Hi!

welcome to the Porridge Papers blog by me- Samantha! oh sure Christopher will have his two cents to add every once in a while, but mostly you’ll be reading the thoughts and ramblings of yours truly. here are some thoughts on what we’re trying to accomplish with this whole blog thing:

there is so much going on right now! and with the classes and constant ongoing projects with awesome people, there will always be something everyone should know! we just figured a blog would be a good way to keep everyone involved with what’s going on. you know, get opinions, brag, share ideas, give kudos… not quite as cool as Design*Sponge but maybe someday, right? besides! this is also a great way for me to further establish myself as the paper celebrity that i’m becoming. lol.

really. porridge papers is everywhere nowadays. we’re being talked about all over the place! i just can’t keep up! plus we’ve got some great new customers that i’m just dying to do tons of work with. i can’t wait to share pictures, swap links, and meet people (or get to know some of them better). people that are excited about what we do. because what we do is exciting.
which brings me to my next topic. what do we do? well if you’re reading this it’s either because you’ve read our website and just had to know more, or because i told you to. ;P So you already know that Porridge Papers is an awesome little papermill that makes the best handmade paper ever. You also know that we have a knack for letterpress printing. What you may not know is that we’ll be offering classes and workshops very soon so that we can share our skills and talents with other paper junkies like us!

yes yes. all of this is common knowledge and christopher is doing a great job trying to keep the website updated to keep these things well known. but today i was thinking about why we do what we do. and why people take the time to appreciate things like handmade paper and letterpress printing when you coud just send an e-mail or instant message someone to get in touch with them.

i don’t know if many of you know what it’s like to make paper for a living, but it gives you a lot of time to think. so i thought about this for quite some time before arriving at the same conclusion that the folks at Old School Stationers have kindly pointed out : handmade is better. Not just because i happen to be the one making some of this fine paper (which then usually gets printed by hand and written on by hand and mailed the good old fashioned way to be read by someone without a screen or keyboard involved). I think it’s better because there’s no real way to go digital with it (at least not as far as stationary goes). the simple fact that someone (in this case: me) enjoys and is able to make something by hand every day for a living means that someone else (probably someone a lot like you) enjoys it enough to add their bit to it and share it with someone that they care about. that’s a big deal! Snail mail shouldn’t just be for junk mail and bills! So much more is said, it’s so much more personal if you actually take the time to write a letter or send a card. Not just for weddings or baby announcements or holidays either (though that’s usually the occasion).

but somehow with all of the e-mails and text messages, people still do it (not often enough, in my opinion). cards and letters are still being sent. maybe now since it is more of a thoughtul gesture people are taking more time to send their thoughts and greetings to their friends on nicer, fancier, handmade stationery and cards. that’s what i’d like to think, anyway. and that is why i have a job. i think that’s also why the people that we work with, the printers and designers and stampers and calligraphers are so excited about what they do, and what we do. they’re putting their thought, time, and talent into something that someone will appreciate and put thought, time, and talent into sending and sharing with someone else. if that’s not one big mushy-gushy stationery love circle, i don’t know what is! and that’s why i love what i do. Not because the handmade paper that i make is vital to the economy or keeps people alive in some way, but because the people that really appreciate it know that it’s more than paper. and it is more than just paper. and that’s why you’re reading this blog.

Well that’s enough out of me for now. i promise that i won’t rant so much (maybe). until then… <3