Episode 13: Friends of TPFC: Reviving Crepe Paper Art
“Lia Griffith is a designer, maker, artist, and author. Since launching this handcrafted lifestyle site with her first paper rose in 2013, Lia and her team have developed thousands of original designs, templates, and tutorials for those who love to learn, make and create. While paper flowers are where this journey began, Lia is most passionate about helping others find joy in crafting and reopen the door to their creative soul. She believes in changing lives one craft at a time.”
It’s nearly impossible to make paper flowers and not have heard of Lia Griffith, the internationally renowned designer, educator, and author. When we started our crepe paper flower journeys years ago, Lia’s lifestyle website was one of the few that provided paper flower tutorials for crepe paper.
As a leader of the craft industry, Lia’s business model has evolved to a subscription model to provide consistently amazing handmade craft projects for “a handcrafted...
Episode 12: Artist Spotlight: Teaching What You Love
Episode 11: Artist Spotlight: Uncommon Paper Flowers with Kate Alarcon
Most of you know Kate Alarcon’s work through her IG account, @cobralilyshop, and her unique paper flower tutorials on Design*Sponge. This week, we are sitting with our friend to discuss her art and her forthcoming paper flower book, Uncommon Paper Flowers: Extraordinary Botanicals and How to Create Them, now available for purchase and to be released October 15, 2019.
Listen to Kate as she talks with Quynh, Jessie and Priscilla, about her paper flower art and her book.
1. Who is Kate Alarcon?
I'm a paper artist, plant geek, and mom/dog mom.
2. What are some of the challenges you've faced during your paper florist career?
Besides some intense health stuff in the last few years, the challenges for me are probably the challenges we all face. On the business side of things, it's tough not knowing what's coming down the pike: what opportunities will arise that I feel I can't turn down but will require me to drop everything so I can do an...
Episode 10: Artist Spotlight: Drawing Inspiration Close to Home
This week, we get to know Stine Evensen, the artist behind the IG account, @tabletakes. With only watercolour paper and paint, Stine is able to create these wonderfully intricate wildflowers and common flowers that she sees everyday around her surroundings. Her IG account is filled with bright and beautifully photographed images of her creations. She was a bit of a mystery to us as she seldom (if ever) shares much of her personal self on social media so it was a joy to finally meet her face to face (albeit virtually) and get a chance to hear her talk about herself and her art.
Read and listen to Stine as she talks with Quynh, Jessie and Priscilla, about her process, her inspiration, and her art.
1. Stine, tell us a bit about your paper flower business.
I make wildflowers based on plants I find growing freely in my neighborhood. If I’m traveling, I photograph plants and make them later. If someone needs a specific flower, I love making that too, and I even enjoy coming...
Episode 9: Over Coffee: How to Conduct a Bridal Consultation
Join us this week as we discuss how we consult with potential clients/brides that approach us for unique commissions. Each of us has varying but extensive experience with wedding inquiries, so we often get questions about how we go about communicating with our clients, what issues to address and confirm during our communications from the initial contact to delivery, and what questions to ask so you don’t get burned.
We all approach our consultations slightly differently, but we all agree that there are a number of topics that must be part of the discussion early on. We hope that our frank conversation in this Episode of Paper Talk will enlighten anyone who has to speak with a client - any type of client - about a commission or sale.
You can learn more of about us and our work by following each of us on social media:
Quynh https://www.instagram.com/pinkandposey/
Jessie https://www.instagram.com/jessieatcraftedtobloom/
Priscilla ...
Episode 8: Artist Spotlight: Staying True to Yourself with Lynn Dolan
Today, we are in conversation with the amazing and always thoughtful, Lynn Dolan. Lynn started her paper flower journey nearly 7 years ago and before long, she was teaching how to make paper flowers and botanicals at Castle in the Air. She currently teaches workshops at Etui (Fall workshop schedule forthcoming).
Be sure to listen to Lynn as she talks with Quynh, Jessie and Priscilla, about her art and inspiration.
Lynn has been around the block for a while now so it’s no surprise that she’s got tons of useful insight into the paper flower art form and why she does what she does:
1. Who is Lynn Dolan?
I'm an ordinary person in love with the world and the different types of humans in it - and especially in love with the natural world. It blows my mind that there is so much going on, just on our little blue planet, that an entire lifetime is not enough for anyone to become acquainted with all of it. Not being an expert at any particular thing myself,...
Episode 7: Paper Talk: Round Table, Let's Talk Shop
Today we are chatting with three talented Paper Florists, Kelly Grace Gibbons, Susan Bonn, and Jessa Parker, about their businesses and honing their craft.
Read what Susan Bonn has to share about her paper florist journey
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Tell us a bit about your paper flower business
I started making paper flowers about 4 years ago. It was a hobby for me while still working my corporate job. After my retirement last year, I moved to a full-time career as a paper florist, and I’m so glad I did!
My flowers are all made to order. I make flowers for all occasions and gift-giving. I love to personally deliver my flowers to their new owner—the look on the face of the recipient is priceless!!! -
How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic?
I’m a pretty structured in my personal style, so my flowers reflect that aesthetic. I like to make my flowers look as realistic as possible. I use dissection of fresh cut florals as my inspiration.
I’m working on...
Episode 6 Over Coffee: The Etiquette for Sharing on Social Media
In this week’s episode of Paper Talk we discuss the proper etiquette for sharing photos on social media and what to do when you are not properly credited.
This can be a bit of a hot topic for some people who aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of social media and don’t understand why it’s not ok to share a photo that isn’t theirs without permission. Many of us have been in a situation where someone takes one of our photos, something we worked very hard to create, and uses it for their own purposes without properly crediting. This can be so frustrating! Our hope is that our talk will help clear up any confusion and provide clear steps to take when this does happen or if you’re someone who is unsure if you can use a photo that doesn’t belong to you.
You can view more of our work by following each of us on social media:
Quynh https://www.instagram.com/pinkandposey/
Jessie https://www.instagram.com/jessieatcraftedtobloom/
Priscilla ...
Episode 5: Artist Spotlight: Building your own Creative Brand with Margie Keates
We are chatting with the beautiful and lovely Margie Keates of The Lovely Ave.
Listen to Margie as she talks with Quynh, Jessie and Priscilla, about her business, her “house”, and her new studio space.
Margie is such a well-spring of information for paper florists and had some great insights to share with us! Check out what she has to say about branding, style, and persevering:
1.How did you find your branding style? And when you started A Lovely Ave four years ago, how has it evolved to what it is today?
I found my branding style with the help from a brand specialist. I reached out to her about a month after a started the Instagram because I knew that I needed help with my logo and how I wanted to present this new company. She helped me get all of my ideas out and then she sifted through what she felt would look best over time. I call this the "walls of my business". My foundation is my why and my branding was the structural beams that...
Episode 4: Friends of TPFC: Providing Color Solutions
In this podcast, we are in conversation with Jodi Duncan of Design Master. Design Master is a company that provides colour solutions to the fresh floral industry. Internationally, they are associated with Oasis-Smithers.
Jodi herself has years of experience as a fresh floral designer and she is very well known in the fresh floral industry. Her knowledge about the colour products is astounding. At the 2019 Masterclass, she demonstrated how to use Design Master products on both fresh and paper flowers. We love using Design Master spray paints because they come in a wide spectrum of colours, are light weight enough to sit on top of the crepe papers, and dry in a few second, so we are excited to hear from Jodi that our paper flower community is now on Design Master’s radar.
Listen to Jodi as she talks with Quynh, Jessie and Priscilla, about her involvement in Design Master and how she believes her products can help our community.
Here are some interesting tidbits from...
