It started with probably the best Goodwill find ever. For just $2.99, I was the proud owner of TWO full sets of vintage stationery. They had been sitting innocently in a huge plastic bag in a pile of other huge plastic bags of (presumably) unclassifiable junk. Who would have guessed that I was sitting on my latest (and possibly most long-lasting) obsession? 

It looked like it dated back from the 1930s or ’40s, with tissue-thin outer layers so wrinkled that it looked like they’d been sitting in a dry cleaners. Some of them were bound up with bands of slightly thicker paper. Others just floated around in the giant plastic bag they had originally come in. Some envelopes had pictures of flowers growing out of the inside, which just about killed me with its cuteness.

People are flocking to Etsy to purchase vintage-style wedding invitations. You can find vintage stationery pretty much anywhere vintage goods are sold. However, second-hand stores are pretty solid bets as well, and are usually much easier on the wallet. Everyday stationery from the good ol’ days is usually pretty well-preserved, and still usable for everyday letter writing (which I still do! Sometimes… alright, I’m trying). It’s the really swanky stuff, like telegram forms or limited-release designs, that will really end up costing you, like the airmail envelopes featured here. SO CUTE, but they’ll be really hard to find.

But if you’re a fan and not a collector, this is a wonderful and inexpensive indulgence. It’s also a lot cheaper than shopping at a major stationery story. Why not bring a little bit of some care and glamour into that letter to your grandma?

Do you collect vintage paper goods? Do you have any hobbies like stationery that can also be used in everyday life?

Photo gallery image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7