The Paper Fold

Can a maker make the world a better place, one gorgeous, handmade sheet of Fair Trade paper at a time? For Chisty Asper, the answer is a resounding …

It's officially the spooky season, so I've got a triple treat! The actress Jennifer Love Hewitt drops in The Paper Fold along with the power duo that …

I really like Suzy Ultman’s chutzpah … and you will too, nerds! Suzy is a lifelong and prolific illustrator, card and stationery designer, toy …

Where does stellar design begin and end? I used to think I knew the answer, but witnessing the ascension of Girl w/Knife, I've found myself rethinking that. Over the last several years, Elicia Castaldi has sliced not …

This month's dynamo guest is a trailblazer in countless senses of the word. Mary Engelbreit debuted at National Stationery Show in 1983 with just a dozen card designs and a decidedly under-decorated booth — but neither …

The sixth season of The Paper Fold kicks off on a new network — Evergreen — and a slightly different format, but just this once. Instead of focusing …

Stop what you are doing this instant, Nerds, and listen up to the newly crowned, Louie Award-winning Writer of the Year! Alyson O'Connor is one half …

Paper nerds, here's the second part of my interview with this one-of-a-kind stationery innovator and disrupter! @emilyonlife and I kick off …

A decade ago, Emily McDowell of Emily McDowell Studio sparked a greeting card revolution and evolution with the release of her Empathy Collection. …

For this extra-special episode, my Paper Planes Cocktail Hour Podcast co-host and I decided to try something different. For decades now, Amy Loewenberg and I passed like stationery ships in the night, walking the same …

True progress may occur only at the macro level, but it begins on the micro level. Just ask Sadie Teper, founder of the feminist stationery and gift brand Twentysome Design. Her hand-lettered range draws big laughs as …

It's tough getting any stationery brand off the ground, but one that goes an entirely new direction is a real challenge. Just ask Sharon Glassman of …

What is success exactly? That is the question Kristen Ley began asking herself following the meteoric rise of her paper and gift brand Thimblepress. …

Most of today's young stationery makers grew up swooning over our medium, but Libby Llanso of Seedlings literally grew up working in our trade. As the daughter of Legacy Publishing Group's Cathy and Carlos Llanso, her …

If you ever wanted to put your truth out there and hesitated due to the response you feared you’d get, hesitate no longer. Just ask Jocelyn + Roland …

If you've ever felt creatively restricted by your corporate job, move over! Brittany O’Brien of Brittany Paige Designs feels your pain, but better yet, she acted on it. She launched her namesake brand in 2017 with six …

Do you want to unleash that creative powerhouse that resides within you? Then you absolutely cannot miss my chat with Stacie Bloomfield. This design …

Hold onto your undated planners everyone, Rosanna is here, and my, does she have a lot to spill! When I last checked in with her, pre-pandemic, the …

We all know that a life lived in letters is a far richer one, but what about the letter itself? Former university vice president, professor, policy …

Every last woman stationery maker you see today is building her brand upon the shoulders of the women who forged their paths before them — and the …

So, you think you can write a clever card, the kind that makes you laugh uncontrollably and that you just HAVE to send your friend, who will totally …

If you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere ... and that truism definitely applies to The Lobster Studio. This brand first came to life organically, as a hand-drawn, homemade Valentine from Ken Crossland to his …

Like many stationery brands, Tiny and Snail is a family operation.  Sisters Leah Nixon & Grace Nixon Peterson launched this brand in 2017, with …

Letterpress is to stationery what couture is to clothes. In capable hands, this printing process, which literally took us out of the dark ages, transforms cotton paper into bespoke missives that effortlessly elevate …

Every maker has a great backstory, but for Lana Effron of Lana's Shop, the juggle is real. For a decade now, this Colorado artist and mom has been …

You probably didn't know it, but the letter-writing resource for the 21st century just dropped. Meet How to Write a Letter: Find the Right Words for Every Occasion, the newest entry in Penguin Random House's …

Many of us talk for our dog, but for Kate Smith, voicing the thoughts of her French Bulldog Frank became the essence of her wildly popular From Frank …

I often talk about makers who run their businesses with key support or partnerships with relatives, but for Keli Spanier of Colette Paperie, her Mom …

Stationery businesses are uniquely suited to the family operation. Over the years, I've become acquainted with brands comprised of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, several generations, and, in the case of …

If you think you know stationery, stand the F back, because my guest today will turn all that on its ear. Victoria Venturi has been raising eyebrows since 2014, when Paper Epiphanies was born in 30 square feet of her LA …

Chances are, you are already smitten with Molly Hatch's work, you may just not know it. Over the past decade or so, the charming wares of this …

So, you've created an amazing product, but if you've ever wrestled with how to style it, you should have a quick word with my guest today. Erika Firm …

Succeeding as a small stationery maker is not easy, but over the last eleven years or so, Lindsay Henry has definitely made it appear that way! She founded Inklings Paperie with the understanding that the bests moments …

Creatives have traditionally been told to avoid working with animals and children, but apparently family photographer Sarah Sloboda never heard …

Lucia Saisse of Lucy Loves Paper is living the stationery version of the American dream. The Rio do Janeiro native opened her Etsy shop in 2013 after her corporate graphic design job went South. Lucia's first …

A brand doesn't always evolve in a straight line. Just ask Emma James and Bailey Rivera, co-founders of Antiquaria. Over the last decade or so, these …

Stationery is filled with makers who have taken a risk and started their own brands. Catherine Hildner launched Kitty Meow Boutique with the idea that every glam offering she puts out into the world, be it card, coaster …

If you create any conceivable item using paper, and are not yet taking advantage of Parse & Parcel, you're not accessing the "super power of …

If you're anything like me, most of your visual stimulation these days is limited to your house, your neighborhood and whatever it is you're looking …

For every Mary Engelbreit or Anna Bond, there are hundreds of smaller makers who are not only sustaining themselves by staying small, but wearing it …

Most retailers have had a difficult 2020, but for Suzanne Loesch, owner of Mockingbird Paperie in Ithaca, New York, her summer of 2019 featured a …

While you may not immediately recognize the name of my guest today — Leslie Moak Murray — you've likely laughed at her cartoons.  Leslie is the creator of Murray's Law, and over the past several decades, her …

Every once in a while, a card maker comes along who strikes a cultural chord at exactly the moment it needs to be struck. If I'm lucky enough to spot …

Closing a store is incredibly painful, but my guest today, Liz Scott, is here to share that that difficult decision may just be a badge of honor in …

Today's a first for TPF, namely, I’m dropping this episode in conjunction with a product drop — but this is no ordinary product. In fact, it’s more …

International travel may be off the table for now, but for the first episode of our new season, Jason Arbuckle of J. Falkner swings by America to chat from London! J. Falkner may be the only range I've come across that …

National Stationery Show (NSS) first opened its doors in 1945, and although we didn’t know at the time, its February 2020 edition was its final run. …

If you play any sort of role in stationery, no visit to AmericasMart or Dallas Market Center is complete without a visit to the Daniel Richards …

Earlier this week, NY NOW announced plans to create a single stationery destination within its famed market. This reimagined stationery collection …

We've all had a few stomach-dropping moments these past months — something was cancelled, someone was cancelled, or maybe you got some bad news that left you gasping for breath. For me personally, this happened one …

As you've hopefully heard, there’s a huge can’t-miss industry event this week, courtesy of the Greeting Card Association. Noted: A Focus on Diversity …

I can't take credit for the phrase, "Paper peeps are the best peeps," but this check-in with my dear friend Karla Ebrahimi reminded me of its inherent truth. Karla is the face behind Sky of Blue Cards, a Menlo Park, …

You may know George White as president and COO of Up With Paper and UWP Luxe — these are fantastic, award-winning houses of pop-up cards renowned for …

Watching makers successfully navigate their small brands first through a pandemic, and then civil unrest, has been unexpectedly heartening. While …

Please welcome Robert Maricich, CEO of International Market Centers (IMC). Bob, as he prefers, is widely recognized as one of the home furnishings industry’s most Innovative leaders — he founded and built IMC into an …

I am in just in awe of all Ryan and Juliana Kissick of San Francisco's Good Juju Ink have done since going into quarantine in San Francisco with …