Note my crest

MO: Of course. May I ask what you plan to do with the crest?

ME: Of course. I will have notepads printed. And I will have blank covers scored. People will decorate their covers at the party.

MO: Of course.

So, I made a motto — Typing, Shlepping, Napping — and I specified the elements for the quadrants: a teacup, toast, an envelope, and a wrapped package. Michael and Cody Dingle at MOD frenchified the ensemble, et voilà, it’s Aly Kuhniversity! Here you can see some guests hard at work in the craft parlor, decorating and toasting.

For the second edition, MOD made some minor refinements to the crest itself, and we made the pad a bit narrower and taller (3-7/8-in. wide x 9-in. tall}. Fits spiffily in a #10 envelope or a pocket folder; also makes a chic shopping list or Scrabble scorepad . The sheets were letterpress printed in dark gray at One Heart Press, on four different Strathmore stocks (all 24w): Strathmore Script Soft Aqua, in both Pinstripe Laid and Smooth; Strathmore Writing Soft Gray Laid; and Strathmore Pure Cotton Bright White Wove.

Presto-finito, John Litster, print broker extraordinaire, swooped down, scooped the sheets up, and whisked them to bindery heaven for collating: 15 of these, 15 of those, etc. The 60-sheet pad is 5/16-in. thick, robust but not chunky. (Mister Litster, by the way, was my first professional pal when I moved back to San Francisco in 1995 after nine years away. He is endlessly resourceful and extremely funny, but too busy working miracles for his clients to put up a real website.) John also masterminded the covers and backs for the notepads. The cover (Strathmore Cover Soft White 80c) has a double score at the top and release tape on the wrap-around back. The backing sheet is Strathmore Cover Bristol Soft White 110cb. So: decorate your cover, affix it to your pad, be glad.

Here you can see covers embellished by Michael Osborne and John Held. Michael’s is a handheld organizational device: He has attached the flap of a First Day Cover for his 2002 Love stamp (cancelled in Atlantic City, August 16, 2002) to the notepad cover, then superposed and attached the right-half of the flap of a First Day Cover for his 2004 Love stamp (cancelled in Boston, at Necco Station, on January 14, 2004). Both envelopes flip up from their flaps, so I can store stuff inside. Swell. John Held made a composition of rubber stamped images and Cinderellas. All of the rubber stamps are from John’s impressive collection, and he created (and perforated) all of the Cinderellas. Perf.

Both Michael and John also embellished the backs of their pads. I added the AOK cancellation (below) to amuse myself and to discourage poachers.} John signed his in pencil, right below the rubber stamp proclaiming: By John Held Jr. as he chokes back his true feelings. Michael signed his on the front, on the little red Euro-lope. Thank you both!

Tomorrow on Felt & Wire: See how I store my stationery in style.

Photography: Crystal Chou, who has a newfound appreciation for postage stamps. She recently excavated her childhood stamp collection and reorganized it. We hope to see it on her blog.