You've been patient. And now it's time to go to "Essence du Papier."
So I had serendipitously stumbled upon Dame Plume, a store and workshop near St. Viateur Bagels. And, since I have a love for stamps and inks, I asked them if they knew of anywhere in the city that might sell such things. They said they weren't sure, but perhaps someone at the store "Essence Du Papier" would know. So the next day, when my family and I decided to venture into the city again (to eat Schwartz's smoked meat sandwiches, but that's another story for perhaps another day), I asked if we might go on a bit of a treasure hunt.
We found it. We went in. And oh the paper! I mean, just look at the rainbow of paper and envelopes in the picture above! I swooned. I wanted to pick up nearly everything in the store, but my bank account wouldn't really allow me to take it all home with me. So I limited myself, and went with a selection of goodies. Once I got home, I took photos of these goodies.
They didn't, in the end, have any inkpads or stamps, nor did the other store they suggested, so perhaps I'll just have to make a special trip to New York City to visit The Ink Pad. (That plus my family just outside the city might be reason enough!) So, as you'll see after the photos of paper goodies, I decided to satisfy my ink/stamp cravings and yours, and took a shot of the first stamp I ever bought, a cute little berry twig. It's just the berries!
These are greeting cards with blank insides. I love the psychedelic/Indian/Moroccan prints and colors. They're also sparkly. I'm using these to decorate my room, actually, and may never send them to anyone!
This is a sheet of paper where the print is actually pretty faint until you hold it up to the light. It is pinned to the clothesline and the bright sun is shining through from the other side.
These are the three sheets I did buy at Essence du Papier. It was pretty tough to limit myself, but I decided just to grab the first three that caught my eye, and go with it.
The envelopes are from the section of the store pictured above, with the rainbow-display. Again I went with "I don't have much time, so I'm going to have to just pick some and hope for the best." The cards were the same - so many cards! So little time! (And money...)
Ducks detail.
When I saw this calendar, I had to have it. The Helvetica, the colors, the form! My 2010 needs more art and more graphic design. Starting with this.
And here we are. One little stamp picture to finish it off. I wonder what it is about stamps that I love so much? Is it that I'm making a mark on the world when I use them? Is it the do-it-yourself-art that appeals? I'm not sure. But I'll keep stamping to figure it out. And to have fun.
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