little paper things

I have a confession to make. I am completely obsessed with paper. It's genetic, in fact, my Aunt Debbie was the first person to ever give me fancy paper. And then there was the day my first Bat Mitzvah invitation arrived in the mail. I will never forget the giant black square that opened up into a trifold of silver with glitter embellished accents. It was like a little slice of paper heaven. From there it was downhill.

You name it, I love it. Like ice cream, I don't discriminate. Invitations, holiday cards, business cards, postcards, gift tags, letterhead, note cards, and shoot, even return address labels. Not only do I love the paper itself, but I love a product that has been beautifully printed. Recently I have become quite fond of the super elegant letterpress (which I've yet to indulge myself in). When I see a gorgeous piece of stationery my heart flutters a bit. I quickly look on the back to see if there's a label and make a mental note of where I could possibly find something like it.

Yes, I am the girl who gave stationery as a gift to my bridesmaids. Yes, I am the girl who will throw a party for the sole purpose of designing a new invitation. Yes, I am the girl who named her first born child Elizabeth instead of Reese, mostly because of how it would look on printed stationery (if you don't believe me try it for yourself- go ahead...open a Word document and type in both names. Use the Edwardian Script font and quickly you will see that Elizabeth most certainly looks better). Think what you want, but I'm also the girl who will appreciate the beauty of that Crane's wedding invitation you begged your mother to splurge on. After all, the invitation sets the tone for your event. Chances are, if the invite is amazing then the party will be, too.

Recently I was browsing through one of my favorite websites, www.finestationery.com, and I came across these beauties. Just look at them.

The perfect shade of pale pink, a beautifully lined envelope, and rounded corners. What more could a girl possibly ask for?  I'm pretty sure if someone wrote me a thank you note with this card I would only feel obliged to write one in return. Just check out the price for 25 and you'll understand why.

Yes, I am obsessed with little paper things, but I have another confession to make. I rarely ever purchase these things for myself. See, the problem is that I design and print paper for a living. Knowing what I know about the subject makes it difficult to pay someone else for a project I could most likely recreate. For example, every year I have an internal battle over our family Christmas card.  
My initial thought is this: I am just going to suck it up and buy the damn cards from tinyprints.com.  I deserve it.  

What REALLY happens is this: I get to the checkout, realize the cards I've chosen are astronomically overpriced, and end up re-designing my own card with my own program. Printing is outsourced, and within 7 business days I receive the final product. Finally, I tell myself, "Okay, now you've got another year under your belt...surely next year we will order online."

And the vicious cycle continues.

So I am at a crossroads...each year for Christmas I treat myself to something special. Something that, under normal circumstances, would be considered a lofty indulgence. This year it just might be a guilt-free visit to finestationery.com