Crafted To Bloom

Posting a minute to midnight! This year has been full of surprises (the release of Paper to Profits with @papertalkpodcast @pinkandposey) and disappointments (the cancellation of workshops and book signing events), but the lockdowns were in some ways blessings in disguise. I got to spend a lot of time with my kids and husband and my longing for social gatherings reaffirmed how much my family and friends mean to me. The highlight was having @warren.yee work from home and him h...aving the privilege of being able to watch our baby grow up. Now as we shift into the #newyear I’m waiting for #netflix to cut us off from #theoffice which will be a real bummer (suggestions of similar type comedies to binge are welcome). Thank you for staying with me through my journey. Here’s to a bright and happy 2021! . . . #paperflowers #paperflorals #paperart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #flowerlove #colorfullife #topnine #flowersofinstagram #botanicalart #peony #tulips #ordinarycolorful #paperflowerbouquet #floraldesign #sodomino #homedecor See more

Here's a free paper flower Christmas Poinsettia tutorial. Just in time for the holidays!

Am I going to school tomorrow, mommy? he asked. No. You won’t have school for the next two weeks. I replied. Oh so is everyday a weekend? He responds. Yes, I supposed you’re right! I say. And with those words, our holiday started. We woke today with all four of us snuggled in our bed. After feeding and dressing the little one, I went off to a physio appointment for my ankle. On the way home, I had the car washed and then picked up brunch from McDonald’s. Tristan fina...lly agreed to eat his sandwich with everything intact while the baby looked on. He is eating his own food but he’s really eyeing ours. He’ll learn soon enough that he’s getting the short end of the stick Then he’s off for a nap while his older brother opens day 21 of his Star Wars LEGO advent calendar. I help him with some pieces because his fingers are still not quite nimble enough. There’s so many things to share with the boys and the day has only just started... . . Thank you for allowing me into your lives. I sent out my Floral Notes newsletter on the weekend after a long hiatus and it was so nice to hear from you all. If you’re not on my mailing list I’d love to see you there! I talk about what’s happening in the studio, my thoughts on art and creativity, things that inspire me, and new releases. I’ve also started a Collector’s List for those of you who want to own a little bit of my paper flower art. Link in my profile. . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #paperflower #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #dsfloral #craftedtobloom #artfulliving #forflowerlovers #botanicalart #creativelife #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #peony #beautifulthings #flowersmakemehappy @ Mississauga, Ontario See more

Lately, I've been listening to podcasts and reading books about how to be an artist. I've been really inspired to reflect on my own journey. One of the topics that is often touched upon is how being consistent can help you to find your artistic voice or style. By consistency, we are referring to repeating (1) the medium we use, (2) the subject matter, (3) the colours we choose to work in, (4) the techniques employed, (5) the way was execute the work. For example, although the... techniques I use in this double peony is not the same as for my ranunculus, they are rooted in a common family of techniques that threads through all of my work. I've made peonies in the past and I've also tried to utilize completely "new" techniques on them - and by "new", I mean techniques that have no connection to any other technique in my natural repertoire. But it always felt forced. Making this peony though...it just flowed. And I think the results show that too. (Ironically, the most challenging part was not the construction of the flower, rather deciding what form/shape I wanted the peony to have. Double peonies all look slightly different depending on the flower and maturity. But once I made up my mind about the shape, I just backward engineered it.) I looked at the flower and thought, what other flower looks similar to it in shape/form that I've already (somewhat) mastered the construction of? From there, how can I transform the techniques I use in that flower into this new one? Which is why I imagined the peony as a large ranunculus. And that's what I made, albeit with more frilly bits. When you reflect on your own work, do you see a common thread as well? . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #paperflower #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #dsfloral #craftedtobloom #artfulliving #forflowerlovers #botanicalart #creativelife #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #peony #beautifulthings #flowersmakemehappy See more

The other day, I had a few hours to myself as Cillian napped and Tristan was in school. I watched a few documentaries, one of which was McQueen. . When I was in my teens, I aspired to be a fashion designer. I would watch Fashion Television religiously and I was always drawn to @alexandermcqueen ’s work. He is my absolute favourite fashion designer. @eliesaabworld and @marchesafashion round up my top 3. Although they all offer ready-to-wear, I always preferred their haute cou...ture collections. I adored McQueen’s clever use of materials and impeccable tailoring. He made statements with each of his collections and he was bold and never apologetic. His art was raw and it came from a real place. His attention to the silhouettes he wanted to create was awe-inspiring. His pieces were strong but never unfeminine. He created pieces that shocked and then followed them with pieces that were absolutely beautiful to wear. . Admiring and evaluating the design of a garment - the tailoring, shape, feel, and look - is my comfort zone. I am drawn to the movement of silk chiffon draping the body, how the light hits black velvet to make it look like liquid metallic, the texture created by layers and layers of ruffles, the coolness of laser cut leather and softness of French lace, the intricacy of beaded embroidery on tulle. On reflection, I don’t know why I am surprised that I refer to terms often used to describe the characteristics of a garment when describing my own work. My pansy petals have ruffles, my collerette dahlia petals have collars, and my parrot tulips have frills. Unconsciously or consciously, I am inspired by haute-couture and I create details in my flowers and compositions and finish them in a way that reflect this inspiration. . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #paperbouquet #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #dsfloral #craftedtobloom #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #underthefloralspell #creativelife #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #inspiredbyfashion #hautecouture #fashioninspiration

Paper lilacs for my dear friend who got married on the weekend. We met when I was just starting my family law practice 11 years ago and when she was an assistant. It felt like a lifetime ago. I’m now making paper flowers and she’s running a paralegal practice and a process serving business. I’m so proud of you M and I’m incredibly honoured to have been part of your wedding. Now, it’s time for me to take a wee break while our family adjusts to an allergen-free lifestyle. Aft...er that last trip to the ER, I cancelled all of my remaining deadlines so I could have more flexibility with my work in case baby has more allergic reactions (undoubtedly he will). We are visiting the zoo tomorrow. The first family outing in months because of Covid and my incredibly busy schedule. I’m looking forward to seeing the . . . . Laminated fine crepe paper and doublette crepe paper from @thepaperplace coloured with @panpastel. Used the panicle hydrangeas template and techniques found in my book Paper Flower Art for these #lilacs. . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #canadianmade #floral #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #craftedtobloom #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #underthefloralspell #creativelife #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #lilaclove #colorexplosion #inspiredbycolor #artfulliving #colorfulhome #colorfulart

GIVEAWAY - Head over to @botanicalbrouhaha for a chance to win a copy of my book, Paper Flower Art! Contest closes on Saturday so make sure to submit your entry before the week is over. Link to the blog post for entry is in her profile. Good luck to everyone and a huge thank you to my publisher @gmcpublications. - Speaking of my book, I included a panicle hydrangea tutorial in there and I’ve rehashed the same techniques to create these #lilacs. I simply changed up the c...olours, made the petals slightly smaller and added some buds. I’m still not completely finished with the stems (note that jagged bit) but since they’ll be in a bouquet I don’t need to make them super clean. Can’t sweat this small stuff when there’s more to this bunch. Lilacs basking in the dusk of summer...mmm I can almost smell them. . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #dsfloral #craftedtobloom #papernotpicked #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #creativelife #flatlay #botanicalart #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #colourinspiration

Last week I was on the Botanical Brouhaha podcast to talk about paper flowers and my book, Paper Flower Art. This week on the Botanical Brouhaha Blog, I share a tutorial from the book. There’s also a giveaway for 3 free copies of Paper Flower Art!

My interview with Amy of Botanical Brouhaha is now available on her podcast/blog! We talked about my paper flowers, transition from lawyer to artist, and how the paper flower community and the fresh floral industry can help each other.

I’m excited to share that a few weeks back, I sat down with Amy McGee of @botanicalbrouhaha to talk about our paper flower art, my book Paper Flower Art (2019, @gmcpublications) and how paper florists can collaborate with fresh flower florists and make beauty together. I’m usually the one asking the questions on #papertalkpodcast so it was quite different being in the hot seat! However Amy made me feel completely at ease while I chatted her ear off about our paper florist c...ommunity and my transition from a family lawyer to an artist. Head over to @botanicalbrouhaha to listen to my interview on her podcast! . . The other exciting thing is I also talked about @thepaperfloristsorg and our new Member Directory! The goal is to provide a place where florists and other professionals who want to collaborate with paper florists are able to search for us in one simple location. The Directory is now accepting paper florist members so check out the link in my profile. And current and previous students - make sure you check your Inbox for a special email . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #paperflowerart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #craftedtobloom #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #underthefloralspell #creativelife #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #inspiredbycolor @ Mississauga, Ontario

As part of my book promotion, my publisher requested that I put together a short video tutorial of one of the flowers in my book, Paper Flower Art. It's uploaded onto my website, but I've also uploaded it to my YouTube Channel too. Watch it here!

My Cafe au Lait Dahlia Online Course is now open for enrolment! Thank you to all of my lovely subscribers for jumping on the course so fast and earnestly. If you’re a subscriber and haven’t yet purchased, you have until this Friday to use the discount code before it expires. I truly cannot wait to see what you all make from the techniques I included in the course. I really wanted to share my one-of-a-kind method of shaping the petals because it truly was something that took t...ime to develop and by making many other types of dahlias. If you’re curious, here’s a summary of what you can expect from the course: . 1. How to shape clay to produce a realistic-looking dahlia centre . 2. TWO different ways to make the disc floret/fringe . 3. TWO methods of creating the wild and curly petals that surround the disc floret . 4. How to manipulate the petals so they look both refined and untamed . 5. Petal placement techniques that generate movement and dynamism . 6. How to free-hand cut petals (or use the templates provided) . 7. My colour recipes to achieve a stunningly realistic-looking Cafe au Lait Dahlia every single time . . It’s not a beginners course and I would only recommend it to paper flower enthusiasts who make paper flowers on a regular basis. This course has about 200 minutes of video instruction and includes written instructions and templates. Measurements are in both metrics and imperial! . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #dsfloral #craftedtobloom #papernotpicked #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #creativelife #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #craftedandsowed #tutorial #onlinecourse #paperflowertutorial #paperflowerworkshop

You guys votes and the winner is this one! Many of you said you preferred the dark background because the dahlias pop more and I can’t argue - they absolutely do! And with that, my Cafe au Lait Dahlia Online Course is now live and open for enrolment! After an intense week of editing and going in and out of the Emergency Room , I was able to press publish last night. If you’re on my mailing list, make sure to check your Inbox for a special discount code. I want to say thank ...you and I want you to use it If you aren’t on my mailing list, get on it so I can send you special stuff in the future. The first 30 students will receive free access to my forthcoming tutorial, Cafe au Lait Dahlia Buds. Head over to my Shop to enrol! Link in profile shortly (because it was way too late last night for me to remember to update my links...) . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #craftedtobloom #papernotpicked #paperflowertutorial #tutorial #diypaperflowers #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #underthefloralspell #creativelife #imadethis #cafeaulaitdahlias @ Mississauga, Ontario

Flash back to last year when I took this image for my Sweet Nathalie Dahlia and Cafe au Lait Dahlia courses....Fast forward THIS year and I’m finally releasing my Cafe au Lait Dahlia course! I’m on the editing stage and if all things go well (and there are no more visits to the ER this week - I used the Epipen on my baby for the first time yesterday ), it’ll go live on Saturday. I’ll be sending out an email to my Newsletter subscribers on Friday with a special discount code ...and a little something extra cuz you guys are the and patience as much as a saint . . . Paper #dahlias made from German doublette crepe paper from @thepaperplace. My Sweet Nathalie Dahlia course is available for enrolment in my Shop. . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #craftedtobloom #papernotpicked #forflowerlovers #craftsposure #diyflowers #creativelife #flatlayforever #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #gardenlove #paperflowertutorial #paperflowerworkshop #tutorials

Feeling a bit anxious for our call with our son’s allergist today. Our family Dr said he tested positive for a lot of the top allergens so I’m really hoping for some reassurance that he will grow out of most of them or at least give us direction on how we can help him. It scares me every time I see any redness around his mouth and his face. In the meantime I’m keeping busy editing my Cafe au Lait Dahlia tutorial for you guys. It’s been a long time coming - I shot it last ye...ar before the baby came and just after I released my Sweet Nathalie Dahlia course. When I’m done, I can’t wait to see what you guys do with the techniques I use in this course. . . Pictures are paper parrot tulips and pansies on their way to a very special client. Made from 60 g and 90 g crepe paper from @cartefinicrepepaper with with @dmcolor @panpastel and @copic_official. . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #dsfloral #craftedtobloom #forflowerlovers #creativelife #botanicalart #imadethis #flowerobsession #gardenlove #inspiredbycolor #artfulliving #artflatlay

Sometimes I think I think too narrowly about what we can use our paper flowers for. Today I’m these off these #wildroses to @travelalberta. They’re using them in place of real wild roses (which is Alberta’s provincial rose) in case they’re not in bloom at the time of filming. I collaborated with the art director to make pieces that could be wrapped around an existing plant structure or others that can be driven into the soil. The other day @pinkandposey were talking to @woodl...ucker for our #papertalk podcast about how the curator of her botanical wall was specifically looking for paper flowers because the museum couldn’t damage the Delftware vases with water to hold fresh florals. The last couple of months have made me rethink how my work could grow. I think I need to start thinking of our art as more than just an ornament but also as a possible solution to someone else’s problem, whether it’s filling up a person’s empty walls or acting as stand ins for real flowers on a film production. I think that’s the only way for us to grow as an industry . . Petals made of laminated 60 g crepe paper from @cartefinicrepepaper and painted with watercolours and pastels. Ceramic paint palette by @sylvanclayworks. . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #paperflorist #crepepaperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #canadianmade #floral #floralart #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #craftedtobloom #forflowerlovers #flatlayforever #botanicalart #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal #inspiredbycolor @ Mississauga, Ontario See more

Challenge accepted @pinkandposey and @rockpaperbloom! I know I’m supposed to post an image of myself alone, but 1) I haven’t taken a photo of myself alone since before my kids were born and 2) I look like a mess right now in my PJs and I got standards that this look does not meet, so 3) I’m sharing this with my mom because I’m fiercely independent and a staunch feminist because of everything she’s taught me #womanempowerment

Writing this as I sit at the cottage, sip hot coffee, catch up on some work, and watch my parents sit with the baby on the porch. It’s going to be a relaxing week and perhaps a return to some sort of normalcy . . . Here’s a #kingprotea from several weeks ago made and delivered (along with a Queen protea and some pansies) to my bride for her to mix with fresh flowers for her bouquet . I used a similar structure to make this as I did with my #queenprotea making sure to increa...se the size of the centre to make the petals open up and point outwards. To create the off-white petals I used @dmcolor in crema. I also made the stem waterproof by applying two layers of Mod Podge and tested it before it went out the door. . . . #paperart #paperartist #paperflowers #torontoart #torontoartist #torontopaperartist #floral #floralart #floristry #florist #floraldesign #floraltalk #flowers #flowertalk #instaflower #allthingsbotanical #craftedtobloom #papernotpicked forflowerlovers #craftsposure #creativelife #botanicalart #imadethis #flowerobsession #inspiredbypetal @ Blue Mountain, Collingwood