the wonder of commerce

something i'm mindful of when it comes to letter writing is that it's easy to generate a lot of waste or fall into bad habits of buying waaaay too many brand new materials that may never be used. while I definitely still buy new stuff, a lot of what I like to use in my letters is vintage or lightly used stationery sourced from all over. i also really enjoy supporting small and indie artists! so below is a list of great places to pick up unique materials that aren't contributing as much to a culture of hyperconsumerism and waste.

divder of hearts with the lesbian flag colors

  • Recycloves - vintage letter sets, playing cards, stamps and various ephemera
    Stacy is a dear friend who always finds the coolest vintage stationery and sells it at great prices! She runs sales on her Instagram as well as running an Etsy shop. Some of my most prized papers and ephemera come from her. I especially love using playing cards for gift tags or cutting out the artwork to decorate envelopes.
  • Thistle Creative Reuse - just about every crafty + art thing you could ever want
    Thistle is an AMAZING store where almost everything sold is donated by the community. Think of it like a Goodwill except solely art supplies and craft materials. I've found some really unique stuff there that I like to include in letters, like old Polaroid slides from a strangers vacation to Germany in 1962 or postcards from tourist traps with kitschy installations. It's also great for fabric you won't find anywhere else and practical supplies for cheap.
  • Em's Faerie Garden - art, stickers, printables plus super cute hats!
    Lots of super cute stickers and printables! I back Em's patreon and get cute stickers sent to me monthly that are brand new designs based off patron polls. They're always a fun thing to receive and I love adding them as small gifts to pen pals or using them to decorate pages. A lot of them are 90s nostalgia themed, including furbies and neopets!
  • The Washi Station - seasonal washi tape releases designed by lots of indie artists
    be careful entering this site because you WILL want to buy many, many rolls of washi. the designs are super unique, gorgeous, adorable, quirky and so many other wonderful words. I've bought many different kinds of washi tape from The Washi Station and loved them all. I'm super excited for the upcoming October drop for spooky tapes!