I have gone through my 2011 NSS directory a couple times since the show, circled and recircled companies that i love, who had exciting new products at the show this year. I was hoping to share them all here, however there are just too many and I can’t hardly narrow them down!! I did have a few minutes at the show to walk around and so I decided to point out four companies/products that caught my eye in the little time I had to browse…

Mighty Wallet: Awesome product aside, I grabbed the above pin “Be Mighty” at their booth and the affirmation definitely lifted my spirits thru-ought the show. So I thank them for that. Their product is a wallet made out of (re-used) paper, so much paper that it’s quite strong (and mighty). I am always looking for fun things to do with all the paper scraps that I try to re-use before they go into recycling, so to see a company finding inventive ways to use paper is inspiring!

Fig2Design: Claudia’s bright color pallete in letterpress form is quite impressive & unique compared to any other letterpress out there. Her designs bring the 80’s color trend to the old/new process of letterpress, pure delight!

Gabe & Co: I’m not sure if I just fell in love with their enthusiasm, or maybe it was the lovely, poetic text that Gabrial writes for his greeting line, but I just whole-heartedly fell for Gabrial & his brother William! I could go on and on about how real & passionate they were about their products/goals & how much I look forward to seeing their growth, but instead, read for yourself:

“It’s much more than
The flowers, the dress
Or even the ring;
It’s about the moments
That haven’t yet come,
The joy you can’t yet know,
And love that hasn’t yet grown.”

De Milo Design: I’ve been following De Milo sense the first show I attended in 2008 (slightly creepy, I know:) and look forward to finally having some ideas to start using her gorgeous, sustainably made and fair trade handmade papers.