Wish you were here

Dear reader,

It's summer and that means the On Paperettes have been busy with bridal season and helping our loyal, rain-drenched customers. (We had 19 straight days of rain in June.) A few of us have been able to get away from the soaking and head out on summer vacations. It’s not a competition, but the trip to Paris wins “most fabulous.” The trip to northern Wisconsin wins “most mosquito-y.”

When we take a break from the museums and canoeing, the Impressionists and the cheese plants, we might think about our nearest and dearest back home, and those wonderful people holding down the fort while we’re away. And, if we’re postally inclined, we might take a few minutes to send off a postcard.

The postcard has a relatively short history—just right for these little missives. While they were circulating in Europe a bit earlier, postcards began appearing in Stateside mailboxes in the late 1800s. Only those printed by the government were official “postcards.” All others were called “private mailing cards.” Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?

It took an act by Congress in 1907 to allow a message to appear on the same side as the address. Before that, we’d have written our notes on the front. Thanks, Congress! After all, who’d want to sully one of these gems?

Bonus: if you collect these bits of art and correspondence, you can call yourself a deltiologist, and who doesn’t want to be an –ologist? If you’re looking to add to your collection, we have vintage-inspired Columbus and Ohio designs for sale in the shop, and you can peruse antique markets for the real McCoy, complete with scrawled musings on the sites and cuisine.

The postcard format is even used in wedding stationery. If you're drawn to the nostalgic design of a postcard for your save the date or reply card, we still recommend sending these important pieces in an envelope. Doing so protects them from dirt and other smudgery along the way. 

And, big news! We've been hard at work on beautiful new website. 
Be sure to come back soon!

Wish you were here, 
On Paper

 

Please, but mainly thank you

It's Ohio in February. It's gray. We shovel every morning to get to our salt encrusted cars, which we must also shovel out. We wear our snow boots all day and have totally given up watching the weather, because guess what? It's just going to be terrible. Still, we're thankful. We're not under multiple feet of snow like our Northeastern friends and family. Our below zero days are less frequent than our Minnesota and Wisconsin loved ones'. Yes, thankful.

VALENTINE'S DAY FROM THE ON PAPER WINDOWS

Right after the December holidays, NPR ran a segment on the value of the thank you note, especially as it relates to kiddos; the featured guest Peter Ormerod suggested kids might express their gratitude in other less regimented ways than writing a traditional note: videos, songs, drawings. Click on the link below to take a listen.

In This New Year, Is It Time to Nix the Thank You Letter?

You know that as soon as we heard it, the On Paper crew practically held a summit. While we're all for creative expression (we've got an illustrator, a poet, a graphic designer, a painter and visual merchandiser on staff), we also believe in the value of putting pen (or pencil, or crayon) to paper to write a thank you note. Why?

Sure, basic skills like spelling, grammar, and punctuation are practiced, but from a more meditative standpoint, if you will, when we ask kids to sit down and express gratitude, even for a gift they don't necessarily love, we're giving them time to find a way to feel good about receiving and reflect on generosity of the giver, not the gift. Major American writer Flannery O'Connor says it well, "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say.” 

FLANNERY O'CONNOR KNOWS WHAT'S WHAT

In other, less eloquent words: write gratitude, feel gratitude.

Among Peter Ormerod's criticisms are the sometimes formulaic thank you notes produced when kids feel pressured to write them. Enter On Paper! Stationery and writing instruments in bright colors, glitzy stickers and crayons for accompanying illustrations allow for some heartfelt creative expression and whimsy. After all, nothing says "I appreciate your generosity," like the words carefully written above Hello Kitty piloting a hot air balloon.

OR LET THESE LITTLE GUYS HELP OUT

And for the adults in these kids' lives, keep in mind that On Paper carries traditional engraved, sweet floral letterpressed, and handmade stationery sets, not to mention (but mentioning) personalized stationery that can be ordered at the shop or on our website.

 ENGRAVED, HANDMADE, AND LETTERPRESSED SETS

Well, dear reader, thanks for stopping by! We're grateful! We appreciate it! 

Pajaki-a-palooza!

Happy Nearly New Year's! We hope you've had lovely holiday season with friends and family. Before we officially welcome 2015, we have just enough time to make, you guessed it, a pajaki. (Obviously!) Sommer's tutorial for this traditional (and beautiful) Polish craft is below. Give it a whirl! 

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A pajaki is a Polish paper chandelier. Though traditionally a Christmas decoration, I think it's the perfect project for the New Year. Not only can you use up all your crafting left overs, but you ring in the New Year celebrating patience, balance and beauty. The finished product reminds me of a whimsical fairyland carousel!

What you'll need:

- patience

- small bits of paper (These can be scraps, or check out On Paper for their selection of colorful and handmade papers.)

- hot glue gun

- extra large hole punch (You could cut circles, but this makes it easier.)

- string (or ribbon)

- a circle or two created from wire (I used embroidery hoops that I picked up at a garage sale ages ago.)

- straws (I used paper straws purchased from On Paper. Ikea always has nice colored straws, too.)

- additional decorations to beautify

Begin by creating equal lengths of string or ribbon. Thread your circles and straws and then tie these strings to your circle hoop. Balance is key. I actually had to start over a few times before getting it right, so perhaps little alligator clips might be helpful as you get your tie points established. Then start building. Let creativity take over. In the case of pajaki I truly feel that more is more. There's no room for understated here. I used a glue gun to add little sparkling bows, that I cut from metallic twist. Add on as you see fit. I created a 2 tier one but certainly these could get longer if your heart desires.

And a few suggestions:

- This project would probably benefit from being done in a group; I found it awkward to tie and hold the threaded objects on at the same time. So, invite some friends over and...

- Take your time.

Yuletide Ohio Pride

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Cozy greetings, readers! It’s been a little while since we last posted, but we’re glad to be back and sharing a little yuletide Ohio pride. That is, we’ve got a fabulous collection of gifts that celebrate and/or are made in the Buckeye State—and some that were made right here in the shop! 

Among our favorite customizable items are the coordinates pillows which pinpoint Columbus in latitude and longitude for loved ones faraway or friends down the street. If Columbus isn’t your city, we can order pillows with the coordinates of whatever city, landmark or address you choose. Another favorite design is the postage cancellation pillow which can feature a name, city and zip. Take a look below! For custom orders around the holidays, it’s best to order as soon possible (like now), but we can also provide a certificate to present to your recipient letting them know an order has been placed and will arrive shortly.

We love our family necklaces which are beautiful as they are meaningful and made in nearby Granville, Ohio. Names or words can be stamped on antique metal charms, then paired with birthstones to create a one-of-a-kind piece that represents each member of the family and important events. Another reason to love these? Because the artist is local, we can have your necklace finished and to you lickety-split; give yourself four days between placing and receiving the order (longer if outside the Columbus area).

For the OSU fans in your life we’ve got handsome and handy pewter key chains, corkscrews, picture frames and the jolliest of all: the decanter set so you can really celebrate football, basketball or just Monday.

One of the most popular items in the shop are our shabby chic OH-IO signs. We love them for their simplicity and eco-friendliness; all the wood is reclaimed, so each piece is unique.

We’re also pretty proud of the Ohio themed stationery and holiday card sets designed right here at On Paper. You can give the stationery and send the cards for a downright Oh-ho-ho-io holiday. Perfect!

Bundle up, we can’t wait to see you in the shop!