paper good

Never underestimate the importance of "garbage." I don't know when I fell victim to collecting scraps. My mother has instilled in me a fine tuned ability to throw out unnecessary objects, to liquidate and tidy and unclutter when life begins to feel a bit out of control. I realized today, however, that one place my purging has been utterly forgotten is in the paper department. I have gleaned over the years enough scraps to fill an entire corner of my walk-in closet devoted to my paper collection.

Something about the sensory experience of paper makes me deliriously happy. Something about how it carries a message... is a medium of communication. Paper gets to be the third wheel in correspondence, the keeper of history, the bearer of news, it holds our words and carries them forth, it organizes and inspires and creates.

In an increasingly digital age, my papers now also offer a nostalgic presence. Here are a couple of favorites I found this morning:

found this guy on the street and picked him up. "Frypot Return Tag" / steel wire

there once was a tiny paper goods store in pioneer square. one of the best things i learned from kristen blush was about their assorted paper packages. left over paper scraps and news clippings and the most delicious random things a girl could ask for. "special order" no doubt harkened from one of these scrumptious packages.