<p>During this past edition of the <a href="http://www.nationalstationeryshow.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Stationery Show</a>, I was thrilled to again be asked to judge the Best New Product Awards, this time in a new home at the other end of the Javits concourse — but still just as dazzling as ever! Checking out the display is always my first stop the first morning of the show after I get my press badge — but I&#8217;m by no means alone in that strategy, as the area is typically jam-packed.</p>
<p>Nearly 200 entries were on display, and while I can&#8217;t speak for the other judges, the process is never easy, especially if you are like me and are prone to second guessing yourself. My judging sheets are typically full of cross-outs, and I must apologize to whoever has to decipher it!</p>
<p>At any rate, the results came in, and it&#8217;s my pleasure to share a little bit more about the winning products and the makers behind them.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaUrchinStudio?ref=shop_sugg_market" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sea Urchin Studio</a> took the honors for the Life/Style category with its adorable <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaUrchinStudio?ref=shop_sugg_market" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nature Scavenger Hunt Notepad</a>. I must say, this jumped right out at me because I am always trying to take my 10-year-old on hikes, walks, bike rides, what have you — and like most of her peers, she&#8217;d much prefer to watch YouTube videos than listen to Mom wax eloquent about the wonders of flora and fauna. But putting a game to it gives me some hope yet!<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18554" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/scavenger-hunt.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800">Sara Ardeleano told me she ;<span class="s1">was inspired to create a range of Woodland-themed products, including the Nature Scavenger Hunt, after moving to Connecticut. &#8220;After living in New York City for twenty years, moving to the suburbs and seeing nature up close was an amazing experience. As many products start out, I created the Scavenger Hunt to keep my daughter occupied (and hopefully interested) when we went on hikes. It worked, she loves to take it along! The nice thing about it is that found items will vary by season, making it a new game each time.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>Sara heard one phrase consistently from NSS buyers: ;<span class="s1">“That’s so cute!” In addition, she heard a lot of different ways everyone thought the Scavenger Hunt could be used. &#8220;I&#8217;d planned it as a simple kid’s game, but buyers and customers have had great ideas beyond that.&#8221;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Sara was thrilled with the award, not only because there are so many talented designers who exhibit at NSS and there were some really great entries in the competition, but because she&#8217;d never won a blue ribbon in anything! &#8220;</span><span class="s1">I&#8217;m very appreciative to everyone who thought my product was worthy of a vote.&#8221;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">To continue to celebration, Sara is offering TPC readers a discount on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaUrchinStudio?ref=shop_sugg_market" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all her adorable wares</a> through July 1. Just use the code TPC2017 for 20% off! ;</span><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18555" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/scavenger.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800">Next up, we have <a href="https://www.frankieandclaude.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Frankie &; Claude</a>, who bright and clever <a href="https://www.frankieandclaude.com/collections/award-ribbons" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Everyday Award Ribbons</a> took the ribbon themselves in the Let&#8217;s Celebrate Category!</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18557" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Everyday-awards.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="400"></p>
<p>Sam Bearbower told me that she&#8217;s had a long-standing love affair with all things ;vintage, nostalgic and antique. &#8220;And as much as I love paper, there is also a special place in my heart for alternatives to the traditional greeting card. I constantly joke with my friends and family about &#8216;You get the award for <i>blank,&#8217;</i> ;of course always something sarcastic, but real life. From these things our line of Everyday Awards were born!&#8221;</p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-74773" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-74773 block-wrap-classic columns__m--1 elements-design-3 block-ani block-skin-0 tipi-box block-wrap-thumbnail ppl-m-1 clearfix" data-id="74773" data-base="0"><div class="tipi-row-inner-style clearfix"><div class="tipi-row-inner-box contents sticky--wrap"><div class="block block-23 clearfix"><article class="tipi-xs-12 clearfix with-fi ani-base tipi-xs-typo split-1 split-design-1 loop-0 preview-thumbnail preview-23 elements-design-3 post-10001562 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people category-sponsored-post tag-nss2019 tag-art-prints tag-cards tag-design tag-greeting-cards tag-journals tag-national-stationery-show tag-notebooks tag-notecards tag-nss tag-ny-now tag-photography tag-pillows tag-stationery tag-stationery-blog tag-stationery-design tag-stationery-designer tag-tal-shpantzer tag-talfoto tag-totes" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/inside-nss2019-talfoto/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?resize=200%2C200&;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SCT_5371.jpg?zoom=3&;resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /></a></div><div class="meta"><div class="byline byline-2 byline-cats-design-4"><div class="byline-part cats"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/people/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">People</a><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/sponsored-post/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Sponsored</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/inside-nss2019-talfoto/">Inside #NSS2019: Talfoto</a></h3></div><div class="byline byline-3"><span class="byline-part date"><i class="tipi-i-calendar" aria-hidden="true"></i> <time class="entry-date published dateCreated flipboard-date" datetime="2019-05-31T12:31:15+00:00">May 31, 2019</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="10001562"><span class="likes-heart"><i class="tipi-i-heart-o" aria-hidden="true"></i><i class="tipi-i-heart" aria-hidden="true"></i></span><span class="tipi-value">0</span></a></span></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></tipimidc>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18562" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Rosette-ribbons.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800"></p>
<div>At the show, &#8220;We loved all the love our customers have been throwing their way. Winning Best New Product for these little lovelies on day 1 of the show was a tremendous way to kick off our debut, and I seriously could not have asked for anything better. We had great feedback from our retailers old and new! My favorite part about the feedback was hearing people recall someone in their life &#8216;perfect&#8217; for a particular ribbon — it was hilarious to hear how many husbands are apparently deserving of our &#8216;Most Likely to &#8230; diagnose their cold as a rare incurable disease&#8217; ribbon.&#8221;<br />
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18563" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Sexy-beast-pink-unicorn-award-ribbon.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800"></div>
<div>Sam was absolutely shocked she won. &#8220;The last time I won an award was in 8th grade and won &#8216;most likely to get the munchies during cheerleading practice.&#8217; When Kelly came over to my booth and asked if I had heard who won, and then said it was me&#8230; there are really no words. I was speechless. Then there were all these cameras and people stopping to watch; it was an amazing experience. When you put so much of your heart into a product that you really believe in, its a truly amazing feeling to have your work validated in this way.&#8221;</div>
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<div>Oh, and look out for new Everyday Awards this fall!</div>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18561" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Funny-adult-award-ribbon-collection.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="534"></p>
<p>Last up, <a href="https://lilyandval.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lily &; Val</a> took the honors for Craft It Up/DIY <em>and</em> Best in Show for their Chalk Lettering Tool Kit. This super-cute natural canvas pouch is filled with goodies, including Crayola White Anti-Dust Chalk, Chalk Ink ;Marker, sharpener, wooden ruler, microfiber cloth, felt eraser, pink pencil, cotton swabs, and a helpful guide with exclusive tips and tricks written by the company&#8217;s own Valerie McKeehan.<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18567" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_1923HIGHRES.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1200">Valerie told me that she was inspired to create the range because w<span class="s1">henever she posted a piece of chalk art to social media, &#8220;I was constantly getting asked about the specific tools and supplies I use. This became especially true after ;<i>The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering</i> ;came out and people became more interested in DIY hand lettering! This inspired me to create a kit that combined all of my favorite chalk art items in one place. Not only did I want I want to make it easier for people to get started in chalk lettering, but also provide them a convenient kit for their continued projects. I constantly use mine!&#8221; ;</span><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18568" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_6331.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="619"><span class="s1">At the show, &#8220;</span><span class="s1">We heard a great response from buyers!&#8221; Val told me. &#8220;They were impressed with the attention to detail and completeness of the kit — even down to cotton ;swabs tied with a cute twine bow. They also appreciated the quality of the canvas pouch and packaging showing everything inside.&#8221; ;</span><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18566" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/chalklettering_S3.png" alt="" width="800" height="1047"><span class="s1">What is so great about the kit is that it makes the art form accessible to anyone, Val told me. &#8220;You don&#8217;t have to be a pro or even an artist to try your hand at drawing chalk art! We hear SO many stories of people enjoying chalk lettering as a stress-reliving hobby. It is one of the most no-pressure art mediums out there since everything erases. Not only that, the imperfections are what make it charming and rustic. Fans have even tagged us on Instagram to share their creations and we love hearing the joy in their words when they draw something they are really proud of.&#8221; ;</span><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18565" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/chalklettering_S2.png" alt="" width="800" height="1078">When the awards appeared at the booth, &#8220;<span class="s1">I was incredibly surprised — the entire team was!&#8221; Val told me. &#8220;I think I immediately gasped and then started crying. It was just so overwhelming to receive that honor out of all the creative and amazing products at the show. It was a surreal moment I will never forget.&#8221;</span></p>
<p class="p1">Congratulations again to all the winners — and of course all the finalists! It&#8217;s all of you that give the show its splendor.<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18573" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Tool-Kit-Photo-Win-1-1.png" alt="" width="800" height="1067"></p>


A Peek at the Stationery Designers behind the NSS Best New Products!
