<p><iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" height="175" style="width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;border-radius:10px;" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alyson-oconnor-of-rust-belt-love-paperie/id1517156345?i=1000614993549"></iframe></p>



<p>Stop what you are doing this instant, Nerds, and listen up to the newly crowned, Louie Award-winning Writer of the Year! Alyson O&#8217;Connor is one half of the decade-old <a href="https://www.rustbeltlove.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">Rust Belt Love Paperie</a><a href="https://www.rustbeltlove.com/"> </a>(RBL) team — husband Nick is the other half — but she shapes our stationery community in a big way, all on her own.</p>



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<p>RBL&#8217;s greeting cards spotlight the centuries-old letterpress medium exquisitely, and as such are gorgeous, artful creations in and of themselves  ;— ;but their messaging elevates them into modern communication tools that hit you (and those you love) squarely in the feels.</p>



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<p>It&#8217;s an enormous challenge to communicate emotions that most people can&#8217;t fully articulate until they see them staring back at them from a shelf, but Alyson spills on her process. We also touch on inclusion and multi-occasional versatility, which are both incredibly trendy topics in our community.</p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-95964" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-95964 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="95964" 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-5706 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-off-the-press tag-andy-warhol tag-diamond-dust-portraits tag-katie-jones tag-park-slope-press tag-sarah-schwartz tag-the-paper-chronicles" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/this-just-in-diamond-dust-portraits/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.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/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?w=864&;ssl=1 864w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=850%2C850&;ssl=1 850w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=770%2C770&;ssl=1 770w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=200%2C200&;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=350%2C350&;ssl=1 350w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=460%2C460&;ssl=1 460w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=500%2C500&;ssl=1 500w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=293%2C293&;ssl=1 293w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=75%2C75&;ssl=1 75w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=390%2C390&;ssl=1 390w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=585%2C585&;ssl=1 585w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gpl_diamond_01.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w" 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/off-the-press/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Off The Press</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/this-just-in-diamond-dust-portraits/">This Just In: Diamond Dust Portraits!</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="2014-08-13T13:00:19+00:00">August 13, 2014</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="5706"><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>



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<p>Finally, fresh off her win and this Louie awards program, Alyson is now officially the Greeting Card Association&#8217;s Louie Chair. As a fellow Louie Committee member, I cannot pass up my chance to see where she wants to take the awards program during her two-year tenure. Don&#8217;t miss my audience with this award winner!</p>



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