Vendor Spotlight: Express Yourself

Express Yourself in Basalt, Colorado is not just a fun name. It is a wonderful shop that can supply all your gift giving needs! Erin and Amy have a wonderful shop and such passion to stationery. Read more to see what Express Yourself is all about! These ladies have great answers to our questions!

How many years have you been in business?  Express Yourself has been in business for twenty years and we just celebrated our eighth year as owners! We – Amy Forsey and Erin Forsey Jones – are two sisters with a passion for paper and parties, gifts and goods, home and family and we love to share that with our plethora of paper and gift selections in our note-ably unique boutique. You will find Amy designing and creating in the store, while Erin works in the office more than a hundred miles away in Denver.

Do you have a website, if so, what's the address? We have a website, www.expressyourselfbasalt.com as well as a website specifically for our welcome bag business www.theHELLOtote.com. We also blog at www.daughterdaughter.blogspot.com

If you were to sell something other than stationery, what would it be? We already sell pretty much exactly what we want! If we were to do something other than stationery we would probably be documenters of life – in photographs and in written form. We both love to get behind the lens and capture the world around us – horses, our kids (Erin’s has two little girls and they love their Aunt Amy!), travel highlights, product photography, people, and nature. Erin loves to write too when time allows – fiction and non-fiction. There is something magical about celebrating and capturing all of life’s moments. Luckily, we get to be a part of that with our clients when we help plan the paper details of their events.

Besides the obvious (stationery), what is your favorite thing to give as a hostess gift? For hostess gifts we love to give whimsical cocktail napkins, especially the Mariposa napkin holders with weights. Bubble bath or a beautiful soap is always a nice gesture for the hostess and personalized coasters (from Haute Papier!) are such a thoughtful, and well received, gift.

Here at Haute Papier, we love to eat!  When in NYC for the National Stationery Show, where is your favorite place to grab dinner? Our latest favorite place to grab dinner, when in NYC for the National Stationery Show is Diablo Royale in the West Village. Definitely, worth the trip for some fantastic and authentic Mexican food. And of course, it is close to our favorite cupcake stop – Magnolia. There are definitely plenty of great cupcake options in the city, but this has been a favorite of ours for more than 12 years. We’re even working on perfecting the Magnolia cupcake at home for our next birthday party and think we just may have come across the secret ingredient!

Any other tidbits about your store you'd like to share? We are definitely a unique boutique in a small, mountain town and we love working with our customers – locals and visitors alike. Aspen is our neighbor and brings an eclectic and vibrant feel to our community, and ultimately to our store. We have watched some of our clients go from graduation to engagement to wedding to baby and beyond. Paper and gifts are our passion and it is exciting to share that – often creating a custom design that is one of a kind for a reception or celebration. We are working on expanding our own custom creations and are starting to reach a much larger clientele with online sales – keeping it personal but accessible. When we are not working, you will often find us with friends and family in Aspen and Denver, enjoying the good life! 

Thanks Amy and Erin for sharing! See you at the NSS.

The Paper Lady

Haute Papier enjoys getting to know our vendors! Rosie at The Paper Lady in Denver, Colorado has a wonderful store! It is a staple in the community and we just had to hear more about The Paper Lady!! So we just had to ask the Rosie more about her store!

How many years have you been in business? The store was previously owned by the original paper lady for 22 years, I worked for her for one year, learned she wanted to sell so expressed my deep love for correspondence and interest in all things paper.  I have since owned for 6 years, so it is a Denver staple!

Do you have a website, if so, what's the address? I do have a website, it is more informational and needs some serious TLC and updating, but it is: www.paperladyonline.com

If you were to sell something other than stationery, what would it be?
 I love candy and wine. So, I think it would be fun to have a fun boutique shop of either one of those.  My great grandfather was the founder of one of the country’s first department stores so I suppose retail is in my blood!

Besides the obvious (stationery), what is your favorite thing to give as a hostess gift? I love to give anything personalized as a hostess gift, something unique to the individual that stands out and shows your appreciation for the invite and attention to detail.  I love it when I can really “wow” the hostess, as being entertained is such a treat, and such a gift when you can master the craft!

Here at Haute Papier, we love to eat! When in NYC for the National Stationery Show, where is your favorite place to grab dinner? I too, love to dine.  NYC is so tricky, there are so many fabulous spots and the restaurant scene is always changing.  I love Seraphina.  Great atmosphere and always yummy reliable food.  The Mercer Kitchen never disappoints and it is a fun vibe downtown.  La Goulue was one of my faves, but I have heard they closed,  hopefully it will be opening again, it was such a dee-lish French bistro on the upper east side.  Clearly I need to take these taste buds back to NYC to see what and where the new hot spots are!

Any other tidbits about your store you'd like to share? I love this business so much, because I think correspondence is truly an art form and an invaluable skill.  I believe so strongly in it.  I also love to entertain, and think it too is so important and personal.  I swear that I was born in the wrong era/generation!  I  love the feel of a small shop and the attention to detail we place on each customer and order.  We pride ourselves on really getting to know our customers, as we navigate them through these many milestones in life, by putting them on paper!  In this day and age of everything electronic and all the big chains, it is nice to slow down, read between the handwritten lines and shop local!

Thanks so much for sharing with us Rosie!! See you at the National Stationery Show in a couple months!!!

Make-It Monday from Colorado!

Greetings from Breckenridge!  I'm here on a little get-away at our friend's beautiful home before the holiday rush begins at Haute Papier!   Yesterday we went for a great hike and then visited the Summer Fun Park at the bottom of the gondola where we panned for gems.  Yes, panned for gems with all of the kids.  I did ask and we weren't the first adults to take part!  Once we saw the gorgeous pieces of granite and quartz that the youngings were uncovering, I couldn't resist the urge to make a necklace from them. The process was simple.  I purchased some silk cording, thin gold wire and a bead to act as a fastener at the end of the necklace at the bead store in town and then went to town on wrapping our findings.  I left a loop at the top of the stone to tread it onto the silk and tied little knots at the end so I could adjust the length of the necklace. Isn't it pretty?