Oh So Beautiful Paper

You might remember the awesome guest posts from Carina of Crow and Canary this past April – she’s a fabulous independent stationery rep who spends much of her time touring the country talking about beautiful stationery.  Well, today Carina is back with a profile of three wonderful stationery boutiques in the Midwest.  Welcome back Carina!

Hello there!  Carina from Crow and Canary here.  It’s my sincere pleasure to return to OSBP with a guest post profiling some of the finest stationery boutiques in the Midwest.  I think you’re going to love what you see – I was truly in paper heaven!

::MONOGRAHAM::

Let’s start off by taking a peek into Monograham Paper & Gifts in Delafield, Wisconsin.  This stunning boutique is run by Amy Graham Stigler, creative director and designer for Smock.  Every corner of Monograham held some lovely treasure.  It’s certainly the type of shop that you could plan to spend an afternoon shopping in.  I only wish that I could visit regularly!

A real treat to see the shop decked out for the holidays!

 

Left: Washi tape adorned bags were set up for an upcoming craft class that Monograham has recently begun offering.  Aren’t they adorable? Right: Some of the amazing wedding invitations available at Monograham.

A bright and colorful assortment of paper goods, including: Smock, Susy Jack* & Paper Source.

A peek into Amy’s adjacent studio space: Breathtaking wall of smock gift boxes, they make quite an impression.

A bit of designer’s inspiration, such a cozy space.

::BROADWAY PAPER::

Broadway Paper has been on my radar for some time, I was so excited to finally have an opportunity to visit, as well as to enjoy a few precious minutes with Kate Strzok, Broadway Paper’s owner and fearless leader. Kate is always a delight! Broadway Paper is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Historic Third Ward and is surrounded by other great boutiques and cafes. I loved getting to ogle BP’s creative merchandising and handmade touches. I’m still obsessed with the paper log display below, so very clever.

Near the entrance to Broadway Paper: Snow & Graham 2012 calendar window display.

I couldn’t resist one of Avie Design’s sweet hand-folded bows; luckily it made it home unscathed.

These modern card racks are a sight to behold, not to mention all the cute cards that fill them.

A display of Cream City Ribbon, an eco-friendly ribbon manufacturer and Milwaukee based company.

Little Book of Letterpress and Little Book of Screen Printing sandwiching Mara Mi ribbon.

Very cute display, including the infamous handmade cardboard logs that I so admire.

::GREER CHICAGO::

GREER Chicago and proprietress, Chandra Greer, are true legends in the stationery world. I’m fortunate to count Chandra as a friend and mentor and I know that her positive attitude and giving nature have been paramount for many emerging stationers over the years. GREER is beyond my wildest dreams fabulous. It’s very clear that Chandra hand picks the merchandise and works with an above average staff to maintain stunning presentation; you don’t have to take my word – have a look yourself…

 

Left: This Hammerpress calendar makes me think of pink lemonade, love! Right: I only wish I’d had time to look through every drawer, so many hidden treasures!

 

 

Left: Luscious ribbon in a vintage card catalog. Right: GREER’S Love Civilettes are perfect for “Spontaneous Adoration.”

Perfect Chicago holiday greeting from La Familia Green.

A sincere thank you to Amy, Kate and Chandra for finding time to meet with me and allow me to come into their lovely spaces to take photographs, not always the easiest feat during a weekend in December! Their grace and generosity are much appreciated. And if you see something that you’re dying to get your hands on, both Broadway Paper and GREER Chicago offer comprehensive online shopping.

And last, but far from least, thanks to my traveling companion and partner in paper crime, Kimberley Yurkiewicz.

Photo Credits: Carina Murray

“On the road with Monograham, Broadway Paper and GREER” is a guest post by Carina Murray of Crow & Canary

I love getting a sneak peek into printing studios.  I’m constantly in awe of the heavy duty cast iron machines that produce such beautiful and delicate stationery.  I was absolutely thrilled when Michael from Czar Press sent over this fun tour of his letterpress printing studio in Orange County, California.  Let’s take a look!

From Michael: We’re a full service wholesale and commercial print shop.  We make our own film and photopolymer plates and offer letterpress printing, flat printing, die cutting, scoring, duplexing, edge painting, and some other good stuff.  Our shop currently consists of four letterpresses: Chandler, a 12 x 18 Chandler & Price; Ivan, a 10×15 hand feed Kluge; and Boris and Lenin, both 10×15 auto feed Kluges.  We also have a little nursery for my little one, Piper.  We welcome vistors!

And here’s the cozy play area that Michael created for his adorable daughter Piper!

Thanks Michael!  For more from Czar Press, check out their website right here!

Photo Credits: Czar Press

*Czar Press is one of my fab­u­lous spon­sors; for more on my edi­to­r­ial poli­cies please click here.

Candyspotting is a laser cutting studio based in Portland, Oregon and founded by Sarah Holbrook in 2009.  Though Sarah cuts many different mediums, she tends to focus her efforts on paper.  The laser’s ability to both cut and etch allows for some stunning results and it never ceases to amaze me how detailed the final product can turn out.  The fine art foray into laser cutting paper is a fairly new trend.  Historically, laser cutters have been used for more industrial applications.  It’s very exciting to see more artists and designers using this medium – I love discovering new stationery lines that are working with cut paper.

Sarah was kind enough to cut the Oh So Beautiful Paper logo (featuring calligraphy by Bryn from Paperfinger) as a demonstration of the laser’s intricacy.  Since Candyspotting specializes in cutting paper, Sarah is an expert at calculating the laser’s settings for the cleanest cut and the least amount of residual burning.  The end results are simply breathtaking.

This piece took over five minutes to cut.  If you are interested in reading more about the technical side of the process, be sure to visit Candyspotting’s blog.

Rhode Montijo’s papel picado style Skeletown card will soon be for sale at the very first Latino Comics Expo in San Francisco next month.

Saelee Oh’s limited edition cut (this piece is sold out) “All Together Now”. The equally stunning “Infinite Path” is currently available in Saelee’s shop.

Béatrice Coron creates the majority of her paper cuts by hand, but has recently begun offering a small selection of laser cut pieces. “BZCT” is available in a numbered edition of 500.

Squirrel Loves Nut is my own small line of cards. As a rep for so many talented designers, I’m inspired on a daily basis – it’s been a treat to have my very own creative outlet.

This wedding invitation, designed by Candyspotting, combines laser cutting and etching.

Catchy business card design, by Brian Behrens.

Laser cut paper scraps are particularly cute.

Test cuts for a Thank You card designed by Candyspotting.

Many thanks to Sarah for allowing me to invade her studio.

“Laser Cutting with Candyspotting” is a guest post by Carina Murray of Crow & Canary.

Oblation Papers & Press was founded in 1989 by Ron and Jennifer Rich.  In 1998 they opened the retail space for which they are well known within the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon.  The reach of their business is really quite impressive – not only do they offer a well curated retail shop in the front of the space, they also house an urban paper mill, letterpress print shop, custom invitation gallery and design and produce their own line of wholesale goods that are warehoused and shipped from this very same location.

| Storefront |

Love the current window display – nothing says Portland quite like a cute bicycle and a few raindrops.

| Retail Space |

Oblation stocks a selection of the finest stationery and gift items. They also offer an impressive selection of European accouterments to add an extra special touch to your correspondence.

| Custom Invitation Gallery |

Their custom letterpress offerings include: Classic Wedding, Baby, Correspondence and Black & White Wedding portfolios.

| Wholesale Line |

Oblation also offers a comprehensive wholesale letterpress card and gift line. The collection is stocked in stores worldwide and is also available in their online shop.

| Urban Paper Mill |

Papermaking is where Ron and Jennifer got their start in the business. Oblation continues this tradition by producing their own cotton paper using recycled remnants from the garment industry. Their handmade paper is perfectly suited for letterpress printing.

| Letterpress Print Shop |

Oblation has six platen presses in their studio. At this time, the print shop is entirely operated by women. Oblation’s printing practices include the use of wind power, soy inks and recycled cotton.

Thanks again to Oblation Papers & Press for opening their doors to me and allowing me to share their story and space.

Photo Credit: Carina Murray

“Behind the Scenes: Oblation Papers & Press” is a guest post by Carina Murray of Crow & Canary