Papercraft Miracles

06/05/2025

It’s peony season here in Buffalo and these bright pink beauties are a lesson in change. They came with our building, originally planted by the previous owner, Sandy, who was a fantastic gardener.

They started out in the back by the fence, in an area that used to be sunny when the trees were smaller 25 years ago. But as the trees got bigger, that area became very shady and while the leaves grew in lush, year after year, the last year that flowers grew was the one before I had my first kid.

I knew they needed a change but I was scared to uproot them, fearing that I wouldn’t dig enough or find a suitable sunny spot for them. So I waited…and waited and waited.

But then I met someone who knew more about change than I did. Decades more gardening experience…and life experience. She showed me how to trim them, prep them to move. How to ensure they were dug I enough, and replanted to the right depth to keep their eyes close enough to the sun to bloom…and here we are…two years later and now there are ten perfect buds blooming away on this one bush.

I believe in the magic of change and these blooms are proof.

05/31/2025

My favorite paper orchids I’ve made over the years. Which one is your favorite??

05/30/2025

I wanna tell you a secret about winning…it involves A LOT more losing. Social media is almost always the highlight reel of a very long journey and most people don’t show you pictures of when they fail…or even mention that it happens at all, let alone how often it does. Myself included.

But a few years ago, I had a conversation with my very talented (and multi award winning) friend Carlos Andrés Gómez on my podcast, and I asked him, “Carlos, how do you win alllll the time??” He said something that changed me. He said “my career and my life are an overwhelming series of failures. I’ve had a .03% success rate in my life but I just put myself out there so much that it appears that I succeed a lot but I’m actually failing relentlessly.”

And I think about that conversation ALL THE TIME, especially when I’m applying for awards and grants, or pitching to new clients or launching a new product, because I know that the vast majority of those attempts are going to fail. If I let myself be afraid of failing then I would never ever get to win because I wouldn’t even try. And unfortunately that state is where most people live…so afraid to fail that they never even try to go for what they want.

So I’m here to tell you that I have failed and been rejected thousands of times…way more failures than I can count.

But that truly IS the secret…to try so often that you only track the yeses.

05/28/2025

Join us in the studio on May 31st for a hands on papermaking basics workshop!

This workshop is beginner friendly. Learn about the process of making your own paper from recycled scraps and add organic inclusions like dried flowers and seeds. Learn the basics about papermaking tools, equipment and more.

At the end of the workshop, participants will have made several sheets of handmade paper that will be pressed and dried at our studio. Papers will either be mailed to participants or can be picked up 48 hours after the workshop.

$75 includes materials

All materials are provided.

Register here: https://zurl.co/CATLf

05/25/2025

This is where I’ve been all weekend, laid up on my couch in pain. Again. While it’s a newer pain that I’m dealing with now, I’ve dealt with chronic pain for 33 years, so pain isn’t new to me. It’s still really frustrating to be unable to do the things you want and need to do. Sitting here seeing all the things that need doing, peeking out the window and seeing my garden needs attention, and knowing that the more I try to do, the worse it will get.

I know that some people see me on here and think that I do so much…and I guess I do…but there are many days (usually weekend days) that are like this, resting, recovering, building up spoons to do the stuff I need to do during the week when my hubby’s at work.

I do feel like I miss out on many of the fun family things with my kids because hiking up a mountain, or chasing kids literally anywhere is something that takes many many spoons lately. But I’m learning to see rest as productive. Sleep as productive. Downtime as productive, even if the world can’t see that.

And times like Memorial Day, when my brother who was a soldier is dead, it’s not so easy to want to go to a picnic, be around all these happy faces telling me to have a happy day of remembering everyone who’s not here anymore.

So I hope this weekend was restful for you too…and that you resist saying “Happy” when referring to Memorial Day, because it really isn’t about the start of summer…it’s about learning how to keep going through unimaginable grief and pain.

05/24/2025

Join us in the studio on May 27th for a hands on bullet journal making workshop!

This workshop is beginner friendly. Learn about the process of making your own pamphlet stitch journal and the basics of mapping out your own planner

At the end of the workshop, participants will have one handmade softcover bullet journal to take home.

$40 includes materials

All materials are provided.

Register here: https://zurl.co/gFNz2

05/23/2025

Sneak peek at our next big project…Can you believe these clover are made of PAPER??!! knocked these outta the park, for sure.

05/20/2025

Join us in the studio on May 24th for a hands on tutorial!

This workshop is beginner friendly. You’ll learn how to cover, assemble and sew your own watercolor sketchbook with the Coptic stitch method. Choose from a variety of beautiful papers to make the cover of your book, the paper inside the boo will be mixed media paper.

At the end of the workshop, participants will have your very own 6×9 sketchbook to take home.

$75 includes materials

All materials are provided.

Register here: https://zurl.co/avlBa

05/19/2025