By Kara McIntosh
You might think you know all about Shelley Hannah’s Love Notes, but this Valentine’s Day could change that.
Shelley, a life coach, creates those tiny scrolls of brightly coloured paper, wrapped with sparkly pipe cleaner that are displayed in many shops and restaurants in Creemore – and beyond.
In the past, the notes have contained messages of affirmation and acknowledgement, but this Valentine’s Day, there is a saucier kind of Love Note in town.
Instead of the general, inspirational messages of the earlier Love Notes, or the youth-focused notes of the children’s line, the new messages focus on positive body image, playful actions and exploring interactions with others.
“They are sexy and playful, always positive,” said Shelley. “They could be considered edgy if you’re in company you wouldn’t want to share these messages with, but if you are with your friends or partner, they are not.”
Love Notes began in the winter of 2001, when Shelley started gathering words of affirmation on paper. She gave them out to friends and family, and then more randomly in the Blue Mountain and Creemore areas. A friend asked her to make a small set that she could give away. Word caught on and she was asked for another set and then another.
Each piece of paper has a note such as, “You sprout love and joy wherever you go” or “You are magical! You have the ability to create new possibilities for yourself and others, yay!”
After hearing for years that people were interested in a sexier version of Love Note, Shelley decided to create the new line.
“I like being able to do something that puts a smile on someone’s face,” says Hannah. “The unexpected part is the fun part for me. Everything I do is about looking to create the world I want to live in.”
Shelley loves hearing the stories of people receiving a Love Note, how they react and of being able to make someone’s day. She recently received a note from a woman in the U.S. who had been given a scroll, thanking her for making her feel good every time she looked at her Love Note.
A cousin of Shelley’s was giving out Notes to customers at a market in Alberta. A woman opened her scroll, started to cry and then went behind the table to hug her and say thank you. The woman left without showing which Love Note she had received, but Shelley’s cousin knew how much it had touched her.
These days, Shelley keeps a stash in her purse at all times, sets them out at events she attends, hands them out to random strangers or slips one to the person who lets her go first in the grocery store check-out line.
Love Notes are available online at www.shelleyhannah.ca, as well as in Creemore at Cardboard Castles and the 100 Mile Store and in Collingwood, at Hearts and Crafts. If you shop at Curiosity House in Creemore, you may just get one as a gift with your purchase.
According to Shelley’s website, “Like it or not, we all leave a ripple. Why not consciously choose the ripple you will leave?” With Love Notes, Shelly is both choosing and making ripples wherever she goes.