Professional Stationery Makes the Perfect Gift

The best attorney’s valentine gift is all analog.

How do I say I love thee? Let me enumerate the potentialities. I could send you flowers, like it’s 1873. I could take you to dinner, because watching me chew steak is your favorite show. Or, I could get something beautiful, something you will use, that will make other people say, “Wow, you are sooo thoughtful.”

For your Valentine’s Day, I am getting you stationery — but I’m doing more! I’m setting you up with a kit of cards with matching pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes so you can quickly and easily dash off handwritten notes and throw them in your outbox.

Because I adore you and you’re a busy attorney, and even choosing a stamp is a lot.

Fill Disclosure, I am Married to an Attorney

I have gazed with horror at her Outlook meeting schedule, shielding my eyes like I’d opened the dreaded Cask of Amontillado, or stepped on a vampire. What a nightmare. Attorneys are overwhelmed. All day, every day, they are working on eleven different jobs, all of which are precious kegs of dynamite, all of which have been tossed into a roaring fire. They just don’t have the time to do something cool, like drag a pen out of their drawer and address an envelope so they can mail a handwritten card to a cherished colleague or a client. They do, however, understand the remarkable value of such a gesture.

It’s just, I mean, steppy-steppy.

But What If the Envelopes and Stamps Are Mail-Ready?

Well then, your favored attorney can just pop the cards into the office’s outgoing mail and presto-change-o, they’re a brilliant analog marketing genius who gets a call from the recipient telling them how much it meant. (And you get credit for making them look good.)

This Valentine’s Day Gift Requires a Smidgen of Effort

But it’s worth it. It really is the best Valentine’s gift for your significant attorney. I’ve given this gift to [my attorney], and it changed her game. Suddenly, she’s the one who sends thank-you cards and thoughtful messages on luxurious paper. Her forest green envelopes in someone’s morning mail are a signal of regard, and she’s gone through two boxes already. I’m not saying her remarkable success is all down to my cool stationery gift, but I’m also not not saying that.

Step 1: Choosing the Best Handwritten Note Cards for an Attorney Gift

Spend the money. This is where you want to blow your budget.

Crane’s Notecards, $700 for 50

Great stationery is worth every penny, and Crane’s is top of the line. Their note cards are pearl-white linen paper with a gold-engraved address and an embossed border. The gold inside the envelope matches the engraving, and the whole thing just drips with class. You’d better really mean whatever you say on that card, though, because they’re six bucks each. The collection will set you back $700. Is it worth it? If this is for a client or a partner, then hell yes. Do it.

Smythson’s Bee Icon Notelets, $45 for 10

One of the oldest stationery brands, they have that distinct British understatement and elegance that communicates professionalism with a personal touch. The embossed and recessed image of a bee is gorgeous (there are also tiger and giraffe cards). They’re right up there with Crane but they won’t set you back quite as much.

The Punctilious Mr. P’s Boletus Beauties Notecards, $99 for 12

The full title of this shop is The Punctilious Mr. P’s Place Cards, and it was founded after Martin Cooper and Karen Suen–Cooper’s handmade place cards became so popular with their guests, they had to sell them. Their philosophy is that no dinner is too small for place cards because where someone sits is everything. Of course, they’ve branched out, and of course, they carry adorable note cards.

(Punctilious means attention to detail, and every single item in their store exemplifies this ideal.)

The 961 Collective’s Monogrammed Letter Press Notecard Set, $34.95 for 10

Etsy is loaded with stationery, but I find the 961 Collective’s work stands out. Their materials are top-shelf, their methods are nicely nerdy and old school, and their design chops are vintage. This set is simple, impressive and elegant. They sit right up there with Crane’s and Smythson’s — you could line them up on a shelf in Harrods.

The Return Address Dilemma

Stickers, stamps, or embossed? If you don’t opt for the embossed return address, you have choices to make. You could break the cards out and write the return address by hand as further proof of how important your attorney is to you. Alternatively, include a roll of stickers, an address stamp or, if you’re really serious, a custom embossing tool, which will make everything easy for your giftee.

Pickled Stamps’ Self-Inking Monogram Stamps

A self-inking stamp (above left) is a great solution because your attorney gets to keep it and it may lead them into a life of stationery. A stamp is a gateway accessory. I’m a fan of the medallion style monogrammed stamp, but there are 50,000 varieties in all kinds of formats, so spend a minute online at the Pickled Stamps Etsy shop.

The English Stamp Company’s Custom Address Rubber Stamp with Charm

It’s charming. It’s vintage. It’s well designed. It’s a rubber stamp (above left) from a trusted brand with great design cred. You just can’t beat it. Unless you go with …

Stamped With Love XOXO’s, Personalized Dog Stamp

Which is self-inking, unique, adorable and just barely outside the professional aesthetic enough to work for attorneys. Plus, you can get a custom stamp of your own pet, and who doesn’t love dogs? From Stamped with Love.

Personalize Your Stamp’s Address Embosser

An embossed return address stamp one is my favorite because it’s stylish and tactile. Your attorney is sending a real thing; it’s an artifact they hold in their hands. Add as much bumpy, feely stuff as you can to enhance the reward in that moment.

97 Stickers’ Modern Block Return Address Labels

Stickers are the least expensive option for return address stamps, though be careful to make sure they will look good on the envelope you’re giving. The labels above from 97 Stickers on Etsy are professional yet have that vintage quirk that makes a gift special.

Get the Right Postage Stamps from the USPS

Everything on the envelope sends a message, so be intentional. Your attorney is sending these to clients and colleagues, so a thoughtful selection of stamps will make a difference. If they represent big oil, for instance, maybe don’t stamp their letters with a Manatee stamp. Also, buy Forever stamps if you can, because they’re good for letter-weight postage, well, forever. Otherwise, try to match stamp to attorney to style.

Assemble Your Attorney’s Valentine Gift

OK. Let’s break down this stationery kit idea into numbered steps because, why not.

Remove the envelopes from the set. Be careful to note how they were packaged so you can replace them exactly as they were.

Apply the return address stamps, stickers or embossing. Please take your time because you can only do this once.

Affix the postage stamp.

Return the envelopes to their package as they were.

For the final touch, add a nice pen to the gift package and, if you can, consider adding ink that contrasts nicely with the paper, or matches the address, or any engraving, or the design. There’s no need to get crazy here; you don’t need to buy them a Mont Blanc. But consider they’ll probably use the pen to write not only the address they’re sending to, but the note inside the card. Get a good pen. Get the right pen. You know them.

Also, consider that this is part of the experience you are giving. Your attorney will enjoy the gift of writing by hand as much as the recipients will enjoy reading their note. That is a minor luxury in their busy day, and will also make their life just a little bit better every time they do it.

Related: Valentine’s Day Emergency? 5 Ideas (incuding grocery store chocolate recommendations).

Licensed under the Unsplash+ License