So, you couldn’t make it to National Stationery Show. Or maybe you did, but all that eye candy has become a blur. Well, I’m here today to share a peek at what sold best in 15 of my favorite booths, according to the makers themselves! So sit back and enjoy this trek with me through exquisite stationery design.
First up, we have the lovely Dahlia Press out of Seattle — and its equally lovely creator, Stephanie Clarke. Her letterpressed women-centric releases, in shade of black, white, blush, peach and red performed very well, she told me, but she was pretty sure that her You’re The Tits card was in every order she wrote! 
Amy Heitman is sweet charm personified, in both her work and as a person, and here she is in front of her show-stopping gift wraps. The waves up top is my favorite! 
I love that Fox & Fallow makes the jaunt from Australia each year to share its work stateside — it’s always a treat to see. Here’s their best-seller, still only available for pre-order online, though I’m sure it will arrive soon. The gorgeous Egyptian Rose Planner features a cover that is rose-foil stamped with waterproof coating, so it survives all your 2018 adventures looking pristine!
I’ve been enamored with the Fancy Matches from first-time exhibitor Frankie & Claude since Sam first sent me images in early 2017 — but these palm-sized creations are even more adorable in life! I dare you to only pick one color. Not too surprisingly, several are sold out — so maybe they’re stocked nearby? 
Ginametrical did the coolest currency design for our Legion Currency Project, so I was so excited to meet Gina and see her wares in person. Her best-seller? These fabulous throw pillows! They are not currently in her Etsy shop, but if you contact her you never know! 
Good Juju Ink brought its lively illustration and clever sentiment from San Francisco, and didn’t disappoint. Here Juliana holds their show bestseller. This gold-foiled, hand-illustrated design invites the lucky birthday recipient to get slothed! 
Right across the aisle from Good Juju was Julie Ann Art — her work is so funny because it’s true and completely authentic to her (not to mention the rest of us). Julie didn’t have one bestseller, so I just got a shot of her in front of her entire amazing range. 
Heartell Press is a favorite of mine because the work is unmistakably Rachel’s — each carefully rendered design comes from hand-carved wood blocks. This blueberry letterpressed design, her show bestseller, to me evokes a 1940s textile while feeling completely of the moment. 
The Inklings Paperie booth was a party in itself, replete with lots of candy and even a Starbucks bottled ice coffee for yours truly! Thanks Lindsay, I really needed that!! Her upbeat, ebullient offerings in a range of cool colors assure you that not only have you arrived at the party, but that this is the best and most exclusive party ever. Her pop-up greetings (peruse them here) enhance that vibe — and look, some of them pop up inside!
Lily & Val snagged two Best New Product Awards for its Chalk Lettering Tool Kit, but it was The Keepsake Kitchen Diary that was the show best-seller. Not only does it hold your favorite recipes, but the memories they evoke. Brilliant! Here creator Valerie McKeehan strikes a pose with this pretty product.
I really enjoy the illustrations from Little Ideas Studio — Marci’s world is part kitsch, part retro, part textiles, but completely fabulous! She was thrilled that her new work for the completely underserved African-American market was included in nearly every order she wrote.
I am such a fool for Valley Cruise Press since I first saw them in the Daniel Richards Atlanta showroom this past January — but it’s always a treat to meet the maker in their full booth! Here Jenny strikes a pose in front of the company’s flair-filled enamel pins. 
I always love catching up with Rebekah at Wild Ink Press and seeing what she’s been up to — this year, she was all about fun cards with real mirrors, in this case surrounded by a posh rose gold foiled frame. Wow — no big surprise they were her best-sellers!
Here’s a fun fact: Everyone at Sugar Paper matches their booth, each and every day. This past year it was a sea of cool neutrals with a heady infusion of a sun-kissed peachy blush. I am over the moon for their Essential Tailored Journals, fabric covered and meticulously crafted, with elastic closure and signature double ribbon bookmarks! I love this shot of Chelsea holding their black and white gingham version — my personal favorite, so no big shocker that it was their NSS bestseller!
In this vast sea of creative women who comprise this post, I’m so thrilled to close it with a brilliant male mind in stationery — yes, I’m talking about the one and only Ashkahn. He is just as charming and smart in life as his tongue-in-cheek work alludes. You can kind of tell in this picture how the Birthday Babe letters are letterpressed embossed foil— love the fluorescent pink envelope and rectangular shape. A sexy babe indeed (this one on cotton paper)! 
That’s all I have on my tour today — and if you’re finding yourself missing the fun and pageantry that is National Stationery Show, fear not! My favorite cavalcade of paper design rolls back into Manhattan May 20-23, 2018! And, a special thanks to all the designers who let me geek out in their booths 🙂
