“Creativity takes courage. ” ― Henri Matisse
PETAL PEOPLE PRESS
My father gasped when I showed him “some weird-looking flowers” that I had picked from deep in the woods. They turned out to be endangered Lady’s Slippers. Cradling them in my palms, I gently placed them into the pages of the fattest book I found so that, once pressed, I could examine their curious petals.
And so began my fascination with pressing flowers. That was more than, er, 35 years ago and I haven't stopped being intrigued and inspired by the colors, shapes and textures of pressed flowers. When I made my first pressed flower figures, I was enchanted. I dubbed them Petal People and printed my favorite images onto notecards. I now wholesale my line to stores all over the country and I introduce many new designs every year. No part of these figures has been drawn, painted or computer-enhanced. They are created only from ferns, leaves, flowers and herbs, or parts of those plants that I have grown in my garden (or snatched from other gardens, road sides and fields). Lately, I’ve been putting a little more sass in them, including a naked stick figure here and there, which entertain me to no end. Check out more at www.PetalPeoplePress.com.
PLANTABLE PAPER
My mother stopped what she was doing, stood frozen and tried not to look alarmed. With a forced casual tone she asked, "What do you mean you want to make your own wedding invitations?" I had recently learned how to make handmade paper and was obsessed with making sheets and sheets of it. It took months of cajoling her before she finally gave in, probably because she had bigger fish to fry: I asked her if I could get married in the back yard of my childhood home…
That was more than 20 years ago and I haven't stopped making handmade paper since. After making my own wedding invitations (successfully, even according to my mother), I realized I could sell my paper. I signed up for my first craft show and kept doing them while I waited for the internet and Etsy to be created. When I left a decade-long career as a newspaper editor to start a family, I turned to making paper as a way to be creative and stay at home. Thankfully, it grew big enough that it's the best excuse ever for not going back to work. Although sometimes my family wouldn't mind a little less paper created in the kitchen and a few more home-cooked meals made there instead.
I recycle 100% post-consumer waste paper to make my plantable papers and I use the freshest no-GMO wildflower seeds to spread the love. And I will tell you a little secret: I didn't do it on purpose, but my wildflower mixture helps the honeybee population because it includes many of the wildflowers that they prefer for pollen. (Hummingbirds love them, too!) #luckycoincidence
I have built my business on custom orders and have made place cards, favors and invitations for hundreds of brides, corporations, non-profits and individuals during 25+ years of business. My work has been featured in LA Weekly magazine, The NY Times Style Magazine, GreenCraft magazine, the Huffington Post, the book '1000 Handmade Greetings" by Lauren McFadden as well as countless blogs. I am tickled that my work has even been purchased by a celebrity!
I have experimented with many different creative outlets but I always, always come back to papermaking. I am so grateful that I have been able to re-create the craft for myself, to make paper sculptures, cards, Christmas ornaments, all kinds of seeded paper products, wedding invitations … all of these different ways of using the same medium has kept me motivated and excited. Even after decades of making paper, I am still delighted by it. I hope you feel the joy and passion in everything I make!
