Reese Witherspoon has famously said, “My sheets are monogrammed, so is my silverware and pretty much everything else I own. My rule is, if it’s not moving — monogram it!”  From their ancient beginnings to modern times, monograms have played an integral role throughout history.

As early as 350BC, many of the early Greek and Roman coins were marked with the ruler’s monogram as a form of authentication. Royalty and military leaders symbolized their position and influence by using monograms to mark government buildings, identify objects belonging to the ruler in power, authenticate official documents, etc.  In the Victorian era, aristocratic families began using custom monograms to mark their table linens, cutlery, and other household goods as a sign of prestige.  Soon every household boasted their own form of monogram styles from embroidered monogram letters for noblemen to simple personalized stamps for the lower class.

Today, technology has made monogramming affordable and accessible to almost everyone.  While aspiration may still play a role, monogramming is now considered a personal creative expression having very little to do with social position or wealth.  Thanks to mass production, they have become ubiquitous.  You no longer need to be an artisan to monogram, just plug your initials into the computer and go. This left me wanting something more unique… Something personal I could use that no one else would have. So when I met Nancy Sharon Collins, I immediately knew I simply had to have her create my very own bespoke monogram.

Nancy Sharon Collins

Nancy Sharon Collins is the country’s leading expert on engraved social stationery and founder of the eponymous Nancy Sharon Collins, Stationer LLC. She fell in love with etching while taking a printmaking class as an undergraduate and went on to receive a BFA and MFA in graphic design.

The unfolding field of digital graphic design in the 1990s broke her heart, she says. “Imagine: there I was in my Soho, NYC studio when the methods and procedures, materials and supplies, the business relationships I’d assiduously studied, garnered, and learned developing my career became suddenly obsolete. Whole industries such as typesetting, film photography, film and print retouching, color separating, plate-making, and engraving were literally put out of business by desktop publishing. Sad but true.”

Realizing she had to adapt or perish, Nancy began offering digital graphic design catering to clients such as MOMA, Bergdorf Goodman, Williams-Sonoma, and Clinique. But to save her creative soul, by night she turned to Nancy Sharon Collins, Stationer, specializing in bespoke hand engraved social stationery.

Not only does Nancy create beautiful custom stationery, but she also creates the absolute most exquisite monograms and ciphers handmade from scratch… Literally scratching with a graphite pencil on tracing paper.  You can learn more about her highly interactive process here.

Over the years, many fashion labels have created their own monogram of their company initials, such as LV of Louis Vuitton, YSL of Yves Saint Laurent, the mirrored “C”s of Chanel, and Gucci’s double “G”s. These easily recognizable custom monograms are an easy way for fashion houses to brand themselves and differentiate their products from competitors. And custom monograms can now be used to create your own unique brand. Monograms are an increasingly popular branding design trend in 2022. Of course, Nancy offers corporate branding expertise, but in today’s digital, social media-driven world, creating a personal brand is more important than ever. Distinguishing yourself with a bespoke one-of-a-kind monogram is a cutting-edge, yet nostalgic, way to stand out from the pack.

“The idea is that the Bespoke Monogram (from me) is an investment. In time and cost. It should be used for everything,” said Nancy. “Back in the day, it was the one single mark to identify one’s possessions. Artists have one mark that is called an artist’s monogram. Kings and queens and monarchs had and have theirs on everything from saddles to linens to carriage stones! Think napkins and tablecloths and hankies and fine china and silverware and even Hermes handbags… One’s monogram should be the forever mark on everything!”

Here is one example from Richmond, VA sent to Nancy yesterday…

Click here to learn more about commissioning a bespoke monogram from Nancy. And in closing, I am thrilled to share the stunning monogram she made for me, which I simply could not love more! First, here are some mood boards Nancy created after I completed her “13 Questions” exercise.

And my gorgeous monogram!! It is truly a work of art, and this just the initial sketch… Next it will be turned into a Vector design graphic, and then engraved upon a copper plate. 🙂 The design was inspired by an Austrian design from the 1920s. I’m obsessed with the “hearts”!

Here are a few other examples of Nancy’s sketches…

Thank you, Nancy, for creating this treasure for me that I will use on everything for the rest of my life! Having something so beautiful, made just for me, makes me feel like a Queen.

For more from Nancy, you can read her guest post on the history of calling cards, and we cannot get enough of her book, The Complete Engraver, available via her website and Amazon. You can also follow @nancy_sharon_collins on Instagram for ongoing inspiration.

This concludes our six-week letter writing series.

Hello, my name is Andrea, and I’m a stampoholic. In fact, my recent obsession is partly what drove The Glam Pad’s motivation for this six-week letter writing series (you can get caught up here, here, and here)!  It started with a beautiful note I received in the mail from Bethany Berk, founder of Marchioness Home & Garden. On the envelope were six beautifully curated vintage stamps. Then I received Bethany’s vintage-stamped Christmas card. Fast forward to this spring when fellow Dallas blogger Albertina Cisneros of @mimosalaneblog invited me to a luncheon event at her lovely home… The charming stamps gracing the envelope were the final straw. I fell down the rabbit hole.

Chances are, if you spend time on Pinterest or Instagram, you have stumbled upon pictures of beautiful wedding invitations boasting exquisite calligraphy or hand-addressing and an assortment of equally delightful stamps.  These intriguing images have helped inspire an entirely new generation of stamp collectors and create a chic new industry of online stamp vendors. With stationery sales on the rise largely due to Covid and renewed interest fueled by the millennial generation, vintage stamps are no longer reserved for scrap books or special announcements, but are becoming a popular trend in everyday letter writing.

Once you have taken up the lost art of letter writing, invested in beautiful custom stationery, dusted off your penmanship skills, thoughtfully crafted your note and addressed your envelope, an assortment of carefully selected vintage stamps are the cherry on top of a sundae.

“Stamps are the very first thing you notice when receiving a piece of mail, whether it be a letter from a friend or a wedding invitation,” Patrick Dea, stamp collector and owner of Edelweiss Post, told MarthaStewart.com. “There is just something captivating about these tiny pieces of art and history. By selecting just the right stamps, you are adding both beauty and meaning to your mail.” This became even more important during the days of social distancing, he said.

Gracie Cote, founder of @enfieldpost specializes in finding and compiling sets of unused vintage postage for special occasions and everyday use.  She says, “In the age of emails and texts, letter writing has become a special art. Postage stamps are mini-artworks that bring a touch of personality and charm to all the news they carry; with a well-designed envelope, wedding and party invitations, get well cards, or simple ‘saying hello’ notes become exponentially more special in a recipient’s mailbox.”

Gracie is currently working exclusively with stationers in creating bespoke sets, but she also has a beautiful selection of individual stamps available for sale via her website and Etsy.  One stationer who works with Gracie in selecting stamps for her bridal clients is Mikyla Marie Manu of @inkandpressco.  Mikyla said, “It is always such a joy to curate these collections together with Grace of @enfieldpost. In a way, I feel like we’re curating a mini gallery exhibit for a fine art museum that is an envelope!”

As you know, The Glam Pad is a proponent of reviving and promoting “old fashioned” traditions, and up until recently, stamp collecting (philately) was considered a dying hobby. According to the American Philatelic Society, the average stamp collector is more than 60 years old, as younger generations lost interest in stamps in favor of social media. However around 2020, things began to change. The Guardian reported a renewal in the industry stating, “Philately is gaining popularity among millennials, many of whom see the creative pursuit as an escape from their screen-based lives.” Millennial Suzanne Rae, chairman of the Philatelic Traders Society, told the publication, “Philately is tangible: it’s relaxing and unplugged. It’s also very Instagrammable. Twitter and Instagram enable young collectors to find people like them and see that it’s not only a geeky old man’s pursuit.”

This renewed interest may also be fueled by “romantic notions of pre-digital life,” continues The Guardian. Stamp collecting offers Millennials and Generation Y a nostalgic link with the past. As The Glam Pad wrote in The Resurgence of Stationery, these are the same generations snapping up vintage typewriters, vinyl records, and Polaroid cameras, all while needlepointing pillows and decorating their homes in Grandmillennial “Granny Chic” style. Everything old is new again.

Stamp collecting was at the height of popularity from the 1930s to 1970s.  My mother collected stamps. So did Patrick Dea’s grandfather…  and now it’s back with a fresh new twist. In closing, Patrick perfectly summarizes the modern face of philately. He states:

“But unlike Grandpa who kept his collection buried in thick catalogs and dusty boxes deep inside his study, I want to share my vintage stamps, dispatching them through the postal system and beyond, with your help. Grandpa explored the world through his stamps but I want to share my stamps with the world.

The internet, for all its efficiency and convenience, has made communication something you cannot touch, cling to, keep, and pass down. When is the last time you received a thoughtful hand-written letter, a tactile note or a party invitation in your physical mailbox?

Postage is a beautiful but dying art form. Our mailboxes have been relegated to the status of junk depositories and checking the mail has become a chore rather than the adventure it once was, fueled by anticipation. I want to help change all this in my own little way… and I’m thinking maybe you do too.”  ~ Patrick Dea, Edelweiss Post

Who else wants to play along?! Below are some resources for starting your own stamp collection. The Glam Pad is encouraging the hashtag #showmeyourstamps on Instagram… Use the hashtag and tag us @theglampad, and we will post your stamp curations via our Stories! Warning… this is a highly addictive hobby! 🙂

Sources for Purchasing Stamps:

• @enfieldpost
• @edelweiss_post
• @littlepostagehouse
• Magnolia Postage
• Etsy
• eBay
• USPS – Mixing new with old is tres chic!
• Also, you will want this glue to adhere your vintage perforated stamps.

NOTE: U.S. postage never expires; you can use existing unused stamps indefinitely. All postage stamps issued by the United States since 1860 are valid for postage. You just need to make sure it adds up to cover current postage rates.

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THE GLAM PAD’S LETTER WRITING SERIES

Below is an outline of The Glam Pad’s six-week series on the art of letter writing, and all that is related to the subject… Stay tuned next week as Natalie shares tips on cursive handwriting!