Who doesn’t love to get mail? The real kind of mail, snail mail, the walk to your mailbox at the end of the driveway (or the lobby of your apartment building) kind of mail. I think it’s programmed in us from a very young age to get excited about mail. My nephew and niece are ecstatic when checking the mailbox. It’s the anticipation that something good is in there. Sadly enough, these days most of our mail is filled with junk mail, promotional flyers, piles upon piles of catalogs (stop sending me catalogs!), and bills. Bills are the worst. And so getting a nice note or a card or a postcard in the mail is such a treasure. One of the reasons that I love the months of November and December is because there is an influx of happy mail and holiday cards. But it shouldn’t be limited to just the end of the year I think.
I love cards and stationary and letters and everything about personalized, happy little notes to remind people that you are thinking of them. For our wedding a few years ago, I bought a little table top card holder and filled it with vintage postcards for people to sign in lieu of a guestbook. I treasure the postcards, and you better believe I kept that cardholder. And despite living in a small, oftentimes crowded apartment, I insisted that we keep the holder so that I can keep it stocked with cards and stationary. Poor Ryan, it’s not exactly the decor that he would go for on top of the dresser in our bedroom.
When I think about the kind of woman I want to be (and I think about this a lot), what usually comes to mind first is that I want to be someone who others consider as thoughtful and considerate and compassionate. A woman who, no matter how busy she is and no matter how long her to do list happens to be that day, always has time for her friends and family and coworkers and shows them (rather than telling them) how much they mean to her. And so I remind myself that even when I can’t hop on a plane for a visit, and even when there isn’t time for a phone call, there’s always time to write a quick note and pop it in the mail to show that I’m thinking about my people.
Cards can also be a wonderful way to deliver a message that might be hard. They can insert humor into a hard situation and be the perfect way to show someone you’re thinking about them when perhaps you don’t know how to say it. And so with this love for cards and stationary and notes, I am in major trouble every time I chance upon a card shop. And it happens a lot. I have a few favorites – in particular the Russian Hill Bookstore in our neighborhood has an amazing room full of beautiful, unique cards. Also down in the Marina there is a Papersource, which is another lovely store filled with beautiful cards, stationary, gifts and decorations. I like to stock up so that I have plenty of options for sending a quick hello or happy birthday to one of my friends.
I also have several favorite card companies. My all-time favorite is Rifle Paper Company. The cards are beautiful and whimsical and so very pretty. I also have a bit of a girl crush on the owner Anna, who seems so lovely and kind. Anna collaborated with Puffin publishers and designed beautiful covers for a few classic novels, and I begged my mom to go get them signed by Anna, who happens to live in Florida and happened to be doing a book signing in Tampa. Thanks Mom! I highly recommend following Rifle Paper Company and Anna on instagram, the snaps are lovely and will add a little bit of happy to your day (@riflepaperco and @annariflebond). Rifle has also partnered up with Paper Crown recently and created a beautiful line of clothing – I’m obsessed. How pretty is this dress?!
Here are a few of my favorites from Rifle:
Rifle also has beautiful calendars – this one’s in my office!
Another favorite company for cards is Emily McDowell Studio. Her cards are witty and pretty and sometimes snarky and I love them. Like Rifle Paper Co., Emily McDowell Studio also sells other items aside from cards, including this tote bag, which I adore.
Some favorites from Emily McDowell:
My all time favorite birthday card
While you certainly don’t need to go crazy and have a stock of cards for every occasion, perhaps next time you are thinking about someone you love, consider jotting a quick note to them and putting it in the mail. If it’s on a beautiful, funny or thoughtful card, even better!
Rifle Paper Company
Emily McDowell Studio
Russian Hill Bookstore
Paper Source
BY Jackie
LOCATION San Francisco, California
