Paper Talk

Last week on our podcast,  Paper Talk , we dove into the world of branding with   Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol of  Kalyx Group .   We loved and learned so much from our conversation that we extended into this week’s episode. Our focus shifted from finding the heart of your business (in short, the brand) to the ins and outs of marketing your business.   If you have...

We’ve all taken different paths to the wonderful world of paper flowers, but one thing that unites us is a love of our craft. It’s no surprise that many of us want to turn that passion into a business. But even if you make the most amazing, creative flowers, you may have found yourself feeling a bit over your head when it comes to the branding and marketing side of things. That's why we reached ou...

In this Episode, we talk to our friend and fellow paper florist  Anna Chedid  about how she is handling social distancing during this unique time in our history. For many of us, it's been weeks since "normal." We no longer leave our houses without hand sanitizer and a face mask. We count the number of people present when we hang out with our neighbours, friends, or family....

Today we talk to  Lucia Balcazar , the author of  Build a Flower: A Beginner's Guide to Paper Flowers . Lucia has an easily recognizable signature style of deep colours and strong graphic lines in her paper flower art. Formerly a statistician, she changed her career path to follow her love for the fine arts, and her art reflects a maturity and confidence that is a hallmark of l...

As paper flower entrepreneurs, we are always re-evaluating our business and trying to tweak our strategy so we can increase our profit margin while at the same time, saving time. In the last few years, subscription box offerings have been taking off (even our very own Quynh offers one!). So we wanted to explore why a business owner may decide to include a subscription offering as part of...

In this episode, we address some of the concerns that Quynh has about her collaboration with artists for  The Posey Box  and the issue of intellectual ownership. We both offer online courses for purchase, and we teach workshops on a regular basis. As teachers, we want to ensure that we provide high-quality content - from instructions to templates - to all of our students. If you buy a co...

May 14 is International Paper Flower Day, and in celebration of this special day, we've invited one of our favourite artists,  Kate Alarcon of The Cobralily , to talk about it with us. Thanks to Kate - she came up with the idea of designating a specific date to celebrate our paper flower community and our art - paper flowers are spreading like wild...

One of the highlights of Quynh's involvement in  Design Days 2020  was having the chance to meet   Holly Heider Chapple ! You've likely seen Holly's beautiful work all over social media and she's been featured in numerous wedding magazines and wedding blogs. Her flower arrangements are always exquisitely composed and styled.  One look at her websites (yes, she's...

Last year, Jessie had an amazing opportunity to showcase a few pieces of her floral sculptures at  The Freedom Factory Toronto  after one of the owners of the gallery, Tiffany MacIsaac, handpicked her to be a part of a juried group show of 60 artists. The experience was rewarding for Jessie in so many ways - exposure to the local art community, engagement with other artists, commiss...

Today we talk about our passion project for the last few months -  Paper to Profits !  When we returned from the  Masterclass in Monroe, Washington  last year, we met so many incredibly talented paper florists who were hungry for more information on how to transform their hobby into a viable business and build it to last. So for a year, we mulled over how to...

April is Financial Literacy Month so it's the perfect time to talk about money with  Meka West of Penny Smart Girl ! Meka is a certified accountant and she is the founder of online bookkeeping and money coaching firm called  Penny Smart Girl .  April is also the month for tax-deadlines so we are picking Meka's brain today on all things bookkeeping and tax-related...

We are catching up with Mike Benson of  Carte Fini . Carte Fini is based in San Diego, California and it is an online distributor of  Cartotecnica Rossi  Italian crepe paper and ships worldwide. Mike chatted with us on Paper Talk way back when we first started this podcast, on Episode 2. You can read and hear more about Mike on  Episode 2: Friends of TPFC -...

This year, from February 26 to March 1, 2020, our florist friend and mentor, Alicia Schwede of  Bella Fiori  and the  Flirty Fleurs  blog, participated in a floral event by  Fleurs de Villes  at the  Northwest Flower & Garden Festival  where she and her team created a floral dress from fresh florals. Learn more about Alicia when we previously c...

We admire sugar flower artists from afar but sometimes we just can’t help ourselves and want to know more about this craft that is in ways so similar to our own. One of the artists we admire is  Nita Komarakul.  Nita is the artist behind the beautiful sugar floristry we see on her Instagram account,  Pushface . Her flowers are delicate and feminine, with a realism that strikes us wi...

Over the weekend, our governments began to implement stricter guidelines and policies regarding social distancing in efforts to "flatten the curve" and slow down the spread of Covid-19. Many countries are now prohibiting entry of non-residents and locking down many public spaces like schools, libraries, community centres, and daycares. Large social gatherings like weddings, workshops, an...

If you guys recall, way back in Episode 4, we talked to  Jodi Duncan  of  Design Master  about her involvement with Design Master, her role in creating new colours, and how their colour products can help our paper florists community. This time, we also had the chance to speak with Jodi along with  Gretchen Sell, the Creative Director of Design Master , about Creativation 2...

When Quynh went to Florabundance Design Days in January 2020, she met the lovely  Teresa Schafer of Alexandra Farms .  Alexandra Farms  is the largest grower of garden roses in the world. Located in Bogotá, Colombia, the farm grows 60 varieties of those fragrant garden roses that florists (and we!) covet. Teresa is the Communications Manager at Alexandra Farms and an expert at...

Farren Celeste  is a paper flower company that offers templates for paper goods.  Farren Haygood  is the artist and face behind Farren Celeste. She is currently based in The Netherlands, but she is originally from the US. After moving to a country where she had no family and did not know the language, she had to reinvent herself and establish a new form of income. She found solace i...

We first took notice of the minimally styled paper flowers of  Yang Liu  in her blue phase. This blue phase turned out to be her artistic collaboration with  Anna Chedid  at the  VSCO studio . Influenced by her Chinese heritage, her dual Canadian-American nationalities, and her current hometown of San Francisco, Yang’s work strives to sit somewhere between dreams and reali...

We welcome our first artist of this brand new year -  Emily Paluska of Revery Paper Flora  - on Paper Talk to learn about her paper flowers and business. Known for her colourful and realistic paper flowers, Emily strives to make each and every piece special and unique. In addition to making paper flowers on commission, for wholesale, and events, she’s a prolific workshop instructor. In 2...

Welcome back! In this first Episode of the new year,   Quynh   and   Jessie   discuss the special events that took place over the holidays and how they set/manage their goals for the new year. Catch up with us while we talk about what we are hoping to achieve for Paper Talk and The Paper Florists Collective this year.

In the last Episode of the year,  Quynh  and  Jessie  discuss the importance of taking a break to reflect, to recollect, and towards making plans for the future. This Episode reminds us that although there is no perfect time to take a break when you’re an artist and/or entrepreneur, it’s something we all need in order to grow. And what is a more perfect time than during the hol...

In the second last Episode of the year,  Quynh  and  Jessie  discuss the importance of taking a break to reflect, to recollect, and towards making plans for the future. This Episode reminds us that although there is no perfect time to take a break when you’re an artist and/or entrepreneur, it’s something we all need in order to grow. And what is a more perfect time th...

Urban Craft Uprising  organizes and creates makers events in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Its objective - to establish a strong makers community and to create a showcase for crafters - is facilitated by its President, Kristen Rask. Kristen, an artist in her own right, has been involved with UCU since 2008. She has organized and curated numerous craft shows and has a vast knowle...

This week, we talk to  Laura Richey,  the artist and face behind  2CLVR Designs . From her home studio in London, Ontario, Canada, Laura specializes in using card stock paper to create beautifully realistic and detailed paper flowers for weddings, home decor, and gifts. One look at her work and you’ll be blown away by her attention to detail and colouring techniques. In this episode...