05/20/2013

National Stationery Show 2013, Part 1

It’s finally here! The 2013 National Stationery Show kicked off yesterday, and I’m so excited for a week full of wonderful stationery! I’ve only had a chance to walk a few aisles so far, but today I’m thrilled to kick off my NSS recaps with five of my favorite booths (so far) from this year’s show! First up, one of the biggest debuts of the year â€“ 9th Letter Press! These ladies went all out with a huge booth filled with awesome letterpress stationery, including gift wrap and foil printed garlands, foil art prints, notebooks and notepads, stickers and fill-in party invitations, and of course tons ofÂ greeting cards and holiday cards!

9th Letter Press

I’ve been following the ladies of Tabletop Made for a loooong time, and it was wonderful to finally meet them in person at their adorable booth! So many cute things, from letterpress printed greeting cards and postcards to gift tags to art prints. I’m particularly loving the sparkly gold foil in the Far Out print below!

Tabletop Made

I was thrilled to stumble upon this booth from Minneapolis-based new exhibitor Benchpressed. I’m loving the hand lettering, illustrations, and bright colors in the sweet and snarky greeting cards and art prints â€“Â and of course I’m a fan of the monthly craft cocktail calendar!

Benchpressed

The Rocket Ink booth was one of my favorite debuts last year, and this year Katie’s booth was full of beautiful city and state prints, a gorgeous gem-themed 2014 wall calendar, and lots of illustrated and hand lettered greeting cards, love cards, and holiday cards. And how cute is that fringe trim around the booth??

Rocket Ink

I’m completely overjoyed that Yellow Owl Workshop was back in their very own booth for this year’s show â€“ and what a booth! Christine hand painted the walls in the most beautiful abstract pattern, which was the perfect backdrop for her colorful greeting cards, stamp kits, and necklaces. They also had their brand new carve-a-stamp kits on display and I’m beyond obsessed. So many possibilities!

Yellow Owl Workshop

I’ll have more to share from the 2013 National Stationery Show tomorrow!

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper, please ask permission prior to reposting any photos

05/18/2013

NSS Sneak Peek: An Open Sketchbook

Our final NSS sneak peek comes from a brand new exhibitor â€“ An Open Sketchbook (Booth #1957)! I love the painterly watercolor cards and playful confetti cards, which are combined with sweet illustrated greeting cards and hand lettering. Pretty!

Thanks Suzanne and Edgar!

Photo Credits: An Open Sketchbook

05/18/2013

NSS Sneak Peek: Kelp Designs

My husband is always lamenting the lack of sophisticated stationery designed for men, so I’m thrilled about this new masculine collection from Kelp Designs (Booth #1775)! Katie started with thank you notes, and the collection includes a mix of classic patterns, handsome colors, and clean lines inspired by Katie’s dapper 2 year-old son. The cards are all offset printed on thick, recycled (100% PCW) stock.

Thanks Katie!

Photo Credits: Kelp Designs

05/18/2013

NSS Sneak Peek: Sugarcube Press

This year’s Stationery Show booth from the ladies of Sugarcube PressÂ (Booth #2047) promises to be a lot of fun! Kelsie and Elizabeth are introducing tons of new greeting card designs, gift tags, coasters, and even stamp kits! How cute are those anchor note cards below??

Thanks ladies!

Photo Credits: Sugarcube Press

05/17/2013

The Manhattan

Nole reminded me recently that we have been remiss in writing about one of the most basic, and one of the best, cocktails of all time: the Manhattan. Sweet and oaky, spicy and rich, the Manhattan should be a cornerstone of every cocktail repertoire.Â â€“ Andrew

Illustration by Caitlin KeeganÂ for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Manhattan

2 oz Rye Whiskey
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes Bitters

Combine everything with lots of ice, stir well, and strain into a chilled tumbler. Enjoy!

The recipe above is my personal favorite and will serve up a fantastic drink, but treat it as a template rather than a rule. Consider bourbon instead of rye for a smoother, sweeter version. Or Punt-e-Mes instead of sweet vermouth for a bitter, sharper drink. Or try flipping the recipe, with two parts vermouth to one part whiskey, for a lighter and more aromatic drink. Or try adding a dash or two of absinthe or maraschino liqueur, two ingredients that pop up in many of the original versions of this recipe. Over ice or straight up, with a cherry or a lemon twist or no garnish at all, this is a pretty good drink.

Just make sure that, whatever permutation you try, you don’t forget the bitters. Bitters make this drink. I’m a fan of a dash of Angostura and a dash of Fee Brothers Black Walnut bitters, but just make sure there are bitters. (I think that, for a long time, bartenders forgot that Manhattans need bitters and served many terrible Manhattans. Fortunately, most have remembered again.)

The Manhattan is â€“ for very good reason â€“ one of David Embury’s six basic cocktails that everyone should know. It’s easy to see why: incredibly simple to make, incredibly delicious. If I was limited to just one cocktail for the rest of my life, it would be a close call between the Manhattan and Sazerac.

The Manhattan was almost certainly invented in New York (for reasons that are hopefully obvious). Beyond that, not a lot is known about its origins. The drink probably dates back to the late 1800s, but most stories of its invention don’t pass the smell test. I suspect, without any evidence but taste and a bit of logic, that the Manhattan descends (like the Martini) from the Martinez cocktail, making it the cousin of the Martini.

I like the idea of drinks having family trees.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper