Chicago Stationery Fest 2026

The second Chicago Stationery Fest was a blast! Filled with amazing vendors, shoppers and volunteers. Paper + Pencil hosts the event and takes great care in curating the vendors and making the shopping experience great for both the customer and the sellers.

This year we collaborated with Starshaped Press to pull a keepsake - a two color letterpress print of the Chicago flag made out of stationery. Liz, my helper, was in charge of printing most of the weekend and she even ended up in the Chicago Tribune. She helped pull 750+ prints over the weekend. I love sharing the letterpress process and helping customers understand what goes into a letterpress card or print. 

This year I was asked to design the event guide cover and a sticker. I based both designs off Chicago's iconic ghost signs seen around the city. Simple graphics, bold type, vibrant colors, simple and impactful. The CSF sticker was my favorite design of the two. It was a fun project. And even more fun to see all the posts after the event of attendee's notebook spreads with our designs.

I also designed three stickers and three letterpress cards exclusive to us too. Our stickers were by far the biggest sellers, followed by our exclusive Michelle Starbuck Designs stationery inspired jewelry. Most shows we show at, many shoppers walk by without a second glance but at Chicago Stationery Fest, everyone is there for stationery. They are our people. And believe me when I say, they're the best! Thanks to everyone who shopped, visited or printed with us all weekend. We loved being part of your weekend. Thanks to Tyler and Eric of Paper + Pencil for organizing such a magical event. Hope to see you all next year!