The Paper Fold

Hosted by Evergreen Podcasts

Business Entrepreneurship Arts Design Leisure Hobbies

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

About the show

Get your design fix in the stationery community's only all-paper salon, where Sarah hosts a charming mishmosh of personalities & players.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

May 29, 202644 min

Ray Wu of Ferris Wheel Press

Every paper nerd needs a quality pen for their prized stationery — and Ferris Wheel Press aims to elevate the world of writing tools as it demands. Raymond Yu actually started out in stationery, creating one-of-a-kind, ultra-luxe invitations — but turned his talents to fountain pens and accessories, aiming to remove the intimidation factor and "make fancy fun." Ferris Wheel Press' ever-expanding array of offerings encompasses both its own creations as well as licensed product tied to major properties — think Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Batman, Superman. Every last creation invites users to immerse themselves in a fantastic world where every last detail has been carefully considered and tweaked to near perfection. The results don't just heighten the writing experience — Ray shared that many of Ferris Wheel Press' customers actually write more as they seek opportunities to write stuff down! Whatever role you play in stationery, Ray's perspective — to say nothing of Ferris Wheel Press' artistry! — will inspire you to examine our medium's potential with fresh eyes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 5, 202645 min

Erin Dayhaw

Typically I discover new stationery makers at markets, then I nerd out on them online, but with Erin Dayhaw, it’s been quite the opposite! I was laughing along with her TikTok adventures for quite some time (along with her 30K followers) before I actually met her IRL at NY NOW this past February. Because Erin seemed to understand the TikTok algorithm in a way other stationery makers do not, I initially envisioned our interview to be focused on winning insights that app. However, Erin is letting her feed go stale on the app she now describes as a "QVC shopping channel." Erin's approach to stickers as "relatable fine art" is just of one many shrewd observations this Zoomer (?) shares — we also touch on storytelling, controversy and content. Not only is Erin's energy incredible, her inherent understanding of modern messaging (and what people want to hear or share) make hers a brand to closely watch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 24, 202645 min

Carissa Potter of People I've Loved

Every year in the winter issue of Stationery Trends, I compile a department called 10 Makers to Watch. Throughout the year I will be highlighting my special 10 — including my very special guest today, Carissa Potter of People I've Loved. Much like that of my other guests, this brand offers stationery and gifts, but with a radically different, deceptively simple approach. Rather than seeing her wares as yet another commodity, Carissa utilizes them to develop ourselves and our relationships. In her words, "Each is a conversation we long to have, a feeling we are hoping for, an object to do the impossible." This out-of-the-box approach has garnered this very small California house of design collaborations with some very big brands, including Facebook, The Body Shop, Pinterest, Google, SFMOMA, YouTube, Anthropologie, Madewell, The Wall Street Journal and Nylon Magazine. Our discussion about design and the ability of smart yet simple product to upend your entire perspective is not to be missed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 25, 20261 hr 5 min

Mark Woodman of Mark Woodman Design

Stationery is this podcaster's favorite subject — but color comes in a close second! After all, color doesn't just shade our world, it elevates, deflates or defines a mood — and it can make or break any given design. If you have never heard an expert discuss how color trends are formed and evolve, get ready for a treat! I have had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Woodman of Mark Woodman Design + Color many times over the years for my publication's trend coverage — now I'm bringing his insights, garnered during a prestigious 40-plus-year career, here. In The Paper Fold episode 66, I hosted the brilliant Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and the generator of every Pantone Color of the Year. I wanted to get Mark's thoughts on Pantone's Color of the Year 2026, Cloud Dancer, and its less than positive reception. Not only did he share those, but so many gems about the many ways that a color or color grouping comes into vogue, establishing this episode as must-listen for any design nerd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

January 14, 202643 min

Monika + George of UWP Luxe

Recently I hosted Wolf & Wren Press' Lauren and Liz, who just won the Louie Award for the Card of the Year. But there are actually two divisions of Card of the Year, $5.50 and above and $5.50 and below. Wolf & Wren took the below slot, while UWP Luxe took the above $5.50 slot with their fabulous tea-themed birthday creation that must be experienced in life to be fully appreciated.* That's because UWP Luxe is a pop-up card company, and while this market has gotten more crowded of late, UWP Luxe — as well as its sister companies Up With Paper and Jumping Jack Press — consistently takes a cutting-edge approach to not just stationery, but the entire pop up category as well. Pop-ups take the expected and turn it on its ear, and my guests Monika Brandrup, EVP and Creative Director, UWP and UWP Luxe, and George White, who was president at Up With Paper for many years but is now CEO of its parent company, CM Paula, discuss the evolution of their brands and the category as a whole. How exactly does this brand put the ship in the bottle, over and over in different formats, with extraordinary results every last time? *Please note: The Louie Award for Card of the Year was NOT a cat-a-rific birthday card as I state in my podcast intro — I jumbled UWP Luxe's Card of the Year with one of its other FIVE Louie Award winners. Such are the paper nerd problems caused by this prolific, award-winning brand! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

December 18, 202549 min

Rachel Kroh of Heartell (2 of 2)

In the Part 1 of our chat, Rachel took us behind the vibrant, woodblocked Heartell Press design curtain, now we delve into its ethos of sustainability, and the many challenges it poses to a stationery brand. For example, shoppers absolutely loves seeing cards printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper — but it drives up costs, and brings a bevy of creative limitations. For Rachel, action — not discussion — always brings clarity. Thus many of Heartell's introductions, like its upcycle-able boxed note boxes, successfully cut down on single-use plastics as they differentiate themselves at point of purchase. It's all in the name of finding 21st-century solutions to lingering 20th-century problems. Best of all, Rachel's inspiring creative process is something anyone, anywhere can try. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

November 25, 202551 min

Rachel Kroh of Heartell (1 of 2)

Greeting cards have the nearly impossible task of connecting us with loved ones when we don't know what to say — so we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to makers like Rachel Kroh of Heartell Press, who have made it their life's work to help others give and get the emotional support they need. Today we travel behind the vibrant Heartell design curtain to learn what drives these irresistible, timeless woodblock designs. Rachel well understands grief, our enduring taboo against discussing grief — and even the many types of loss and change that can spark this staggering emotion. In fact, she founded her entire house of cards following her own Mother's terminal cancer diagnosis. In this, the first of two episodes, we discuss the evolution of Heartell, which started in Brooklyn but spread westward with a one-of-a-kind production process in tow. While navigating grief is the cornerstone of this brand — and Rachel's collaboration with grief counselor and author Lisa Keefauver offers both visual and emotional comfort in stationery form — she also finds a great healing power within arresting beauty. So whether Rachel is figuring out how to incorporate risograph offerings alongside her existing letterpress designs, or working on portraying the powerful bodies of women, her constant experimentation drives our collective growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 28, 202552 min

Lauren & Liz of Wolf & Wren

What goes into a Louie Award-winning Card of the Year? In the case of Wolf & Wren Press, every design grows from the 30-year friendship of co-founders Liz Wolf and Lauren Stapleton. That precious connection, born in middle school, is the kind where one finishes the other's sentences ... and the other picks right up on the story! I's at the core of every design Wolf & Wren prints — including their winning pet sympathy card that from first glance honors both the love and grief of these companionships. While their cards connect and uplift those separated by emotional and physical distances, Liz and Lauren also actually live far apart. Liz designs and illustrates the range while also working an art teacher in Rockford, Illinois, while Lauren does the printing and everything else that goes into running the Wolf & Wren stationery shop in Longmont, Colorado — some 946 miles away. While every house of stationery tends to take a distinctive approach to running its brand these days, that of Wolf & Wren is completely unique. Our chat covers not just the origins of Wolf & Wren, but where they see themselves — and the stationery community — evolving. Every house of stationery takes a distinctive approach to running itself these days, but that of Wolf & Wren is like no other — and that co-founder connection keeps the brand fresh and authentic. While our chat covers the origins of Wolf & Wren, Liz and Lauren also share where they see Wolf & Wren — and the stationery community — evolving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 30, 202543 min

Victoria Kirst of Pouch Studio (2 of 2)

While journalers and junk journalers exist in this digital age alongside the rest of us, they crave the tactile and in-person elements of the analog world. In part 2 of my chat with Software Engineer Victoria Kirst, we take a deep dive into this non-digital community in the pages of her stationery zine Pouch and beyond. If you are unfamiliar with stationery clubs and swaps, it is positively heartwarming to learn of tools like washi tape or stickers being lovingly bartered or shared by these offline groups. Here, stationery is not a commodity but a tool for collective expression. For Victoria, Pouch is the ultimate passion project turned side hustle, and she perceives it as a tool to grow her community as she scratches her own creative itches. This becomes exceedingly clear in Victoria's surprising Nerd Notes, where this micro-bride turns her very wedding into stationery to mail and share! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 27, 202540 min

Victoria Kirst of Pouch Studio (1 of 2)

Like me, my guest today is a huge paper nerd who is the founding editor of a stationery publication. Unlike me, Victoria Kirst is also a software engineer who created her fabulous zine Pouch as an offline labor of love to share her passion for analog tools with an ever-growing community. If you haven't seen a zine in a few decades or so, prepare to be dazzled! This purely 21st-century publication truly celebrates our medium, showcasing its endless potential — as well as the seemingly endless creative ways individuals in the stationery community express their inner lives and experiences through journals, planners, washi tapes, pens, cards, rubber stamps, and the like. With a mission is to inspire every reader to start doodling, junk journaling or other stationery project, of course I have plenty of questions that we begin tackling in the first of two episodes. What attracts a software engineer to the world of analog — and what does stationery have that the digital domain lacks? Why are stationery clubs and meetups and junk journaling retreats happening now? Whatever your role in stationery, it is nearly impossible to not catch Victoria's excitement — or begin a journal of one's own! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices