National Stationery Show 2011: Lights, action, color …

Gift in a jiff from Elum: A fabric-wrapped journal in a sturdy stand-up tote

Brad Foster of Elum comments, “The orange mums wrap is a strong item in the line. We did an orange mums note card for Anthropologie about three years ago, and it was very popular, too. About the same time, we did an orange mums letterpress print and an aviary-pattern print in orange. Both were limited editions of 150 and sold out quickly.” I for one am sorry I missed them!

Color: Shades of pink and splashes of orange pleased my palette. Shown at top: Gift bags from Midori with pre-punched holes. Each favor-bag kit includes a generous roll of organza ribbon. Lulabelle’s sunny Spring Flowers card (far left) uses white to great effect. Dempsey Press’ pink paisley place card makes me want to pirouette, and the orange houndstooth invitation in their gallery makes me want to clap! The Painted Tongue Studios business card features an orange lizard, named Lizzy by artist-printer Kim Vanderheiden. I’m a tad infatuated with Lizzy and want to call him L’Izzy. Sesame Letterpress makes a statement with fluorescent pink ink, set off by grand calligraphic cuts. And that’s an orange A-7 envelope from Felt & Wire Supply.

Letterpress: The four cards in our pink-and-orange vignette all happen to be letterpress printed. And that’s a fine sign of the times. When I first started going to the stationery show in the early ’90s, there weren’t even four letterpress printers exhibiting in the entire Javits Center.

A. Favorite’s business card looks like it’s typed on an index card, but it’s actually letterpress printed in three colors.

I asked Amber Favorite about her letterpress treat bags: “I designed the image and originally did the bags for our own open house when we moved studios. People loved them, so we brought them to the stationery show last year to give out as samples, and many people asked if they could buy them. So, this year, they are a product!” Amber adds, “We are heavily influenced by flea market style, old signage, anything that has a past.” Check out the Typoes Happen card.

In the bag: a patterned pink business card, a clever promo coaster, a pearl of wisdom eraser

You didn’t think I’d tell but not show the “ctrl + z” eraser, did you? That would have been quite a mistake! The eraser is smartly branded Wild Ink on the other side.

Letterpresto: Gilah Press whipped up a show-specific fortune telling toy.

Gilah Press artfully promoted their wares and made gentle Javits jokes on a single sheet. My favorite dire predictions: “You will lose all the important catalogs you collect during the show.” “An unstable trade booth wall will come crashing down on you.” The airiest aspiration: “The new shoes you purchased to walk the show will turn out to be super comfy.”

Adding to Gilah’s good fortune at the show was the debut of their Sweet Ride line of bicycle cards, illustrated by Erin Wallace. My faves are Book Bike and Unicycles. All the wheels have whimsically “anatomically incorrect” spoke configurations. I thought I liked them because they are hypotrochoids (of which I’m quite fond), but as soon as I learned that they are in fact inspired by flower petals, I liked them even more — and think I discerned a dahlia.

And note the tiny Facebook and Twitter icons on Gilah’s letterpress printed show card. Again, it’s that confluence of old and new media that I love.

Tara Hogan of Ink + Wit made good on the promise on her show card: “Caffeine not included but we will uplift you.” I’d describe the card itself as très Henri Bendelicious. The design on the back of Tara’s business card is a nod to chevron patterns she saw in India. When I asked whether the art or the pun came first on her postcard (“From heron out all you need is love”), Tara simply said, “The art.” Her best-selling product at the show were her stamps, which you can see here.

At the Ladies of Letterpress megaplex (011 ladies leaping in a quadruple booth, you could choose an alter ego on a letterpress-printed identity card and have your photo affixed on the spot. The Annie Oakley above is actually Kseniya Thomas of Thomas Printers, co-founder of the Ladies of Letterpress.

Petite paper pleasures: These two-sided cards are all smaller than your standard business card.

Details: Lulabelle’s paisley makes my day-sley. Studio SloMo gets some mojo with lawn striping. The super-thick Dauphine Press cards are edge-painted in seafoam (see below). And the eye on Eleanor’s card echoes her peacock thank you card.

Dauphine does it up: Pearl foil and seafoam edges; Kensington invitations with fuchsia edges.

The award for Best New Product in the Paper Style category at this year’s stationery show went to Lisa Krowinski of Sapling Press for her Dear Blank card line. (You can read our rave, published during the show, right here.) For a promo at the show, Lisa printed a recipe card in the Dear Blank mold. It absolutely wins my award for Best Laugh. Brava, Lisa!

Sapling’s recipe for hilarity reads, “Dear Dinner, They’re only using you to get to me. Sincerely, Dessert.”