Thursday, November 19, 2009

Free Crane Stationery - Unique Collection Available!

As regular readers of this blog are aware, I take a lot of photographs of stationery. But what happens with all that 100% cotton engraved, letterpress beauty once digitally captured? To be honest, it hangs around in my photo studio anxiously awaiting the Annual Crane Insider Stationery Wardrobe Giveaway.

I've got to move this merchandise to get ready for the Annual Onslaught of January Introductions.

Here's what I have to offer - for free! There are notes, cards, invites, greeting cards, envelopes, place cards, etc.. Pretty much one of each to comprise exactly a Boat Load. But wait! There's more! I'll even toss in a box of these.

I also have a bunch of personalized stationery samples if you want to assume multiple identities, but I'll leave that for later.

Just leave a comment below, telling me why you really want, can't live without, or just want to see what's in the the ACISWG.

The giveaway will officially end, appropriately, at midnight on Black Friday. I will announce the winner shortly thereafter, so stay tuned. Here's a look at the ACISWG:




Good Luck!

27 comments:

Anna Eastover said...

My mother loved Crane and always gave us Crane stationery. She died 7 years ago today, and I have had a good but sad day thinking of her. I just recently found your blog and am enjoying it.

Peter Hopkins said...

Hi Jane:

I understand the difficulty of your day. I lost my dad 15 years ago, and I still think about him all the time.

Peter

Janice Phillips said...

What a neat memory the previous blogger shared...I bet your mother was a classy lady.

I really want, can't live without, and TOTALLY AM DYING TO SEE what's in the ACISWG! I buy Crane stationary annually for my own personal correspondence. I love the company's commitment to cotton rag and the beauty and elegance of stationary. Someday very soon I hope to design my own line of stationary and will definitely use only the best Crane paper to do so!

Peter Hopkins said...

Hi Janice:

Thanks so much. When you get around to designing your stationery, let me know!

With best regards,
Peter

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter,
I would love to have the ACISWG. I am addicted to Lettra and hand letterpress print my lines of invitations on it. I am a paper addict!

Pat M. said...

Hi Pierre - It would be such a great gesture for the 'Free Crane Stationery' to be available for the Relay for Life that will occur next May 2010 - There is always a need to send many 'Thank You' Notes, or Cards, etc. to all of the many many volunteers that make this event a huge success every year - It would be most humbling if it was feasible to obtain some of this 'Free Crane Stationery' - Thanks so very much -

Rose Provencher said...

I love Crane so much, I decided to open a stationery store so that I could sell it and enjoy it even more. The shop is opening in about a week. This is just a comment and not to be considered for the contest ;>)

Unknown said...

Not only do I really, really want to SEE what's in the ACISWG, I want to FEEL it! The designs are always such excellent eye candy, but the paper, oh the paper, it has such a wonderful texture, such a perfect weight, that it just screams at you to TOUCH it. To me, that is the whole point of such beautiful stationery, to physically connect through touch, by written correspondence. How I envy you, what fun you must have. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of that fun through your blog.

Kit Lucas said...

Wow your ACISWG is amazing! I am so glad to hear about it. Crane stationery is so lovely; I'd love to have a bit of it for myself!

Weims319 said...

I first stumbled upon your brand a few years back in a little main street shop across from where I work. Since then I have made it my personal mission to bring back the art of letter writing among the people I know. I was in college at the time, and all of the students would mock me, but I would write 4 or 5 notes while waiting on my professors. They all wanted to know what I was doing and why I was writing (and eventually ask if they could get a letter too). I had a list of about 20 people that I would just work my way through, mostly family and some friends. Most of them live within 30 minutes of me, all of them loved getting mail in such beautiful and colorful envelopes, but only one person ever wrote back. My Meme. She lives in the town right next to me. She doesn't respond to every letter, but I write to her about twice a month anyway, and someday when she passes I will have a beautiful collection of notes to remember her buy.

I keep two of every kind of Crane note I have in a small suitcase-style box, along with color coordinated pens, that I carry with me all the time. At the least, it's always in my car. You never know when you'll have some spare minutes to write a note.

I guess my point is that even though I am (selfishly) collecting memories from my Meme, I really love your paper. The texture, the vibrant colors, the little details. I love writing on them with coordinating or complementary colors. Even though I seldom get a letter back, I know that note that took me all of 10 minutes to pen will brighten someones mailbox and hopefully their day, too. That's what makes Crane worth it, it's love with a stamp on it.

Mini Evil Kiwi said...

I've always loved stationery ever since I was a kid. I'm in college now, still loving to send snail mail. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people of my generation send mail to each other.

I really enjoy your blog, especially the posts on historical paper/design/etc.

Lydia said...

Dear Peter,

I love reading your blog. I am so jealous that you get to dig around in the Crane archives. I love the way that my fountain pen glides over cotton paper.

Living abroad, I have a great excuse to buy and use a great deal of stationery, and I would treasure these items if they found me. I am more than happy to cover the international postage fees.

Lydia.

Unknown said...

I love stationery! I enjoy sending notes to my family and friends in written form.
I would treasure these items and enjoy sharing them. I read your blog and look forward to your tweets! Thank you

Kristina Rhodes said...

Dear Peter,

I heard about your blog from Mindy Lockard, an etiquette consultant in Eugene, OR, who came to speak on business etiquette to Allen Hall Public Relations, student-run public relations agency of which I am the firm director. Thank you very much for your post on calling cards for Manner of the Month. What valuable information for a graduating senior!

She spoke about the importance of a thoughtfully handwritten note (especially after interviews)!

Two weeks ago, I purchased some personalized stationary for myself as I have some interviews coming up over Christmas break in Portland. It was my first Crane purchase and I'll admit, it will be a while till I return as it certainly broke my college budget. :) I look forward to using my stationary and am confident in the impression it will make.

Crane products are so extremely beautiful and I look forward to the day when I have a job (hopefully in June) and can always keep Crane stocked in my desk drawer.

This collection would help to launch my professional stationary collection and would allow me to have confidence in the response these cards ensure as I network and look to launch my career.

Thank you again for the continued tips and correspondence advice for this young professional.

Best Regards,
Kristina

Kristina Rhodes said...

Dear Peter,

I heard about your blog from Mindy Lockard, an etiquette consultant in Eugene, OR, who came to speak on business etiquette to Allen Hall Public Relations, student-run public relations agency of which I am the firm director. Thank you very much for your post on calling cards for Manner of the Month. What valuable information for a graduating senior!

She spoke about the importance of a thoughtfully handwritten note (especially after interviews)!

Two weeks ago, I purchased some personalized stationary for myself as I have some interviews coming up over Christmas break in Portland. It was my first Crane purchase and I'll admit, it will be a while till I return as it certainly broke my college budget. :) I look forward to using my stationary and am confident in the impression it will make.

Crane products are so extremely beautiful and I look forward to the day when I have a job (hopefully in June) and can always keep Crane stocked in my desk drawer.

This collection would help to launch my professional stationary collection and would give me confidence as I network and look to launch my career.

Thank you again for the continued tips and correspondence advice for this young professional.

Best Regards,
Kristina

Meaghan said...

I'm always looking for more fun cards to add to my collection I keep to use in a moment's notice...the ACISWG collection would be fun to have!

Anonymous said...

I'm getting married in June and have been obsessing over paper products for months. My fiance and I love Crane and hope to use the paper for our invites and other wedding stationary needs. We appreciate the fact that even though the product has a major distribution, quality has not been sacrificed. Being a Boston-based couple we are striving to support local (MA) vendors and suppliers. Keep up the great posts!

Alex said...

I always have the Crane's Crest paper for my personal correspondence. It's not that I don't like other paper from Crane's but it's just that even getting my hands on Bond paper seems almost impossible. If it would be possible to get my hands on some sheets of other paper, a few samples to test and evaluate that would be great!
At this moment I'm having Crane's Crest paper made into a 6"x8" & 196 leaves notebook. A notebook made using a traditional, handmade method with a leather cover, even with inland oak-panelling to be worked into the cover and some nice sterling artwork to enliven the covers. I’ve been saving pennies for a long time to get this far, but it does reward me with a very, very nice notebook in the end that will not only be used, but also be loved for a long, long time.

Simply Mom said...

I LOVE Crane paper. I have a special place in my heart for paper and writing implements (in college all of my class notes were taken with a german staedler pencil on hot press paper).
I have been studying many lines of cards and papers as I launch my own stationery designs and am always impressed with Crane's. Once I establish a bigger client load I hope to upgrade to Crane paper.

Thank you for the attention to detail and quality that makes Crane stand head and shoulders above the rest!!

msenn said...

I have always loved to write. Notes to friends and loved ones, and to my students who were always fascinated with the color of paper I used and the envelopes I would pick out to put their little trasures in. I don't know who loved it more, my students or myself. It was always a special time of the week for all of us to enjoy notes on quality paper and colored envelopes.

Christi said...

I love stationery. I love Crane stationery. I love pens. And, I love matching my pens to my stationery. There's nothing that gives a lift in my day like finding a note in mailbox and I hope that the 5 or so cards/week I send bring that type of joy to my friends. I'm almost giddy thinking about the possibility of winning the ACISWG!!!

Fannie Bialek said...

I graduated from college last spring and am struggling to learn to live in a new city for the first time in my life, away from my family and friends. My three best friends have wound up around the world, in Thailand, China, and Dakar on various post-graduate fellowships. My family is equally far-flung, in Holland, France, the UK, and all around the US. Just a few months ago, everyone was in one zip code, and now we're scattered and it's somewhat terrifying for all of us, in different ways. I've decided to keep in touch with everyone by writing letters, and I love Crane stationery but can't afford it on my student's "salary," i.e., bare-sustenance stipend. I received some as a present a few years ago and am almost out, but my grandparents and friends in foreign countries have been so excited to receive my letters that I would be honored to have more beautiful Crane stationery to send to them. My grandparents are astonished to receive letters from a young person, and it's been especially important as their health declines. My friends in Africa and Asia say that they love getting a gorgeous note in the mail, a little reminder of the comforts and elegance of home. It would bring me so much joy to win the stationery, but it would bring my 20+ (the list keeps growing!) regular letter-receivers even more joy. From a hospital in San Francisco to a classroom in rural China, your paper would bring enormous smiles to the faces of my friends and family, and it would be a great pleasure to post each letter.

As a side note, my father was recently looking through old family documents at his father's house, and came across a letter from his great uncle to his mother, as his great uncle was shipping out of America during WWII, never to return, as history would have it. He brought the letter back and I saw it on a recent trip. It was yellowed, but written in gorgeous blue script on even more gorgeous paper. The watermark said Crane's, of course.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to read these comments. I feel as though I have found my tribe! I have saved every letter I have received since around 1964 and have them in files. It is extraordinary to go through these and see the stamps, the handwriting and, of course, to feel the paper. I wonder how many of them are written on Crane paper. As I go through them individually I will take note.I write many letters myself and, since my friends now know that I save them, they more than ever, write me back. Isn't it wonderful to go to the mailbox and find a hand written letter mixed in with the junk and bills? I have made books of these letters which I have saved and gifted my life long friends their letters on their 60th birthdays.It is like traveling through time and keeping it in a bottle.Time now to buy my Crane Christmas cards. I can't wait to see the selection!

Anonymous said...

Wow I like that one.

JTP said...

My mother trained me to write thank you notes for every gift received for Christmas or a birthday; however, at some point I learned to write them truly as thanks instead of avoiding a punishment.

I'm not your typical user of stationary. Most 22 year old males who just graduated from college and are barely out of the fraternity house don't write many handwritten letters; although, all my friends who know me well know my love of a handwritten note and love of stationary. In fact, I was in New York City two months ago for job training and the only souvenir I brought home was some Crane stationary from the retail store in the city. I love to write friends who working at camps or in the armed forces, and have recently bought a wax seal to seal my letter the real old fashioned way.

I would love to get to some of the ACISWG to send notes to friends and family. It sounds cheesy but writing letters is truly a way I love and serve those whom I care about or are in need of an encouraging note. My generation seems to have lost the art of handwritten correspondence but I do my best to bring it back in style one letter at a time. Thanks!

tucsonmomthing said...

Crane is my favorite sttionery and I've passed this on to my children. Teaching them the art of writing notes - putting pen to paper - in such a digital age is truly challenging. I really want to know what is in the ACISWG! I love colleting and using special Crane note cards; stationery. My dream job is to sell Crane paper - I have such passion. In the meantime I work . . . well, let's not go there. Writing a note of thanks, how are you?, sorry for a bad day, whatever, puts me in the best of moods. I joyfully write to friends far away and in town because I take such pride in my own beatifuly handwriting and I have such a sense of accomplishment.

tucsonmomthing said...

Crane is my favorite sttionery and I've passed this on to my children. Teaching them the art of writing notes - putting pen to paper - in such a digital age is truly challenging. I really want to know what is in the ACISWG! I love colleting and using special Crane note cards; stationery. My dream job is to sell Crane paper - I have such passion. In the meantime I work . . . well, let's not go there. Writing a note of thanks, how are you?, sorry for a bad day, whatever, puts me in the best of moods. I joyfully write to friends far away and in town because I take such pride in my own beatifuly handwriting and I have such a sense of accomplishment.