Introducing "On the Paper Trail," a New Podcast/Video Collaboration with Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens!

I’ve been mentioning this in passing for a few months now, but since we’ve been trickling out some excerpts from this ongoing collaboration, it’s time to make a formal announcement! My friend Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens and I are collaborating on a video series/podcast with the working title of “On the Paper Trail.” We both have a decade+ of experience in the stationery community and industry so we’re hopeful you’ll find what we have to say interesting and helpful. As we’ve been working through the technical side of things and getting used to recording, we’ve been releasing our “practice” episodes to the T.G.S. Patreon community, which has been a invaluable source of feedback and encouragement. Members can still access the full episodes via the Patreon feed. (There are four.) When the project officially launches it will have its own channel. Follow the T.G.S. and Vanness YouTube Channels for updates.

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Not a customer order, but representative of what we’ve been seeing.

Holiday Shipping PSA - If You Need Something by Mid-Month Get Your Orders In As Soon as Possible.

The content we’ve chosen to share so far relates to holiday shipping timelines, since that’s a topic of concern given questions we’ve both been receiving through our respective businesses. Now is the time of year that we start to see shipping delays, missed package scans, and lost items. While both T.G.S. and Vanness ship quickly (within 2 business days if not sooner), increased order volume not only impacts our fulfillment but results in a general slowdown across carriers. The TLDR version is: get your orders in soon, especially if you need something by Christmas or New Year’s. Once we hit December 15, it’s probably going to be better to shop in person for last-minute gifts, as we cannot guarantee any delivery times given general unreliability of carrier estimates.

If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting us through the T.G.S. Curated Shop or by visiting our Patreon, which features extra content and more hangout opportunities. And, of course, you can also come visit us in person at our Nashville Shop!

New Arrivals: More Notsu Notecards, New Notecard Holders, Plus Midori XS Stationery Accessories!

Just in time for the holidays, we received a giant box from Notsu yesterday with more Centre Rise Notecard Sets (featuring vertical “To Do” cards), the Centre Notecard Set (featuring horizontal “To Do” cards), and two new colors of Notsu’s vegan leather Notecard Holders, which are now available in gray and dark brown!

We also offer the Midori XS Stationery kit components available for purchase separately, including the XS Staplers, Glue Tape, Correction Tape, and Paper Cutters. We’ve carried the popular XS Stationery travel kits for a while now, and you can now buy refills or the mini components separately to build your own kit. These are excellent office supplies for a go-bag or travel journaling.

Check out these items and more in our latest release of the annual T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide! Note that we have special hours this week in our Nashville store, and will be open from 2:00pm-6:00pm Wednesday, Closed on Thursday (Thanksgiving), and will open from 10:0am-6:00pm Friday and Saturday to kick off the holiday shopping season! We hope to see you there!

The 2025 T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide is Live! Plus Five Favorite Stationery Gifts

Our annual Holiday Gift Guide has been updated and is live on the site! Each year we revise this page to reflect new gift ideas and trends from the past year of stationery, and everything featured in the guide is not only available for online shopping but in person at our Brick-and-Mortar store, located in Nashville, Tennessee! We will have regular hours through the Holiday season and possibly open on a few additional Sundays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day so stay tuned. If you’d like to make an appointment to shop on days that we are not showing as open please do reach out because I know everyone’s holidays are chaotic and we want to be as flexible as possible.

My Thoughts on Gifting Stationery and My Favorite Gifts I Give Every Year

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that I give stationery as gifts every holiday season (and birthdays, etc.). But what I give does sometimes surprise people, because I try to keep it simple and relatively inexpensive as I don’t want the recipient to be afraid to actually use the item. Here are five of my personal favorite stationery gifts for family, friends, and colleagues. Most of these are featured in the Guide but I figured I’d add a bit of personal color for fun. I love recommending gifts for people, and find it one of the most fulfilling parts of running the retail side of T.G.S.

• Pocket Pens. Even if they don’t know it, everyone needs a pocket pen, and there are several out there that even the most non-stationery obsessed person can appreciate. The Lamy Pico was our top seller last holiday season, but we’ve also added Rite-in-the-Rain bullet pens which are great options for outdoorsy types. Rite-in-the-Rain makes a “nice” metal version, as well as a two-pack of the pressurized plastic pens.

• Pocket Notebooks. Field Notes always make a great gift for non-fountain pen users because you can usually find a theme to match their interests. (The National Parks series is a perennial favorite). For those with recipients who might want better paper, the Lochby versions aren’t as ornate but feature 68gsm Tomoe River Paper, and the Lochby Field Journal Mini or Pocket Journal makes a nice complement if you want to scale up the gift.

• Pencils. Some of my favorite gifts ever were thoughtful pencil gifts, and I’ve never had a pencil-themed gift go bad. Turns out may people like wood pencils, especially if you can find good ones because most non-stationery nerds assume that all pencils made these days are poor quality. Favorites include Camel pencils from Japan with the integrated erasers, Uni and Tombow “handwriting” pencils, and all of the novelties from Begoody that despite their quirkiness are good writers with excellent graphite. For recipients who enjoy technology, the Uni Kuru Toga KS or Alpha Gel Switch are inexpensive mechanical pencils that feature the Kuru-Toga’s auto-rotation mechanism.

• Bookmarks. I’m a reader, and most of my family and close friends appreciate a solid bookmark (or pack of “writable bookmarks” that you can use to take notes and annotate). Small and inexpensive, bookmarks make great stocking stuffers or small items for gift exchange parties.

• The Lamy Swift Rollerball Pen. Do I have a go-to recommendation for a gift for a nice pen for a “non pen person” (or even a pen person whose preferences you might not know)? Yes, and it’s the overlooked Lamy Swift retractable rollerball. Most people are sold when they see how the clip retracts into the barrel, which should keep you from trying to stick the pen in your pocket with the tip extended - NOT a good thing to do with a liquid rollerball. :)

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No, these aren’t made anymore (in 20 years) and I don’t sell them, but they remain one of my favorite holiday gifts ever received. (I later bought up several dozen on eBay.)

Get Your Holiday Orders in Early (Or Shop in Person), and Other Tips for Surviving the Holiday Season

Thanksgiving is late this year (and the weather here has felt like Spring), so there’s been a delayed start to the traditional holiday shopping season. While our shipping times have remained fairly fast, with orders typically out the door within 2 business days, we have no control over carrier delivery times and things like carrier strikes. I would advise giving yourself 10 days grace if you need something for a gift by a specific date. Note that during the holiday season, due to unpredictable delays, some carriers are not considering a package “lost” until 20 days have passed on a domestic delivery, and up to 6 weeks for international shipments. If you need something expedited, please send us an e-mail and we can explore overnight or express shipping options. And of course, you can always come by and shop in person all the way up to Christmas Eve!

As stressful as it is, I always love the holiday season! Enjoy the gift guide, thank you for your support, and as always, please reach out if you have any questions.