Meet Kelsie – K Gets Organised

I have quite a number of character flaws, but one of my major ones (and my mum would totally agree) is my messiness. I’ve completely lost count on how many New Year’s resolutions I’ve made and that proverbial new leaf has been turned over time and time again – but to no avail. I love articles such as this one that legitimise my cluttered desktop as a sign of prolific creativity, and I assure you that there is a method to my madness. But it would be nice to be able to front up calm and composedly to my accountant come tax return time with one or two neat folders of paperwork rather than the usual balls of crumpled paper that were most definitely not pulled out from the bottom of a handbag that I haven’t used in months.

Kelsie from K gets organised must be an angel sent from on high. She maintains absolute order in a world populated not by dull filing cabinets but with dreamy pastels, washi tape, and handlettered motivational phrases. And she gets. shit. done. (Pardon mon Francais!)

This little lady sure is busy. She runs a blog where you can read her interviews with other equally inspiring and highly organised people (mythical beings in my eyes), she’s designed and launched her own stationery label, and you’ll be able to see her pop up at pretty much every single market around Perth this summer!

Last weekend we popped by Kelsie’s petite, light-filled studio with our aeropress in hand and had a yarn over mugs of freshly brewed coffee.

What have been some highlights of your stationery career so far? 

I have to say attending Paperfest 2014 in London earlier this year was just amazing. It was a forum for young and new paper and print businesses to meet and learn from successful companies and those that are leading in the business. I got to meet Anna Bond (of Rifle Paper Co. fame!) in person – that was an absolute buzz! In terms of business role model, she is queen! She jumps into everything headfirst and works hard to make it happen, an attitude I admire so much.

It has been both humbling and amazing to see my business grow, in size and in reach. Lately, I’ve been posting orders to the United States and Europe, and I’m soon to be stocked at NoteMaker! I love that site! To see my products up there will be such an incredible accomplishment.

What inspires you to create your lovely, fun-filled designs?

I’m inspired by things I love (uh hello, macarons!) and things that I see around me. I’m working on a new range featuring sketches from my recent travels overseas. At the moment, I’m also obsessed with mid-century fonts and designs and you’ll find images that I like dotted around my studio.

I want my stationery to look so good that getting organised and writing to-do lists are fun and a pleasure to do!

Give us three hot tips to becoming a stylishly organised gal like yourself…

Work can expand for hours and hours. When I’m writing out my to-do list I make sure that I write down how long I think the task will take me. If anything on my list says it will take me 5 minutes, I get it done straight away. Anything longer, I like to put in my calendar so I make sure I block out time for it. For really big tasks like commission work or designing a whole line I like to give myself a final deadline (usually a launch party for example – something fun to look forward to) and plan backwards from there.