stationery

If you're a fan of textile designer John Robshaw's block-printed beauties, then you'll want in on his latest medium: paper. His new stationery, journal, and notebook collections for Chronicle Books are well suited for the wanderlust-bitten with a soft spot for snail mail, travel diaries, and pretty notebooks.

When we received the Creature Notecards ($15), we fought the urge to set up a desk-side menagerie, just for viewing's sake. These beautifully illustrated animal cards are the type that will end up on your friend's inspiration board instead of the recycling bin. Still, if a more traditional stationery set is what you're looking for, then take a look at this Stationery Collection ($15), which includes vibrantly patterned flat sheets, envelopes, and even labels.

For those embarking on a journey, we recommend this Ramble & Rove travel journal ($20) for filling in the gaps that photos can't capture. We're loving the thought-provoking page prompts that help guide the writing process (a bonus for journal newbies!). Plus, tools like measuring and currency conversion charts provide plenty of practicality.

The Verdant Garden Eco-Journal ($11) offers a straightforward and sustainable notebook option. It's printed with soy-based inks on 100 percent recycled paper and features some of our favorite designs from John Robshaw's fabric selections.

The sophisticated, quirky paper designs created by Mr. Boddington's Studio have long been some of our favorites, so you can imagine our delight when we spied the baby collection recently created by the mythical paper man (who "has no tolerance for haggard looking correspondence").

Full of gorgeous birth announcements, baby shower invitations, art prints, stationery sets, and keepsake birth certificates, each of the collection's designs is more beautiful than the last. While the letterpress paper goods created by the New York-based company are undoubtedly high-end, they won't break the bank. Prints start at $25, birth certificates at $30, and stationery at $30. Contact Mr. Boddington's Studio directly for quotes on birth announcements and baby shower invitations, which usually take four to five weeks to ship.

Old-world but modern, whimsical yet refined, these baby goods will definitely stand the test of time — as long as they're safely ensconced behind glass on your wall. No tot could resist playing with paper this pretty!

We're happy to present a post from Valerie at Spark Letterpress.

Letterpress is a wonderful printing method that combines beautiful papers, ink, and a deep impression to create a distinctive stationery suite your guests are sure to enjoy. The biggest advantage of using letterpress, besides that it is just stunning, is that you are inviting your guests with something special that they likely haven't received before. We hear from so many of our clients that the invites really felt like little works of art. In addition to that, just being able to feel that impression of the design, and the fact that most letterpress companies use eco-friendly materials and practices, are additional reasons why you can feel good about your stationery.

Current Trends

We are seeing a lot of gray and metallic inks and papers being used this year. We also have been doing a lot of letterpress suites with lovely touches of metallic and pearlized foils. Foil seems to be omnipresent these days, so we are using more unique foil offerings for our clients or pairing them with fun papers or other finishing touches for a unique look.

We also recently introduced laser cutting into our repertoire of services that has been a huge hit with our client base. We are dressing up a lot of simply done suites with classic typography or imagery by adding a laser cut wrap or belly band. It keeps the overall look of the suite in the classic realm but gives you that wow factor when a guest receives their invite.

Keep reading for tips on fonts, imagery, and adding on to your wedding suite!