Alyssandra - Striking Stationery Multi-Award Winning Stationer

01/04/2026

Well… it seems April has decided to show up fully bloomed for me. On the 8th of April, all entries are due for the New Zealand Pride In Print Awards — one of the most prestigious events in the Print Industry, and this year… held in beautiful Christchurch.

And here’s the part that feels a little surreal. This is my 30th year as a Graphic Designer and Stationer in the print industry at Alyssandra - Striking Stationery Multi-Award Winning Stationer. I only started entering since 2014, but I started 1996.

Thirty years of ideas.
Thirty years of paper, ink, and possibility.
Thirty years of helping visions come to life — one piece at a time.

And still, I feel the same excitement.

Because Pride In Print is something truly special.

It’s not just about awards.
It’s about excellence, integrity, and respect.

No one knows the results beforehand.
The judges sign strict confidentiality agreements — complete secrecy. So when your name is called … it’s real. It’s earned. It’s everything in that moment.

But what I love most … is what happens in the room. This industry — our industry — isn’t built on competition alone.

It’s built on respect.

We refer work to each other.
We collaborate.
We stand side-by-side.

And when someone else wins?
We cheer. Genuinely. Proudly. Fully.

There aren’t many industries where competitors celebrate each other like that, but in print, we do. It feels less like a rivalry, and more like a working family.

A place where excellence is recognised,
craftsmanship, skill, and talent is honoured,
and peers acknowledge each other with dignity.

That’s what makes it such an honour to be part of this.

A little love note to two of my favourites:
• FUJIFILM Business Innovation New Zealand
• B&F Papers — an incredible family operation

(Truly… the magic is in the details )

And yes, these are photos from last year —
you’ll find me in red ❤️ (third row, fourth photo)

Standing there, celebrating alongside extraordinary creatives and printers.

I’m am quietly knowing
I’m still growing.
Still learning.
Still blooming. 🌸

Here’s to showing up again this year
with even more intention, craftsmanship, and heart.

Because excellence isn’t a moment — it’s a practice.

10/03/2026

10/03/2026

I have been inactive on this page for some time and decided it was necessary to create a post. I am currently working on producing numbered table signs for a client.

28/12/2025

Before we start the fireworks…
Remember — fireworks don’t begin the story.
They mark the finale before something new can begin.

Over the past few days, we’ve been gently closing out this year together.

Day 1
Reminded us to pause
— to notice what this year has asked of us.

Day 2
Invited us to honour what we’ve learned,
even if it wasn’t easy.

Day 3
Helped us release what no longer needs
to follow us forward.

If you haven’t seen them yet, I invite you to visit my Facebook posts from Days 1–3 — they’re there to help you finish well.

What comes next isn’t about rushing into resolutions.

The next episodes are about:
entering the in-between
understanding why the real beginning
doesn’t arrive all at once and
preparing for what’s quietly
forming beneath the surface

Fireworks fade.
But beginnings take root.

Stay with me — the next chapter is unfolding.

19/11/2025

19/11/2025

“The One Thing You Must Stop Apologising For”
Stop apologising for the space you were born to fill.

Some women walk into a room and shrink.
Not because they’re small…
but because they were taught to be.

Today, lift your chin by one inch.
Take your breath a little deeper.
Take your place without whispering sorry.

Your presence is not an inconvenience.
It’s a blessing.

“No more shrinking.”

19/11/2025

If yesterday opened the door …
today is your invitation to step through it.

There is always one simple thing you can do today
that shifts your entire energy —
a tiny act of self-honouring that tells your soul,
“I’m ready to bloom. I’m ready to dream loud.”

It doesn’t have to be big.
Or perfect.
Or planned.

• Maybe it’s choosing a beautiful thought.
• Maybe it’s changing one thing in your environment.
• Maybe it’s showing yourself the kindness you give everyone else.

Women don’t transform through pressure —
we transform through gentle, consistent moments of choosing ourselves.

Do one thing that feels like it makes you 1% more you.
Not the “you” who’s tired, overthinking, or
second-guessing herself…
but the “you” who is becoming.
The “you” who is rising.
The “you” who is quietly, powerfully blooming.

Your becoming isn’t waiting for a perfect moment.
It’s waiting for you to say:
“I’ll take one step today — no matter how small.”

Because small shifts create big lives.
And you, my love, are building a beautiful one.

18/11/2025

Beautiful woman…
How often do you give to everyone else
before you remember yourself?

In my Bloom – My Book and Planner
— and in my soon-to-be-released book —
I teach a practice called The Kindness Pause.

I created it because I needed it…
and I know I’m not the only one.

As I write in Bloom the essence you feel is …
“Your nervous system blooms when
you make space for kindness toward yourself.”

So here is your one positive thing for today:
Take a 5-minute Kindness Pause.

(In my book, I dive deeper into a longer version
designed for increased productivity and
emotional regulation —
all backed by neuroscience.)

But for today?
Just five minutes.
Anywhere.
Right now, even.

Here’s your simple Bloom ritual:
1. Place one hand on your heart (warmth cue).
2. Take a deep breath into your belly.
3. Relax your shoulders by 2 cm.
4. Whisper softly:
“I deserve gentleness today.”
Or choose the mantra your soul needs.

This tiny ritual resets your emotional state,
lowers cortisol, opens your posture,
and builds instant self-trust.

Your brain reads your body like a language —
and when you soften, it believes you’re safe.

And as I always say:
“You can’t bloom if you’re running on empty.
Refill your soul, sweetheart.”

You don’t need a full hour.
You don’t need the perfect routine.
You just need one moment of kindness toward yourself.
One moment that says:
“I choose me, too.”

Your confidence doesn’t grow in chaos —
it grows in calm.

Your legacy isn’t built in pressure —
it’s built in presence.

Try it today.
Let yourself bloom back into yourself.
You deserve that gentleness.

Call to Action:
If you’re going to give yourself five minutes today,
comment “I choose kindness.”

17/11/2025

Most women wait until the moment hits…
then wonder why they react instead of rise.

Here’s the truth I teach in Bloom In Greatness:
Your life changes the moment you stop reacting
and start deciding in advance.

Decide who you’ll be before the pressure arrives.
Before the overwhelm.
Before the doubt dressed as confidence shows up.

Because decisions made in chaos come from fear.
Decisions made in calm come from power.

Neuroscience moment:
Your brain loves clarity —
pre-deciding lowers anxiety and stops emotional spiralling.
You follow through because the decision already exists.

Think of ONE situation
you wish you handled differently.
While the waters are calm…
decide in advance how
the woman you’re becoming will respond next time.

Your next level isn’t waiting for motivation.
It’s waiting for your decision. 🌸

17/11/2025

One of the most transformational habits I teach in Bloom In Greatness is this:

Decide in advance.
Not when you’re overwhelmed.
Not when you’re tired.
Not when doubt walks in wearing confidence.
But before the moment arrives.

Because decisions made in chaos come from fear.
Decisions made in calm come from purpose.

Your brain LOVES clarity.
Neuroscience tells us that pre-deciding reduces anxiety
because it removes emotional friction.
You’re not wrestling with “Should I?” anymore —
you’re following through on the woman you choose to be.

Your next level isn’t waiting for motivation —
it’s waiting for your decision.
And the woman you’re becoming…
is built by the decisions you make today. 🌸

17/11/2025

We’ve been taught to envy what we don’t have.
But envy is fear in disguise.
It zooms in on what you think you lack,
what you haven’t done yet,
what you’re afraid you’ll never achieve.

Envy is comfortable because it keeps you still —
caught staring at someone else’s life
instead of taking responsibility for your own.

But admiration?
Ohhh, admiration is different.
Admiration is a map.
A mirror.
A quiet whisper from your future self saying,
“These traits live in you too.”

Personally, I have had many great women
I admired who have given me many clues to who I am.
Athletes use this technique when studying great athletes.

In Bloom In Greatness,
I teach women that those you admire
are not your competition —
they are your expanders.
Your clues.
Your compass.

Admiration is not about becoming her.
It’s about recognising the qualities within her
that your soul is ready to grow.

Don’t envy her.
Study her.
Learn from her.
Let her show you the direction
your becoming is calling you toward.

Because admiration doesn’t point to what you lack —
it points to who you can become. 🌸