Stationery Trend #10: Paper Prose

What happens when you roll up your favorite lines from a bunch of chick flicks and beach reads, a few glasses of wine, a passion for paper and a talented girlfriend? Answer: a darling concept from Verbatem. Hand drawn by Terri Pluma, this line is colorful, personal and funny in a push-the-envelope kind of way.

Verbatem boasts that their Paper Mantra collection is full of quirky diva references sure to get any conversation started. I am confident that they are the only stationery with a uniquely personal biography on the back of every card! Here’s a couple of my personal favorites:






Here’s a picture of me and Terri at her booth at NSS:



Speaking of keeping things personal... when Terri created my bio, she listed:

Heidi Kallett, Shopaholic, Retail Therapist, Stationer Extraordinaire! (She’s such a smart lady…).

Stationery Trend #9: Sass and sophistication

If you are screaming to show your inner diva, look no further than Bella Ink. Queen diva, Melissa Danaher (founder of Bella Ink), must channel smart, successful, and savvy women when creating her fabulous designs. If Carrie Bradshaw were to order invitations, Bella Ink would be a must! (All divas know who Carrie Bradshaw is, right?)





Bella Ink’s invitations are the mack daddy of style and fashion!



The creative genius behind Bella Ink, Melissa (the fashionista) …and me.

Stationery Trend #8: Rainbow connection

On a dreary NYC spring day in May, I was so relieved to see my next stationery trend I will share with you: COLOR. Tons of it--everywhere. From screaming citrus, gleeful greens, outrageous orange and punching pinks, the kaleidoscope of color was at its best this season.

Some of my favorite styles are from the folks at Jenny Sweeney. To quote them (loosely), “We add a dash of sparkle and a pinch of shine to every design! Our colorful creations find inspiration in the tiny wonders of the world.” Here’s a few of my favorite greeting cards from them:





Celebrity divas Mariska Hargitay, Debra Messing and Courteney Cox all find that Jenny Sweeney tops their lists of favs too!










Another colorful addition for The Dandelion Patch… a new line from Boatman Geller called Carrie and Tuck. These portfolios won’t be coming to The Patch until fall, but in their words, “they make writing a grab-and-go activity.” Here’s a picture of Greg Geller with his newest offspring.

Stationery Trend # 7: Where the wild things are

In my last post I mentioned that stationery trends follow runway collections. Well, here’s another observation: animal prints are wild this season! My friends from Lady Jayne sent out a roar with their spotted leopard prints and black and white zebra prints. This animal attraction may be just the thing you need to liven up your office!









Just in case you don’t have the animal instinct on how to WEAR the fashion statement this season, you might check out this entry from Cynthia Nellis on “How to Wear Animal Prints”.

Stationery Trend #6: All that glitters…

In the world of stationery, design trends usually follow fashion. And if you haven't noticed, “bling” is the rage all over the runways... so this year is no exception. In fact, Stevie Streck won a Louie Award AND a cult-like following in the stationery world (as in: polite and gracious, but I GOTTA HAVE IT kind of following) for her designs with die cuts and glitter galore.

Now, I must admit that I LOVE Stevie’s designs and the fact that our customers constantly flock towards our wall of "Stevie" doesn't hurt … but the real reason I love her so much is because she always asks me for feedback and new ideas for designs. So customers hear this: sometimes your suggestions make their way directly to Stevie and sometimes even directly to her showroom!



Here’s a picture of me and Stevie showing off her well-deserved award.



Can you guess what I was thinking after a long day's work? (Drinks anyone??)



These are my favorite invitations for rehearsal dinners, bridal showers or save-the-dates.



As you can see, all of Stevie’s designs have a 3-dimensional feel: bling, feathers, ribbon and tulle are her signatures. Want to make a lasting impression on your guest with your invitation?? You won’t go wrong with any Stevie Streck product.

Stationery Trend #5: And oh the places you’ll go!

In stopping by to visit my friend, Sally Sharp from Sharp and Sally, we got to talking about her lovely Asian-inspired stationery this season. I immediately was drawn to Sally's up-to-the-minute spin on traditional Chinese patterns and colors. Sally told me, “I’m loving chinoissere this season.” Well, apparently me too, because I bought enough for all of us!



These are just a few of the beautiful patterns that will be coming your way!



And from Chinese décor and paper, I crossed over into Arkansas with Kit McDonald, the fearless leader of Oddballs. When I asked her about taking pictures for my blog, she quickly laughed, “What a day! Today we had our first customer from Saudi Arabia and now I will be part of my first blog.” Apparently, The National Stationery Show (NSS) really IS a global experience! Kit is a true stationery icon and deserves several loyalty points: she’s been an exhibitor at the NSS since 1993!



Her beautiful water colored invitations are so charming that anyone would want to plan a party just to use her designs. These are a few previews of the gorgeous holiday invitations she creates (and I buy!).

Stationery Trend # 4: Green is the new black

It can’t be a surprise to you that everyone’s goin’ green. The Stationery Show was no exception. Caroline Kennedy, Executive Editor from Gifts and Decorative Accessories says it best: “whether its paper manufactured from 100% post-consumer waste or elephant poo… eco-product is here to stay." And at this year’s show, I found that we don’t have to sacrifice style and quality for the environment.

After seeing the uplifting and introspective line of greeting cards from PositivelyGreenCards.com, I decided that we just HAD to bring them into The Patch. Come support a local business (us), buy a thoughtful card for a friend and feel good about doing your part to fight global warming… WOW! It doesn’t get any better than this tri-fecta!


Did you know that your existing tires had such an impact on Mother Earth? Tip #39: Properly inflated tires roll easier, last longer, reduce engine wear, improve gas mileage and prevent 250 lbs. of CO2 a year from polluting the atmosphere.


Which one is your favorite quote??

Never fear… we have the whole collection coming soon to a “Patch” near you!

Stationery Trend #3: Good Humor

While I was dashing through the aisles of the Stationery Show, I found myself laughing all the way (ha, ha, ha). I saw some of the most clever and unique novelty products with “girl humor” (and perhaps my name) written all over them. I mean really, who wouldn’t benefit from a little “Bochox” chocolate? From greeting cards that make you smile because someone thinks just like you (!) to conversation styro cups that are sure to get your party talking, a sense of humor is always in good taste.


The coolest thing about these conversation cups by T-Hee Greetings is that each one in the sleeve of 10 has a different witty saying. Isn’t that way better than those over-used wine rings anyway? They even come in an 80’s version too. While I was engrossed testing my knowledge about Flashdance, Pretty in Pink and Rubik’s Cubes, I was thinking two things: 1) what ever happened to Andrew McCarthy? and 2) are leg warmers ever coming back in fashion?



Amy Smyth has one of the hippest booths in New York. While I love her greeting cards, I love her more because she frequently quips one of my all-time favorite quotes… “write a freakin’ note”. My thoughts exactly.


The folks at Bloomsberry & Co. have one wicked sense of humor. From their “girth control” to their “ultimate balanced diet” of chocolate, you can surprise your girlfriends to a deliciously funny and yummy treat!

Stationery Trend #2 : It's a personal calling

While at the National Stationery Show, I definitely noticed that monograms and personalized at-home products were the rage. Everything from playing cards and coasters to recipe boxes and serving trays had snappy and preppy monograms on them from my favorite gal pal from Brooklyn, Dabney Lee. In case you aren’t familiar with this lovely lady, you should know that she is a personal favorite at “The Patch” and our “Patchettes” chair her fan club! It all started when she came down to Virginia to visit last October—spending a weekend with us at both stores doing a very special trunk show. A few cocktails and a new pair of Tory Burch shoes, and the rest is history…



Here are Dabney and I hanging out on the first day of the show. Notice her pink and green booth… did I tell you that she was the queen of preppy?





Officially, Dabney calls this line “Dabney Lee at home”. Although I don’t cook much (at all), I think the personalized recipe card holder would make a great bridal shower gift.

Isn’t the tray with the black and white lattice pattern darn cute?? I’m thinking it’s a perfect gift for any hostess! And how about that monogrammed clipboard? I can’t wait to order one for myself! Working in style never got so easy.

Welcome! Stationery Trend #1: Bolder Folders

Welcome to our blog! For those of you that aren’t familiar with The Dandelion Patch, you can go to the About Us section on our website and learn more about me and my business philosophy. However, this blog is about the things I see weekly that are positively fun, funny and soon-to-be famous. I will post weekly, so check back often as I share my thoughts and opinions about the perfect gifts, today’s etiquette and fabulous designers and trends.


Today I will start by telling you about my recent visit to the National Stationery Show in New York City. It is THE annual pilgrimage for all stationery buyers. This year, I found several goodies and themes that I’d like to highlight so you can be up-to-the-minute on fashionable paper. Just make sure you keep coming back to our blog to learn all of my secrets!

For the New York Stationery Show, I will focus on my Top 10 Stationery Trends.

First, we have what I will call the “BOLDER FOLDERS” and matching clipboards concept. Plain manila folders are definitely out! Think preppy pinks, animal prints and fabric inspired patterns…. They were everywhere, but I must say that the cutest patterns are coming from one of my favorite designers, Whitney English. Stop by the store soon to see for yourself.

Playing on her last name, “English Royalty” was her theme for the show.



Shown here is a quick pic of me donning a borrowed tiara (I left mine at home!) with my blonde buddy, Whitney.



Whitney married David Kolb this year—so she is now the expert in weddings too!