It’s been a nutty November — and we’re barely a third of the way through! The weekend before last I visited Aurora Stationery Fest outside Chicago (more on that below). Then, since I was in the neighborhood, I traveled South to Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, for a quick visit with my daughter before heading East to *my* Aurora in Ohio. Somewhere in my illustrious travels I picked up a nasty bug — hence no post last week. This weekend I return to picturesque Purdue for a longer visit, but I have some scroll-worthy stationery to share first.
First up, it’s Advent Calendar season! There are so many varieties filling store aisles and social media feeds, I’m wondering if the supply isn’t outpacing demand. While many — such as the Papier stationery specimens I’m profiling today — are truly, utterly magnificent, there have already been some notable losers this season. This Skims Accessories Advent Calendar unboxing by once-obscure TikToker @wetsloppyswollen may one day be taught in marketing classes as a colossal, Scrooge-like misstep (if you do watch, please be aware there is cursing!). With seemingly everyone jumping in the advent calendar game, swag ranges from hard-to-move merchandise to full-size samples, so please caveat emptor out there nerds!
However, you can throw any caution completely to the wind with the famed Papier Advent Calendar, available in both 12- and 24-day varieties. In a few short years, it has achieved peak cult status — and is accordingly nearly sold out (more on that in moment). This nerd is so grateful to have been gifted a 24-day treasure chest, and I’ve been in a state of awe ever since I took it out of the shipping box. Each gift is lovingly encased in its own splendid, artfully arranged paper box and promises to be either a mini-bestseller or full-size surprise.
To me the magic of advent calendars parallels that of sending a letter — namely, that there is some anticipation and suspense involved. Thus I personally plan to open mine the way nature intended, one surprise at a time. However, for spoilers of the contents of the 24-day calendar, tune in on TikTok here.
Above and below you see Papier’s equally enticing 12-Day Edition. Priced at $95, its contents would retail individually for $180. The Grand Kahuna edition retails for $195, but is worth over $395. Best of all, Papier is currently having its Black Friday sale. So, if you have been contemplating splurging on one of these babies, now is the time!
Next up, I was innocently scrolling Threads in the thick of spooky season when I spied the below, from Kate of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress.
I knew immediately, exactly what it was —the humble home of Norman Bates and mother — and when I returned home November 2, the prints and coloring book were waiting for me. (Fun Psycho fact: For a long time I believed Ohio lore about the Psycho house being based on one near Kent State University, which was at one point apparently the headquarters for the Students for a Democratic Society, the group behind the school’s anti-Vietnam protests. While a great story, it turns out to be totally wrong.)
Both the coloring book and the letterpressed mini-prints are just so fun. Not to brag, but I got the 46th set of 50! Like Kate, I’m a huge horror fan, and seeing tidbits of the genre so smartly presented on stationery warms this old nerd’s heart. Like many stationery shops across the country, Kate’s, in Saugerties, New York, has a Mini-Print Vending Machine dispensing these babies.
If you are not aware of this marvelous world and growing community, time to change all that. I asked Kate what she thinks is driving the category’s allure. “Personally I love that it’s a small, affordable piece of art,” she wrote me. “It might (also) be the limited quantities? Folks love trading them and have created a whole community around them. I also think people like the analog nature of mini prints and the surprise of what you’ll get. The prints are constantly changing so they never get a chance to get old, there’s always a new mini print out there. For me they are fun because I have to draw literally all the time.”
Next up, my palm-sized News Segment. First, I recently had the pleasure of hosting the brilliant and wonderful Nicole Couto on The Paper Fold. At that time, she had just amicably split with 2021Co., which she co-founded, and had begun consulting. Now however, she is taking her talents to the ancillary world of tech accessories. Here is the news release we ran exclusively on Stationery Trends and Gift Shop Plus earlier this week. As you can see, Tech Candy was recently acquired by Pocket Change; its female founders are staying on, and Nicole is now president! Congratulations, I can’t wait to watch your next chapter charge forward.
In other positive news, stationery continues its unexpected reign as media darling. Here is a Newsweek Story on the allure of letter-writing to Gen Z; meanwhile National Geographic travels to France to explore the very last stationery shop keeping the four-century-old tradition of pendulum stamping alive. To access this article there is no paywall, but you do need to give your email.
And, the grand gray lady herself weighs in on letter-writing in its Well newsletter. I really enjoyed The Five Essential Letters You Should Write and am gifting it here. The five themes by the way are: thank you; I’m sorry; I miss you; I love you; and goodbye.
To round out the segment, as we prep for the Winter Markets, are you too wondering what to wear? It may be time to say FAREWELL quiet luxury and HELLO opera dressing!
I’m closing with a few words on Aurora Stationery Fest, which it is safe to say was a resounding success. Above, you see my new favorite thing in the whole world, a not-so-great-shot of my portrait of Lucy Lou (AKA Big Lou) and I at the fest by the enchanting yanyani. I embedded a video she shared of generating her portraits along the sidebar. In regards to mine, I just adore how it’s simple on the surface, but has so much careful accuracy in little details like Lucy’s stripe and even the checked bag I was carrying. That bag is also a favorite thing of mine too — my daughter crocheted it for my birthday, and now I have it in an entirely new form.
This is such an amazing keepsake of a really fantastic time, thank you Stationery Club Co., yanyani and everyone who exhibited and visited!
