The Stationers Guild

Checkerboard, a leading designer of custom invitations, is offering 25 free invitations with any custom invitation order of 25 or more paid invitations selected from their four party albums:  Soiree, Social Butterfly, Paper Palette or Checkerboarders.  This offer expires on August 2, 2009.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) in conjuction with Crane & Co. introduced a new wedding invitation line at last week’s National Stationery Show.  A suite of 24 invitation suites together with a brochure were distributed to Crane and Co.’s dealers late last week.   The new line was officially launched by Martha Stewart and Charles Kittredge, CEO of Crane & Co. on May 18th at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center in New York.

Martha Stewart & Charles Kittredge

The new line was prominently displayed at the Crane & Co. booth at the National Stationery Show.  The 24 invitation suites are comprised on invitations, save-the-date cards, response cards and supporting pieces in a range of attractive styles.  The collection is made from all-cotton tree-free and certified recycled papers. 

Martha Stewart at Crane & Co. Display

Crane dealers now have samples of the 24 invitation suites together with a brochure describing each style in more detail.  In a marked departure from previous releases by Crane & Co., prospective bridal couples may also download the Martha Stewart Wedding brochure (a pdf file, which requires a free download from Adobe Acrobat Reader) from the Crane & Co. website.

This attractive new line reaffirms Crane & Co.’s stylish design capabilities coupled with Martha Stewart’s characteristic good taste.  Found below are a couple of samples that may be found in Martha Stewart Stationery Weddings brochure:

Baluster Edge Wedding Suite

Crown Ecru Wedding Invitation Suite

Paper is a tactile experience and we encourage bridal couples to see the Martha Stewart Stationery Weddings samples at a Guild member store in your neighborhood.

Sarah Schwartz, the talented editor of Stationery Trends magazine, gave two standing-room only presentations at the National Stationery Show last week.  The topic was Stationery Trends for 2009.  There was so much useful and practical information crammed into Sarah’s colorful presentation that it was sometimes difficult to keep pace with her rapid-fire overview of 2009 stationery trends.  With apologies to Sarah for missing something significant, I would like to comment briefly on the six key themes highlighted in her presentation.  I am doing so without graphics since I don’t want to overload the server.

Trend 1 - The Value Proposition:  Clearly, the economic recession has had a marked impact on consumer purchasing decisions.  There were numerous examples of companies offering different printing alternatives (flat-printing or lithography vs. letterpress) to provide more affordable options for the consumer.  Along that same line, several companies were offering less expensive substitutes.  For instance, Demby and Solomon have an attractive line of return address stickers rather than the generally more expensive printed envelope.

Trend 2 – Colors to Covet:  Purple is emerging as a “hot” new color.  Orange and yellow have been around for several years and both remain popular choices for today’s young consumer.  Gray features in many upscale designs.

Trend 3 – New vs. Old Patterns:  Several companies have created a modern twist on old patterns.  For instance, Elum Designs has created some truly contemporary stationery letterpress designs using old patterns.  Lucky Onion is another company that comes to mind that is producing some “hip” invitations using traditional designs.

Trend 4 – The Perfect Green Storm:  Many companies are offering Eco-friendly stationery or invitation papers.  Playing the “green” card has become quite fashionable.  I did give the papers made from elephant dung a pass, but Night Owl Paper Goods has some attractive greeting cards and invitations made from wood.

Trend 5 – Designer Cachet:  A number of fashion trend-setters have added their name to stationery and invitation lines.  Vera Wang branches into new territory with the debut of Wedding Invitations II in June.  This follows Vera’s very successful Wedding Invitations I with William Arthur in 2005.  Martha Stewart has partnered with Crane & Co. to produced a line of 24 wedding invitation styles.  Lilly Pulitzer, MOMA and several others are adding their own distinctive touch to new stationery and invitation lines.

Trend 6 – Design Trends:  Sarah cited so many design trends that I will only highlight a few.  Animal prints (particularly wild animals), birds and butterflies are popular across many invitation lines.  Cityscape patterns found in Lallie and Faux Designs are also proving to be quite popular.  For me, the most distinctive trend was the introduction of texture into the design process.  Lattice, lace, damask and toile were evident across may lines and in some cases, like the new Vera Wang wedding invitation line, were the most riveting feature of the stationery ensemble.   Personalization, through monograms or names, continues to a growing trend in stationery.

Sarah seminar is clearly a must-see for those who are looking for something new and distinctive.  While the National Stationery Show was somewhat smaller this year, I did manage to discover 10 new companies that were not on my initial target list.  Thanks Sarah for a great introduction to this year’s National Stationery Show.

The New York Times reports that luxury stationer Mrs. John L. Strong is closing.  This venerable stationer, founded by Flora Strong during the depression (the Great Depression of the 30s, not this one!), closed its Madison Avenue store on Thursday.

All of us in the stationery industry lament the passing of one of the great design firms for fine stationery and custom invitations.  Needless to say, the presence of Mrs. John L. Strong will be sorely missed.

The effervescent Emi Havas of Paperfolio in Summit, NJ provides these insights for the 2009 National Stationery Show: 

It was evident that the National Stationery Show was smaller this year and attended by fewer buyers than usual.  Nevertheless, the mood was upbeat and positive, especially at Kickoff party Sunday night at the famous Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center.  Overlooking a dazzling New York skyline, buyers and vendors enjoyed gourmet cuisine and danced to the music of a fantastic DJ. 

“No one deserves this party more than us,” quipped a woman from the Midwest in line behind me at the appetizer bar and how right she is:  It’s not just us that are attending the stationery show who are feeling the economic pain.  All retailers are experiencing tough times with the economy, low consumer confidence and the growth of online shopping.  Nevertheless, everyone I spoke to was here because they believe they are going to survive.

You can’t sell it if you don’t have it and selling it pays the bills.  After a day of looking and buying, what better way to say we are moving forward than to have a party.  This was more than just a party . . .  this was a celebration of a renewed sense of success.  It was a positive action against all of the negative.  A demonstration of our commitment to the industry that we love and will certainly not let fail.  And it was, above all, a heck of a lot of fun!

Emi Havas
Paperfolio of Summit, NJ
Founding Member Stationers Guild

Editor’s P.S.  Emi advises me that the young woman dancing in the photo is not her.  Actually, it is a photo copied from the Rainbow Room website.   

We have just received word that the talented stationery designer Lallie will supply ”The Calendar” for 2010.  Following the unfortunate closure of the esteemed Consortium group late last year, Nancy “Lallie” Lashley has been fielding phone calls from distraught dealers all over the country to fill the void left by Jansson’s coveted calendar.  Not one to step away from a challenge, Nancy will debut her distinctive Lallie Calendar for 2010 at the National Stationery Show which opens this weekend.

We are occasionally asked whether it is “proper” to use adhesive-backed mailing labels to address your wedding invitations.  The simple answer is that mailing labels tend to “cheapen” the appearance of your wedding invitation.   In general, the mailing label strikes one as ”too commercial” and “out of place” since the color of the mailing label does not match the color of the envelope.  Printed envelopes are certainly recommended.

There are several printing options available to address your invitation envelope(s).  While hand calligraphy is certainly the best choice, it is often beyond the financial reach of many bridal couples.  Hand calligraphy prices vary significantly and addressing double envelopes could cost anywhere from $3.00 a set upwards.

Many Guild member stores offer machine calligraphy services to address your invitations.  You simply supply your stationer with a list of your guests in a spreadsheet or text file and the stationer will print the inner and outer envelope in the ink color and font of your choosing.   Again, the cost of machine calligraphy varies, but generally costs no more than half the price of hand-calligraphy.  It is wise to consult with an experienced stationer since the quality of the paper and the thickness of the envelope (particularly if it is lined) will affect printing options. 

Julie Holcomb Wedding Handbook

If you or one of your family or friends have good writing skills, there is no reason why you can’t address the envelopes by hand.  I would strongly recommend that you purchase a copy of Julie Holcomb’s The Wedding Invitation Handbook  to learn the proper etiquette if you are planning to address your invitations.  In fact, Julie’s excellent handbook has some great advice on planning your wedding and will help make sure that all the “i’s” are dotted and the “t’s” are crossed.

Melissa Magsaysay makes a very impassioned case for fine stationery in a May 10 article in the Los Angeles Times.  She laments that she has yet to receive a handwritten note from any of her 250 “friends” on Facebook.  She adds, “Does anyone under 30 even remember what handwritten notes are all about?  I am hoping that all this public chirping gives way to something more personal, maybe even a return to the romance of beautiful stationery, flair and making an effort.”

Melissa’s plea for “something more personal” got me to thinking about the relevancy or impact of social networks on interpersonal relationships.  Sure, I’ve experimented with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks but, for the most part, I’ve never really made a serious commitment to develop a network of friends, acquaintances, followers or other network buzzwords that define relationships.   Melissa’s article got me to thinking “Why?”

I think it has to do with the type of person that I am.  Let me explain.  The relationship theme of Twitter is based on the simple question:  “What are you doing?”  Frankly, I never really thought that people really cared what I was doing and, even if they did, would they think more or less of me if I didn’t tell them?   It seems to me that “real” relationships are based on consideration for another (“empathy” strikes me as the appropriate word) rather than talking about myself.    As Melissa points out, making the effort to write a handwritten note brings the cream to the top and separates the casual acquittance from those you might like to know better.    The handwritten note sends a message that is far more intimate and caring than any 140 character “tweet” could possibly convey. 

I do not understand why so many people find it so meaningful or liberating to talk about themselves and eavesdrop on others who feel the same way.  Maybe I am missing something, but it strikes me that one is either an egomaniac or is suffering from a rather severe inferiority complex.   In fact, much of the social network “chatter” is based on “my” feelings,”my” views,“my” beliefs,“my” activities to the detriment of a relationship based on mutual respect developed through listening rather than talking about oneself.

I am hopeful that many of Melissa’s “friends” will take up the the challenge and experiment with the civility, etiquette and beautiful craftmanship that define fine stationery.

Sheila May, the owner of Therese Saint Clair, writes that “business stationery is the simplest, most obvious and  cost-efficient advertising, marketing and public relations vehicle your business will ever use.”  Sheila goes on to say “Hand someone your business card and you are handing someone your brand, your identity and your professional credibility.  What you are on paper is what you are instantly perceived to be in business.”

In his book, The Etiquette Advantage in Business, Peter Post writes “business stationery is a form of public relations.”  We often say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and many business relationships begin with the simple exchange of business cards.  Says Sheila, “it’s surprising to see how little time business people spend on designing a proper suite of stationery.  They are often shocked to see the difference that fine stationery can make:  it’s like giving your business a fresh coat of paint.”

While Crane & Co. remains a popular choice for business stationery, many fine paper companies have greatly expanded their business offerings.  In particular, we have noted that a number of fashionable invitation designers now have now expanded their calling card and business card lines.  We recently received samples of letterpress business cards from Oblation that are simply stunning and quite well-priced.

If your business stationery could use a facelift, we strongly recommend contacting a Stationers Guild store in your neighborhood.  Also, we would encourge you to consult the Stationers Guild website which has some excellent advice on designing your business stationery.