The quest for paper in a paper state

You’d think it would be easy to get paper around here.

But alas, during a recent attempt to make invitations, I discovered this is not the case. It was like walking into a grocery store in Presque Isle to find they’re out of potatoes. Or going to a fish market in Stonington that doesn’t sell lobster. I mean, we’re in Maine. If we can buy sushi at Shaw’s, we should be able to buy good paper anywhere.

I love paper, whether it’s a richly textured handmade sheet or a waxy leaf of vellum. I like heavy, linen card stock and thin, floral-printed Japanese rice paper. I love the way it feels when my pen glides across the surface. I love the way it looks when different sheets and weights play against each other. In short, I love to play with paper.

After a trip to Papier Gourmet in Portland, a paper lover’s mecca, I had toyed with the idea of printing my invitations on a premade card by London artist Roger LeBorde. They were cute and stylish, but I wanted to make something that expressed my creativity – not his. I should’ve just bought the supplies there, but I figured I would be able to find everything I needed for less in Bangor.

I was half right.

The one thing that saved me is the hugely popular trend of scrapbooking. I hardly have the organizational skills needed to take my photos out of a shoebox and put them in an album, let alone place them on pretty pieces of paper with captions and stickers and all sorts of other cool embellishments. But plenty of people do, and the result is a surprising variety of printed papers, vellum, paper punches, handmade stickers and other accouterments.

The selection at Craft World and Jo-Ann Fabrics in Bangor was overwhelming and the papers were both affordable and of a high quality. I ended up buying 50 sheets of clear vellum for $9.99 at Jo-Ann. I thought I would find a better price at an office-supply store, but I didn’t.

The floral-print scrapbook pages and cute handmade stickers tempted me to change my plan, but I had worked so hard on my design. What I needed was heavy,, white card stock, preferably linen. It should’ve been a piece of cake. I found plenty of options that claimed to be card stock, but the texture resembled oak tag. Remember the posters and nametags your first-grade teacher used to make? Yeah, so do I. Not exactly the look I was going for.

The do-it-yourself-on-your-inkjet card kits at Staples were beginning to look more and more appealing. “Oh, look, they even come with ribbons!” I thought, weighing my options. Did I want the hibiscus? The silver trim? The stylized roses?

Stylized roses? Whoa. I took a few breaths, turned around and left. I had worked too hard to resort to stylized roses. And besides, I don’t even like roses.

I went home, feeling both defeated and deflated. Then ShopGuy called. He had given me a sheaf of card stock before he left, but there were only 11 sheets. What does one do with 11 sheets of paper, I asked.

“Go to the print shop and buy more,” he replied.

A print shop! I hadn’t even thought of that. I figured if they weren’t printing my invites, they certainly wouldn’t give me any paper. How wrong I was. I stopped by Northeast Reprographics in Bangor, where he had bought the stock, but all they had left was cream colored paper. At Bangor Letter Shop, I hit pay dirt, and the woman at the counter told me they often have remnants from larger print jobs that they’re eager to sell.

I’ll keep that in mind for my next project. Now, I’m off to buy envelopes. Hopefully, I’ll find them before the party.

ShopNotes

. Have you ever wanted a personal shopper? Now, you can. The Bangor Daily News will give away a $250 shopping spree with me, ShopGirl. For an entry blank, check the paper this week or visit the BDN booth at the Home Show,, Thursday-Sunday at the Bangor Auditorium.

. Jean Porchetta, who runs the Avon shop at the Airport Mall in Bangor, called to report an increase in sales of Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard. No, blackfly season hasn’t started yet. Customers have been sending the DEET-free Bug Guard, which also includes an SPF 30 sunblock, to friends and family who are serving in Iraq. Apparently sand fleas and other insects have become quite a nuisance for the troops. The Bug Guard costs $12 and is available at the Airport Mall shop, online at www.avon.com, and through your local Avon representative.

. If you needed another excuse to buy shoes, the Grasshopper Shop’s “Treat Your Feet” sale is on now. All shoes, socks, tights and foot-care products are 25 percent off at the Bangor shop through the end of the month.