A curated ritual writing altar for endings honored and beginnings consecrated.
This offering brings together handmade Amalfi cotton paper, a symbolic wax seal, and a phoenix-bound journal to create a quiet, contained space for reflection, release, and renewal.
Every element in The Altar of Beginnings carries a history older than the box itself.
Some are centuries old. Some were born quietly, by hand, in a single afternoon.
Together, they hold the same truth: every ending alters us, and every beginning deserves an altar.
The wax seal, L’abbraccio (The Embrace), is drawn from a 1940s engraving by German artist Kurt Craemer, who lived in Positano. It depicts two lovers unearthed in the ashes of Pompeii—discovered holding one another in the city’s final moments. Preserved through ruin, their embrace became a symbol of love that endures beyond fire, beyond endings.
To seal a letter or ritual with this image is to carry forward that tenderness—to mark closure not with force, but with care.
The phoenix on the journal cover emerged through experiment rather than training. I wanted to understand how Amalfi paper breathes with watercolor—how pigment moves through cotton, how water carries color into form. Using Agallo pigments—antique gold and Moroccan orca red—I watched, waited, and allowed. What appeared was unplanned: a phoenix rising from flame.
Just as beginnings often do.
The Altar of Beginnings exists because every threshold deserves a sacred place.
Together, these elements are not stationery alone.
They are continuity—ash to ink, fire to page, silence to voice.
The Altar of Beginnings is a curated ritual writing altar created for moments of transition—when something has ended, and what comes next asks to be honored gently.
This set brings together handmade Amalfi paper, archival wax, a symbolic seal, and a phoenix-bound journal to create a quiet, contained sanctuary for reflection, release, and renewal. Each piece is chosen for both material integrity and emotional resonance, designed to be returned to over time rather than completed.
What’s Included
The Altar of Beginnings — a ceremonial text printed on Amatruda handmade Amalfi paper
Phoenix Journal — a small handmade paper journal featuring the Phoenix in Flames
The Altar of Endings — a signed A4 Amatruda print, sealed with the L’abbraccio wax seal
Amalfi Stationery Set — 10 handmade sheets and 10 envelopes
L’abbraccio (The Embrace) Wax Seal — based on the historic Pompeii engraving
Bortoletti Bronze Wax — archival-quality wax for ritual sealing
Velvet-lined keepsake box with satin ribbon pull
Each set is assembled and prepared by hand for House of Layla Maris.
A curated ritual writing altar for endings honored and beginnings consecrated.
This offering brings together handmade Amalfi cotton paper, a symbolic wax seal, and a phoenix-bound journal to create a quiet, contained space for reflection, release, and renewal.
Every element in The Altar of Beginnings carries a history older than the box itself.
Some are centuries old. Some were born quietly, by hand, in a single afternoon.
Together, they hold the same truth: every ending alters us, and every beginning deserves an altar.
The wax seal, L’abbraccio (The Embrace), is drawn from a 1940s engraving by German artist Kurt Craemer, who lived in Positano. It depicts two lovers unearthed in the ashes of Pompeii—discovered holding one another in the city’s final moments. Preserved through ruin, their embrace became a symbol of love that endures beyond fire, beyond endings.
To seal a letter or ritual with this image is to carry forward that tenderness—to mark closure not with force, but with care.
The phoenix on the journal cover emerged through experiment rather than training. I wanted to understand how Amalfi paper breathes with watercolor—how pigment moves through cotton, how water carries color into form. Using Agallo pigments—antique gold and Moroccan orca red—I watched, waited, and allowed. What appeared was unplanned: a phoenix rising from flame.
Just as beginnings often do.
The Altar of Beginnings exists because every threshold deserves a sacred place.
Together, these elements are not stationery alone.
They are continuity—ash to ink, fire to page, silence to voice.
The Altar of Beginnings is a curated ritual writing altar created for moments of transition—when something has ended, and what comes next asks to be honored gently.
This set brings together handmade Amalfi paper, archival wax, a symbolic seal, and a phoenix-bound journal to create a quiet, contained sanctuary for reflection, release, and renewal. Each piece is chosen for both material integrity and emotional resonance, designed to be returned to over time rather than completed.
What’s Included
The Altar of Beginnings — a ceremonial text printed on Amatruda handmade Amalfi paper
Phoenix Journal — a small handmade paper journal featuring the Phoenix in Flames
The Altar of Endings — a signed A4 Amatruda print, sealed with the L’abbraccio wax seal
Amalfi Stationery Set — 10 handmade sheets and 10 envelopes
L’abbraccio (The Embrace) Wax Seal — based on the historic Pompeii engraving
Bortoletti Bronze Wax — archival-quality wax for ritual sealing
Velvet-lined keepsake box with satin ribbon pull
Each set is assembled and prepared by hand for House of Layla Maris.
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