A Stationery Lover's Gift Guide
š Say it with paper!
By a stationery lover, for stationery lovers
ā¦or just people who use pens and notebooks. I find that most people are at least casual enjoyers of stationery!
Yes, itās gift guide season on Substack, but this is my first one ever and Iām excited to share my niche stationery knowledge in the form of gift ideas with my Substack community this year. As a planner person, I start plotting and scheming to find the perfect gift for my victims friends and family well in advance1. Like solving a puzzle, brainstorming, shopping, and finding that perfect item for even the most enigmatic family members2 brings me great satisfaction and joy. While I know that not everyone is as into stationery as I am, I like to leverage my knowledge of these products to find a stationery (or adjacent) item3 to complement nearly every hobby/interest. eg: A gardenerās journal for my mom who likes gardening, a bike ride route deck for my cycling dad, a recipe journal for my culinary-school-bound brother.
Here are some stationery-themed gift ideas for your friends and family to receive (or give4)!
Some general tips on being a great gift giver from someone who loves giving gifts:
Be observant: What are this personās interests? Write them down. What items or accessories would complement these interests? eg: My cousin reads a lot, so maybe sheāll enjoy a reading journal, or a really nice bookmark. A great gift is a way of saying I see you, I know you, I think youāll like this. ā¤ļø
Personalize it: This is my secret weapon. A way to level-up your gift giving, especially for āplainā items. eg: Toiletry bag - boring. Pink toiletry bag with my name embroidered on it? š„° PERFECT. š„° Be sure to budget extra time for anything personalized - as it can take slightly longer to ship!
If itās not perfect, at least make sure itās practical: I never want to buy anything destined for a landfill, gifts in particular5! If someone is really difficult to shop for, I want to give them something thatās at least useful, like a sturdy tote bag, a mug from a place they like, or warm slippers.6
A Stationery Themed Gift Guide (in no particular order):
For Everyone: A Personalized Notebook from Papier - $30
This notebookās front cover is completely customizable with text, and you can choose between lined, dotted, or blank 100gsm pages. The hard cover + ribbon bookmark add just the right amount of elegance to make this perfectly giftable (+ easy to wrap). Who doesnāt use a notebook from time to time?
See also: Papier notebooks that can be customized with a photo cover.
See also a slightly fancier option: Pineider notebooks can be personalized with silver or gold foil for an additional $10. (Are made of leather + made in Italy. See first picture in this post. Paper is 90gsm.)
For Everyone: A Personalized 849 ballpoint pen from Caran dāAche - $78+
Sometimes the best gifts are ordinary objects made extra special by someone you love7. The Caran dāAche website has a very fun build-your-own pen customization tool to create a beautiful 849 ballpoint pen to your exact specifications. You can choose different colors for the body, clip, button, ink cartridge, and complete your custom order with their engraving service8. + all pens come in a nice metal box. A smart and practical gift!
For the epistolary friend: Symeās Letter Writer by Rachel Syme - $33
For the friend who has a pen pal: a coffee table sized book ācelebrating the art of written correspondence" with guides on how to press flowers, perfume your pages, and improve your letter writing! Also includes: letters from selected literary figures, and a guide to buying the best nib for your fountain pen? Yes.
Something shiny: The Smallest Love Letter Customizable Charm by Catbird - $148
Speaking of letters, this is the cutest little charm! This 14k Catbird charm can be engraved with an address, custom message, or left blank. Imagine matching charms for two pen pals! I adore. See also: The completely customizable library card charm.
See also: The Jet Set Candy customizable Air Mail charms in a variety of gold/silver finishes starting at $78
For the crafty person in your life: The Art of Memory Collecting by Martina Calvi - $25
For the person who takes film photos, collects ticket stubs, and adds charms and ribbons to everything from their Baggu to their shoes. This book contains 15 projects for people who journal, scrapbook, or just love crafts and trinkets! Makes a beautiful coffee table book + is a brand new release by craft extraordinaire: Martina Calvi. +complete with a dedication to all the crafty, creative, and sentimental people out there.
For your most Organized Friend: A 2025 Wall Calendar from Case Study - $32
Available in a vertical or horizontal format and various colorways, this poster-sized wall calendar can help you plan the entire year on a single sheet of paper. Practical, yet just whimsical enough to make it a great gift. (Sometimes the best gifts are things we wouldnāt want to buy ourselves, but would love to receive.) Accessorize with small sticky notes/flags (for writing down tentative events) and stickers!
For readers: A Customized Book Embosser ~ $42
For that one friend whose lifelong dream is to build Belleās library from Beauty and the Beast, a custom embosser is the perfect gift. Iāve gifted a few of these from PickledStamps on Etsy, and the custom work is impeccable, Iāve even had one done in Spanish. A self-inking stamp version of their designs are also available (on the same listing), which start at $22.
For those who love to entertain: a Rifle Paper Co. Recipe Binder - $40
Just the thing for the friend who is always hosting elaborate dinner parties. I prefer this gift to a recipe notebook, which requires hand-transcribing/pasting recipes9, but with a binder, a 3 hole punch, and some printed recipes, you can rule the world. I love this gingham version from Rifle Paper Co. - it comes with dividers, a few helpful measurements/reference pages, and clear sleeves for recipe cards. Pairs nicely the matching shopping list ($14).
See also: The Rifle Paper Co. Weekly Meal Planner pad ($16).
Journal ideas in the same vein:
The Moleskine Wine Journal ($45) for tasting notes + logging wines.
The Baronfig Recipe Journal ($26) for logging recipes.
The Papier Recipe Journal ($38) for logging recipes + free cover personalization!
For the one who wants to get back into painting: An Emily Lex Watercolor Workbook - $22
These watercolor workbooks by Emily Lex are the perfect entry-level painting tutorials for people who want to make art, but just need a little push to get started. Somewhere between a paint-by-number set and a coloring book, these themed workbooks have sketches and step-by-step instructions to help you enjoy the relaxing hobby of watercolor painting. Pairs nicely with a watercolor set from Emily Lex ($16) or elsewhere!
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For the Stationery Lover who has Everything: A Custom Rubber Stamp - $25+
Please bear with the 2.5 year old TikTok tutorial, (I need to remake this)! This one is high effort, but if youāre willing to come up with your own design, Casey Rubber Stamps in the East Village will make it into a stamp for you. Submit your design following the instructions found on their website and theyāll handmake a real10 rubber stamp to your exact specifications (starting at $25 for the smallest size). Order early and be sure to ask if the stamp will make the holiday deadline. If youāre a creative or a designer, itās an unbeatable gift to give people who love stationery! + Youāll be supporting an iconic (to me) New York City small business.
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For Everyone: A DIY Personalized Notebook ~$3
Feat a TikTok tutorial from last year. A super easy, low cost, yet personal gift idea. Some Muji stores even have a stamping station to personalize your notebook in-store, or you can decorate at home like me! + Most notebooks at Muji are under $6. All you need is a notebook with a cardboard cover and some stamps.
ā Budget-friendly ā Personalized ā Practical
Bonus Section
A page in my Bullet Journal for December detailing my meticulous gifting plans for each person in my family (spoiler-free). As inspired by a tutorial from the incomparable Bullet Journal og AmandaRachLee.
Sometimes I take notes throughout the year! Always plotting and scheming. Yes this is my love language I think.
My mother, the least materialistic person I have ever known, is impossible to shop for. A challenge every year.
Or at least a book! Which is still sort of a paper-gift.
Feel free to forward this with a *hint* *hint* hehe.
I hate gag gifts, they can be so wasteful.
Yes I will do a gift card as a last, last resort, but Iāll do a very fancy selection of teas or chocolates before that.
ME.
You can also buy a pen and engrave it at a local jeweler! This is just one pen/engraving service/idea.
But if the recipient is into doing that - then recipe journal all the way!
Many modern stamp makers use a synthetic polymers, but Casey Rubber Stamps uses real rubber! It makes much higher quality stamp, as it is bouncy! Viva Las Vegastamps is another great real rubber stamp manufacturer (they donāt do custom though).
this is such a lovely roundup! i have the catbird charm and i get compliments on it constantly. itās also my favorite emoji! š
I think this is going to become a gift guide of things to buy myself šā„ļø thank you!