Good Eats In NYC

Wow, do I love to eat!! And one of the reasons why New York is such a great event city is because of all of its restaurants. From greasy spoon to ultra fine tablecloth, there’s a selection to be had.

One of the more interesting websites for finding good eats is www.blackboardeats.com. Register for free and every few days you’ll receive news about a good eats deal. It could be a free bottle of wine, a free cheese platter or 30% off your dining bill. Eateries of all kinds are included in this -- from very new places to very established restaurants like Aquavit or Cipriani.

You’ll receive the “deal” via email. You’ll have 24 hours to decide if you want this deal. It’s a one day only invitation but you get a pass code and thirty days to use it. These places are not sluggish little cafes that are hurting for business, so make a reservation whenever possible. It’s a great way to entice you to try many different types of restaurants in many different neighborhoods.

So when you’re in NY for the NSS, don’t just stay in midtown. Take a cab, take the train, take the bus, and try something different. Life is good. Go take a big bite out of it!

Have fun! Alyson

Hello, cupcake!

Recently, I’ve received several calls, from different exhibitors in the National Stationery Show, asking if it would be okay for them to serve cupcakes in their booths. I’m thinking, what is going on here? All these requests for cupcakes!! Okay, we know they’re easy to serve, we also know that if you’re of a certain age, it was still okay for mom to bake 24 cupcakes for your kindergarten class to help you celebrate your birthday. So for some of us, cupcakes conjure up a great memory.

But here we are, and they are still going strong. After all, New York has its famous Cupcake Café – and I know many exhibitors in the Show have visited it! It’s so close to Javits – on 9th Avenue between 40th and 41st Street – an easy walk on a nice day! Here’s a photo of one of their delicious cupcakes. Yum!


I am totally excited to see all of the amazing cupcake wrappers offered by Paper Orchid at the Show this year. Here’s a picture of one – look at that intricate laser-cutting to make those butterflies! Just lovely.



Check out this cute birthday card – and wrapping paper - from Snow & Graham! (Ladies, can’t wait to see you again this year at the Show!!)


That wrapping paper is single sheet, by the way, and exactly how I like to buy gift wrap these days.


Boatman Geller has cute stationery (more pink and brown!)



Mrs. Grossman’s has these cute stickers! I like that the cupcakes on these stickers have sparklers on the top. I think a lot of folks actually are serving them that way these days. What fun!




I know I’m only scratching the surface here on the cupcake “thing!” I’m sure there are loads more exhibitors in the National Stationery Show who will be featuring cupcake product. My question is, when exactly did this get so hot? Jess and I were musing about this the other day, and we couldn’t quite put our finger on it. All we know is that it most certainly is a “thing!” By the way, if you’ll be offering cupcakes in your booth at the Show, please save me one! (My favorite would probably be chocolate with vanilla buttercream frosting!)

- Kelly

Nature’s Inspiration

Every year, thousands of people sing the song “White Christmas” and unfortunately (in my opinion), many never experience a true white Christmas. This year however, the NSS girls will NOT be in that group of unfortunate people! I predict a very white December in the New York area. The icy, snowy weather that clobbered the Midwest early this week picked up steam and hit us hard. Yesterday’s storm was a doozy. In anticipation, town and city services were on alert, schools were delayed or closed. Yet we had 100% attendance at the office – and many of us packed our shovels and boots just in case our front doors were snowed shut!



I don’t know about you, but extreme winter weather sparks my creativity. There is nothing like the true beauty of freshly fallen snow on the trees or the way the moon hits the snow at night. Or, how about the clear icicles hanging from the roof of a house?

So many holiday card images stem from things we see in nature every day. And, whether your winter image is a sandy beach, terracotta mountains, green pastures, flowers bursting alive across a valley or chimneys exhaling smoke from the fireplace below, I hope when you look out the window, you are equally inspired by nature’s beauty.

Leaving soon for GLM’s annual holiday celebration, so once again, enjoy the season!

-Jess