A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the National Stationery Show at the Javits Center in New York City, along with my sisters Allison and Lisa. The National Stationery show is an annual trade show that exhibits over 800 booths and showcases a large array of stationery products ranging from paper products, to lifestyle and gift items. To me, it was a little slice of heaven.
Our trip to the show served two purposes. First, to be inspired by the multitude of talented invitation vendors and artists who displayed their amazing work. Many of the booths we checked out were fellow invitation designers from across the world. I was in awe of some incredible typography, beautiful illustrations and innovative printing techniques. One of the greatest lessons I learned at the show is the importance of a distinct style. Often I struggle with wanting to “do it all”, by creating designs that will appeal to a vast audience. While I still believe it is important to offer a variety of options, I do have a style of my own and I am going to strive to design offerings that are more distinctly “Michelle”.
The second purpose of attending the show was to scope out some different paper suppliers as well as new tools for crafting and assembly. I was overwhelmed by the amount of amazing products we came across. We visited many different supplier booths and were able to build new relationships with companies that will allow us to offer even more possibilities and options to our future clients. I am happy to report that we returned with a rejuvenation and armed with some awesome paper products and invitation formats that we can’t wait to share!
