Arts & Entertainment

Pushing the Envelope

Newtown Borough artist Karen Anagnos uses maps to create one-of-a-kind stationery.

Maps are not just pieces of paper that help you find your way.

Perhaps it’s the ever-present urge in humans to explore.  Maybe it’s the fact that they bring back good memories of vacations past or conjure up dreams of the next one. But for centuries, people have collected and displayed maps as artwork.

Now, Karen Anagnos is pushing the envelope – literally – when it comes to using maps for more than navigational purposes.

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In 2008, the Newtown Borough resident founded Pachysandra Paper Goods. To create her signature products, Anagnos gives maps a new use by transforming them into positively charming stationery sure to delight any recipient.

Anagnos, who sells her products online at Etsy.com as well as at all Bucks County Dry Goods locations, said she began creating her handmade stationery out of maps because she felt they always seem to draw people in and spark some sort of connection.

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“People really respond emotionally to the maps. They look at the map and find it’s a place where they grew up or where they went on vacation, and they connect with a good memory there," she said.

Anagnos’ colorful repertoire includes standard sized note cards, as well as mini map cards.

“Maps are beautifully graphic items,” Anagnos said.  She finds her muse -- sometimes vibrant, sometimes faded maps -- at bookstores, flea markets, yard sales, and beyond.

Pick up one of Anagnos' cards, and you’re sure to become mesmerized with the envelope, pinpointing a past vacation spot, a place where a relative lives, or a city you dream of visiting. Anagnos herself is partial to maps of Europe – Paris in particular -- but her stationery features locations across the globe.

The story of Pachysandra Paper Goods begins in Doylestown, when Anagnos began displaying her products at the town's popular First Friday event. The response to her handcrafted stationery was extremely positive.

“People spent a long time looking through all of them,” she recalled, adding that many customers asked if she had stationery that depicted specific locations. “One gentleman found one of Paris that had a street where he grew up on. It became sort of a hunt.”

The maps, and the inevitable discussion they evoked, was a great icebreaker for Anagnos and her customers. “It gave us instant rapport. Everyone had a little story to tell me about something,” she said.

Anagnos, who is a manager at Bucks County Dry Goods, said that while her day job keeps her busy, she tries to steal a moment here and there to create her handmade products. “If I wake up and feel inspired, I’ll do it before I go to work,” she said.

It’s evident that Anagnos’ work is one that is fueled by creativity. Cardstock in bright hues compliment the vintage map prints.  Vintage wood block stamped images accentuate the cards with a flower, or a bird, for example. 

Anagnos is a self-taught artist. “I’ve never taken an art class in my life," she said.

But to her it came naturally, thanks to the right inspiration. "When you see something you love, you just want to go out there and make it yourself.”

And even though Pachysandra Paper is a side gig for Anagnos, she said she’s enjoying the escape and creative outlet it provides her.  “I do get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from making them and seeing the end product. When (customers) appreciate it, it makes me really happy.”

Bucks County Dry Goods is located in Doylestown, Lambertville, N.J. and Princeton, N.J. Click here to check out Pachysandra Paper Goods’ Etsy store. 


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