Arts & Culture

Papers and Tschai: A Journal-Customizing Journey

The advances of technology and social media hinder the wide use of journals and papers. We prefer writing our thoughts and create a thread of diary entries on the web.

Fortunately, some of us still find journals and planners useful. Our handcrafted pages filled up with colors and highlights glitter our busy schedules, and the smell of fresh pages still excite us.

Papers and Tschai offers medieval bounded journals.

Like many of us, we prefer specific journals to use. From page color, guide lines and cover, the combination of these always has to go together. Luckily, a local business that started from a hobby of customizing journals enlightens us that journals can be perfect the way we want to.

Papers and Tschai was founded and owned by Charo Lyn Roncesvalles or most commonly known as Tschai. This hobby of making journals started thirteen years ago.

“My main product is handmade leather journals. I hand stitch all the journals. After my first son was born, I had all the time so I had to make do of the materials and time and made journals for my friends,” Tschai says.

Tschai is a BS Architecture graduate and loved handcraft materials and journals ever since. “It slowly grew into me and over the years, it was just a hobby. I make journals as gifts for seasons like Christmas,” she adds.

The customizing business started with a simple thought that different types of people need different types of notebooks.

“People ask me why I don’t supply to bookstores and malls and I really tried to soul search if that’s really my market but after a few years, I realized that the edge of my products is I have the option to personalize the items for the specific person,” Tschai says.

Travelers’ notebooks are the refillable journals bounded by elastic bands.

Her stock items are rarely sold. Tschai states that people deserve the paper, leather and style that they personally want. Her leather journals come into two types—the medieval binding and travel notebook type.

Medieval binding is inspired by historically bound achieves. “Books now are glued but before pages were directly stitched to the material which is the leather. It is the sturdiest for archiving,” she says.

The travel notebook type, on the other hand, is the refillable notebook. Small ones of both types range from Php 650 to Php 850 and bigger sizes start from Php 1,200 and up depending on the type of paper and leather the customers prefer. Tschai gathers the materials around the city and over the years, she imported materials from Hong Kong.

“Maybe in five years time, I want to make a shop where people can visit and it will be like an art bar,” she envisions. “They can go there, get my journals, they can have journals made there as well where they can choose the paper and cover,” Tschai continues.

Tschai also envisions to collaborate with different local artists with the same passion and goals– to create and customize journals.

In her future art bar, she also envisions helping other artists, women and people with a hobby of handcrafting.

“I want to train and help people who need jobs and maybe discover a skill that they can earn a decent living from and at the same time they enjoy what they’re doing,” she says.

Book binding is a basic skill, Tschai insists. “There are a lot of skills that people are in need to have a right venue to practice it and put value in it,” she adds. She also wants to teach handcrafting in her future one-stop shop for journal making.

The only way to learn is to experiment. “I started thinking about this [business] two or years before making my first journal. The first journal took ten to twelve hours so I researched tools and materials. It is also important to innovate and don’t give up,” Tschai advises.

Related Topics:Journals Notebooks Papers and Tschai

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Arts & Culture

Art Beat: Scenes From the Manila Art Fair 2026

photography by Doro Barandino

“Art is unpredictable and goes in different directions. I have no idea. I would rather live the present moment.” —Bencab, National artist of the Philippines.

Vinta by Protegeri, collaboration art piece by Leeroy New, Solenn Heuseff and Vito Selma

Q&A with interior decorator and jewellery designer Doro Barandino

Which of the participating art galleries had the most unified and exciting theme?
Leon Gallery had the most amazingly put-together collection. Though the gallery engaged various artists, the overall visual effect felt like one unified theme. Leon Gallery used a sack-like cloth (most likely raw linen) as the background for the booth, and it brought the collection together. It had an old-world feel in a chaotic setting.

Who were the artists that were the most visually engaging?
The works of Carlo Tanseco were definitely my favorite. The artist used an eye chart (Snellen chart) as the background for the image of Dr. Jose Rizal giving us the middle finger—such an “in your face” message. The concept of our national hero as a modern-day provocateur was a wake-up call to everyone. Very subversive and underground material. I was also attracted to the works of Japanese artist Tadashi Kogure; they’re very architectural.

Was the choice of venue and its layout helpful in engaging the whole art vibe?
What I noticed was that the masters like Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Fernando Zóbel still attracted the most viewers at the art fair. People are naturally drawn to their masterful strokes and historical significance, or perhaps these artworks are not readily accessible for public viewing. Or maybe those booths that carried the masters’ works were strategically positioned right after the registrar.

The choice of venue at Center One was a good move—it created a total art vibe. Manila Art Fair remains the premier art fair in the country today, showcasing the finest modern and contemporary art while offering curated projects and immersive installations.

The Standard by Thai artist Pitchapa at the Triangular durational, performance art.

Bato Bato sa Langit by Filipino artist Carlo Tanseco

Stocking Proportions Menumpuk Proporsi by Indonesian artist Labadiou Piko

Untitled by Indonesian artist Yunizar

Filipiny, wool tapestry by national artist of the Philippines,Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.

Untitled by German artist Valentin Elias Renner

Interior decorator and jewellery designer Doro Barandino is also a regular contributor for zee.ph

Arts & Culture

Visayas Art Fair Year 5: Infinite Perspectives, Unbound Creativity

by Jing Ramos

This year’s Visayas Art Fair marks its 5th anniversary, celebrating the theme “Infinite Perspectives: Unbound Creativity.” The fair continues its mission of bridging creativity, culture, and community in the country. This milestone edition strengthens its partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and expands collaborations with regional art organizations and collectives—reinforcing its role as a unifying platform for Philippine art.

VAF5 features the works of Gil Francis Maningo, honoring the mastery of his gold leaf technique on opulent portraits of the Visayan muse Carmela, reflecting spiritual awareness.

Gil Francis Maningo is celebrated for his gold leaf technique.

Gil Francis Maningo’s recurring theme of his Visayan muse “Carmela”.

Another featured artist is Danny Rayos del Sol, whose religious iconography of Marian-inspired portraits offers a profound meditation on the sacred and the sublime. This collaboration between two visual artists sparks a dialogue on the Visayan spirit of creativity and resilience. Titled “Pasinaya,” this dual showcase explores gold leaf as a medium of light and transcendence.

Artist Danny Reyes del Sol

Danny Reyes del Sol’s religious iconography.

Now in its fifth year, the Visayas Art Fair has influenced a community of artists, gallerists, brokers, collectors, museum curators, and art critics—constructing a narrative that shapes how we approach and understand the artist and his work. This combination of factors, destined for popular consumption, illustrates the ways in which art and current culture have found common ground in a milieu enriched by the promise of increased revenue and the growing value of artworks.

Laurie Boquiren, Chairman of the Visayas Art Fair, elaborates on the theme, expressing a vision that celebrates the boundless imagination of unique artistic voices:

“Infinite Perspectives speaks of the countless ways artists see, interpret, and transform the world around them—reminding us that creativity knows no single point of view. Unbound Creativity embodies freedom from convention and controlled expression, allowing every artist to explore and experiment without borders.”

Laurie Boquiren, Chairman of the Visayas Art Fair has tirelessly championed the creative arts for the past five years.

Arts & Culture

Kultura. Kapital. Kasalukuyan: Art that Speaks of Today

by Jose Carlos G. Campos, Board of Trustees National Museum of the Philippines

The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently teamed up to prove that money isn’t just for counting—it’s also for curating! Their latest joint exhibition, Kultura. Kapital. Kasalukuyan: Contemporary Art from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Collection, is now open, and it’s a real treat for art lovers and culture buffs alike.

On display are gems from the BSP’s contemporary art collection, including masterpieces by National Artist Benedicto Cabrera (Bencab), along with works by Onib Olmedo, Brenda Fajardo, Antipas Delotavo, Edgar Talusan Fernandez, and many more. Some of the artists even showed up in person—Charlie Co, Junyee, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Demi Padua, Joey Cobcobo, Leonard Aguinaldo, Gerardo Tan, Melvin Culaba—while others sent their family representatives, like Mayumi Habulan and Jeudi Garibay. Talk about art running in the family!

Deputy Governor General of the BSP, Berna Romulo Puyat

Chairman of NMP, Andoni Aboitiz

The BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. and members of the Monetary Board joined the event, alongside former BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., Ms. Tess Espenilla (wife of the late Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr.), and the ever-graceful former Central Bank Governor Jaime C. Laya, who gave a short but enlightening talk about the BSP art collection.

From the NMP, Chairman Andoni Aboitiz, Director-General Jeremy Barns, and fellow trustees NCCA Chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo, Carlo Ebeo, and Jose Carlos Garcia-Campos also graced the occasion. Chairman Aboitiz expressed gratitude to the BSP for renewing its partnership, calling the exhibition a shining example of how financial institutions can also enrich our cultural wealth.

Former Governor of BSP Jaime Laya

Governor of BSP Eli M. Remona and Chairman of NMP Board Andoni Aboitiz

Artist Charlie Co

Before the official launch, a special media preview was held on 5 August, hosted by BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and DG Jeremy Barns. It gave lucky guests a sneak peek at the collection—because sometimes, even art likes to play “hard to get.”

The exhibition Kultura. Kapital. Kasalukuyan will run until November 2027 at Galleries XVIII and XIX, 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts. Doors are open daily, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. So if you’re looking for something enriching that won’t hurt your wallet (admission is free!), this is your sign to visit. After all, the best kind of interest is cultural interest.