10/20/2026
🍃 A LITTLE INTRODUCTION TO THE LADY BEHIND PADDY LEAF 🤎
Hi, friends! 🫶🏻 I thought it was about time I introduced myself a little more and shared the story behind this little business of mine!
My name is Kaylie, and I’m married to my high school sweetheart. Together, we have five beautiful kiddos who keep life busy, loud, chaotic, and full of love. ❤️
So, how did Paddy Leaf begin? 🌿
Back in 2025, my sisters-in-law taught me how to make sourdough bread and cookies, and, well… things just escalated from there! 😂 I fell in love with baking, the sourdough process, and creating goodies for others to enjoy.
Before I knew it, I was attending vendor events, opening a roadside shed, and eventually baking at the Bakers Collective in Hayward. That experience was absolutely amazing, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity!
As I got closer to welcoming our fifth baby, I decided it was time to take a little step back from baking. And if you make sourdough, you already know… IT IS A FULL-TIME RELATIONSHIP. 😂🍞 Mine is named Doughseph Tribiani (my F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fans will understand!).
Right now, I’m not sure when I’ll be returning to baking, but I promise to keep you all posted! For now, I’m embracing a new chapter of Paddy Leaf and finding creative ways to grow my little business around life with five kiddos.
Because let’s be honest… I needed something I could work on, get interrupted a hundred times, and come back to later without it being burnt to a crisp. 🤣
📚 Enter: Blind Dates with a Book!
A couple of months ago, I started creating Blind Dates with a Book, and I have had SO much fun with them! As someone who absolutely loves books, stationery, and a good surprise, getting to put these together has been such a joy.
I’ve also started bringing in wholesale goodies that I discover during late-night browsing sessions and those all-day nursing sessions with “the new baby,” as my third little one calls her. 🥹🤍
Think cozy Northwoods vibes, bookish treasures, cute gifts, and little goodies for the kiddos, too! Because every mama deserves a little time to get lost in a good book… even if we have to bribe the tiny people with snacks first. 😉😂
✨ WHERE CAN YOU FIND PADDY LEAF?
You can shop my growing collection of goodies at Bargain City in Rice Lake, Wisconsin! And if you have something special in mind, you can always reach out to place an order.
Here’s a little peek at what you’ll find:
📖 Blind Dates with a Book
🎁 Book baskets and gift bundles
🤎 Just the book or everything-but-the-book options
🌲 Cozy Northwoods-inspired finds
🕯️ Candles, mugs, and other lovely gifts
✨ And plenty of new goodies as I discover them!
I’m always on the lookout for fun things to add, so there will be lots more to come!
🍃 BUT WHAT DOES “PADDY LEAF” EVEN MEAN?
This is probably my favorite part of the whole story. 🥹
We live on a lake surrounded by TONS of lily pads. When my third little one was just three years old, she couldn’t quite remember what lily pads were called. Instead, she called them “Paddy Leafs.”
And I just thought it was the sweetest thing ever.
The name stuck, and so did that little memory. 🤍
It might not have anything to do with baking, books, or the goodies I sell, but it means something to me. It’s a tiny piece of our family, a moment with my baby that I never want to forget, and a reminder of why I wanted to build something of my own in the first place.
Because at the heart of Paddy Leaf, it has always been about family, creativity, and the little things that make life special.
Thank you. Truly. 🫶🏻
Thank you for following along, shopping small, sharing my posts, encouraging me, and supporting this little dream of mine through all its different seasons. Whether you’ve been here since the sourdough days or you’re just finding me now, I’m so happy you’re here!
I can’t wait to see where this next chapter takes us. 🌿🤎
Welcome to Paddy Leaf. A little bit bookish, a little bit woodsy, a whole lot of heart. 🍃📚
With love,
Kaylie 🤍
