Paper, a Source of Pleasure

Some catalogs are pointless. Others are altogether delightful. Paper Source is in the "other" category, not because I buy from it but because I love the papers pictured in it.

The catalog itself is printed on heavier-than-usual stock, ribbed, so I can still feel the natural fibers that make up the pulp. The back cover says, "This catalog is printed on Green Seal certified paper with 30% post-consumer waste. Please save, reuse or recycle this catalog in a creative way -- make pretty envelopes, gift wrap, origami . . . or pass it along to inspire a friend!" These last comments are bit crafty-cutesy for my taste, but the idea is admirable.

Inside, the receiver will find equally cutesy items I'd never buy or make -- dye-cut Halloween figures, for instance, or miscellaneous "autumn creations." The discerning reader/peruser, however, will also find these delights: embossing tools; stationery; letterpress cards; and Cavallini desk supplies.

In my own bookbinding, I love using Cavallini papers. Although machine pressed, they cover book board smoothly and hold up under wear. More importantly, their designs are whimsical and vintage -- bright red birds and cages on a turquoise field, or Parisian postcards and stamps, deco-inspired graphics of European cities, or maps, and gaily colored koi.

Cavallini makes me smile any day. Today, it did when I discovered the catalog in my mail box.