On June 3, 2021, six paper florists walked into a brand new museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When we finished our work, we’d compiled lilies from more than fifty people around the world into an art installation to honor those who died a century ago in a hateful, racist massacre. 

How did this commemoration endeavor come about?   

It all started when Jessie Chui and I were approached by Amy McGee of Botanical Brouhaha and Sue McLeary of @passionflowersue via the Palmers sisters of The Wild Mother from Oklahoma City. They asked if we wanted to be involved in the centennial commemoration of the Greenwood Massacre that happened in my hometown of Tulsa. 

Why did I say yes? I grew up in Tulsa and was never taught this important history. Only in the past year and a half did I learn about this sad event that occurred 100 years ago. I asked my high school friends, and we all agreed that we were never taught about it at all. It was upsetting that a huge piece of...

 I’m so excited to share this colorful and happy crepe paper wreath! Whether you’re an experienced paper florist or a newcomer to crepe paper, you’ll have fun making this tutorial your own.

When Aleene’s Glues approached me to try out their Tulip Tie-Dye Kit, I had to say yes. I’m a big fan of their products, and I knew that it would be fun to try something new. This rainbow wreath was the result of my experimentation with their kit. Though you only get five colors (red, orange, green, blue, and purple), the resulting color combinations are endless. If you know your color wheel, you can achieve some really amazing results. 

You can also experiment with wire gauge and the wreath base. I made my own base using Kraft-covered wire, but feel free to use a preformed one. 

Also be careful not to stretch out the paper as it dries—you’ll need that stretch later on—and make sure to wear the gloves provided in the kit to protect...

With spring around the corner and my new paper flower tutorial being released, I’ve had cherry blossoms on my mind. 

Three years ago I created cherry blossom installations for six stores in Seattle—a huge undertaking that taught me many lessons. To help artists like you along your paper flower journey, I want to share the story behind those installations and the wisdom I gained. 

My love of this tiny five-petal blossom started when I was a small child and first saw a cherry tree bloom. I was standing under the branches when it started to softly rain white petals all around me. Pure magic. That moment stayed with me over the years, but I never had an opportunity to really share that love until I started to make paper flowers.

Back in 2018, I had no active paper flower jobs and decided to take on a big project to really explore my love of paper crafting and my love of this tiny blossom. I made hundreds of cherry blossoms. I started to make cherry blossoms in...

For paper florists, online content is a lifesaver. With just a few clicks, we can share techniques, tool recommendations, and encouragement from around the world. Our niche is thriving because the digital world connects us. But not all online tutorials are equally useful, as you’ve probably discovered.

If you do a quick search for paper flower tutorials, you’ll find a wide range of results: beginner to expert, cardstock to tissue, free videos or paid classes. And once you find crepe paper tutorials, how do you make sure it’s a good one before investing lots of time?

I’ve had the same difficulties. 

When I first started making paper flowers six years ago, I tried every Google combination imaginable to find techniques, tools, and tutorials. Cardstock dominated, and some of the only crepe content I could find was from Tina Nguyen of ABC TV Craft. Her YouTube videos taught me so much, but because they featured no voice, only music, I had to stop and rewatch...

Jumping into the world of paper flowers can be intimidating. After all, nature has provided us with hundreds of thousands of flowering plants that come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and colors. Even an expert paper florist can’t be expected to know how to craft all of them. 

So how can you learn to make more of these amazing varieties of flowers?

No matter if you’re a beginner or an expert, I highly recommend purchasing paper flower books. A book will bring together a wide range of tutorials and include big, beautiful photos that make it easy to follow along with the instructions. The best paper flower books out there come from professional paper florists who have been instructing for years. You can literally hold a huge chunk of their knowledge in your hands.

Before we delve into some of my favorite books, though, I have some tips for you on how to best use these paper flower books. By the end of this post you’ll feel ready to conquer any paper flower...

Standing out in an increasingly crowded industry may feel like a monumental task, especially if you’re just starting out with your business. 

Looking at the competition may bring feelings of dread. That was certainly the case for many of our panelists at our last Paper X Talk lecture about pricing. But one thing stood out above the rest in all of our advice that night: competition should be viewed as a motivator, not a threat.

By the end of this article, you’ll feel motivated when you look at your competition, because you’ll learn how to work with competitors to build up your industry and keep customers happy—and when that happens, your business will grow and you’ll find the success that matters most to you.

Let’s dive in!

Collaborate with Your Competition

This may sound counterintuitive at first, but when you build up your industry, everyone benefits. Paper florist Jessie Chui of Crafted to Bloom is my competition, but...

Can you really charge as much as other paper florists? There are many factors to weight when setting prices, but one of the most important is understanding your own value as an artist. After reading this post, you will gain the confidence you need to value your experience and skill set, and learn why you should be calculating that into your prices. When you value yourself, you’ll be able to price with confidence and make your business profitable.

At our second Paper X Talk lecture on pricing, we discussed all of the factors that we weigh when setting our prices. Our panelists provided a huge wealth of information, but one factor stood out: the great need to value your own time and skills. 

So how do you do that? Here are some insights from our panelists.

Narrow Your Customer Base

Jesalyn Pettigrew of Mossy Gate Flower Farm tried on many different hats when she started out as a flower grower. Some worked, some didn’t. Some she hated, some...

How do you choose a starting price point? How do you raise prices? How much profit can you make with a creative, small business?

If you haven’t guessed already, the biggest growing pain you’ll face as a small business is figuring out pricing. After reading this post you will feel empowered when setting prices for your goods and services because you will learn pricing strategies that will take your business to the next level.

In October we held the first lecture in our Paper X Talk lecture series, and our panelists shared their growing pains with pricing. We’ve all had the same questions: How will you cover supply and time costs? How are you going to pay your living expenses? Will this ever be more than a hobby?

We all have to find the right price point for our market and for our own needs, and this isn’t something you do once and leave alone. Our panelist Jesalyn Pettigrew of Mossy Gate Flower Farm checks the wholesale flower market...

Paper florists all over the world will inevitably run into the same problem: what to do with all of those crepe paper scraps? You paid for that lovely crepe, and throwing it out feels wrong. But you’re swimming in the scraps, and your home can’t take anymore leftover crepe crammed into nooks and crannies. 

I faced this same problem early on as a paper florist. Dealing with scraps is actually how The Posey Box got its start! While lamenting to a friend about all of the crepe bits I didn’t want to throw out, the idea formed to box the scraps and sell them as mystery boxes. Those first ten boxes sold out so quickly! From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to coupling boxes of crepe with tutorials and officially starting The Posey Box.

While The Posey Box features new supplies, those little crepe scraps still accumulate like dust bunnies under a couch. What should you do with them? Here are some of my favorite ideas.

Make New Paper

This is a great option for...

Do you know what the next big thing in paper flowers is? We won’t keep you waiting. We’ve noticed a trend in our industry: an explosion of color. Paper florists are getting bolder and more unique with every bloom they create by using more colors. You won’t want to miss out on how you can make your paper flowers more distinctive with this fun trend. 

Now more than ever, there are many, many ways to alter the color of your crepe paper. You can go big and bold and send the color in a completely different direction with multiple layers of Design Master. Or you keep things more subtle with sheer watercolors or touches of PanPastel. And you can combine more than one option. The options really are limitless, which makes this trend so exciting!

So what are some of our favorite ways to shift colors and add color details? Let’s explore!

Watercolors

And we have exciting news! Quynh is collaborating with expert watercolorist Sarah Simon of The Mint Gardener...