A bit about I Dream in Paper.

My dreaming about paper, and putting the dreams into action have become more than a hobby, or something I did just for friends and family. This is a place where all my ideas come out in paper; not just on paper, in paper. When I hold a piece of paper in my hand and feel it, the weight, the texture, the edges - deckled or not; I see possibilities. And, I love manifesting the thoughts into things.

So, you might ask, how long have I been dreaming like this? Well, I remember in kindergarten, my mom came to my school to help make big tissue paper flowers for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. They are easy enough for a 5 year old to make. Accordion fold a few layers of tissue, trim off the squared edges, tie in the center and gently pull the layers to form a flower. I am pretty sure this is how it began.

I wanted to make flowers all the time. I would pull sheets of paper towels and make them. That was definitely frowned upon. Those got pulled apart and used for appropriate messes. I used that terrible lined school paper. The kind that gets stuck to your eraser when you try to erase! Good thing, that whether it was written on, or not, didn’t matter to me. I even resorted to the mail circulars.

A few years later, I learned how to make those roses from satin ribbon. The kind you fold backward and turn as you fold. We just didn’t have a lot of ribbon around the house. But, paper seemed like an easier, more accessible, material to me. I would tear things into strips of paper. I even tried toilet paper. This would later make me a hit at bridal shower parties. Well, the ones where you make wedding dresses from toilet paper, anyway. I could fashion bouquets and crowns in seconds. You probably guessed, mom was not a fan of this use for toilet paper. Many flowers were dissected.

As I grew older, I used my talent/obsession more sparingly. Adorning only the tops of wrapped gifts and the occasional hair comb with handmade flowers. Some were made to celebrate a birthday as desk/cubical decor. Some cards, and almost certainly there were a few made for halloween costumes.

I am quite certain, that having such an obsession, and dreams about something like this, needs an outlet. And if you work at a job, that doesn’t provide you with that creative outlet, you will most likely spend time day dreaming. Dreaming about things that make you happy. And for me, it’s things in paper, like paper flowers.

I recall one day at work, there was a bin of papers to be recycled. My hands were drawn to it. I began to search to find the sheets with lovely patterns on them in text or pictures. Petals were cut, and it was assembled by stapler or tape. Whatever was available. Soon my cubicle wall was adorned with blooms and I temporarily felt joy. Joy, while my hands were making.

One day, someone saw that flower on my wall, and asked, “Did you make that?” YES! I had replied. Suddenly, other co-workers were wanting me to make more. To buy them from me for their wall, or a party, as a gift, for their retail store window, or just because flowers and things I had made from paper, make them happy too.

This website shop, was really created as an outlet to share and spread joy. So, welcome. This is a happy place. Let’s create some Joy!