I LOVE
DFC! I saw them for the 1st time at last year's show and I immediately wanted one of their big glitter unicorn head mounts for my apartment :) This year I had the chance to meet Mauricio Paniagua and Tony Moxham, the creative minds behind the line. They are incredibly nice and I'm always grateful to those brave souls who let me take their photo.
They met each other here in NYC and moved their business to Mexico City in 2005. In part, Mauricio shared, because of the cold wet winters we have here. Many exhibitors had to deal with canceled flights and delayed deliveries because of the snow this year.
Visit their
DFCasa to see fabulous pieces and learn more about the company. I agree completely with their
manifesto on the rose page!
Blue Q is another favorite of mine! They do an unparalleled job of combining ultra cute & kitsch with irreverent and funny. I own several of their bags, but don't yet have
Michelle Obama on swing, probably should. Think I need one of these
marshall marshmallow pouches for all my make-up and money, too ;)
Maybe they work? I love the weird old clock man is holding in
Live Forever tea.
more cuteness...
and some interesting names for Gum!
Hand sanitizer :) good to be clean...
I'm new to
Fluffy below, but glad I came across their booth. The bottle openers caught my eye. Their pieces are clean and modern but with a nostalgic twist because of the imagery. It's all very appealing and many pieces are hand made.
Fluffy Co is a small and friendly company run out of San Francisco, committed to sustainability and working with small family run businesses. You can learn more about them
here :)
I wrote about
Poketo last year and I've included them in a few random posts about favorite things this year.
Above, is Angie Myung. She and Ted Vadakan founded Poketo in 2003 in Los Angeles. They design limited edition art products, accessories, apparel & decor. Below, their beautiful new leather wallets and pouches.
I adore their colorful plastic covered wallets designed by a fun mix of artists including
Gary Baseman, Andrew Pommier, Lisa Congdon to name a few!
Read an interview with Angie and Ted in the latest issue of
Uppercase magazine and see more on their
blog.
The
Jonathan Adler Junior collection for kids couldn't be cuter!! It's vibrant, sleek and fun! What child (or adult) wouldn't want this plush fuschia chair with animal pillows? All looks perfect for the playroom in a penthouse :)
I intended to take a few photos of the
Jonathan Adler booth
for adult interiors, but it was just too busy when I stopped by. I took note of one of his popular quotes atop the display
"Minimalism Breeds Pessimism" :)
Lifeguard Press licenses Adler's bright and bold patterned designs for their terrific lines of stationery, notebooks, luggage tags, ipad & iphone covers, water bottles and much more!
You may associate
Lifeguard Press with
Lilly Pulitzer's fab and fun preppy designs. Love those oranges, pinks & greens. Below, her refreshing blue and orange folders :D
Wild and Wolf is a British company that designs in-house and licenses from a wide variety of artists, designers and companies. I was attracted to these designs by (paper-cutting master) artist
Rob Ryan.
I know very little about Rob Ryan, but have seen his paper designs on products and for sale at his etsy shop,
Misterrob. His pieces are delicate and beautiful.
In 2009,
Chronicle Books released "This Is for You"
- in their words- "Artful, eye-catching, and full of heart, renowned screen printer and artist Rob Ryan's papercuts have graced book covers, album covers, and the fashion collections of Paul Smith. In This Is for You, Ryan takes his unique vision and crafts a book-length valentine that will move the heart and engage the spirit with its charm and artistry."
Above, Dave Heffernan holds bag- "You Can Still Do a Lot with a Small Brain" I like this, but reminds me of Sarah Palin ;)
Penguin Classics pocket and desktop sized journals got a lot of attention. Like the thermos, too!
Shinzi Katoh is another artist/designer I've included in several posts. He is a much loved Japanese artist who has been creating work since the '70s. His designs and characters are sweet whimsical and original and he has influenced many!
Finally, I'll end part one of my post with
Maileg. I fell in love with these adorable stuffed animals, little mice in matchbox beds, bunnies, bears, pirates and pigs...
As soon as I saw this display booth, I felt great joy and envy! in a good way ;)
Maileg is a Danish company established in 1999 by Dorthe and Erik Mailil. The collection is now available in Japan, Canada and in the US :)
Dorthe creates everything! She is a well known graphic designer whose designs have been shown at the Louvre in Paris, Caixa Forum in Barcelona and at MOMA here in NYC. She has also been included in the
Danish Crafts Collection several times.
Bowling anyone?
I realize my focus here shifted from bright and bold pop products to quiet and sweet endearing pieces. I hope you've enjoyed seeing my picks this year. I had a terrific time running into vendors I met last year and finding new (to me) companies. Once again, I tended to stay in the
Accent on Design and
Studio sections of the show.
I will visit other blogs for everything else! Check back next week for part 2 :D
All good things must come to an end and this post concludes my coverage of the National Stationery Show 2010. My intention had been to publish one, maybe two parts on the show, similar to the way I covered the Gift Show this year. My focus was on the smaller, more independent designers, but I happened to love a lot of the designs and companies exhibiting this year. It was a real treat talking to designers that I admire, to learn about their process and business practices. This finale includes stationery, party supply, gift items and wall decor.
One of my favorite stops was Party Partners! I had a great time talking with Timothy Siciliano, who shows off his new shirt from Daffy's here. Originally called Daffy Dan's Bargain Town, Daffy's is a popular discount store here in NYC. It takes a real man to pull off a polka dot patterned shirt and Timothy did so beautifully ;)
As you can see, Party Partners specializes in party favors, decorations, hats, candles, cupcake sleeves and toppers with a fun retro appeal. Located in Seattle, Washington they run a wholesale and retail site, offering their super cute and colorful party decorations and gifts. You name it, they just may have it! I would definitely wear one of these animal hats :D
Below is Tami Rasmussen of Tam Tam Design. This was only her 2nd time exhibiting at the National Stationery Show. Last year, her debut collection won both "Rising Star" and "Card of the Year" Louie Awards, basically the stationery trade's version of the "Oscars" ;)
Tami launched Tam Tam Design Studio in late 2007 as a creative outlet and to share her love of correspondence with others. It's difficult to see in the photos, but her cards are delicately embellished with glitter for that subtle touch of sparkle!
Her current line includes the NEW skinny cards (above), boxed note sets and her signature greeting cards (below). I love the notebook style with sweet ribbon enclosure :)
As I mentioned in my post on Letterpress, she and Kelly Maron of Paper Stories Letterpress invited 12 terrific paper companies to participate in a calendar treasure hunt. Buyers were encouraged to collect a month from each participating booth. The calendar runs from the end of this show to the beginning of the next in 2011 and includes designs by Night Owl Paper Goods, Sycamore Street Press, Two Trick Pony, Paper Stories, L2 Design Collective, EcoJot, Pie Bird Press, Kamal, Bird Dog Press, Paper Loop and Susy Jack.
*This image above from Bird Dog Press
I would have loved to have met the mother and daughter team behind this creative force, but Elijah Katkin, Director of Business Development, was a friendly substitute ;) Founded by Gina and Anahata Katkin Papaya! was started in 2003 with a mere 20 blank greeting card designs.
Now a thriving company, in addition to cards, they sell lines of wrapping paper, tote bags, necklaces, water bottles, calendars, address books, journals, wall decor and more!! Visit their blog and see the newest collections :)
Impossible for me to walk by a booth this vibrant with images of robots, plus a designer hiding behind his products ;)
Coelacanth Gifts and Accessories (pronounced "see-la-kanth") also known as Robot, specializes in fun, funky designs that combine a contemporary aesthetic with a nod to the nostalgic. 
This is Moon Yee Yee, the Marketing Director, above. She was lovely to speak with and I learned that they sell three series, Robot & Rocket, Art Museum and Pirate Robot, now that's a category! These lines include recyclable bags, melamine tableware, pencil cases, stainless steel water bottles, luggage tags and so much more...
Shinzi Katoh is not only a very famous Japanese artist, but a much admired and influential Zakka designer. The aesthetic and design style grew out of Japan and focuses on household items that enhance an environment.
Shinzi describes Zakka as "the things that make people happy and exist like a comfortable air. That is what we keep in our heart when we create new design." His career took off in the '70s and he continues to design a wide array of household items, as well as T-Shirts, tote bags, bento boxes, stationery and more, plus he's had over 20 children's books published over the years! 
Greeting Life America was exhibiting some of his new products here. They also sell other lines of Japanese greeting cards.
In the summer of 2006, Carrie Siegel, below, and Laurie Mee launched Two Trick Pony, after agreeing that one trick just did not sound impressive enough ;) Their line of cards are screen-printed using water-based inks on 100% recycled materials. Their images are sharp and crisp!! Visit their blog to see some of the process take shape.
I think they merge retro style with clean design perfectly. Their cards and invitations are all very appealing! You can browse their line of invitations at Big Cartel and purchase stationery from their Etsy Shop Two Trick Pony offers digital printing for their line of invitations as an alternative to silkscreening, for those of us who need to save on costs.
Love this Home collection!
Specializing in peel & stick decor, Wallies' product lines include murals, big & small, growth charts, dry erase boards, chalkboards, vinyl decals, cut-outs, etc. Best to visit their website for the impressive range :D 
Of course, I paint custom murals, which you can't beat for creating a completely unique space for your child. However, these products are quite cute, engaging for kids and cost less than a custom commission. I see the appeal :)
Above is Julie Campbell, who was very nice and happened to be wearing the perfect coat, complimenting the sweet woodland growth chart behind her.
Below, the set as it comes in the package. 
Wallies sells many styles and not only for children's rooms. I simply like those best!
RoomMates, a division of York Wallcoverings, is another company specializing in peel & stick decor. They, too create very cute designs for children's rooms and more!
You have some freedom in how you decide to hang pieces and the great thing is that it's all removable, repositionable & reusable, mistake-free DIY! 
Stacks of books! That's pretty great, if you don't already have too many stacks of real ones around like I do ;)
Vespa! Who wouldn't love this in their clean cool & inspired design office?
"Why should a work of art only be visible inside a museum or gallery?" Club de Nouvelles Images was founded in 1957 by Jacques and Nicole Blanc in Paris for subscribers interested in art, cards, objects, books, etc.
I've had this postcard of Matisse with birds on my wall for many many years :)
They currently publish reproductions of paintings, drawings, illustration, black & white and color photography as home stickers, postcards, greeting cards, prints & posters, canvas prints and calendars. I love so many, it was hard to choose what to share here :)
Finally, it's time for a nice glass of wine... 
I've already used my sample card as a gift. It's especially perfect for those rare times when you're running late ;)
