Name Change to Paper XOXO!

... so head over here to the new URL: www.paperxoxo.blogspot.com

Paper Love Holiday Cards

Hi guys! The holidays are on the way and I can hardly wait. Because I love custom holiday cards, and because really great ones are sort of hard to find, especially for a good price, I created a sweet little line that I think will ring your little bells. They're flat-printed, but can be letterpressed too if that's your fancy. You're also welcome to switch around borders, colors, fonts, and of course the message (at no extra cost).

Here's a sampling. Stop in or call with questions: 718.783.1383.

(also lots of super cool boxed holiday cards arriving!)

hand-lettered stamps

Aren't these gorgeous? Each order is hand-lettered then made into a stamp. We have four more styles available too. Just $65.

everywhere you go

The number one reason to like these pocket notebooks is because they're made of recycled leather! So nice and soft. And you probably can't really read it, but the holder reads "omnia mea mecum porto." Which means: "everything I own I carry with me." (I lived that way in South America last summer for three months, and it wasn't so bad! Though Spencer did most of the carrying for me...)

p.s. a little one-year old named Alice learned how to say "octopus" in here this morning!

Gift Tags

Getting a gift with one of these beauties hanging on is like raking it in twice. There's also a neat little trick they do: instantly making smaller—maybe more on the boring side of things—gifts seem more special, better. Like how putting sprigs of mint in Ginger Ale made my dinner guests last week ask for the "recipe." Letterpress. $8 for nine. String included.

Take Notes

Some pretty good things to take note of now:

1. Sarah Harris' strawberry shortcake recipe, also found here.
2. the number for Berman Realty. they own lots of great buildings in the nabe and don't charge a broker's fee! 718-638-8888.
3. Paper Love's store hours will be from 12 to 6 Thursday and Friday of this week and beginning of next. regular hours on Saturday.
4. the astonishing fact that there are only 700 gorillas left in the world. seriously, that's serious, right?
5. and this:

"There is only one page left in my beautiful blue leather manuscript book; but that is as much as I shall need.... Shall I fill it with 'I love you, I love you'...? No. Even a broken heart doesn't warrant a waste of good paper.... A mist is rolling over the fields.... He said he would come back.... Only the margin left to write on now. 'I love you, I love you, I love you'."

(from I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.)

Take notes and/or spill your guts out about YOUR summer fling in one of these adorable things!:



$9 to $12 each.

Carnival of Cards

All letterpress. $4 each. Packs are $12.50.

From the Library of...

These letterpress cats and owls make sure your Bill Brysons (take Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid to the beach!) and Eggers (I just started What is the What) make their way back to your shelves. $8 for a pack of 4.

newly-finished invitations

A bunch of pieces came back from the printer last week. You can never be exactly sure how the chosen ink colors and paper and texture will all come together for custom letterpress designs like these, so I sort of hold my breath until I open the box. These three made me want to do cartwheels in my skivvies down Lincoln Place!

See more here.

How is it already July?

And I haven't put up any new posts since the beginning of May? I'm a terrible shopkeeper! What can I say other than I've been really busy with custom invitations -- lots of great illustration commissions included! Take a look here for my newest favorite projects. And more to put up soon.

Following are some of the new finger-tip-twitching goodies taking over the shelves in Paper Love.

1. Wooden rubber stamps! I like these for putting little messages on the flaps of envelopes to letters to friends. You know, things like: lylas, bff, swalcakws, kit. $25.




2. I'm cuckoo-pants for Wayne Thiebaud. I would love the original of this painting to take over a wall in my living room. Until then, cards will definitely do.




3. Oh goodness, aren't these the cutest bird bags? And I think this is the last one! I'll have to order a load more. Screen-printed cotton. $21




4. I'm always getting in lots of bird things because a. birds look awesome on pretty much anything and b. they remind me of one of my favorite people: olivia birdsall, who really really really loves birds. This is a handmade journal with blank pages for doodling, sticking in photographs, or for taking notes about the day.

Bring Back Place Cards

Now that Spencer and I are in our new apartment in Brooklyn, I have great entertaining plans in store... including these happy seating cards!

$6.50 to $9.99 for pack of nine or ten. letterpress.

Puppy Love

Oh how I love these mini books. So many people pick up this one, "The Incomplete Book of Dog Names". I don't know if you can read the listings that well, but here are some of the highlights from this particular page: Tater, Yella, Ajax, Garfunkel, Ninja, and Shortstop. Which reminds me. I really need a dog.

$7.00 each.

Always Say Thank You

These letterpress thank-you notes come in nice little boxes of six. Isn't the typewriter particularly great?

$14 per box.

Wrapping

Orange is my color. Those tangerine polka dots are my favorite.

$5.50 to $7.00 for a roll.

Stamps of Approval

These stamps (also come as embossers) are useful in so many ways. I have one for the shop, but I really want that top middle one with the monogram for myself. The problem is that I don't have a middle name and just two letters without that glorious big one in the center might look a little underwhelming? I'm still debating.

$40 plus shipping for the stamp version... $60 plus shipping for the EMBOSSER.

(p.s. totally off subject, but I ate at Franny's on Flatbush last night. Go there if only for the chocolate sorbet! It's like cold melted brownies. Almost as exciting as a new stamp.)

New Baby Card

My sister-in-law, two of my cousins, and a good friend in California all had babies last month. I love this card because it shows all of the emotions within probably even just a couple of hours of an infant's day. Those little guys don't hold anything back, do they? I admire that.

$3.50 for a baby card that tells it like it is.

Teardrop Totes

A girl came into the shop the other day, walked straight over to the new totes and said: "My bag just broke and this is EXACTLY what I need!" They're 100% cotton (great for Spring!) and just as thrilling in real life. Screen printed.

$21 each.

Jamie's Save-the-Date

Jamie has been one of the nicest new friends we've made at Paper Love. I got so excited when she began spreading out torn-out magazine pages and photos for inspiration for her wedding. She also brought pictures of the barn she's getting married in that she wanted on her save-the-date and invitation. I drew a barn to match her style and we added a border for an added element of whimsy. I love the way it turned out in letterpress!

Fun Envelopes

My camera arrived back home again safe and sound and ready for work. So here's what we have first. New punchy envelope stationery! They're super fabulous for thank-yous, hellos, goodbyes, and every noteworthy correspondence need in between.




$19.50 for a box of ten notes and envelopes.

I have so many new things in....

but my little camera friend broke and is hospitalized at the repair shop. When I get it back I'll put up pictures of our new springtime wrapping paper, luxurious boxes of super nice deckled-edge stationery, and our new fabulous lines of personalized stamps and embossers! They're really handy for return addressing. I can't keep my hands off the magical sample embosser though. Someone help me please.

If You Need Pictures Taken...

...I'll put you in touch with the adorable Katherine McPherson. She recently moved to Park Slope and asked if she could take some photos of the shop. Aren't they great?

Letterpress Brooklyn

I'm really lucky to have a shop here in New York because so many talented artists live right here in the neighborhood. I love getting in anything featuring our unique little locale and so do my customers. Park Slopers especially have a deep sense of community pride—these packs of letterpress Brooklyn and Manhattan cityscapes are flying off my shelves!

8 cards and envelopes, $17.

Original Thoughts

Small and compact, with soft spongy cover in glorious neon colors. Shiny ballpoint pen comes tucked into the side. Need I say more?

$18.

Modern Vintage Valentines

How gorgeous are these specially-made letterpress valentines? I'm reading Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd now and feel like Gabriel Oak would have payed his two pence to get one for Bathsheba. So old-fashioned and romantic.

On nice heavy stock. $6 each.

Cards Beautiful

Woohoo. Got a little (teeny-tiny) mention on HouseBeautiful.com:

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/trading_up/valentines-day-card

Juicy Journals

I go through notebooks like Spencer chomps through bags of carrots. These exuberant all-occasion journals and notebooks are not only perfectly practical but 100% eco-friendly, right down to the soy-based clear packaging. Love it. For the artists and doodlers in the neighborhood, great sketchbooks available too!

$9.50 for 5x7 journals
$4.50 for mini flip over
$8 for clever woodgrain
$10 for large sketch

Paper Love is happy to join with Park Slope's Sweet Cookie Company to meet all of your Valentine's Day sweet-nothing needs. Stop by this Saturday (the 31st) and Saturday (Feb 7th) at 178 Lincoln Place to order adorable little packages of cookies for your own true love muffin. And stock up on cards like these ones for all the sweethearts in your life.

I DO have a card.

Introducing our exquisite line of letterpress business and calling cards. I especially love the fun square Calvin Furano and the Rebecca Ross there with the charming inkless imprints. In this sort of economic environment, who doesn't need a fresh and enticing way to say to people "hey! remember me!" And it's always nice to have something better than a scribbled note of contact info to exchange with new friends or other moms.

$175 for 150 1-color cards, $325 for 150 2-color. And now get 25 more cards free.

Stop in the shop or call to order: 718-783-1383

Index Card Notes

These flats remind me of studying for Earth Science tests in eighth grade. Our teacher, Mrs. Jansen, had a passion for weather systems and for mid-shin polyester skirts with diamonds on them. We were an all-girls school and would sit around in the hallways between classes eating candy and finishing Spanish homework. Every time Mrs. Jansen scurried by (she was definitely a scurrier), Arleen Katz (names have been changed to protect the guilty) would hold out a yellow highlighter and draw fluorescent lines across Mrs. Jansen's polyester hems. We were horrified but couldn't hold in the giggles. Without boys around, eighth grade girls find fun where they can.

Index Card Flats, $13 for a set of six and memories you didn't know you still had.

Birthday Calendar

My roommate freshman year in college, Erin, turned out to be one of the most fun and best friends I've had. Nine years after college she lives in Alabama with her three adorable little kids and I'm in New York worrying about the dietary needs of my cat. Even though we don't talk on the phone that much anymore, we still call on each others' birthdays. Hers is tomorrow. Happy birthday, Shell!

Birthday calendar, $10.

2009 Planners

I've never been much of a planner person myself, but these small and easy-to-use organizers have turned me into a believer. $24 each at Paper Love.

These Cards Just In

Miniature pieces of art, if you ask me. $4 each.