It started with an anonymous gift. 

She received a package on her front door step. It was wrapped in a heavy-grade playfully patterned paper, and tied up with a bow, perfectly complementing the subtler tones in the design.

In our modern world, a first reaction when receiving a message from an unknown recipient is: "Don't open it!"  But long before communication became too easy, before messages mostly consisted of advertisements, viruses or scams, a message from an unknown recipient was an adventure.

Remember the first time your best friend passed a note in class? Remember your first love letter? Remember your first job application? Your first rejection letter? Your first acceptance letter? Remember your first invitation?

You can tell so much from paper. There is much you can say with weight, texture, pattern and design, before you even put a word on the page.

She called to tell me about the package. All it said was, "For you."

Her neighbor attended a party the week before and a sweet little cream invitation with a paisley border asked that, in lieu of gifts, guests "pay it forward."

She always waved and smiled when neighbors passed by, and occasionally shared the fruits of her over-zealous herb garden with little notes on yellowed cards that said "For you."

Next time the neighbor passed by, she called out, "Was it you?"

"How did you know?"  the neighbor replied, walking towards the porch for the first time.

"Your note,"  she said.

I've always loved paper. But this was the moment I realized its worth. Its texture. The weight of a message hand-written, by you, on paper. 

Paper says, "I mean it."

Please shop around, look for things that make you happy, design something special and if you need some ideas, I would be happy to help.  I look forward to creating your next adventure on paper together.