Monday 10 December 2018

Happy Holidays!

As the year 2018 is coming to an end, I thought I'd show you some highlights from my year:
The first Father's Day in my household
Commission to make thank-you cards for the dancers of "It's Raining Men"
Etsy Pop-Up at Evergreen Brickworks with my mini sales assistant

Wedding cards

Makers Market at the Withrow Farmers Market
The popular "Get well soon" cards got a sibling: "I'm so sorry"


My little guy celebrated his first birthday!

Holiday Market at SickKids last week

Another Etsy Pop-Up at the Brickworks ... in colder temperatures
Holiday cards


And how was your 2018?

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From my family to yours, have a wonderful holiday season filled with love, joy, peace and laughter, and an amazing new year! 

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Thursday 31 May 2018

Weathering the Storm


Walking along Yonge Street, north of Lawrence, I spotted a cool sign today. "If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm", it read, and it's so true. Literally speaking - in our climate, at least - and metaphorically, too. When I'm going through a burst of inspiration and make a whole range of cards that are beautiful, and intricate, and eye-catching, I leave a bit of a tornado of paper scraps and card stock behind that I first need to clear before I can tackle the next creative sunburst. Also, I'm bound to make the occasional cards you don't like in order to arrive at the ones that will become bestsellers. And outside of card-making, as a mom, I sometimes have to deal with tantrums and crankiness that will make my baby's rays of sunshine - his smiles and his curiosity - even more special. What do I do to weather the storms in my life? I'm creative. I craft, and I dance. Yup, you read that right. I'm not just a paper artist, I'm also a dancer. (And the too are related!)

It's that time of year again when my dance company is taking the stage. This year's show is entitled Weathering the Storm: we dance our way through the seasons, and all types of weather they throw at us! From the snow storms we're so familiar with as Canadians to spring rain, you'll see it all on stage. We hope to brighten your day with 22 original numbers in styles ranging from ballet, to tap, to jazz.

Our show dates are:

The Paper Turns "Four Seasons" card set
  • Wednesday, June 13, 8pm
  • Thursday, June 14, 8pm
  • Friday, June 15, 8pm
  • Saturday, June 16, 2pm (matinee)
  • Saturday, June 16, 8pm

Venue: 
Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto (across from Spadina subway station).

Don’t let all tickets blow away! Get yours HERE. I hope to see you there.

If you want to learn more about my dance company, PushPULL Dance - "Dancing Professionals, Not Professional Dancers", go to http://www.pushpulldance.com/toronto.html.



Friday 4 May 2018

I'm back!

Gilbert and me with his handmade Easter balloon
Anyone who has kids knows that the transition to parenthood is quite something: lots of intense emotions (deep love, tremendous excitement, anxiety), a whole lot of sleep deprivation, a radical shifting of priorities, a steep learning curve regarding your new role and pertaining to the baby's behaviour, health, nutrition and development, and a new set of challenges with regard to time-management and organisation, baby-proofing, etc. etc. etc. I'm still in the midst of all this, of course, and I'll never cease to learn, but I've also somewhat gotten used to the fact that there's this new person in my household now, have developed a wee bit of a routine, and carved out chunks of time to dedicate to Paper Turns again. In other words: I'm back!

 








What's new? I'm working on a few new designs, but I'm also getting ready for Mother's Day, and with that, my first craft show of the year. I look forward to returning to the Spring Artisans' Market at SickKids Hospital; my fourth one - it's that great a market! Come and visit me on Friday, May 11, 10 am - 5 pm in the SickKids Atrium at 170 Elizabeth Street, Toronto.

I've also been working on a few special commissions. For example, a grandma-to-be contacted me recently with the request for a woodland-animal-themed card for her first grandson. I played around with a few of the animals she suggested, including owls, rabbits and bears. You can see both one of the drafts (on uncut card stock), and the version she ended up ordering. I really love creative challenges like that, and I'm excited to work on the next ones, which I'll show you in June. 
 

Finally, I've joined other Canadian Etsy sellers in offering free domestic shipping for part of this month. If you order any of the cards in my Etsy shop to an address within Canada between May 1 and May 14, shipping is on me. You're welcome! Time to celebrate the snail mail revolution.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/PaperTurns