 What are your absolute favorite tools to use? I have 2 scissors that I use for pretty much everything. My main squeeze (no pun intended) is my Fiskar Micro Tip East Action Sheers and my Joyce Chen shears that cut paper but also cuts the wires. Using scissors that spring apart was a game changer for my achey wrists. What type of flower do you love making the most? Ranunculus! There are so many varieties, sizes, simplicity or complexity to these flowers that they really give you a lot of options for putting bouquets or arrangements together. Not to mention alllll the beautiful colors they can be. What advice could you give to someone just starting out? My advice would be to, be prepared that you’re going to make a LOT of ugly flowers. It’s inevitable, and you can’t get down on yourself for too long or become discouraged because through all those less than perfect flowers you make, you are constantly teaching yourself new techniques that you can’t learn until you try! There’s no one way to make flowers even if you’re following a step by step guide, have fun and make it your own! What is your studio work space like? Do you love it organized or it more chaos? I work in a few different spaces but the one thing they all have in common is that they’re typically a complete disaster and they have a lot of natural light. I use Design Master sprays for most of my flowers and there’s a delicate balance of spraying too much and ruining a flower, and if I don’t have good light to see what I’m doing I’m going to destroy my work. What are your favorite colors to work with? Anything with dusty and muted tones are my jam! What is the last thing you celebrated in your paper florist journey? Being able to do work for a couple NYC trade shows was definitely a very exciting accomplishment and an incredibly intensive few work weeks to put together. And getting more lovely brides to hire me for their weddings has been a never ending honor. Do you prefer to create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? Since I also work with live florals and greenery, I love to have my flowers blend in with their surroundings and keep them looking as realistic as I possibly can. “Paper or live? Keep ‘em guessing” is what I like to go by. What is the best part about where you live right now? I’m in central New Jersey (don’t let anyone tell you there isn’t a central Jersey) and work a lot out of Asbury Park which has a great community for makers. I’m also about an hour out of the city and a few hours away from some of my favorite places in Upstate NY and I love a lil road trip. What really gets you in the flow and excited to create flowers? I try to surround my self with any and all things flowers and nature. I’m always researching and following all sorts of florists and wedding inspirations that suddenly something will stick out to me and I’ll need to put it together immediately! Sometimes it’s been something as small as a tiny hidden flower that will spark a whole idea for me. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some incredible clients that trust me and give me a lot of freedom to create something special for them in that way. What do you do while you make flowers? Watch tv, listen to music or podcasts? Do tell all the details! I wish I could give this a more romantic and interesting answer but I love to work with a white noise while I work on just flowers. Which for me, comes in the form of tv shows that I’ve watched a million times! If I’m working on arrangements or bouquets then it has to be some up beat music. A good way to know I’ve been making a lot of pieces is seeing a lot of Daddy Yankee and J Balvin being played on my Spotify HA What are you most grateful for in your life right now? Being able to have to opportunity to figure this artist, floral world out. I have never loved something more than this and to make it a more stable career is what I’m constantly striving towards. 
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Meet Garn of Malagarn, Garn is located in Bangkok, Thailand and in the Thai language Malgarn means florist. What are your absolute favorite tools to use? Most of the time I use scissor and paintbrush. I’ve to cut a lot petals and use a paintbrush to add some details on each petals. What type of flowers do you love making the most? Ranunculus is my favorite to make. It’s the first flower that I’ve crafted. I’ve to admit that I just know it’s name last year. If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? Messy, Cozy , Motivate  How do you feel about working from home? What are the worst parts and what do you love about it? Work from home is like my style of work for many years because my main career is freelance programmer. The worst part must be I’m not has so many social’s life like a co-worker but good thing is I have time to create new thing and avoid traffic jam in the morning. It’s very terrible here in Bangkok, Thailand. How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? I just step in the flower paper world last December 2018 and try to see what I can do the best for my products. I want to open shop in February 2019 and hope some people might like my creation. What are your favorite colors to work with? I use a white plain handmade paper and have to dye a lot lately. The color that I loved to work with must be any color in pastel because most of my flowers come with that tone. If you could go back in time and give yourself advice about just starting out, what would it be? I wish to go back in time and tell myself so many things from my experience right now. I do learn a lot from the beginning some right some wrong and one thing that I will tell myself is never stop learning new thing. What is your favorite type of paper to use? I love to use my own paper. I think it come out like a real flower for me. My paper is a handmade paper that I invented with my local supply. We take a lot of time to made it and finally it’s look perfectly for me. Where did you first learn to make paper flowers and do you have any recommendations for someone just starting out? I’ve started to craft paper flower by change from some of my project earlier. Since then I found myself that I can do some pretty good one and have a passion on paper flower. I learn to craft by myself at home. What is the best part about where you live right now? Since I found myself that I can make paper flowers, It’s bright up my life a lot because I can do other thing instead of coding. It’s like the opposite way. What are you most excited about in your life right now, in your flower business or in your family life (or Both!!)? Everything is excited for me. It’s like you open to the new world that you can’t imagine and everything in this paper flower world is so interesting. I would like to make business with the thing I loved.
 Find more from Garn Here! What is your absolute favorite tools to use? If it wasn’t for my scissors, I don’t think I would have started out with this craft. They are called Westcott 4 inches and I wear them out after a few months, but I think it’s all about that this particular scissor fits my fingers so well. Watercolor paper, a small selection of watercolor tubes, brushes, book binding glue and tooth picks are the only other materials I use. What type of flower do you love making the most? The little wildflower that is right there in front of me. On one hand it is just ordinary, colorful and sweet, on the other hand it is part of this great, fragile ecosystem. If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? Mostly (a) manageable mess.  How do you feel about working from home? Pros!? Cons!? I work from our dining table, so I have to clean up a couple of times every day. This gives me a little control. It’s also the table I use to document, and where the kid does a lot of her playing. The space has glass walls, and the light is almost like being outdoors. Right now I can’t think of any cons, but if I had more pressure for deadlines, I’m sure it would frustrate not only me, but everybody in the apartment. What do you find the most satisfying about making life like blooms? That is a good question, and I think the word “making” is crucial here. When looking at art I have no special interest in likeness, but when making stuff, it makes me see and learn. After I started making these plants, I feel some sort of attachment to my surroundings. But of course, it’s also really fun to show people. I think all paper-flower makers love observing the reactions of people, and especially those of gasping kids. What advice could you give to someone just starting out? Start in your own alley, the local park or at the gas station. I can guarantee you: you will find the most pretty little flower. Take a quick photo and google the plant further when you get home. If it’s a plant you can pick, then bring one single stem to your worktable. What is the last thing you celebrated in your paper florist journey? Honestly, I feel a tiny rush of accomplishment every single time I finish a plant. Earning money from this is a work in progress though. What really gets you in the flow and excited to create flowers? To see all the fantastic paperflowers out there, and to be in touch with such wonderful makers is a great gift. I definitely have a lifelong love for both paper and wildflowers, and ever since I found this intersection between them, getting in the flow hasn’t really been a problem. I’m sure it will happen one day though. What do you do while you make flowers? Watch tv, listen to music or podcasts? Do tell all the details! Invisibilia, Fresh Air, Radio Lab (I never thought hockey would make me cry until the resent Hollywood-like episode Punchline). I rarely “binge-listen,” but did with S-Town and Bag Man. Scandinavian podcasts for humor and trends. The pop songs of Sigrid after school pick up. And quite often total quietness! The word on the street is that quite a few of your flowers are made without glue!? How do you find the patience to make it work?! Remember wildflowers are often quite simple in structure. They have found the most constructive way to grow, and this is what I have to try mimicking. For example the tufted vetch look complicated, but if you look close, it makes most sense to solely cut and fold. But sometimes I like the playfulness in setting rules like that, just as a little challenge. What are you most excited about in your life right now? The mornings are getting lighter, and soon we won’t be biking in dark, ice-cold rain on the way out in the morning anymore. Right now, life is slow, simple and rhythmic. I don’t think I ever have been more in peace with my everyday life. Knock on wood.  When did you start your paper flower journey? In February, 2018 I was looking for some ideas for my daughter’s 1st birthday decoration and I found out giant paper flower quite interesting. So I bought few rolls of Italian crepe paper, watched YouTube and made it for the first time!😊 My daughter’s birthday photos turned out pretty with paper flower I had made. After that, I spent more time on learning basic skills from Pinterest, YouTube channel like ABC Craft TV, The Paper Florist Group…I think my paper journey officially started around April or May, 2018. The more I searched for real flower inspiration and works from other talented paper artists, the more I got inspired from them. I realised making paper flowers brings me so much joy and creativity, soon after it became my small business. What are your absolute favourite tools to use? That would be tacky glue. I can’t get through every flower without them. Ah yes, and scissors and hot glue gun for sure. What type of flower do you love making the most? It’s hard to choose one I love making the most. Honestly, I enjoy making them all! If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? ORGANIZED, MESSY SOMETIMES  How do you feel about working from home? Pros!? Cons!? ’m full time mom at the moment so pros to me maybe I can take this opportunity to hang out with my almost 2-year old daughter a lot at Botanic Garden, County Park or walk around many beautiful gardens nearby to find inspiration from Scottish flowers. And on the other cons side, do you think I can make flowers while my baby is awake? :) I dare not! Well, I did try once and ended up cleaning all the mess before I even started making flower hahaha How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? Probably 5 months What are your favourite colours to work with? I love to work with all shade of colours but my favourite is definitely soft and pastel tone! Most of my paper designs are for bridal bouquet which is depending on bride’s choice colour palette. I have to dye my paper with water colour and acrylic paint or oil pastel sometime. That is exciting feeling when you play with colour until you achieve the shade you love! Do you prefer to create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? I prefer realistic looking for my paper flower that is close to natural as much as I can. But you know, it’s always fun to do something new. I probably try to add whimsy look to my flowers someday, when I have a chance. Wait and see! What is the last thing you celebrated in your paper florist journey? I love flowers but not enough to look into them to see how amazing they are. And now, thanks to my paper florist journey I realize I love nature now more than ever before, they are so inspiring! Example? Okay, every time we go out, my husband is always patiently waiting for me examining every beautiful creation of Mother Nature until I’m happy with what I get hahaha ☺ If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice while first starting your paper flower journey, what would it be? Be patient and don’t compare your work with others, we all have different vision of art and you have your own pace to develop yourself. Remember that it is your hobby at the beginning, it means you enjoy what you love to do not because someone else does. What is the best part about where you live right now? Moving to Glasgow, Scotland nearly 3 years ago from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, I find this place is so different from where I have lived before. Its peaceful and quiet city comparing to noise and excitement of Ho Chi Minh, so I slow down a bit to breathe this city lifestyle and enjoy it’s incredibly green. Within the city itself, there are endless beautiful parks such as the Kevingrove and the Botanics which are just 5 mins walk from my house! And Glasgow is also famous for street art everywhere around the city. Google it, you will admire! What are you most grateful for in your life right now? I feel grateful for my daughter’s inspiration, my husband’s support with everything I need even though he didn’t believe I’m a crafty person at first (my background is Marketing). Sadly no one in my family did and neither did I ☺. I'm so lucky that having friends who share with me tips about coloring techniques, take photos for me and my flowers, comment on my progress and I have a chance to connect with paper artist community, they are really supportive!
 Find More from Linh Here!  How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? I guess that depends on if family counts… I sold my first flowers to a non-family member about two months after I started making them. It gave me a real sense of validation. What are your favorite colors to work with? I get bored with the same colors after a while. I find myself really antsy and have to mix it up pretty regularly. If I’d have to pick, I would probably say either muted colors like dusty pink, white, and sage or really deep, rich colors like wine and plum. Do you prefer to create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? Realism, for sure. As I have frequently mentioned on IG, I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder when I was in my late teens. While the OCD behaviors have been managed over the past 15 years, the underlying perfectionism obsession lives on. I try to focus on this as a positive, but it does prevent me having more fun with what I could create. Adjusting my own definition of perfection will open an entirely new world, and it’s something I’m always working on. If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice while first starting your paper flower journey, what would it be? “Keep your focus.” In the beginning I hopped around from one thing to the next, which did serve to teach me a lot of different techniques, but really focusing on completing Project A before starting Project W. (Isn’t that all of us, though?) What is the last thing you celebrated in your paper florist journey? Really feeling confident in my ability to create new designs. Like everybody, I had to start learning from somewhere. Tiffany Turner’s book, ABC TV’s YouTube channel, Lia Griffith’s website – all these sources taught me different techniques. For the past few months, I’ve been able to set those aside and using the skills I learned, begin to confidently develop my own designs. What is your absolute favorite tool to use? My paper cutter, hands down. For the life of me, I can’t seem to cut a straight diagonal line. Using the paper cutter allows me to get that perfectly mitered edge, especially when I’m making a cut longer than whatever scissors I happen to be using! What type of flower do you love making the most? This question always stumps me. My favorite flowers to look at when they are done usually have a ton of fringing, but those are definitely NOT my favorite to make! Maybe a Black-Eyed Susan, because they are simple and they remind me of warm, breezy, late U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) summers growing up. If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? All. Over. House.  What do you do while you make flowers? Watch tv, listen to music or podcasts? Do tell all the details! I would actually prefer not to know how many shows I have binge watched over the past 10 months. I think that number would be unsettling. I try to switch back and forth between podcasts, shows, and audio books, just to have some sort of rotation. Podcasts: This American Life, Snap Judgment, Stay Tuned with Preet, Frontline, Criminal, Serial – lots of storytelling, politics and true crime. TV: renovation shows, documentaries, crime, the latest trending things to stream. Books: suspense (or else my mind will just drift elsewhere and I’ll have to go back million times…) If you could give one piece of advise to someone just starting out with paper flowers, what would it be? Don’t be overly critical when comparing yourself to others. Allow yourself to take the time to hone the skills that others have already had the opportunity to do. Like most things in life - time, practice, and patience will get you where you want to go (I hope! I’m still pretty new to this path). What are you most excited about in your life right now? Outside of watching my kids grow and learn, all of the new opportunities that are opening up. Being able to make the art that I want to make and that people are interested in seeing more of it. It’s equally exciting and frightening. I don’t know where I’ll be in five years, but dreaming about it is half of the anxiety- I mean fun!
 Find more from Anna Here!! When did you start making paper flowers? I started making flowers in the summer of 2017, just after a major life transition leaving a longtime job and moving from a large city to a small town. I’d been actively seeking a new hobby, and I was drawn to paper as a medium because of its impermanence and its (relative) eco-friendliness. I was also amazed to see how it could be transformed into such realistic-looking blooms. As soon as I tried my first flower I was completely hooked. In that way, I failed at finding a hobby—it has become a full-blown passion. What is your absolute favorite tool? It’s so hard to choose! I definitely grow attached to my tools, and make sure they are all within easy and predictable reach of my worktable. Sharp, comfortable scissors are key. But if I had to choose a single tool I’ve been most excited about lately, it’s a teeny squeeze bottle I fill with tacky glue to deliver a consistent, super-thin line of glue. What type of flower do you love making the most? Generally whichever one I’m making at the moment! Lately I’ve been really drawn to creating big masses of foliage, particularly olive branches and different varieties of eucalyptus. As far as flowers, I’ve been in a bit of a dahlia phase, but I think I’m ready now to explore something new. If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? Bright, organized… and cat-friendly!  How is working from home? Pros!? Cons!? I like being at home in general, and when my husband and I moved to this house a little over a year ago I took the time to set up an office and work space I knew I would enjoy. I love being in my own space, wearing what I want, eating all day long, and setting my own schedule. And the biggest pro is getting to spend so much time with our beloved kitties. Time management can be a struggle for me—I could work on flowers 24 hours a day, but getting myself to do some of the less exciting tasks (like writing up notes on how I made something, or researching shipping options) with no one supervising me is more challenging. And if I’m not careful I can accidentally not leave the house for days. (#introvertproblems) How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? I hope to have an answer for that soon! I’m officially a licensed business now, and am working on the practical details of selling my work. I hope to have pieces available for sale on my website by the end of the year or sooner. What are your favorite colors to work with? I seem to be drawn most often to blushes, peachy-pinks, and dusty greens. But I really wouldn’t say I have favorites. My most recent projects have been vibrant sunflowers and deep burgundy and purple dahlias, and I loved working in those palates too. Do you prefer to create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? I definitely aim for realism and botanical accuracy as much as possible—those are the primary elements that drew me to the art form in the first place. It’s fascinating to watch and learn what other artists focus on to bring realism to their work. I might add tiny sepals to individual florets, for instance, while someone else takes the time to add detailed shading of a stem or realistic imperfections on a petal. If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out with paper flowers, what would it be? Be patient and trust that you will continually improve. I really appreciate Ira Glass’s description of creative people just starting out, and the gap they experience between their good taste—what they know to be possible in their art—and what they actually have the skill to execute. That gap can be incredibly frustrating, but it’s also normal. It probably doesn’t ever completely disappear (and probably shouldn’t—it’s what makes pursuing art so interesting), but the gap does get smaller and smaller with time and deliberate practice. If you finish something and hear an inner voice saying “but it could be so much better,” try to channel that into motivation for the next piece you make instead of getting discouraged. What is your favorite type of paper to use? I’m a big fan of extra fine paper (60g or 32g). Though it lacks sturdiness, I love its delicacy and natural movement. I also love doublette for certain pieces, and often fuse my own so that I can get the exact color combination I want. I hardly ever use 180g—I’m just not drawn to the aesthetic of the visible lines. I have some 180g rolls that I bought before coming to that realization, which I mostly use now for bulking up stems or buds, or for dyeing other papers. Where did you first learn to make paper flowers? I’m forever indebted to Tiffanie Turner and her gorgeous book The Fine Art of Paper Flowers. I studied it religiously and made close to a dozen of her flowers before I felt comfortable taking the leap to create my own templates. Although now I only work from my own designs, I still learn daily and continuously from the many amazing artists whom I follow on Instagram, and all those who share their experience in The Paper Florists Facebook group. What are you most excited about in your life right now? I’m excited to launch Fury Blooms as an official business while aligning it unflinchingly with my personal, ethical, and political values. A lot of that will happen behind the scenes, but stay tuned for some of the more visible ways I hope to accomplish that as well, including creating some explicitly political pieces and directing a percentage of all of my sales towards nonprofits doing vitally important work. The other half of my artistic identity is as a writer (that identity lives online at www.amyvaniotis.com). So in that realm, I’m excited right now about a rewrite of a young adult novel I’m currently working on, along with some other works in progress, including picture books and short fiction.
 Find more from amy here:Instagram: @fury_blooms (https://www.instagram.com/fury_blooms/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/furyblooms/ Website: www.furyblooms.com
When did you start making paper flowers? I started in 2009 for my scrapbook projects but started to sell my little paper blooms on Etsy in 2010. What has it been like to be able to help so many paper flower enthusiasts with your book? INCREDIBLE!!! ...Truly...I went through what you call a "baby blues" phase after the book was released. I felt vulnerable and insecure because so much of me was now open to the world...but soon after I started to receive messages from people who purchased the book, showing me photos of their flowers they made with my techniques -- let me tell you... all that love felt like fuel that brought me back to life...it gave me that push I needed to get back into creating paper floral designs again! What is your absolute favorite tools? I've been using a tiny pair of scissors for years and I honestly don't know what I'd do if I ever lost them! What type of flower do you love making the most? I love making my peonies and custom flowers made with music sheets or book pages. If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? Unorganized Crafting Haven How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? A good year and as soon as I started listing my mini paper blooms online as "scrapbooking supplies" they sold like hotcakes all over the world. Do you prefer create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? I like to create flowers using cardstock because it gives that "whimsy" look to my blooms! Have you had a client good or bad that you will always remember? I remember most of my awesome clients! In 2013 I had the pleasure to make all the paper flowers for my bride's wedding and then 2 years later she came back to order a mini backdrop for her baby girls nursery. My heart exploded with joy! Do you have any advice for folks just looking into starting their paper flower business? Don't be afraid to show your personality in your floral compositions...Embrace your unique style and remember there is no such thing as an ugly flowers in God's garden and that applies to your paper flower creations! What is the best part about where you live now? The community. The support for the local artists and small business owners is phenomenal. I'm surrounded by a group of strong, inspiring and caring women that have your back no matter what. That feeling is it's priceless. What really gets you in the flow and excited to create flowers? When I get a new tool or new supplies...I just have to plug in my hot glue gun and play for a while! What is it in your life right now that really excites you? There is so many things but there is a couple projects I worked on that will be coming out in the Spring and I cannot talk about them yet... but when I think of them it feels as if I have butterflies in my stomach!...lol 
 Find More From Chantal Here:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperandpeony/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperandpeony/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/PaperandPeony/ Website: http://paperandpeony.com/index.html Etsy: https://www.paperandpeony.shop/ If you want to find out more about Chantal's beautiful book,
you can find by clicking the button below!   When did you first start making paper flowers and how did you stumble upon them? -I started making paper flowers in the spring of 2017. As my wife and I were preparing for our 2nd child, I was desperately looking for artificial Juliet Roses to welcome our daughter, Juliet! I came across Lia Griffith’s Website and saw her template for the Juliet Rose and thought, “I’m crafty. I can attempt that.” My first attempt was average so I kept making them until they got better and better. What has it been like to work from home? -Working from home certainly has its pros and cons. I love staying home with my 2 girls. There is a certain amount of freedom but there are also a lot of things to be done; making meals, constructing flowers, doing housework, working on projects for my other jobs, making sure the girls have what they need, etc. What do you find are your most used tools? -Honestly, scissors and a low-temp hot glue gun can almost get me through every flower. I do a lot of shaping by hand and with my scissors. What type of flowers do you love making the most? -I love making big english garden roses and Gardenias. The petals are very forgiving and with the amount of petals you can almost smell them when they are finished! (We all smell our paper flowers right?) How have you found it to be working in an industry dominated by women? -It’s been great! Everyone is very supportive of my work and my decision to be a stay-at-home dad. There’s always the occasional, “Ladies, I need your opinion,” post, but I still comment and participate, regardless. I’ve made some great friends through Facebook and Instagram and they’ve helped me grow tremendously! Where do you find inspiration when you are struggling to make anything? -I usually turn to David Austin Roses when I feel the need to create something new. There are so many varieties, and as I said earlier, roses are pretty forgiving. Have you had a client good or bad that you will always remember? -Before I had my payment expectations clearly spelled out, I had one client that ordered a decent sized arrangement. I made all the flowers and then they ghosted me. Never heard from them again. So I used the flowers in other arrangements and such. Now I require full payment before I even start on a project. Lesson learned.  If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice while first starting your paper flower journey, what would it be? -I would probably tell myself to not compare my work to others. Sure, we all have goals of where we want our flowers to be one day, but everyone has their own style and I think that’s what makes this industry such a beautiful thing. If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out with paper flowers, what would it be? -Make a lot of flowers! As with anything else in life, practice is the best way to gain experience. I was affirmed in this when I heard Amity Beane tell us in one of her classes to make 12 flowers when you make a new flower. Very rarely do we make the best one the first time around, but after 12, we are getting closer. What do you love most about where you live? -Indianapolis is a great city! (And underrated in my opinion!) I grew up in Virginia Beach, so coming to the mid-west was certainly a big life change for me. Indianapolis is a foodie’s dream—there is always a new restaurant or café to try. The arts culture is very alive here as well. And making paper flowers has opened my eyes to that culture even more! What is your favorite type of paper to use? -I am hooked on doubled sided crepe right now. I’ve always been a fan of the extra fine, or 60 gram crepe paper, but doubled sided paper has a sturdiness that I very much appreciate without the deep grain lines of a 180 gram crepe. What are you most excited about in your life right now? -Along with making paper flowers, I also co-own a theatre company and next spring we are planning to put on our biggest musical yet: The Hunchback of Notre Dame. We are partnering with a local community choir, performing at a local church (with French gothic architecture), and we will be working with a 50+ person cast! I’m totally hooked on the music and listen to it on repeat in the car, and at the house! —I’m sure I’m driving my wife crazy! 
Find more from Stephen here:
When did you start making paper flowers? I discovered the world of paper flowers when we (my now husband and I), were planning our wedding in 2016. We wanted to design and make as much as we could ourselves, we’re both creative and arty, so it seemed a no brainer really. When purchasing some craft supplies for this purpose, a crepe paper flower kit caught my eye, I thought it might be something I could make for the wedding without really having an idea for what purpose exactly. Along the aisle in the church, I made peonies and roses which were attached on the end of the pews, and in the tipi where our reception was held, I made floral name place holders, plus origami cuboids, and large origami sweet/candy shaped boxes filled with sweets for the children. The floral name place holders were something that each guest could take away with them to remember the day, and I remember some people putting them in their hair afterwards. Once I’d made a few flowers I was hooked! After the wedding I started pursuing it more seriously. I soon found lots of other paper flower artists/florists on Instagram and was amazed and inspired by what they were doing. I discovered the Cartotecnica Rossi crepe paper and bought a couple of books and that was it really. What is your absolute favorite tools? My favourite tools are my Fiskars scissors. I have a small pair for detailed work and one for less detailed and general cutting, (and I mustn’t forget the scissor sharpener either, an essential item!!). I think having good quality scissors is a must, especially for the more detailed work, they need to be comfortable and robust. I also use ordinary children’s glue spreaders. I tried using a glue brush, but I found I kept putting them on the side after use and forgetting about them. I gave up after I’d ruined about 5 or 6, lol. What type of flower do you love making the most? Tough question… I love most of them. Hydrangeas and Agapanthus are quite involved; and have several stages in the making process. When arranging all the individual flowers into the final flowerhead, it feels quite a sculptural process, which is satisfying. But then making a dozen or so hybrid tea roses, which are much simpler is also enjoyable. If you could describe your studio in three words, what would they be? Chaotic, creative, great view  How is working from home? Pros!? Cons!? In general working from home is fine, at least it’s not far to commute! Economically of course it makes sense, and I can fit housework and chores etc. around working on the flowers. On the con side, I probably work longer hours and it can get a bit lonely at times. Plus, the flowers seem to invade the rest of the house, not just my studio! In the long term I’d like to work in a studio/workshop complex where there are other artists and crafts people around to bounce ideas off, and to have a chat with over a cuppa! How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? I think about 9 or 10 months. What are your favorite colors to work with? I think pinks and reds. Not because they are my favourite colours, but because the selection of crepe available in these shades is fantastic. There are pale hues, vibrant hues, bluer toned hues, salmon and peach hues, dusky hues, plum hues, I could go on… Do you prefer create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? Both! There is definitely something innately pleasing in creating a bloom that is realistic, especially if you can imbue it with the delicacy of a real flower. That said, creative license is a wonderful thing, and I really enjoyed working on a collection on echinacea’s recently. I accentuated the colours and the features of the flowers, and hopefully achieved something that was fun and bright. What do you do while you make flowers? Watch tv, listen to music or podcasts? Do tell all the details! Sometimes I’ll listen to music, or BBC Radio 4 on the radio iPlayer, I love the radio dramas, plays and comedy. Mostly though, I listen to audiobooks, and I’m a fiend for a 20th Century ‘whodunnit’. Nothing too scary; I once read several Patricia Cornwell novels in succession and had to sleep with the light on afterwards! Lol. These days I prefer something gentler, such as an Agatha Christie narrated by Hugh Fraser or Sherlock Holmes narrated by Stephen Fry, nothing too taxing. Actually, just across the water from where we live, Joan Hickson (aka the Miss Marple, (in my humble opinion)) used to live, and 20th Century mystery writers Dorothy L Sayers and Margery Allingham once lived only a few miles away. At the moment I’m listening to Margery Allingham’s Campion novels. They’re mostly set in London, Suffolk and Essex, so it’s a nostalgic listen to an area of the country I know well. If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out with paper flowers, what would it be? Either, buy a book or two about making paper flowers, or watch plenty of online tutorials. I wished I’d watched more when I was starting out. The books and tutorials will really give a beginner the skills and ideas to improve and develop. What are you most excited about in your life right now? In the flower world, Daphne Fitch! I’m busy planning a website and putting together a product offering to launch in 2019, which is why I’ve kept things quite low key so far. My name is actually Sophie Griffin, and I named my business, Daphne Fitch, partly in tribute to my grandmother. Daphne was her middle name and Fitch her maiden name. I’ve always liked it, and thought it had a slightly retro and quirky feel to it. My grandmother was a big influence in my early years, she was great fun, and she always encouraged me creatively. She herself was super talented, and the things she made were beautiful. I had tried various name combinations with floral, flower, paper etc., but either someone was using that name already or I didn’t like it. I just kept coming back to Daphne. 
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When did you first start making paper flowers? I started making paper flowers in the middle of 2016. I moved away from home to the middle East the year before, leaving a full time job and all my old routines. I needed an outlet. I have been making cards and crafting all my life, but I only started making flowers after realizing how expensive flowers are here, and one day I just started googling "How to make flowers" and came across an article on Oh So Beautiful Paper about crepe paper flowers and showcased beautiful flowers from Rachel Baldwin (of Appetite Paper) and Lia Griffith's tutorials- I tried it (with whatever materials I could find) and fell in love. What is your favorite tool of all time? It has to be my Omuda Japanese scissors I found back home, It's not a well known brand, but they make perfect cuts. I now have them in 3 sizes. I wanted to hoard more during my last trip home but I can't seem to find them anymore. Special mention to bamboo skewers, also in a few sizes. What type of flowers do you love to make the most? Ohh! They change all the time. Currently I love making the pom peonies! I love shaping the individual petals and putting them together. What is the best part about where you live now? I love it here, being an expat so far away from home is not easy, but for the first time, my little family and I are completely on our own and leaving the comfort of a support system that we built back home. We learnt how to do things on our own, making new friends who are now like family. Designing our own living space and making it into our home. Qatar is a beautiful and safe place to live in, and I can't think of a better place for my son to grow in. What really gets you in the flow and excited to create flowers? Panic! lol. I work best under pressure. Give me a deadline and I deliver. But its probably not good for my health. Lol. I always get inspired looking at the works of other paper artists, and florists who share pictures of their beautiful blooms, my mind is always mentally dissecting flowers and interpreting how to turn them into my own versions of them. So whenever I have time, I try to make new flowers and bringing that into life always gets me so excited. If you brought us into your work area, what would it look like? Never fully clean. My work area changes between my dining table and sofa. We have just moved to a new place and I finally have a 'studio space' but I still cant decide on a table! But I now have a dedicated storage space, so it's somewhat organized now. Whenever I start a new project, I would gather the materials beforehand and place them in a bag, I also have a big tray and a few containers to put cut petals in so I will always have whatever I need.  What do you do while you make flowers? Watch tv, listen to music or podcasts? Do tell all the details! If I'm just making for fun, I would binge on Netflix (I know, not healthy) or watch my son play. If I'm on full on panic mode, I have a set of songs in my playlist that I play when I work so the music will keep me going and just sit and work. If you could give one piece of advise to someone just starting out with paper flowers, what would it be? Just do it! use whatever materials you can find and just try. If you can find a workshop that can teach you, try them out, if not, there are so many online tutorials you can choose from. There are more resources now than when I was starting out more than 2 years ago so, find time and try :) How long did you make paper flowers before you sold your first one? I had my first order (from a friend) about 3 or 4 months after I started. I don't really advertise to sell so most of my customers are my friends, or ex workshop students and people who come across my Instagram page. My first workshop was after about a year. What are your favorite colors to work with? Definitely the pinks! All shades Do you prefer create a more realistic rendition or do you like to add whimsy to your flowers? I know not many people will agree with me when I say this.. but I think paper flowers should still look a little like paper flower and not 100% realistic. I somehow feel like you (as an artist/ crafter) can put a piece of yourself in whatever you make and when people see it, they will relate it back to you and that feels nice. What are you most excited in your life right now? A few things, Setting up my little studio (although it's taking more time, but it's just me and my procrastination) New workshop modules for end of the year and finding new venues for workshops aaaaand... We are going on a holiday! We were here in Qatar most of the summer and we were indoors most of the time. So we can't wait to get out and explore and get some nice samples of autumn foliage and blooms. Find more from Nik Iyzan:
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April 2019
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