Protect your tables without sacrificing panache with these
beautiful handmade paper coasters ($14) from local
letterpress company Albertine Press. Inspired by delicate Chinese
paper-cut art, the coasters come adorned with intricate patterns in bold hues,
making each a fitting base for the most complex vintage or the burliest of
brews. Every set features a dozen of the four-inchers, with two of each
colorful design — wine-red flowers, a burnt-orange bird, chartreuse foliage, an
emerald-green panda, a teal-blue butterfly, and eggplant blossoms. Albertine
Press owner, paper princess, and new mommy Shelley Barandes hand-cranks most of
her creations on antique letterpress machines in her Somerville studio,
pressing her hand-mixed inks into 100% cotton paper for finished products that
are old-school elegant and eco-friendly at the same time. We’ll drink to that … or, rather,
on that. Check them out online at www.albertinepress.com.
