It’s the time of year when the evenings are getting cooler; kids are groaning over the end of summer vacation; and, more importantly, the stores are filled with all kinds of cool school supplies. Logically, I know whatever is available in the schools in August is probably available all year long, but the cool stuff seems harder to find the rest of the year.
I was the editor of my high school literary arts magazine and all my knowledge of paper and the fledgling layout skills I learned came in handy. The magazine turned out beautifully with a gorgeous cover of paper with blue waves.
I came by my geeky love of school supplies naturally, my mother loves notepads and paper and my aunt ran a print shop when I was a child. This was back in the days before Office Max and Staples when the only paper available at normal office supply stores was dusty reams of white copy paper so a visit to a place full of reams of different colored paper filled me with joy.
My aunt’s first print shop was next to the diner where my parents met and we’d go in their on a regular basis to visit. I have to admit that the jobs my aunt ran at her first shop were kind of boring like Multiple Listing Books. However, when I was about nine they moved into a much bigger print shop and the choices of paper to run my fingers through became much more covetous. There were reams full of paper in all the colors of the rainbow and I learned all about the different weights of paper. One year for Christmas, my aunt made customized note pads for me and I was in heaven.
I was the editor of my high school literary arts magazine and all my knowledge of paper and the fledgling layout skills I learned came in handy. The magazine turned out beautifully with a gorgeous cover of paper with blue waves.Over the years as I’ve traveled to various parts of the world, one of the stops on my agenda is always the office supply store to see what kinds of cool paper and pens are available. I’ve found beautiful notebooks in Japan, fountain pens in Germany, and wondrous papers in China. The three years I spent in Japan were geek bliss as Japan is ahead of their time in terms of types paper and pens.
Discovering the bliss of affordable fountain pens (and butter cake, but more about that in another post) was one of the major perks of all the trips I made to Germany. Germany is the home of Penguin, Lamy, and Online and every department store sells fountain pens and ink. Every trip I made to Germany, I’d come home with at least one pen. Schneider’s were my favorite for a while, but since I’ve been back in the States, I’ve settled on Lamy’s as their affordable and ink is readily available in the US.
Once I discovered fountain pens, sealing wax couldn’t be far behind. I found this wonderful little shop in Madison, WI that sells sealing wax and seals and I purchased several. There is something amazingly satisfying about writing a letter with a fountain pen on good paper and then sealing it with ink. It lets the recipient know that you cared and you put thought into the words you sent them.
When I head out to art fairs in the summer, I’m not looking for prints for the wall, I’m looking for prints for the mailbox. I love sending art prints to my family and friends as it provides a unique way to let them know I’m thinking of them and supports local artists.
My daughter has inherited my geekiness and every so often, we’ll head to the office supply store and spend an hour or so perusing the ponderous papers and pens. Life is so much better than when I was a child as now all these beautiful colors and weights of paper are available for the common consumer and when you add in the papers available for scrap booking, it’s true bliss for paper geeks.
Cairn by Cairn 
