Stationery at Every Price Point

 So I developed a MAJOR stationery obsession over the last couple of years.  I have a big basket full of them, and I can't stop adding to my collection!  Knowing my obsession, my friends also like to give me pretty box sets for gifts.  After visiting NYC last summer, I fell in love with the city, so my bff DW bought me a Breakfast at Tiffany's note card box set and journal with iconic NY elements. Given the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to do a stationery post (because the season of giving is also the season of thank you notes and correspondence!).  I have a collection of thank you notes, but I also like to send out regular note cards as well to avoid sending people duplicates.

I also keep a thank you note journal.  I keep track of gifts I receive, the gift-givers, dates I receive them, the occasions, and then dates I sent thank you notes.  That way I never forget to send a thank you note!

Here are some great correspondence and thank you notes at every price point:

$$$ Luxurious Papers (> $3 per card):

• Vera Wang-  Almost all of Vera Wang envelopes come with beautiful liners.  I love opening envelopes to not only pretty cards, but pretty liners (they're like an extra little fun surprise!).  These cards are BEAUTIFUL too.  So classic and whimsical too.

Letterpress Anchor Notes - $32 for set of ten

Eyelet Spiral Laser Cut Tri-Fold Notes - $32 for set of ten

• Smythson - Supplier to royals and heads of state, Smythson is a British classic.

Russian Doll Correspondence Cards - $69 for set of ten

Walking the Dogs - $69 for set of ten.  Super cute, especially if you have Scotties!

$$ Reasonable ($1 - $3 per card):

• Crane & Co: Now in its third century, Crane offers great quality and classic designs and is a staple in any great stationery collection.  It has a diverse product offering, with a great range of prices. 

T is for Thank You - $14 for ten

Engraved Pineapple Ecruwhite - $15 for ten

Alphabet Cupcakes Fluorescent White Notes - $14 for ten

•   Kate Spade: A lot of fashion brands now have their own lines of stationery (Kate Spade, Vera Wang, Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer), and the Kate Spade ones are some of my faves!  They are just as witty and pretty as any Kate Spade product should be.

I bought these this summer.  $30 for a box of ten.

Yellow Roses Fold Over Boxed Set - $35 for set of 12. I love the color combination (and the pretty box!)

•  Preppy Cards: At $25 for a box of ten, with free personalization, and adorable image choices from a whole slew of collections (such as the Palm Beach, Shoe, and Bag Collections), these are a super cute option! Here are some of my favorites:

• Whitney English - Has both trendy and classic designs at a good prices (< $2 per card).

Pink Gator Note Cards - $12  for ten.  LOVE these!  A great whimsical update on the classic gator motif

Pink Fish Scales Note Cards - $12 for ten

Pink Palms Note Cards - $12 for ten.  Another set I LOVE. Can't go wrong with pink and palm trees!

$ Steal! (< $1 per card):

•  Michael's craft store has some GREAT options for note cards.  Scouring through the dollar bins I've found some super cute packs of cards.   Unfortunately I couldn't find picks online and didn't take any pictures of them, but just trust me, they have some super cute preppy picks!  Last summer I bought some navy cards with a red lobster and green cards with navy whales.  At only $1 for a pack of ten, cards are only $0.10 each!  Such a great deal!!!
•  Bookstores such a Borders and Barnes & Noble (in the US) or Chapters and Indigo (in Canada) also have some great options under $10 for a box.  They also have frequent markdowns and give discounts if you have a membership card, so another great opportunity to build a stationery collection for cheap!  Here is a cute find from B&N:

Merci Thank You Notes - $8.99 for set of 14.  Très Chic!

• Art galleries and museums normally sell some great boxed sets from featured artists.  My family belongs to the National Gallery of Canada, so we get a great discount too.  Even better, after traveling exhibits are done, the exhibit souvenirs go on sale, so you can find some super great deals (like a box of Andy Warhol cards for $4.99!). 

Klimt Notecard Box - $15.95 for set of 20 from the MoMA store

Warhols Shoes Note Cards - $16.95 for set of 20 from MoMA

•   Make your own! I love arts and crafts, so I have a lot of fun making my own cards.  Sometimes I just use simple blank cards (you can buy packs of plain, blank cards in various colors at Michael’s, Wal-Mart, or paper shops) and draw images with crayon, markers, or paint.  Other times I get crazy with glitter, sequins, and pompoms (although this is normally for holiday or birthday cards). Here are some of my past creations:

I made this one for DW's birthday 

A Valentine's Day card

And of course some other great stationery companies and retailers:

• Lifeguard Press - Makes the Lilly Pulitzer and Jonathan Adler collections
• Boatman Geller - SO many great preppy (think plaid, madras, polka dots, alligators, etc) designs, with some great sale prices 
• Neiman Marcus - Carries a surprisingly great selection of various brands, with designs ranging from the intricate and luxurious, to the classic and simple. Check out the Novelty section for some super fun designs, including some really nice collegiate cards.