My life looks good on paper.

All those committees, all that volunteer work, all those big words. If you read my resume, you’d think I had it together. Then there’s the newspaper. See that headshot? Notice the clear skin, the bright eyes, the nonexistent roots. And then there’s the writing – it’s amazing how eloquent you can be when you have a few minutes to think about what you’re saying.

It’s no wonder I’m obsessed.

There are many situations in which I can keep my shopping addiction under control. Shoe sale? I’m good to go. Khakis on clearance? I usually can resist, even at Marden’s. But put me in a stationery shop and I’m hopeless. I end up leaving with a new fountain pen, $30 worth of letterpress cards and a wax seal. All necessities, I’m sure.

I even own books about paper. The most notable of which is “Paperie” – required reading for those of us who salivate over stationery.

The upshot is there aren’t any stationers in the Greater Bangor area. That’s not to say there aren’t options, however. My passion for paper was stoked during a recent visit to Left Bank Books in Searsport, which is paradise for people like me. The selection of cards is both well-edited and humorous. The writing implements are elegant and whimsical. And the shop carries my all-time favorite notebooks by Iota. They’re the perfect size (they fit into my purse while reviewing a show), the perfect price ($2.50 each) and perfectly adorable. Plus, they’re made of recycled material.

I later found that World Over Imports and The Grasshopper Shop in Bangor carry them as well. One thrilling thing I discovered at Grasshopper was the stationery by the sheet. I thought nobody did that anymore, but I was wrong. Asian World Imports in Blue Hill also has it – large, textural swaths of handmade paper dappled with flower petals or metallic threads, or printed with gorgeous designs. Friends of mine liked it so much they covered their living room walls with it. For the less “Trading Spaces”-inclined, the shop sells stationery kits as well.

Stationery sets can be as formal or casual as you’d like. For casual options, I troll the clearance racks at Target – great designs at an amazing price. While there, I recently found heavy cream stock monogrammed with an initial in sage green, navy and burgundy. Very classy. And perfect for gentlemen.

Paper products tend to be a little girly, as a letter-writing colleague of mine recently found. He asked where he could find masculine-looking (or at least gender-neutral) stationery. Personalized letterhead from a print shop is always a fine option. Though the prices vary depending on the weight of paper and the inks you choose, this is a great way to show your personality.

For boxed letters and papers, I suggest perusing the selection of Crane’s paper at Borders, or, for a larger selection of Crane’s and other elegant papers, visiting Beal’s Gift Shop on Main Street in Ellsworth.

Elegant is also the buzzword at one of my favorite out-of-town stationers, Papier Gourmet on Free Street in Portland. The albums, the notebooks, the pens, the datebooks, the cards – where do I begin? Or end? I never leave there empty-handed.

The same can be said for Black Parrot in Rockland, and the nearby G.F. MacGregor. Though neither specializes in writing papers, each offers a unique, fresh selection (I love the Angela Adams letter kit I picked up at G.F. MacGregor – and so do the recipients of my letters).

I don’t just horde all that paper I buy. I love to send letters, thank-yous and the occasional “sorry to hear about the nasty breakup/loss of your iguana/bad haircut” card. For me, writing will never become a lost art. Otherwise, I’ll be out of a job. And even Hallmark can’t make that one look good on paper.

Shop Notes

. The Orono Thrift Shop and Boutique on Birch Street will hold its annual end-of-winter sale March 8-25. Shoppers can fill a bag for $1 in the thrift shop, while everything in the boutique will be 50 percent off. The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. After the sale, the shop will close from March 29 to April 8 for cleaning and inventory change. Proceeds benefit dental care for low- and middle-income children in the area.

. Several more readers have responded to my recent column on thrift shopping. Barbara Howard pointed out a “hidden away” shop in the back of Grace United Methodist Church at 193 Union St. in Bangor. “Being a ‘Red Hatter,’ I have been very fortunate to have found a purple skirt, purple jacket and purple suit, among a variety of other items,” she writes. The shop is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 1 p.m. Another reader, Mary Gilman, praised 2nd Time Around in Belfast Center, which is perfect for the “over-50 but not yet ready for Alfred Dunner crowd.” In other words, stylish but not trendy. The shop is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.