making is like:)

Next on my list of things to do are calendars and colouring books.