Episode 126 - Over Coffee: How We Use and Experiment with Crepe Paper
Jessie and Quynh discuss the various weights of crepe paper, including their strengths and limitations. We share lots of tips for how we use them and how to experiment with crepe.
The world of crepe paper has grown so much in recent years.
Paper florists are being seen and celebrated outside our industry, and supplies are becoming ever more accessible. That includes changes to which crepe paper is available.
In our latest episode of Paper Talk, we chatted all about the foundation of our craft: paper! We discussed where the newish 90 gsm Italian crepe fits in, how to improve colorfastness, and lots of tips for how to use all of the weights. Listen now to get back to the heart of what we do and what we love about crepe paper.
Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:
► Some big places outside our industry that have featured paper flowers recently.
► How we use each weight of crepe paper and practical tips for each.
► Where to start with coloring crepe paper and preserving color.
► Why experimentation is so vital to paper flower making.
If you can’t listen right away, here are three reasons why you should start experimenting.
Learn through Experience
Experience is the best teacher. We and other teachers can guide you in the right direction, but trying it yourself is going to give you the most encompassing and useful knowledge.
“It’s so satisfying once everything falls in place and you’re like, ‘That paper’s good for this. I know the properties of that paper. I know the qualities. I know what it can do, what it can’t do. What are its limitations, what are its strengths.’ And I think that requires you to get your hands on it and work with it and also fail.” -Jessie Chui
Get your hands on the different weights of paper. Experiment! Make mistakes! You’ll learn something valuable with each project that will make your future work even stronger.
You can hear what we’ve learned through experience with crepe on the episode.
Discover Something New
Breakthroughs in how we use crepe will never happen if we don’t experiment! Paper artists are constantly innovating because they try new things. Our industry would be static if we didn’t. There’s no creativity or joy in doing the same thing over and over again without any innovation.
“That’s the fun part about paper flowers. Just like in nature, none of my paper flowers are exactly the same.” -Quynh Nguyen
We all benefit from this as we share our discoveries with one another, as well. You don’t have to do all of the experimenting on your own. When we all take on some of the experimentation, our entire industry benefits.
Do keep in mind that you don’t have to share everything you learn. As Jessie said on the podcast, she doesn’t want to share how she makes her pansies. They are so important to her signature look, that she wants to keep what she’s discovered about making them to herself. That’s completely fine! Do consider where you can share and don’t keep everything to yourself.
Fill Your Unique Needs
No two paper florists are the same. All of us will prefer different papers, flowers, glue, techniques, and on and on. That’s how it should be. We aren’t a factory trying to make all of our paper flowers come out the same.
That does mean that no one else can figure out what works best for you. You have to experiment with various crepe paper to see what you like and what will look best for your aesthetic. This takes time and practice, but the results are completely worth it.
As we discussed in the episode, you can become a more well-rounded paper florist by understanding all of the weights and how they best work for you.
Also, here's the PDF format for THE WHY WORKSHEET that you can download for free.
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