Happy ’26, folks! Much of our community is prepping for or already experiencing the winter markets, but regardless of your travel plans, our beautiful winter issue of Stationery Trends is here to deliver a gorgeous glimpse of the freshest currents in the world of paper. Within it of course is our ever-popular (and perhaps MOST popular) annual feature, 10 Makers To Watch in 2026.
As always, I am so proud (and a bit proprietary) of this talented group, many of whom I’ve already covered here at The Paper Nerd or hosted on The Paper Fold Podcast. Take Vicky Barone of Barone & Co., who generated our dazzling cobalt cover and is also a ’26 Maker To Watch. Vicky’s been a Paper Fold Podcast guest, and I presented a Paper Nerd mini-profile on her a while back. I’ve also hosted the cat-a-rific Talia Bromstad of Bromstad Printing on The Paper Fold; she was a ’25 Maker to Watch and created this year’s oh-so-fabulous frontis. I’ve also recently posted mini-profiles here on Thomasin Foshay of Toute-Petite and Becca Gore of Drawn Goods — and I hope to continue highlighting my special 10 throughout the year.
Which brings me to Chanamon Ratanalert, the lovely owner + artist behind Maison Chanamon — and one of my 2026 Makers to Watch. I discovered this house of paper at its very first trade show, the 2025 Winter NY NOW last February, and then got reacquainted at Noted at Las Vegas Market this past July.
There, I filled my Instagram stories with images of favorite finds at the show — and for my Stationery Trends Market Report, I shared shots of many exhibitors holding their favorite designs. I find it endlessly revealing to see their choices, plus I love everyone’s expressions. Chanamon’s is below, and I must note: In the chaos of that market, I mislabelled another maker’s work as hers in my stories. Chanamon was truly kind and understanding about my careless error, which she certainly did not have to be; to me, that speaks volumes. She is definitely an official paper person (and nerd) through and through!
While my Makers to Watch coverage provides a tailored glimpse of each range, with everything neatly laid out and encapsulated onto one page, Chanamon took us Paper Nerd readers behind the scenes.
SS: Not only are you a self-taught artist, you went full-time with Maison Chanamon after dealing with corporate burnout in 2020. I know you juggled both a day job and your passion project for some time — what caused you to finally quit and take the plunge?
CR: To be honest, I quit my corporate job when I was majorly depressed and simply couldn’t handle the job anymore, let alone getting out of bed each day. It wasn’t the inspiring leap of faith so many of us (myself included) often dream about. I had actually planned to quit and get another job, ideally a more creative fulfilling one, but I needed time to rest and create an illustration portfolio. While I was recovering and slowly reintegrating into functional society (as much as one could in 2021 pandemic times), I began working on my business more. I had all but dropped my creative endeavors in the last couple years while too absorbed in my corporate job, and it felt so fulfilling to work on my own ideas and have creative freedom for a change. After a few successful craft fairs and growing my customer base, I gained the confidence that I could pursue my business full-time and finally give it the real shot I’d always dreamed of. It’s been a rocky rollercoaster the last four years and I’ve worked way harder than I ever needed to at my corporate job, but the hardships have been far outmatched by the satisfaction of my accomplishments and the community I’ve created around me.
SS: Your work is zany, colorful and upbeat on the surface, but really doesn’t shy away from difficult situations or emotions. This contrast creates a distinctive space and I’m curious for your thoughts on creating it. Your forms and verbiage tend to be minimal so I get the sense it is far harder than it appears!
CR: I love playing with the duality of the good and the bad to underscore the idea that things can be both. My work can be silly and sad, or cheerful yet a little bit dark. I like to act in contrast to the kinds of media that are relentlessly happy, because real life isn’t so shimmery and no one is so perfect. Everyone experiences a range of emotions and all feelings should be validated and embraced, not just the good ones. Negative feelings often leave people feeling isolated and alone, so I try to create work that acknowledges what they’re going through and to let them know that they are not alone. The touch of whimsy makes serious topics more light-hearted and easier to talk about, to fight against that isolation and stigmatization of negative feelings. It is a tough line to tow, but the line between happy and sad is one I’ve walked my whole life so I’m always drawn to expressing it in my work.
SS: Talk to me about your ghosts — this collection is always growing and apparently these fellows have been the basis of tattoos as well? What do you think is behind their appeal? How often do you add to it?
CR: The ghosts originally came about from a simple doodle in my sketchbook. I love drawing characters and expressing human emotions, but I don’t like drawing people, so a simple ghost seemed like an easy cop out. I had started out drawing moments from my daily life, showing places I went or things I did, with a ghost in my place and found people were really drawn to it. I noticed people could easily relate to the ghost, and it acted as a blank slate onto which people could project themselves. It was then that I decided the ghost could represent all different kinds of people and set out to represent different jobs, hobbies, and personas in my ghost iterations. I add to the collection whenever I get a chance, when I get certain requests, and when I see a popular or underrepresented identity that could fit onto its little ghosty body. Now that the ghost is entirely separate from me and has a life of its own, it’s come to my attention that it needs a name. My comment section is always open, if your readers have any suggestions!
SS: What have you been working on lately and why are you drawn to it?
CR: My latest project has been for the latest addition to my product line: foldable tote bags. I have
always loved surface design and colorful patterns, so I’m having a lot of fun drawing and arranging patterns for these totes. I love creating products for fandoms and hobbyists, so I’m excited to come out with the perfect bags to tote around daily and show off your personality and passions.
SS: Do you have a favorite stationery product from your range? Why?
CR: The answer could be none other than stickers. They were one of my earliest product types, starting with printing and cutting them all myself at home before I couldn’t keep up with demand. I love the versatility of stickers and how affordable of a price point they are for a compact work of art. Some artists need to price their products high to meet their costs and make a livable wage, and some customers don’t always have the cash or space to buy their favorite artist’s work. A sticker is a great way to show your support of an artist and carry a piece of their art with you.
SS: What are your thoughts on journaling and junk journaling? Do you think it will continue to grow?
CR: I think junk journaling is just a new age term for scrapbooking, which has been around in some form since as early as the 15th century according to my quick google search. I guess the younger generation needed a new word for this hobby because scrapbooking sounds like something only grannies might do. I noticed this form of crafting hit the mainstream again with bullet journaling and the planner community, but junk journaling has reached beyond these niche communities and gotten more people into crafting for crafters’ sake.
I love that the “junk” part makes it much more accessible, saying that you can create with literally trash if you want. You don’t have to spend hundreds on fancy papers and materials from the craft store. In today’s overly digital world, I am all for taking a moment to relax, step away from our screens, and do something creative and physical. I think a lot of others are looking for ways to get back in touch with their childhood selves that could create freely, without curation and the pressure to appear perfect like social media has. I think and hope that it will always be around in one form or another as an uninhibited and accessible way for anyone to express themselves and be creative.
SS: In last year’s Louie awards competition, the Asian Maker of Note category had one of the highest entry counts of all the Louie categories. However, within ‘Asian Makers of Note,’ there is a huge breadth of design and experience encompassing varied countries of origin, traditions, holidays and so on. So I’m very curious how your own ethnicity and culture influences your work and shapes you as a maker?
CR: To be honest, when I first started publishing my work and establishing my brand, I didn’t want to incorporate anything from my Asian American culture. I feared that doing so would box me in to being seen only in a certain way and somehow hold me back. After processing through some internalized racism and seeing fellow Asian American artists intentionally create works influenced by their culture, I began to gain pride for my heritage and drew some nostalgic childhood treats I used to get from the Asian grocer near my hometown. The reception of these illustrations and how many people came out to say they had the same things growing up really changed how I view myself and my ethnicity. It felt incredible to feel seen and discover a whole community of people like me. This opened my eyes to the power art has to bring communities together and uplift underrepresented groups, and it’s been my mission to create that kind of art ever since.
Chanamon, thank you so much for your insights and transparency, and once again I tip my hat to you! This has been such a treat. Who knew there was so much behind a seemingly simple sticker?
Nerds in the wild, start your shop here and get follow Chanamon here. Nerds in the trade, Maison Chanamon has recently joined the incredible Karen Alweil Studio (a perfect match, IMO) — so Maison Chanamon will be exhibiting at the Atlanta, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or New York (Shoppe Object) markets, plus you can always register to purchase online.
