A letter from our founder
Dear friend,
I never set out to start a paper company.
Twenty-five years ago I was a helicopter mechanic in the Navy — hands covered in grease, working on MH-53E Sea Dragons with HM-14. Wonder wasn't exactly part of the job description. But somewhere between the flight line and raising two kids on my own after my divorce, I learned to notice the small beautiful things. The way morning light hits a kitchen table. A handwritten note tucked into a lunchbox. The quiet magic of an ordinary Tuesday.
That's what state of awe means to me — a way of being that notices the beauty in ordinary moments and finds wonder in everyday life.
For twenty years I worked in marketing — helping other people's brands shine. All the while, I was collecting moments. Sketching ideas. Dreaming of something that felt like mine. Now, working three jobs and building this in every spare hour, I'm finally making it real.
Here's what I believe with my whole heart: personalization is everything.
A generic gift says "I remembered." A personal gift says "I see you." Your stories — your hometown, your people, the dog who stole your heart, the street you grew up on — those are what make the prettiest paper. Not because it's fancy, but because it's yours.
Every design here starts with a real place or a real feeling. The Collierville Christmas collection is my hometown — the train station, the town square, the streets I walked as a girl. The gingerbread friends, the cozy cabins, the quiet nativity scenes — they're all little pieces of wonder I wanted to share with you.
So this is my promise: everything we make will help you give something that feels personal. Something that says this was made with you in mind.
Live beautifully. Wonder often.
Denise
KATHRYN DENISE CARTER
Founder & Creative Heart, State of Awe LLC
U.S. Navy Veteran, HM-14 (1997–2000)
P.S. If you would like to see where it all started, the Collierville Christmas collection is my hometown on paper — the square, the depot, the streets I grew up on. And you will find the rest of my heart in the wrapping paper and the gift sets — every one of them made to help you give something personal.
STATE OF AWE · a way of being that notices the beauty
in ordinary moments and finds wonder in everyday life.