Make Your Own Valentine Card Workshop, Feb 9th

So Valentine's Day is just around the corner leaving us all stumped as to what to do to make this Valentine's Day extra special for our special someone.  Why not do something totally different, out-of-the-ordinary-knock-their-socks off this year and MAKE your own Valentine?  Join us Thursday, February 9th for a Valentine Card Workshop from 5pm - 7:30pm.  The fee is $12/person, which includes all the materials you'll need to make one card along with instruction on making an accordian or hinged opening card, as well as refreshments including some super tasty treats from Dean's Sweets!  Space is limited & reservations are required so call us today to sign up!  Check out some of the super-cute & romantic designs below...

The Greatest Gift - a true American classic & holiday inspiration

Every Thanksgiving weekend, I love to get into the holiday spirit by decorating our house, putting up our Christmas tree and watching a few holiday movies. While we usually opt for a comedic classic like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (who doesn't love Cousin Eddie?), this year we chose a true holiday inspiration – It’s a Wonderful Life.  Just last week I read “The Greatest Gift”, the short story on which the movie is based and recently had the pleasure of learning the incredible story behind both the book & movie from one of our retailers, Graphic Image, which has reprinted this timeless tale for us all to share with loved ones this holiday season.


--------------------------------------------------

{adapted from Graphic Image}

In 2009, Tom Glazer, the owner of Graphic Image, found among his father’s literary possessions, an author signed original of one of the first copies of The Greatest Gift – a short holiday novella written in 1943 by a little known author Philip Van Doren Stern who, after having it rejected by The Saturday Evening Post as well as many other magazines, decided to print (200) 4-page pamphlets himself & send them out to family and friends as Christmas cards that year.

In March 1944, Stern received a Western Union telegram with a serious offer to purchase the move rights to The Greatest Gift. $50,000 later, the Hollywood screenplay by Frank Capra was underway and the story that was once a Christmas card is now one of our most beloved holiday stories of all time known as It's a Wonderful Life – a twentieth century story about a man saved from despair by a mysterious stranger who gives him a precious opportunity to understand the difference that his unassuming life makes to the world and those around him, celebrating the difference that each life, no matter how simply lived, can make.

Now, almost 75 years later, this timeless inspiration to the American movie classic is available for the first time as a recreation of the 1943 edition with the original story, as it was written, along with remastered drawings of Rafaello Bussoni’s original woodcut illustrations printed in vintage two color presswork as well as a personal account of its history by the author’s daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, describing how this wonderful novella became one of the most popular short stories of all time.

-------------------------------------

(100) paper cover limited editions are available for purchase at Papier Gourmet ($25 - while they last!) or leather cover versions can be special ordered and personalized with the lucky recipient’s name or initials ($55 + personalization) - as featured in Martha Stewart Living (Nov 2011). A wonderful reminder to friends and family at this most special time of year of what is truly most important. Consider my heart warmed (and hopefully yours too!) and my Christmas shopping complete. :)

- Pamela


{images courtesy of Graphic Image}

20% off Unique Personalized Wood Holiday Cards from Night Owl Paper Goods

Looking for a way to really WOW your friends & family this holiday season?  Try a unique holiday card printed on eco-friendly sustainably harvested wood from Night Owl Paper Goods!  With a HUGE selection of designs - modern, classic, fun & folksy - there is a style for everyone (& every photo!)  Hurry in this week & you'll get the added bonus of saving 20% off your personalized Night Owl Paper Goods holiday card order!  But don't wait, the sale ends this Sunday, 11/20.  Don't have a photo yet or not sure what sentiment you want include?  No problem!  Place your order now to take advantage of the savings & we'll send in your text or photo later.  You can even opt to have a 2012 calendar printed for free on the backside.  Have your own holiday card design?  We can submit your own custom design to be printed on a wood card & still take advantage of the sale.  It's truly a win-win for everyone!

(Standard turn-around time is 10 business days from proof approval.  See in-store to view the full selection of card designs.  Paper holiday card designs available as well if wood isn't your thing.)

Check out a small sampling of some of the fantastic designs below, in the store or our Facebook album on our Facebook page (here).



Crane's Stationery Sale - 50 for $99

Now that November is upon us (and therefore the holiday shopping season!) it's time to start making your shopping list & checking it twice.  And what is the perfect gift for everyone on your list - young and old, classic or modern?  Why, personalized stationery, of course!  In our digital and technological age, there is nothing better than receiving a handwritten note in the mail so why not outfit all your loved ones with stationery representative of their individual personalities?  This year Crane's has brought back their popular 50 for $99 Holiday Stationery Sale making the gift of personalized stationery truly affordable!  Now through December 24th, order 50 personalized notes or correspondence cards with lined envelopes for just $99!  With 12 predesigned templates, 4 different paper stocks (select from a folded note or flat correspondence card in either pearlwhite or ecruwhite) and 7 ink colors and matching envelope liners, the possibilities are endless!  Or design your own using any of Crane's lettering styles, monograms or motifs.  You can even add a printed return adress on the envelope backflap for just $40!  Stop in today and let one of our sales associates help you get a jumpstart on your shopping list!  At a savings of over 30%, it's a sale not to be missed!

Featured :: Postcards and Pretties Blog {Rustic Burlap Inspired Shoot}

We were recently featured on the beautiful postcards and pretties blog (yay!) in a stunning rustic, burlap inspired photo shoot that we had the pleasure of providing paper goodies for earlier this spring.  Staying with the refined yet tactile design, we created an invitation that incorporated a monogram & oversized swash design element for a vintage feel combined with varying typography for a modern twist. We flat printed it onto bamboo letterpress paper that is so lovely to the touch (while still being cost-effective for the budget-conscious bride). Lastly, we wrapped the invitation in burlap & tied it with a luxurious double-faced satin ribbon to give guests a glimpse of the gorgeousness that would await them on the wedding day.  The same typography & design elements were carried through on both menu cards (see below) as well as placecards.  A huge thanks to Sharyn Peavey Photography and A Family Affair of Maine for including us in this amazing project!  The results (as you can see in Sharyn's incredible photos below) were well worth the effort!  Be sure to read the full blog post here for all the delicious details & descriptions!

{all photos by Sharyn Peavey Photography}

Change is Good

Photo by Christina Wnek

Change is good. It can also be exciting, nerve-wracking, stressful and just plain old scary but sometimes it is also exactly what is meant to be (in a very good way).
Just over seven years ago, I (along with my husband, father & stepmother) took a leap of faith as I left my career as an Epidemiologist at the state health department and became a stationer (a HUGE change)! And it has been a wild rollercoaster ride ever since. Within weeks of signing a Purchase & Sale Agreement we found out we were expecting our first child. A new business, a new home & a new baby all within a year – WOW! Things happened quickly and haven’t slowed down since. With the arrival of a second bundle of joy a couple of years later, I’ve been busy commuting 1.5 hours a day, carting our two little ones to/from daycare (not to mention having each of them in the store with me as infants) all while my husband traveled regularly for his work. During this busy time, I’ve also worked very hard to build Papier Gourmet into the full-service stationery store it is today.

Well, times-they-are-a-changing! Today is an important day as I pass the torch onto Papier Gourmet’s new owner (drum roll..): Valerie Beman Kyros, Yup, that’s right – Papier Gourmet is under new ownership! Valerie worked for the store’s original owner when it first opened in 1996 and always had dreams of owning it one day. Valerie and I have been discussing the idea of ownership changes since 2008 (when I had both a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old and was realizing that I couldn’t ‘do it all’) and the time has finally come for me to step down and for Valerie to take the reigns. She brings with her an extensive background in interior design, a great sense of style & taste as well as a great pen collection. I’m really excited about her vision & plans for the future of the store, as I’m sure you will be too!

Although this transition is somewhat bittersweet for me – I’m very much looking forward to spending more time with my now 6.5 and 4 year old sons, but yet I will miss seeing all of my wonderful customers I’ve come to know so well over the years. Papier Gourmet has provided me with so much flexibility to bring my children to work with me as well as many wonderful opportunities to meet and work with incredible people, including the customers, sales reps, area business owners, vendors, wedding industry experts, brides & grooms and, of course, last but not least, my employees over the years – many who have become dear friends and would not be a part of our lives (and each other’s) if not for the store.

So, I thank you all for your support & confidence throughout the years – it means more than you could ever know! I’ll still be around through the holiday season as I assist Valerie with the transition but I hope you’ll stop by to say hello and introduce yourself as she puts her own mark on & breathes new life into Papier Gourmet!

Pamela

Featured :: Greetings, Etc.

I recently had the pleasure of being featured in an article ("For the Love of Stationery") in the summer issue of Greetings, Etc. magazine - a stationery industry trade magazine.  It was fun sharing my story of how I came to own a stationery store as well as everything I've learned since, stationery trends & my favorite lines!