At one point, my mailbox at work was overflowing with Fashion Week invitations. I was all a twitter.

Perry Ellis (clockwise from bottom left), Willow, Sass & Bide

These invites were like a fabulous piece of drywall. In other words, they were printed on very thick cardstock.

The Vivienne Tam invite had one of those cool images on the back that changes with the angle of the light. Swanky.

I liked the simplicity of the Yigal Azrouel invite. It’s a different kind of paper. It’s rough, yet gentle. It’s light, yet heavy. It’s an enigmatic piece of stationary that probably cost a lot of money to print on.

It seems like Philipe and David Blond took a cue from “Dreamgirls,” “Solid Gold” and “Xanadu” for their glossy invite.

This one was interesting. Ports 1961 sent out two invites: a plain one and another one that had a rubber-like cover and fabric. It smelled funny when I took it out of the envelope.

Lacoste’s lift-ticket inspired invite is so much fun - and that little blue knit pouch puts a smile on my face.

The invite for Brazilian fashion label, Iodice was so big that I had to lay it out on the floor (*cough* that’s what she said *cough*).

Folding it is like folding one of those obnoxious road maps - but the graphic on the front is fierce!

I am excited for the Custo Barcelona show for two reasons: 1.) Men’s and Women’s clothing is included - thats always a plus for me. 2.) The invitation is one of the most elaborate ones I have gotten yet. It’s like a magical kaleidoscope of fashionable fun! I can spin it for hours and hours.

Alexandre Herchovitch, (clockwise from left) Pamella Roland, Araks, Zang Toi, Douglas Hannant, Gustavo Arango; Reem Acra (center)

I am excited for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week which starts Friday - but I am just as excited for all the fun invites that I get in the mail. The invitations themselves are just as appealing as the shows - some of the invites I receive are even better better than the actual shows.

Checking my mailbox at work is like a Ralphie constantly checking his mailbox for his Radio Orphan Annie decoder pin in
“A Christmas Story.” Each time I get a new invite for fashion week festivities, it’s like a nice little gift. Some of them are elaborate, some of them are subdued and there are some that are unnecessarily over the top.

I enjoy them. They are like a little fashion show of stationary in your mailbox.

The ones above clearly take the minimalist route. They remind me of wedding invitations. They give you a feeling of quiet elegance, but all in all, they don’t really give you an impression of what to expect at the runway show - it’s very mysterious.

About two weeks ago I went to First Fridays after Five at the Oakland Museum of California. This was my first FFAF and I was looking forward to checking out the scene.

First and foremost, I was there for a screening of the documentary, Piece by Piece about the graffiti scene in San Francisco and its history.

I had about 20 minutes to kill before the screening (which I will talk more about later), so I decided to browse through the vendors…

I only got to visit a couple….

Laurie Coughlin runs Motormouthpress a delectable stationary company that gives these beautifully constructed paper products. Donned with ice cream sandwiches, quirky animals and other little treats, they are just as sweet as the graphics on them.

I didn’t get to see any of the other boots after I stopped at Twelve Designs a modern vintage jewelry company headed by Eden Stein. I was in awe of all of the vintage ware she had. Ranging from European to domestic, she had earrings, rings and stunning pendants that I couldn’t stop inspecting - especially the cuff links and tie tacks.

Her table was a virtual time machine of style. I ended up buying a very complicated tie tack from the 1940s. After Eden and I manipulated the device, we finally figured out how it worked…I think. Once I am sure how its supposed to be used, I will take a picture of it.

I can’t wait till my next FFAF - maybe I’ll have more time to look around.

There something about fancy and gorgeous stationary that strikes a chord with me. I can spend hours in one of those small paper product boutiques staring at gift wrapping, cards and other fun things that I can write on, wrap and put on my shelf to make my room look pretty.

When giving a card or a gift - it’s all about presentation. The perfect greeting card can just be as fashionable as the gift you’re giving - sometimes even more so. Sure, those Hallmark cards are good, but I like to keep my eye out for genuine artistic thought put into it.

Here are some cards and other paper goodies that you can get your hands on:

Brenna Giannini, the visual genius of the stationary company, Sugar Lily serves up some greeting cards that you would rather frame than give away. They are simple, modern, elegant and have this understated allure about them that pops. I remember I gave someone one of her “thank you” cards and they were in a state of awe in how beautifully designed it was - she was paying attention to the card more than the actual gift. I would say have a bunch of these in stock if you want to impress your gift receivers. Pictured: Lollipop, 1 for $2.50 or 3 for $6.

Zombie Escape Plan blank book journal, $12

When I first saw this “Zombie Escape Plan” book, I thought it was a horror novel, but I opened it to find that it was a journal - but it wasn’t your ordinary journal. Christine Renee of re-conceived.com has found a creative joy in fashioning magnets, buttons, journals and notebooks out of “unloved and damaged books.” Whether they are pages from antique dictionaries, loose leaf notebook paper, graph paper or retro instructional manuals, each product is different as has its own personal history - which is both “green” and snazzy.

Ironing Ladies, 6 1-inch buttons (badges) from old books, $6

Kawaii Cuddlies Note Cards (Set of 4), $8

As much as I hate to admit it, I got bitten by the “Awwwww, that’s SO cute!” bug when I saw these cards. Made by the creative minds at Lucid Dream Designs, these cards have that “Hello Kitty” Sanrio attitude, but A LOT less annoying and it doesn’t have that element of extreme tween bombardment. There’s a Bunny that’s “So Cute,” a mouse that’s “Too Cute,” a fox that’s “Always Cute” and a polar bear that’s “Forever Cute.” I just want to eat them all up. Oh lord - did I just say that?

With Paper Relics, Hope Wallace merges her love for design and whimsical “Alice in Wonderland-ish” character to create some of the most enchanting and fantastical array (but not in that unicorn and hobbit sort of way) of paper goods that illustrate her quirky, antique fairy-infused Paper Vignette greeting card collection.

With dream-like sweetness and vintage flair, Wallace offers postcards, holiday cards, note cards, wedding cards and every kind of card that you can think of - she also has a fine selection of ephemera: paper items that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles - yeah, I had to look that word up to see what it meant too. Pictured: Oh dear postcards: Individual, $1.50; Set of 10, $10.

For all you ladies out there (and some men), finding a guy to take home to the parents is hard to do. In fact, finding the perfect relationship is difficult - but not anymore! The tongue-in-cheek duo of Dean and Amy Crownover at Retro Recess have created an adult coloring book…no, not that kind of “adult.”

Dean and Amy remind us to “rediscover playtime” with the My Perfect Man Coloring and Activity Book. The book has everything you need for the perfect man. There’s a cowboy that says “I could ride all night” and tennis pro that says “Let’s work on your stroke.” There are NO sexual innuendos in this book at all. Plus, there are plenty of games you can play - a maze to find your perfect man and even a connect-the-dots activity to make your man come to life! The best thing about this book? These guys don’t argue and with a complete set of crayons, you have all the power.