Stationary
Aldenpress, 2016-Present
I've always had a thing for handwritten cards. In my family, we were never without a card to sign for someone (not just one message from our family of four, but one message from each of us)...a birthday card for our grandma, an anniversary card for our aunt and uncle, a graduation card for that friend of a friend's daughter's classmate. It felt normal to have a stash of cards in my father's bedside table, always at the ready to have card signed and in the mail. In turn, I have kept boxes upon boxes of cards that I have received over the years, the idea of throwing away a card with a special note from my grandparents or a funny message from a friend...feels like throwing away a hug.
After I had my first baby, I was home on maternity leave and looking for ways to stay creative outside of my 22 month old's daily schedule: eat, sleep (sometimes) and decimate our apartment with a trail of mess. I was invited to a baby shower that I couldn't attend, so went looking for a card with the perfect sentiment and came up frustratingly empty. I decided to draw the card instead, and so Aldenpress was born.
Aldenpress was born in Carroll Gardens in an area of Brooklyn affectionately referred to as BOCOCA. Now handmade in Omaha, NE
All drawings and cards copyright Alissa Johnson
