(Photo of The Papery in Arlington, Virginia)
I was turned on to good paper a long time ago. I was nine years old when I was given a beautiful box of stationery with a bright red poppy on the cards. I can still remember the feeling it gave me to look at them. I felt sophisticated and pleased by the image of beauty in my hand. I also loved the idea of passing it on through correspondence. Thus began what continues to this day. I love to write and send notes on meaningful stationery. My soon-to-be-husband now knows that my personal list of 'always a hit' gifts includes stationery. He recently exercised this principle much to my delight. He even hit my aesthetic spot on, it is contemporary with vintage echoes. As an aside, the person you marry should get you like this.
The other thing that happened, thanks to the box of poppy cards, is that I knew right away that the image was the aesthetic of the person who sent it to me. In true essence, she extended herself to me in a very artful and quiet way. Not only did I feel grown up by being given such lovely cards, I awakened to knowing that things are often representations of the people who associate with them. As a matter of fact, the woman who sent them to me went on to impact my greater understanding of this subject because she held some fascination for me around the items she chose for her home which were so different from the home in which I lived. I had a sense that I knew her by her things.
A great place to find a terrific assortment of stationery including traditional favorites like Crane and contemporary favorites like Vera Wang and Kate Spade is The Papery which has locations in the Washington DC metro area and in New Jersey. You can visit them at www.thepaperystores.com. I recently purchased wedding invitations from them and was pleased to find the staff patient and creative.
