Paper and Scissors...No Rock

Take a ride on the paper and scissor train with me…we will make multiple stops at the celebratory occasions like birthdays, graduations, baby showers, and weddings to the sentimental times like sending you a simple thank you and to the situations where someone needs to be comforted as we send our condolences.

That’s how this journey of handmade cards began for me…it was my boyfriend at the time’s birthday and we lived in different states so I went to the local craft store and picked up some cardstock and embellishments. I sat down on my living room floor scissors, glue stick, and paper in hand and got to creating. The card included a photo of him and of course a personal message written on the inside. He absolutely loved the card! I remember cutting on this lace pattern so that I could give the card depth and dimension.

Cards are an intimate form of expression for 2 main reasons. First, when you walk down any greeting card aisle you see people taking the time to read what the card says…this shows sincerity and thoughtfulness. Have you ever received a card that really made no sense? Then you thought to yourself, “Yea they just picked up the first thing they saw.” Second, what the person writes on the inside. Yes, I know that many people write generic things or just sign their names, but there are those times when you open a card and you feel every word written on the inside. Those are the feelings I wanted to provide to my customers when creating their handmade cards, I want my customers to feel special and I leave my handmade cards blank on the inside so that people are able to express their feelings. Also, let us NOT forget how often you go to birthday parties, engagement parties, or weddings and when those special people are opening those cards, there are MULTIPLES of the same card. That’s where I step in! My handmade greeting card process includes a “layering” technique which transforms a blank slate of a plain greeting card to an adorned, eye catching one of a kind item. I love having our customers join in on the creative process as to ensure they’re getting the design of their dreams, so I often ask for color specifications or themes.

The next stop of this paper journey stops in 2008 as I’m browsing the aisles of Target looking for some unique baby shower invitations of course this was pre Etsy and YouTube so the crafting world was different. I was 7 months pregnant and wanted to create some stand out invitations and after visiting multiple stores I designed to just them myself. “A Star Is Born” was the theme, so once again with my scissors in hand I cut out 3 little stars for the front of each invitation, multiple paper layers, and of course the invitation verbiage for the inside. I used this theme throughout my shower and when I made my baby shower favors, mini candles wrapped in baby fabric and mesh with a ribbon tie, I took my time cutting out each piece so all of the favors looked the same.

From that moment forward, the source of my inspiration for creating and designing became my daughter. I wanted to show her a life that embraced the arts and crafts world, while showing her that you can make a living off of your passion. However, I still knew that people held onto to sentimental feelings and that often those are the things overlooked in life, so after I had my daughter I continued my paper and scissor journey, which has led me to do everything from designing custom dessert table to teaching a Handmade Greeting Card workshop to over 100 participants at the Craft Contemporary Museum of Los Angeles. I love making people feel special and I love seeing people create.

The final stop of this train ride comes to a screeching halt at the gifting and gift wrapping aisle. “Wait so I have to buy the paper…scissors…tape…and a box to wrap this….nah I’ll just throw it in a bag!,” is the common thought process of most gift givers! Literally 2 items and no time versus 5-7 items that you may or may not reuse. But it has always been different for me. Ever since I was a child I loved to gift wrap. Every Christmas I’d wrap everyone’s presents and each gift would be intricately wrapped, tucked, and folded. Going back to the way it feels when you unwrap a present versus taking a gift out of a bag. There’s a greater sense of enjoyment ripping the paper, opening the box, removing the tissue paper, and then seeing what’s inside! Fast forward to current day, I wrap presents throughout the year for businesses as thank you gifts and I have mall kiosks throughout the holiday season in which on the busiest days I wrap over 400 presents!!!! So needless to say my scissors are super busy every single day. I couldn’t live without them.

I’ve always been empowered by paper scissors because you can literally create anything your heart desires and I’m looking forward to seeing where my journey takes me next.