Saturday, May 2, 2009

My G. Lalo binge: a French paper extravaganza

Package of paper

You've probably heard me bemoan my stationery-buying habit. It's a bit of a problem, and I am quite the hoarder. Combine this tendency with a really fantastic sale on high-quality papers I love, and that gets me a ginormous box of paper. Woo hoo!

I've just discovered Distinctive Stationery. How did I discover them? I can't even remember if it was a google search or if someone on the Fountain Pen Network recommended them. But they're having a big sale right now, folks, and I did succumb. Oh yes, I did.

They carry some Crane's, and I am pretty well set on that so I was able to resist, but I gave in to their selection of G. Lalo papers. Zowie. Here's my haul:

G. Lalo binge

All of these were right around 50% off, which is a fantastic deal. I always have some of the Verge de France tablets around; they make excellent second (or third, or fourth, etc) sheets in letters when I'm using my beloved fold-and-mails or decorative paper/envelope combinations. I had never tried the others, though, because I found them just too too expensive. Half price, though, I can swing. The Opera and Diane de Poitiers papers seem very much like the white or ivory Verge de France tablet sheets, except they're a slightly different size and they have deckled (kind of a pattern-cut) edges. One of these days (yeah, yeah, I know) I'll take a photo of those. The envelopes are really lovely, also with the pattern-cut flap and lined with crinkly tissue paper. The Borghese and Mode de Paris are heavier flat cards, and smaller. Writing a letter on any of these babies feels positively luxurious. I'm sure you'll all be seeing some of these wares in your mailbox from me at some point.

I will again plug the big sale, AKA the Clearance Closet, at Distinctive Sationery, for anyone looking for some fine papers. Their packaging, as seen above (they bubble-wrap PAPER??), is very secure, and these arrived extremely quickly. I'm satisfied with the service AND the prices.

Just for fun and for the curious, here's a little bit more about G. Lalo.

Guess I'd better go dig into that letter pile now and write me some letters!