A Beautiful Place to Store Your Stationery Wardrobe

I came across this wonderful piece of woodwork during this morning's keyword search.



The Correspondence Box is made by Clark Kellogg of Kellogg Furniture Design in Houston. In his description of the piece, he notes: "The sides are dovetailed by hand, and the lid is frame-and-panel. There are two asymmetrical drawers built in to the front of the box - a smaller one for pens, and a larger one for stamps. The interior of the box houses two removable trays, one slightly larger than the other. The smaller tray holds standard 4 1/4″ x 6 3/8″ cards (such as Crane’s or xxxxxxxxx), and the larger tray holds the corresponding envelopes. Each tray has a small brass tab you can use to pull the stationery out of the tray."



Dimensions: 11 1/2 by 8 by 4 inches
Materials: Kwila, Afzelia, Brass, Port Orford Cedar
Finish: Liberon Oil, Shellac, Wax

The Correspondence Box is currently for sale. Contact Clark at info@kellogfurniture.com for details.

Studio on Fire is Hot, Hot, Hot!

It's no secret that I love letterpress. There are so many wonderful pieces being created by incredibly talented people. And from what I gather, the art and process has been elevated by the introduction of Crane's Lettra papers.

Being a paper geek, the first time I got hold of a piece of Lettra, I knew this stuff was special. Beautifully textured and a "pillowy" structure that just plain invites the press to do its thing.

Back to the art and artisans. I ran across Studio on Fire recently, and this was my first exposure to their work.



They designed and letterpress printed this poster for the Sweet Hair poster show featuring 37 Minneapolis artists. All prints were hair-inspired, handmade and created just for this show. A portion of proceeds benefited Locks of Love.



The 18 x 26 poster is a single color printed on 220lb Crane Lettra Pearl White. The type intertwines with a .30 point stroke that flows throughout the poster, making a nice deep impression on the cotton stock. The quote is a Chinese proverb that reads “You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair.”

I now make regular pilgrimages to Studio on Fire and their blog Beast Pieces to get my fix of eye candy.

Here's another favorite:



You owe it to yourself to spend a little time with these folks.

Crane's Monkey Note Stars in The Ugly Truth

Remember this guy?



Well, our little friend is at it again. And some at Crane are becoming concerned. Not only did he take over as the #1-selling piece of boxed stationery in 2009, beating out the favorite of many generations: CN1116, but is now attempting to solidify his position by influencing the marketplace.

We are receiving e-mails daily about the performance of our little monkey friend on the Big Screen. Yes, he has a prominent cameo appearance in the hit movie: "The Ugly Truth," starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.

No, I'm not going to give away his part in the flic; you'll just have to see the movie. It's playing everywhere. And when it comes Emmy time, I'm sure he will appreciate your support.

Now that I think of it, there should be a category for Best Stationery.....

Texting While.....Thumbs Cause Brain Damage

It seems as if almost daily there are reports of vehicular accidents caused by "texting while driving."

The New York Times today reports that truckers who text while trucking are 23 times more likely to have an accident. Well, duhhhhh. Perhaps the number 23 is important, but otherwise I don't get it.

The only thing I can think of is that cell phones and other such thumb-driven devices actually do cause brain damage. Now there's a study worth conducting. It shouldn't take long.....I mean, how much more evidence do you need!?

There are plenty of other activities during which texting most assuredly causes problems, if not death. Here are a few. Please add yours:

Texting while milking
Texting while hedge-clipping
Texting while log-rolling
Texting while booing the Yankees
Texting while sexting

And although there have been no incidents reported, Crane & Co. does not endorse writing a note to your mother on Crane's personalized stationery while driving, milking, hedge-clipping, log-rolling, booing the Yankees or sexting.

Just sit back, compose your thoughts and put them down on paper. No worries; you're safe.

Is it just me??????

You Say Tomato; I say Otamot

Some say I have an upside-down view of life. Perhaps they're not far off....