Old maps. School supplies. Little white bowls. Graph paper. Wooden boxes. Libraries. Blank journals. Archives. Old cigar boxes. Index cards. Pencil stubs. Faded handwritten letters. Office supply stores. New erasers. Fountain pens. Air-mail envelopes. Rolodex files. Plain thumbtacks. Tins.
The inspirational allure of the curiously mundane puts me into a trance of appreciation.
I can get trapped in an old office supply store, paper goods store, or crowded local hardware store, exploring the weird world of the mundane, for longer than my companions usually think is strictly necessary. The utterly normal – whether old or new – crafted with particular quality or ingenuity makes me rub my hands together in anticipation, thrilled that someone else admires details and usefulness as much as I do.
Other lovers of glorious everyday objects include the creators of the these sites:
The Curiosity Shoppe – “Crafts, kits & curios for the creatively inclined”
ReForm School – “Art Craft Design”
Sadie Olive – “Antiques, collectibles and all things inspiring” (Thanks to highly sensitive Stephanie for pointing me to this site from her blog at Mainstream Melancholy.)
Flickr photo: I Believe Your Have My Red Swingline Stapler, by foundphotoslj’s.
Related reading: Fonts of Joy, The Link Between Mess and Abundance
2 Comments
I *love* paper stores of all kinds — even the big box ones — but particuarly and especially the locally owned speciality paper stores that are jammed with stationery of all kinds for all purposes! And hardware stores! Yes! Again, big box ones are good but local ones catering to the neighborhood are such a delight!
Off to check out the links above. Thanks Grace!
When I moved by my (very naive) self to Boston at the age of 19, I got a job at a cool little locally owned office supply/stationery store in Harvard Square, right across the street from the Harvard campus. It was a weird time in my life, but I remember that playing with and selling office supplies all day was a spot of no-brainer peace in an otherwise challenging time.
Here’s to the power of office supplies!