Where do I find a high quality card to congratulate my friends on their engagement?
November 16, 2009 7:27 PM Subscribe
Please help me find a nice place to buy high quality stationery--either in Boston or online--so that I can congratulate two close friends on their engagement.
I'd like to send them a card of higher-than-Hallmark quality. As a young man I'm unfortunately at a bit of a loss for how one goes about finding such things. I was hoping there was some paper maven out there.
They are both well-educated and possess relatively refined taste (e.g. they go see opera, ballet, etc.), so I'd like something that is a bit "impressive," for lack of a better word. (For example, can you buy gold leaf cards?) They're both Renaissance scholars, so something a touch old-fashioned might go over well.
Thanks in advance for any ideas! Also feel free to point out any points of protocol I might be missing, as I'm not that experienced with weddings.
I'd like to send them a card of higher-than-Hallmark quality. As a young man I'm unfortunately at a bit of a loss for how one goes about finding such things. I was hoping there was some paper maven out there.
They are both well-educated and possess relatively refined taste (e.g. they go see opera, ballet, etc.), so I'd like something that is a bit "impressive," for lack of a better word. (For example, can you buy gold leaf cards?) They're both Renaissance scholars, so something a touch old-fashioned might go over well.
Thanks in advance for any ideas! Also feel free to point out any points of protocol I might be missing, as I'm not that experienced with weddings.
I like Papyrus. They have a lot of beautiful cards, and it looks like they have stores in Boston.
You could buy an engagement-themed card, or just buy something pretty and nice and write your own sentiment inside.
posted by apricot at 7:35 PM on November 16, 2009
You could buy an engagement-themed card, or just buy something pretty and nice and write your own sentiment inside.
posted by apricot at 7:35 PM on November 16, 2009
Paper Source is probably what you're looking for. They have more fine paper goods than you can shake a stick at, and they have several locations in the Boston area.
posted by Diagonalize at 7:36 PM on November 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Diagonalize at 7:36 PM on November 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
You can usually buy Papyrus cards at bookstores now, in my experience, or even at Target and Meijer. They are high-quality and I'm always impressed when I get one in the mail.
You could also look into Crane's stationary. Their paper is really nice. They carry Crane's at Bob Slate Stationer in Cambridge, which seems like the place to go for your question. It's apparently a place for stationary lovers; a friend that lived in Boston told me about it when I confessed my obsession with buying greeting cards. It is probably a bit expensive. It looks like they have a shop in Harvard Square but I imagine that the one in Porter Square is better.
posted by k8lin at 7:56 PM on November 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
You could also look into Crane's stationary. Their paper is really nice. They carry Crane's at Bob Slate Stationer in Cambridge, which seems like the place to go for your question. It's apparently a place for stationary lovers; a friend that lived in Boston told me about it when I confessed my obsession with buying greeting cards. It is probably a bit expensive. It looks like they have a shop in Harvard Square but I imagine that the one in Porter Square is better.
posted by k8lin at 7:56 PM on November 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Paper Source, most definitely - the best stationery store around! Also, if you're closer to Harvard Square, Bob Slade has a good selection of very nice stuff.
posted by AthenaPolias at 7:56 PM on November 16, 2009
posted by AthenaPolias at 7:56 PM on November 16, 2009
There's a Crane's in the prudential center. Very nice stationary, but also very expensive and quite a bit better than papyrus (in my opinion).
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 8:33 PM on November 16, 2009
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 8:33 PM on November 16, 2009
Response by poster: Alright, it looks like I've got a reasonable shortlist to try out tomorrow. Thanks everyone!
posted by dubitoergosum at 9:24 PM on November 16, 2009
posted by dubitoergosum at 9:24 PM on November 16, 2009
Yes -- Crane & Co. and Papyrus are both in the Prudential Center.
posted by ericb at 9:25 PM on November 16, 2009
posted by ericb at 9:25 PM on November 16, 2009
There's also Rugg Road Paper Company at 105 Charles Street.
posted by ericb at 9:28 PM on November 16, 2009
posted by ericb at 9:28 PM on November 16, 2009
I'd advise getting some good stationery (Crane is fine, but there are other nice brands; I myself am fond of the correspondence card) and writing a note of congratulations. What you write is more important than what you write it on, and the recipients will appreciate that you took the time to put your own words to paper. Be brief, though.
posted by lakeroon at 9:29 PM on November 16, 2009
posted by lakeroon at 9:29 PM on November 16, 2009
Bob Slate is the #1 BEST place for lovely stationery and cards, plus things like stamps, ribbons, nice pens, and more. They have WONDERFUL people there who will help you put together what you want, and it will probably end up being less expensive than Papyrus or Paper Source, plus more unique and probably higher quality when you get right down to it.
I loved Bob Slate's when I lived near Porter Square, I miss it terribly! All you do is get off at the Porter Square T stop and walk past the Shaw's shopping center a couple blocks and it'll be to your right. I can't recommend it highly enough.
posted by Mizu at 9:31 PM on November 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
I loved Bob Slate's when I lived near Porter Square, I miss it terribly! All you do is get off at the Porter Square T stop and walk past the Shaw's shopping center a couple blocks and it'll be to your right. I can't recommend it highly enough.
posted by Mizu at 9:31 PM on November 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
I don't have any stationary suggestions that haven't been mentioned (Papyrus is one of my faves) but I would recommend sealing wax and a seal of course.
My local chain craft store has a small selection ... not in the stationary/pens aisles but rather in the wedding aisle. They sell a few colors (red, gold, silver) of wax sticks and a few seals in letters and generic symbols (intertwined hearts, dove, fleur de lis, etc).
There are some websites that sell the supplies and even custom seals but I don't have any recommendations.
Basically you light a stick of the sealing wax and usually drip it into a small puddle to seal an envelope. Once you have a good amount of wax you stamp your seal into it. I think it's really fun, classic, and charming.
The craft store wax is of the flexible variety so you don't actually get to crack the seal, more of a ... peeling motion. Supposedly it's so that the wax doesn't crack in the mail. But, I'd say the stiff wax is definitely more traditional and awesome to open. I've seen some for sale with on-line retailers.
posted by simplethings at 10:33 PM on November 16, 2009
My local chain craft store has a small selection ... not in the stationary/pens aisles but rather in the wedding aisle. They sell a few colors (red, gold, silver) of wax sticks and a few seals in letters and generic symbols (intertwined hearts, dove, fleur de lis, etc).
There are some websites that sell the supplies and even custom seals but I don't have any recommendations.
Basically you light a stick of the sealing wax and usually drip it into a small puddle to seal an envelope. Once you have a good amount of wax you stamp your seal into it. I think it's really fun, classic, and charming.
The craft store wax is of the flexible variety so you don't actually get to crack the seal, more of a ... peeling motion. Supposedly it's so that the wax doesn't crack in the mail. But, I'd say the stiff wax is definitely more traditional and awesome to open. I've seen some for sale with on-line retailers.
posted by simplethings at 10:33 PM on November 16, 2009
At the Crane store, you might look at these:
Letter Sheets with Florentine Liner
Peacock Tea Collection Notes
Palazzo Print Notes
Engraved Compass Cartography Correspondence Cards
Blind Embossed Damask Notes
posted by Houstonian at 2:51 AM on November 17, 2009
posted by Houstonian at 2:51 AM on November 17, 2009
Paper nerd and Bostonian here. Good suggestions above and lakeroon's is the one I dropped in to recommend. I think Bob Slate is the place you want, as it will have Crane's paper and many other fine papers, as well as fountain pens, sealing wax, etc. for any other fanciness you choose. I would put the papers mentioned in the following rank order in terms of quality:
- Several fine papers at Bob Slate (including Crane's, but I would suggest something like G. Lalo, among others)
- PaperSource - nice weight paper in many different sizes and colors, but you'd probably opt for something off white)
- Papyrus - I haven't been thrilled with their stuff, but it's definitely a couple of steps above Hallmark.
posted by cocoagirl at 3:45 AM on November 17, 2009
- Several fine papers at Bob Slate (including Crane's, but I would suggest something like G. Lalo, among others)
- PaperSource - nice weight paper in many different sizes and colors, but you'd probably opt for something off white)
- Papyrus - I haven't been thrilled with their stuff, but it's definitely a couple of steps above Hallmark.
posted by cocoagirl at 3:45 AM on November 17, 2009
You totally want to go to Bob Slate's.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:38 AM on November 17, 2009
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:38 AM on November 17, 2009
I loved Bob Slate's when I lived near Porter Square, I miss it terribly! All you do is get off at the Porter Square T stop and walk past the Shaw's shopping center a couple blocks and it'll be to your right.
Or go to the even larger Harvard Square store, which is at 1288 Mass Ave, even closer to a T stop.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:31 AM on November 17, 2009
Or go to the even larger Harvard Square store, which is at 1288 Mass Ave, even closer to a T stop.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:31 AM on November 17, 2009
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posted by patheral at 7:32 PM on November 16, 2009