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National Stationery Show 2012, Part 10

As promised, I’ve got a bit more from the National Stationery Show to share with you today!  Some of my favorite booths are those with a sense of humor, from the sweetly funny to the totally snarky.  So today I thought I’d focus in on a few of my favorite booths that combine fun and humor with gorgeous stationery design.  First up, Maginating with some of the most adorable designs you could possibly imagine and several of my all-time favorite cards!

 

Love the iridescent foil – one of FOUR foil passes on this specific card!

Maginating

Nicole from The Nic Studio has a beautiful collection of illustrated cards that always seems to combine whimsy with a sense of fun and humor.  This year, I was completely blown away by Nicole’s amazing new series of large full-color art prints called “Animals Everywhere” – inspired by her 3-year old daughter’s imagination.  Gorgeous!

 

 

The Nic Studio

Amber from Flywheel Press always has something up her sleeve for the Stationery Show – from fun scavenger hunts to awesome letterpress greeting cards and wedding invitations.  This year I was particularly smitten with Amber’s new collection of cards inspired by classic movie moments (so fantastic!) and gorgeous split fountain designs.

 

Beautiful split fountain cards!

 

Flywheel Press

Lisa from Sapling Press has the most amazing sense of humor – her “dear blank” and “we go together like” card collections keep me laughing for hours.  This year I can’t get enough of her new card series of made up facts.  Genius!

 

Sapling Press

Lauren and Joel of Old Tom Foolery usually go for a minimalist black and white booth design, but this year they went all out with an INCREDIBLE wood booth designed by an architecture student friend.  So amazing – as are their hilarious cards!

 

 

Old Tom Foolery

I love the McBitterson’s tagline of “Cute, Sometimes Cranky Letterpress Cards” – so perfect!  The cards might get a little cranky, but they always make me smile.

 

 

McBitterson’s

The team at Oddball Press always seems to find the perfect combination of sweetness and snark in their greeting cards – and I love the way they incorporate old timey illustrations into their designs.  So awesome!

 

 

Oddball Press

I’m always excited to see the ladies of 9SpotMonk at trade shows.  They have a fantastic collection of color-in cards for kids that you might remember from the January Gift Fair, not to mention the hilarious thank you cards and letterpress beer and wine bottle gift tags below.

9SpotMonk

Check back tomorrow for more from the 2012 National Stationery Show!

Photo Credits: Stephen Michael Garey and Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

National Stationery Show 2012, Part 7

As I mentioned last week, there were a LOT of new exhibitors at this year’s National Stationery Show, and they brought a lot of really awesome paper along with them.  I profiled a few first-time exhibitors last week, but I thought I’d do the same thing today!  First up, the new-to-me Grey Cardigan, with an awesome and well-curated booth full of graphic art prints, gift wrap sheets, and stationery.

 

 

 

 

Grey Cardigan

The Farewell Paperie booth was an explosion of color and lots of really beautiful (and funny!) stationery.  Designers Lisa and Jen started out in advertising and their background shines through in their fantastic copywriting.  So much pretty paper!

 

  

Farewell Paperie

Garrett and Jessica from Wednesday might have been one of the most enthusiastic new exhibitors at the show – they were still smiling even on the last day when everyone else is completely exhausted and in quasi-zombie mode!   I loved all of the fun greeting cards and wedding invitation designs in their booth.

 

 

Wednesday, Inc

I’ve known Suann from Simplesong Design for years, but this was her first exhibitor appearance at the National Stationery Show!  Suann presented a collection that was perfectly curated and representative of her clean, minimalist design style.

 

 

 

Simplesong Design

Joel and Ashley from This Paper Ship had one of the sweetest booths at the show, with a fun nautical theme that served as both a nod to their business name and helped display their collection of whimsical prints and cards.

 

 

 

This Paper Ship

Allison from Lettuce Press made her trade show debut with a wonderfully styled booth and beautifully curated collection of letterpress greeting cards and stationery.

 

 

Lettuce Press

I loved the old-timey and masculine style from The Victory Special Press – including a wood type letterpress printed calendar and some really fun cocktail recipe note cards!

 

 

The Victory Special Press

I love the way Brannon from Happy Cactus incorporated the hand drawn patterns from her stationery into her booth design with a hand drawn booth border – such an adorably whimsical touch that helped draw the focus directly to her beautiful cards.

 

 

Happy Cactus

I’ll be back with more from the National Stationery Show soon!

Photo Credits: Stephen Michael Garey and Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Friday Happy Hour: Cherry Caipirinha

It’s starting to feel like summer here in DC, and summer means summer drinks.  Which may be why I’ve been on such a Latin American drinks kick, because so many Latin American drinks are perfect for summer: sweet, with lots of fruit and lots of ice, and a bit of kick, delicious and refreshing.  Here’s another to add to that list, a twist on Brazil’s national cocktail, the Cherry Caipirinha. – Andrew

Read below for the full recipe!

Cherry Caipirinha

2 oz Cachaça
1/4-1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 Lime
3-4 Cherries
Soda Water

Quarter the lime half and pit the cherries, if needed.  Add the fruit and syrup to a rocks glass or tumbler, then muddle everything together very well.  Add the Cachaça and lots of crushed ice.  Top with soda water, give it a stir, then garnish with a bit of sugar cane (optional but pretty cool) and enjoy!

 

The Caipirinha is up there on my list of perfect summer drinks.  It’s sweet and tart, with lots of fresh flavor from the Cachaça, and enormously refreshing thanks to all that ice and soda water.  If you order a Caipirinha in the U.S., you’re most likely to get one made just with lime, which is a pretty great drink by itself.  But Brazilians use all kinds of fruit, from mango to kiwi to pineapple or passionfruit, in their Caipirinhas, so feel free to add or subtract fruit to this recipe.

The Caipirinha’s name reveals its humble origins as a rustic, easy-to-make version of drinks like the Daiquiri: it means something along the lines of “little country bumpkin” in Brazilian Portuguese.  But the Caipirinha has grown to be wildly popular all throughout Brazil and has been winding its way through the States in recent years.  Give one a try and you’ll see why.

 

The same drink might be pretty good, but a bit more ho-hum, without its key ingredient: the Brazilian spirit Cachaça (pronounced, roughly, ka-SHA-sa).  Cachaça is a close relative of rum, but Cachaça – unlike rum, which is usually distilled from fermented molasses – is distilled directly from fermented sugar cane juice.  The cane juice has to be processed soon after it is harvested, which means the Cachaça retains more flavors from the sugar cane, and much more of a sense of the place where it was made.  Cachaça is a funky spirit with lots of complex vegetal flavors, like a much earthier version of your favorite rum.  Fortunately, it’s increasingly easy to find – go pick some up!

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

National Stationery Show 2012, Part 3

I’m so excited to share more from the National Stationery Show!  There has been so much amazing stationery to see at this year’s show, I’ve barely even made a dent in the last two days.  First up for today, I loved all the colorful and modern stationery from Two Paperdolls, from bright greeting cards and a mustache-theme calendar to a gorgeous new album of wedding invitations.  I’m particularly smitten with the line of Mad Men-inspired cards!

 

 

 

 

Two Paperdolls

Last year, Adrienne from Dingbat Press created a booth covered in silver leaf – and this year she switched things up with a booth made from hundreds of coaster-size kraft paper circles.  Amazing!  I love Adrienne’s new collections of initial notebooks and colorful self-mailing stationery sets.

 

 

Dingbat Press

After making her Stationery Show debut last year, Catherine from Printerette Press put together another beautiful booth full of sweet letterpress greeting cards and a brand new wedding collection.  So pretty!

 

Printerette Press

I’m so excited to see more designers producing boxed writing sheet sets, and I love all the whimsical designs from Fawnsberg – not to mention the greeting cards and rubber stamps featuring their signature hand lettering.

 

Fawnsberg

The Dauphine Press booth was ridiculously pretty this year – chock full of gorgeous wedding invitations with metallic foil details, colorful edge painting, and lovely patterns.

 

 

 

Dauphine Press

So much pretty paper eye candy from Fine Day Press – from the beautiful new watercolor calendar to foil stamp patterns and letterpress greeting cards!

 

Fine Day Press

Page Stationery made their Stationery Show debut this year with a brand new wedding album and lots of really fun day-of wedding stationery, including letterpress printed ceremony program covers and double-sided reception signs.  Such a great idea!  I also love their collection of “manly” boxed stationery.

 

 

 

  

 

Page Stationery

I’ll be back tomorrow with more from the show!

Photo Credits: Stephen Michael Garey and Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper; please ask permission prior to reposting any images.

National Stationery Show 2012, Part 1

It’s finally here!  And oh boy, you guys, the National Stationery Show has barely even started and I can already tell it’s going to be a fantastic show – I have so much to share with you over the next week!  I’m still working my way through the booths and aisles, but I thought I’d start off with a few booths that caught my eye on the opening day.  First up, Alee + Press, with an awesome industrial-inspired booth design that was chock full of colorful greeting cards and gorgeous wedding invitations.

 

Alee and Press

Next up, a new stationery company that isn’t even a year old but is already creating some really fun designs – the Brooklyn-based Left Field Cards.  Designer Amelie loves baseball and decided to create an entire line around the sport.  She started with designs that are illustrated and hand carved into linoleum blocks, then created plates based on those designs and letterpress printed the entire collection.  Very cool!

 

 

Left Field Cards

I absolutely loved the sneak peek from Meg at Belle & Union, so it was no surprise that I also loved her debut at the Stationery Show.  Her booth was full of adorable letterpress printed cards, screen printed tea towels and gift wrap sheets, recipe cards, and lots of other fun little touches.  So cute!

 

 

 

 

 

Belle + Union

I practically made a beeline for the Sugar Paper booth at the show, and I love everything in the new collection – from the greeting cards to the art prints.  There was so much color and joy reflected in the new cards and prints, yet everything felt classic and sophisticated.  Such a great combination!

 

Sugar Paper

I still in awe of the ombré blue walls that Rebekah from Wild Ink Press created for her booth this year, not to mention her beautiful stationery!  So many pretty patterns and colors throughout the entire collection…

Wild Ink Press

Liz from Linda + Harriett completely knocked my socks off with her fabulous graphic booth design, gorgeous new 2013 letterpress calendar, and the seriously amazing (and GIANT) large-scale calendar with designs inspired by quilted paper.  I’ve always considered calendars to be a form of wall art, but Liz took it to a whole new level.  So amazing!

 

Linda + Harriett

Finally (for now), the team from The Social Type made a fantastic Stationery Show debut with a modern collection full of sweet and colorful greeting cards and patterned gift wrap sheets.  So pretty!

 

The Social Type

I’ll be back soon with more from the show!

Photo Credits: Stephen Michael Garey and Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper, please ask permission prior to reposting any images