My Paper Empire

You can leave me at the entrance of the bookstore and you'll find me at the paper and notebook sections at the end of the day. You can lock me up inside the bookstore overnight and I'll present to you my art projects the following morning. I love paper. I know the world calls for less cutting of trees, less garbage, less carbon, and to recycle. But I'm sorry, tree, I'm such a big fan of your bark.

I'm a fan of Peter Pauper Press, Moleskine, Schutzen, and anything fancy-looking notebooks and planners. I love Post Its and stick-on notes, even the "colored yellow pads". Back when I was in grade school, I collected all sorts of stationery sets, from Walt Disney to Sanrio, Lisa Frank to what have you. Exchanging stationery sets was probably my first lesson in trading and exchange deals. To give up something to make room for a new one... These days, I wonder if kids still carry with them a thick folder of stationery sets and exchange with their sisters and friends. I hardly see kids do the usual stuff we did back then, not even playing tumba patis.

I guess this paper empire I've been trying to imagine myself doing in the next quarter of my life relates to my childhood memories which I wish to share with kids these days, or to the kids within us.

My first serious attempt in building my paper empire is designing notepads.The first batch of my notepads were sold out to the biggest fans of my designs, my best friends. Hehe! They, like me, love to write--whether about the story of their lives, or their dreams, or how they are now living their dreams, or letters, or even just the daily list of things to do at work. Thanks, my dear friends! And don't forget to recycle! :p

Notepads by Tepsilog

Mini (4x5) at P150

Medium (5.25x7) at P200

Big (6x8) at P250

More designs are coming, so do watch out! You can also have yours custom-made for unique and exclusive use.

Pop!

In this era of emails, chats, and blogs, paper becomes inconvenient, primitive, and most of all, environment unfriendly. Writing love letters, sending greeting or post cards, visiting the post office, collecting and exchanging candy-colored stationeries with friends and sisters seem to have lost its value now that communication and hobbies mostly revolve around the computer and mobile technology these days.

My best friends and I use our e-group to catch up with out distant lives. I agree that exchanging emails bring us together more often than our meet ups and bonding moments. Living in different cities and different parts of the world, our e-group has become our meeting place at our own convenient time. It saves us from travelling--all the way to the post office and back. I haven't even been to a post office for a very loooong time.

Home for the holidays. Catching up with my best friends Jessica, Giella, Franny and Jaira.

Emails, chats, and unli-calls are by far the most convenient ways to communicate with distant friends or relatives. But I believe that the reaction and the rush of emotions when you actually receive something from the mail is a thrilling experience. I remember receiving a musical greeting card from a friend in Houston. I was amazed because he took time to write, not to mention the effort in picking out a pretty card that plays "Walking on Sunshine" when you open it. Then there's also one time I decided to surprise my boyfriend with a gift. Everyday I would write in my small notebook--thoughts, letters, notes, prayers--while he was away. I filled the first few pages and left the rest of the notebook empty for him to fill in and hopefully send back to me. I mailed it through a courier company, and so the next day he got it. He totally appreciated the gift and the effort which made me feel the value of going an extra mile to send special somethings as compared to simply emailing them.

Which gave me another idea of sending something delightful to friends and loved ones just to break the routines and add some element of surprise: Pop-up!

Summer Blooms pop-up card

My Garden, My Stage pop-up card

The Magic Ride pop-up card

Stop and Smell the Flowers pop-up card

Free Whaley pop-up card

I Come in Fish pop-up card

Party Animals pop-up card

Flower Power pop-up card

Spongebob and Patrick in Disguise pop-up card

Baby's Day Out pop-up card

Blooms pop-up card

Just a thought. I wonder how Hallmark still survives the electronic age...coz I wanna build my paper empire too, hahahaha!