Stationery Scoop: the blog by paper company CEO Heidi Reimer-Epp

How a customer challenged me to do better

 

Two years ago, I received an email from a customer. He wanted to know why our seed paper products didn't grow native species and why we were wasting this opportunity to do good with native seeds. (FYI, Botanical PaperWorks produces seed paper that grows into flowers, herbs and vegetables when you plant the paper)

 

I didn't know much about native seeds so I called him up on the phone. Jim and I had a long conversation where he talked about the disappearing honey bee, the struggling Monarch butterfly and how native species are key to helping these important insects survive. As I listened, I got inspired. We could use our seed paper to help establish more of these endangered habitats and really make a difference for our planet!

 

I met with my product development team and gave them a challenge - develop a seed paper for every region in North America. Easier said than done. We embarked on an extensive R&D process to find native seeds that are available in plentiful supply, ones that work with our papermaking process and ones that meet our conservation standards.

 

We couldn't have done it on our own - to develop the standards, we relied on expertise from Dr Vernon Peters, conservation biologist and professor of biology at Kings University in Edmonton. He helped us select seeds that are wildlife-friendly for the recommended region.

 

Last month at the PPPC National Convention, we launched our Native Seed Paper Promotional Products line. And now we're producing native seed paper along with our existing wildflower seed blend, and our herb and vegetable papers.

 

Thank you Jim for challenging Botanical PaperWorks to develop Native Seed Paper. We're partnering together with our customers to spread native species and help our planet.

 

New product: vegetable seed paper

I'm always excited when my company Botanical PaperWorks introduces a new product. We've recently launched a new line of seed paper that grows vegetables when you plant it.

The tomato, carrot and lettuce seeds are embedded in the paper fibre. You can print on the paper (see printing instructions here) and write on it, and then when the lucky recipient is finished reading your note, they can plant it and recycle it into vegetables.

Made with 100% post-consumer materials, each colourful piece of biodegradable paper is embedded with high quality NON-GMO seeds that can be planted in a pot or garden.

One of my favorite parts of creating a new product is watching the product development team work out the colors. We make all of our paper at our facility in Winnipeg, Canada. That gives us complete control over the colors. The team will pour over paper samples, looking pick just the right color of red for the tomato seed paper. Not too saturated, not too pastel.

Once the winning shade is declared, it gets put into production and the papermaking team starts making inventory. We stock all of our papers so that when you order, we can ship within 24 hours. That's a commitment that we made years ago and I'm glad that we did - almost everything you buy from Botanical PaperWorks, including personalized favors, ship within 24 hours. Even our seed paper invitations ship quickly - within 72 hrs of proof approval.

So please check out the new vegetable seed paper and let us know what you're using it for. We love seeing your photos on Instagram and Facebook. It keeps us inspired to see your creative ideas in action!

Seed paper

Seed paper sprouting in a pot

Seed paper blooming indoors

For the last 15 years, Botanical PaperWorks has been manufacturing seed paper on a large scale. The paper is sold to printers, graphic designers and individuals who are creating and printing and doing generally cool things with it. We're also designing and printing our own lines of seed paper stationery, as featured on our website www.botanicalpaperworks.com. 

Seed paper is neat stuff. The paper is literally embedded with seeds, either wildflower, vegetable, herb or any other seed that is small enough to fit into the post-consumer pulp base.

Botanical PaperWorks recently developed some new paper colors; check them out all of the seed paper sheets and envelopes. I'm excited to see the paper colors and styles evolving and look forward to hearing the feedback from our customers.

UPDATE Oct 30, 2013

I'm really happy to announce that we've launched a new Christmas red seed paper, available in both 8 1/2 x 11 and 11 x 17 formats. Go to 8 1/2 x 11 seed paper and 11 x 17 seed paper to shop now.

{diy project} No-Glue Fold Book

Making fold books is fun and easy to do. Because they don't require gluing or pasting, fold books can be made from virtually any sheet of paper. The basic pattern creates squares on a page which are then cut in a circular manner, as shown in these step-by-step photos.

Supplies

• 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper (I'm using seed paper in Tangerine)
• printed template
• scissors

-->>Download the No-Glue Fold Book Printable Template<<--

Step 1 - Select a sheet of paper for folding. These photos show 8 1/2 x 11 seed paper in that gorgeous color of the year, Tangerine. Fold the paper in half using a bone folder to create a crisp foldline.

Step 2 - Now open up the paper and fold each of the halves in half again, to create strips of four folds.

Step 3 - Open the paper again, turn it and fold it in thirds the other direction. You can also download the template that shows the fold lines above.

Step 4 - Follow the directions on the printable template and cut the paper as shown.

Step 5 - Beginning at the first square, fold the book up, square by square.

Other Ideas 

• Paste a hard cover to the front and back of the book to give a more structured, formal feel.
• The pages of a fold book are a wonderful way to display a set of trip memorabilia and enjoy at a glance

Behind The Scenes

We had fun with this photo shoot, here's a behing-the-scenes look at the area where we shot.

See what else you might enjoy with these other free printables and check out the different colors of seed paper including a gorgeous French Blue and Mustard Yellow.

P.S. This post was included in thirtyhandmadedays.com!

Seed paper in bloom

Over at my company, we like to post photos of our seed paper and envelopes in bloom. It's fun to see the paper sprout and grow into some very large plants, like these tomatoes growing in the front office:

Image from: Growing Tomato Seed Paper: Week 11

Right now, we also have these beautiful Black Eyed Susans in spendid bloom:

Image from: This Seed Paper Really Does Grow!

In most parts of Canada and the United States, it's warm enough to plant the paper outside. Check out this pot of wildflowers growing outside in a planter.

We're always happy to see your photos too, so please visit the Botanical PaperWorks Facebook page and share your pictures of seed paper in bloom.