Our Story
Chapter 1
It Began With a Wedding
Our journey didn't begin with a business plan.
It began with a wedding.
While preparing for my own wedding in 2020, I found myself creating our invitations by hand using handmade paper and delicate silk ribbons. What started as a personal project slowly became a love for paper, textures, and the joy of making something meaningful with my own hands.
That small beginning would eventually become Telapapel.
Chapter 2
Tela at Papel
In 2021, that small passion became a little business called Tela At Papel.
Back then, our world revolved around just two things: handmade paper and silk ribbons. Those two materials inspired our very first name, a simple reflection of what we loved creating with.
It was a humble beginning, but it planted the seeds for everything that would follow.
Chapter 3
A Quiet Pause
Like many creative journeys, ours wasn't a straight path.
Life became busy, priorities shifted, and for a while, Tela At Papel quietly rested. Although the shop paused, the love for creating by hand never truly disappeared. It patiently waited for the right season to begin again.
Sometimes, stories need a little space before the next chapter reveals itself.
Chapter 4
Telapapel, Something Worth Keeping
When we returned in 2024, we returned with a clearer purpose.
Tela At Papel became Telapapel, a name that reflected not only where we started, but where we were going. Along the way, our love for handmade paper had grown into a passion for bookbinding, opening a new chapter in our journey.
Fabric and paper remained at the heart of everything we create, the very same materials that continue to shape our handmade journals today.
What began as a small creative project had become a bindery studio dedicated to creating journals worth carrying, filling, and keeping.
Founder & Bookbinder
Chelsea De Leon
I've always been happiest creating something with my hands. Ever since I was little, art has quietly found its way into almost everything I do. Even when I spent years working as a UI/UX designer, I found myself longing to step away from the screen and create something I could actually hold. Before Telapapel, I even started making artisan soaps, and looking back, I think I was always searching for a craft that truly felt like home.
I've also been journaling for more than a decade. Through different seasons of my life, journaling became a place where I could slow down and make sense of my thoughts. More than once, it quietly carried me through seasons I didn't think I could navigate alone.
I think that's why I make journals today.
Not simply because I love bookbinding, but because I know what it's like to have a notebook quietly become a companion when you need one most. If a journal I made can encourage someone to create, reflect, heal, dream, or simply feel a little less alone, then I think all of this has been worth it.
Thank you for being here, and for allowing Telapapel to become a small part of your story.
Chelsea
Founder of Telapapel
Chelsea's Favorite
Found Accordion Notebook
Travel Companion
Made for the stories found along the way. From travel journals and...
Journal Entries
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A Wedding Book Meant to Be Read a Year Later
Miel wanted her wedding guests to leave lovely messages, but she and her husband won't read them until their first anniversary.
A Wedding Book Meant to Be Read a Year Later
Miel wanted her wedding guests to leave lovely messages, but she and her husband won't read them until their first anniversary.
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One Year. One Journal. A Childhood Worth Keeping.
Every year, this family fills a fresh sketchbook with memories. When it's full, it comes to my bindery to be strengthened for a lifetime of safekeeping. 🤍
One Year. One Journal. A Childhood Worth Keeping.
Every year, this family fills a fresh sketchbook with memories. When it's full, it comes to my bindery to be strengthened for a lifetime of safekeeping. 🤍
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The Little 2×2 Table That Started It All
Before the bigger booths and the website, there was one tiny 2×2 table, a rainy weekend, and a little dream called Telapapel.
The Little 2×2 Table That Started It All
Before the bigger booths and the website, there was one tiny 2×2 table, a rainy weekend, and a little dream called Telapapel.
