About

Paper Parasol Press was born in 2009, but started a few years prior at the start of a long distance relationship. What started as a correspondence between Chicago, Illinois and St. Pete, Florida, turned into a full time business. As fate would have it, Chicago became home. In 2012, Paper Parasol Press moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. We now call California our home, but we remain inspired by our Midwest roots and true to the colors and energy of the West Coast. We are fans of handwritten correspondence, human connections, and artful designs.

Our Team

Cindy Tomczyk-Lee

Photo by: Sarah Deragon

Cindy is the owner, designer, and creative director of Paper Parasol Press. She has worked in the greeting card industry as both a designer and production artist for years before going full-time with her own small business.

She finds inspiration in nature, travel, and, as a first-generation American, tapping into her Eastern European roots of design and folk art. 

Cindy also works as a freelance visual designer. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Andrew, and dog, Rey. 

She is a fan of mid-century design, flea markets, ceramics, and road trips. Her dream is to one day own a roadside attraction, build a tiki bar in her backyard, and become somewhat fluent in Spanish. 

 Bret Iwan

Bret is the associate creative director and designer. He has a strong illustration background and rocks photoshop textures. When he's not restoring his 1930's International truck or 1913 Craftsman Bungalow, he's running his successful home restoration company, Bungalow Modern. A jack of all trades and master of many skills, Paper Parasol Press is lucky to have him on the creative team. 

Rey

 

Rey is a chihuahua mix and studio sweetheart. Cindy and her husband, Andrew, adopted her from the local SPCA whens she was five months old for Andrew's birthday. She makes sure Cindy takes breaks with plenty of walks around the neighborhood. When she's isn't shadowing Cindy around PPP headquarters, she enjoys protecting the house, playing with her buddies at the dog park, and taking long neighborhood walks. She just mastered "roll over", but only in one direction. Other skills include: play dead, wait, stay, shake, other paw, touch, and spin. We are still working on "no bark". 

 

 

Paper Parasol Press is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the ancestral land of the Ohlone peoples