It’s been such an amazing experience for me to see the #NSSClassof70 trading card pack slowly come to life. Hopefully by now you’ve heard about this exciting project sponsored by Legion Paper, Parse & Parcel, Stationery Trends and of course National Stationery Show —but if not, you can read more about it here.
Created to celebrate NSS’ 70th year, we invited all exhibitors to submit a trading card design with a 1970s vibe, using iconic trading cards and imagery from that decade as a jumping off point. We then picked 30 to feature, not an easy task! So many of the designs were brilliant, playing on nostalgic elements from tube socks to skateboards, disco to Star Wars, Ziggy Stardust to Dr. J. Participating exhibitors will hand them out at their booths, while Legion will be giving out a special container to hold it all together. Far out!
And today I’ve got a real treat, a peek at the card from Color Box Design & Letterpress! This freewheeling floral design will be letterpressed on Strathmore Pure Cotton in Chino from Mohawk. I think it’s so great that Rhonda has selected this paper, and can’t wait to see how the neon inks will look atop it. Don’t miss Booth 2031 — offerings from Color Box are exquisite. 
Strathmore Pure Cotton letterpress papers evoke the feel of a handmade paper, with a luxurious surface providing extra pop between the sheet itself and the impression. It’s available in two vintage shades of white as well as Smoke Gray and Chino. It comes in two calipers: 18 pt for digital printing and 20 pt and 40 pt for letterpress printing, with coordinating envelopes available with square or Euro flaps.
Meanwhile, Mohawk’s Superfine is also celebrating 70 years, and is the official paper of NSS. Expect to see a selection of Superfine items in Mohawk’s booths 2656 and 2657, and most NSS print materials will be on the paper as well. Mohawk has also initiated a campaign, #DearSuperfine where users are encouraged to send a birthday greeting, love note, fan letter, Instagram post, sketch, email or memory about their relationship with Superfine.
Of course, we’ve got a Superfine design in the #NSSClassof70 that I’ll be sharing soon! At any rate, this experience has given me an intense education in the role paper plays in any project — but the lesson won’t be truly complete until I get my hands on finished samples.
Speaking of which, you can get a finished set by being one of the first 100 attendees to arrive at my seminar the opening morning of NSS, May 15, at 9 am — an hour before doors open. Called “Taste Makers and Trend Shapers through Sarah’s Lens,” it will be a fun trends presentation seen through the talented eyes of the 30 participants. It’s $20 before the show, and $30 onsite — and you can register here. I sure hope to see you there! 
