For me, Tea Time is all about Paper Flowers. Finding the most special tea cup and building a paper floral arrangement that speaks to the design of the pattern and making it be a bit of perfection that I can control. Sometimes we feel we don't live in a perfect world... so, I try to create my own. Focusing on flowers and how beautiful they are captures my heart and allows me to be inventive with color and form. I hope you will be inspired to try this most unique art form... sculpting paper into the most marvelous creations!!!!!

​It's always fun to decorate... especially the Table!! A neutral silver background makes color pop. Soft teal & bright spring green dishes add an unexpected accent.

​Our color inspiration comes from a pretty liner in this glass cylinder container. It has bright pinks, yellow greens and black set against a soft teal background. Note... the 'musical' flowers!!

Make napkin rings part of the celebration. Guests may take them home as a memento from your gathering. ​

My dear friend needed to do a Table Display for a special event. She chose the Letter 'B' with Fall Themed Decor. This is our end result. Beautiful!! It is about two feet tall and will make quite the dramatic statement. This outside the box and use corrugated materials that will provide a natural, inexpensive, unique and unusual appearance!!

Sandy, Molly & Rosie all celebrating a fun Saturday together. Making Paper Flower Sculptures and Memories!!! This was a great afternoon creating these beautiful arrangements. Sandy created the most darling 'Daisy' flowers in an oval corrugated container. Perfection!! Molly selected an image of one of her favorite animals... a horse, and coordinated the flowers around the colors in the image. Truly inspired!! And, dear Rosie, built the most lovely initial from nature's sticks and wire... added moss and her own Paper Flowers with a denim ribbon. Rustic Chic!! I love their creations... and I love them!!

OK... I must be honest... not all my creating is done on my own. Some of it involves the help of my little kitty... Zachary!! Here is a recent picture of him on my lap. It was late in the evening & I was busy making bookmarks for an upcoming event.  He absolutely wanted to sit on my lap, so he became a little table of sorts. I was cutting ribbon and stacking it up on his back until I could glue everything together. Talk about Teamwork!!

I am so thrilled with the results of my class at the Holden Forest & Gardens, Cleveland Botanical Garden yesterday! It was a foggy & misty day all day... but we were creating lots of sunshine indoors. I had the most delightful day sharing our Paper Flower techniques. We made April Daffodils, a Compass Rose, Sparkler Mums, Daisies... just all sorts of flowers that created our Spring Bouquet. I hope you take the opportunity to enjoy this creative paper sculpting art! 

I love corrugated!! Can you tell? I cannot stop making things with this material. This mountain is approximately six feet tall, so far. I am working on designs for an upcoming Class Reunion. I think I might spray paint some of them... but I really like to use natural materials... so, I might just decorate everything with Paper Flowers!! I know... FLOWER POWER!!

I am constantly... I mean CONSTANTLY looking for ways to do things without spending money. I believe it brings out the creativity in all of us. For this wreath I spent time in my yard cleaning up after a Spring storm. I particularly like to make square wreaths... first because they are so different... and second, because they are easier to make than round ones. I like to layer the branches and secure them with paper covered wire. The bunny is made from a scrap piece of wood wallcovering that I simply sketched a silhouette on the back and cut with scissors. It is all decorated with Paper Flowers [my reason for making everything] and a little twine. Super Cute!

A very dear friend asked if I would create a Paper Flower arrangement in tribute to a close relative. This creation is meant to live on with her Husband and each of her five adult Children. The main flowers used were White Roses which represent Spirituality & Everlasting Love... along with Red-Violet Roses which represent Wonder & Enchantment. The Cross is made with Twigs & Sterling Silver wire. I was honored to create this important keepsake for a very special family and of course, my dear friend!!

This is a most incredible bouquet. I was blessed recently to have two dear souls visit me and make flowers together one afternoon. These two lovely ladies... Kathy & Anne spent hours with me creating amazing paper blossoms. I had to share Anne's finished bouquet. She was creating this special gift and was very deliberate to use only those that would reflect the home where they will live. Anne was thoughtful to key into color and decorative elements creating a more Contemporary arrangement. I am sure you will agree it is stunning!! Congratulations Anne!!

A friend recently asked me how to incorporate Paper Flowers onto a gift for a shower. I soon got to work to figure out how to create an expressive 'Spring' display. I love the word 'shower' because I immediately thought of an umbrella. I created three elongated triangle shapes along with a paper wrapped wire that formed the handle and core of the umbrella. I used hot glue to do the edges and secured the inside with extra corrugated material. I then added Paper Flowers to the top. In the bottom photo I added an extra wrapped 'bundle' of flowers so the 3D Umbrella had something to rest upon. I tied one with Raffia and the other with white ribbon & knot on the bottom. A fun & fresh look for your packages!!

I simply love looking at this amazing bouquet. It is comprised of over 250 Paper Flowers!! I know!!! You are thinking 'how long did that take'? Well, I listen to a great movie or music and then I simply let my fingers be busy making flowers. This particular arrangement was designed for a Client who had a special display in a Pavilion at the Golden Globe Awards. I was thrilled to prepare this massive arrangement... besides... it kept me thinking of Spring!!! My best wishes to you as the Season becomes warmer with each day.

One of my favorite shows is 'CBS Sunday Morning'. I LOVE the longer focus on a specific topic and the stories they cover. Very insightful. I have watched for many years and always admired the way they connect each story with an element of 'sun-related' art. My Sister went on the Internet and found the email address of the show and the person who handles all art submitted. So... I set out to create a Sunburst in the hopes they might use it in a future segment. The finished piece is only 12" x 12" so the flowers are very tiny. I will frame it in a shadowbox frame... & each time I look at it I will remember all the wonderful things I learned from this inspiring show!!

A  tray of 'Lucky Shamrocks' for those that you love. This is a really pretty project and one that has a dual purpose. As you all know, I love to make paper flowers and this project has a Violet Rose glued onto it, with a ribbon coming through the Shamrock. This facilitates the use as a Bookmark! [And it never gets lost in your book.] You can write messages on the bottom to the lucky person that will be receiving this gift... sometimes I use my 'Emerald & Violet' stamp with my address and hand these out at events. They are perfect. Instructions may be found under the Tab 'Classes' & then 'Paper Flower Instructions'.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

There is nothing more inspiring than nature to me. I love the blending of this grapevine heart sculpture with the Paper Flowers. So pretty, so colorful, so welcoming!! It will be hung on an Interior Apartment Door and has a little space inside that is perfect to hold notes and mail. We made this for our dear friend Marty who is moving into her new apartment. Welcome Home Marty!!

What a most incredible day I had yesterday at the 'Cornerstone Of Hope' Facility in Independence, Ohio. [Cornerstone of Hope exists because, in this life, the unthinkable sometimes happens. A child dies before his parents. A husband or wife dies leaving their spouse and children at a loss for how to go on living. When we are left without the smile and the touch of the one whom we loved so dearly, we need a hand to hold, to pull us out of the pain.] I had the lovely opportunity to connect with many sweet and dear individuals who were at the center experiencing a 'Day of Pampering' from the Staff & Volunteers. I was honored to help those who participated in my workshop the opportunity to make a Paper Rose in memory of their loved one. The spiral picture illustrates one young woman who wrote "the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all'. We then took the sentiments written on each flower and sculpted it into a three dimensional rose. Everyone left with a special Paper Flower Rose in memory & with thoughts of love for someone very dear to them. I close with the hope that we all tell those that surround us how much they mean to us and just how special they are in our lives. We all need to share more love... endlessly.

I have had the most incredible time making these 'TWIG' Initials. They range in size from 8" to 12". I craft them with a coated bark-like paper and intertwine actual pieces of branches and little bits of nature where possible. Once they are formed and look beautiful on their own, I add my hand-made paper flowers. The possibilities are endless with the size and color of these lovely little jewels. Consider incorporating little acorns, feathers, painted paper leaves even little gems like broken earrings could be dovetailed into the design. I hope  you will try them on your own. If you'd like to take a class I will be featuring them on my new 'Tangerine Tuesdays'... where Tuesday will be my fun new day to share ideas and classes with all my new friends that visit my Studio! Hmmm... why are they important you wonder? Well, I think they are such a personalized gift to someone... incorporating your own hand in making something in tribute to their name. These have the ability to make someone feel very special!!

I was to participate in my first Art Event at the Berea ArtsFest today. Due to the storm and worries over safety, it was a great call to cancel the show from officials. It is still sad that I will not be able to share all my creations with a new audience. So, I decided to make Lemonade... last night I squeezed the lemons by unloading and unwrapping all my artwork, prints and cards... I then added sugar, by incorporating them into my Studio... I worked until 11:30 last night getting everything reorganized, cleaned [a constant in my old space] and displayed. I am now so happy as I sip my Lemonade by looking up from my work to see my Papier Mosaic paintings. They give me great joy. It is raining outside and I am incredibly grateful that everyone is safe & sound... as am I in my wonderful, cozy, little Studio... with my glass of fresh squeezed, sweet lemon juice!! With my every best wish!! Barbara

People are always asking what I am all about... or, more specifically, what my business is all about. It is a difficult question for me to answer. I keep trying to distill it down to one thing... and I must admit that I cannot. How can I ask myself to do just one thing? As someone who is creative to the core, I cannot stop creating in different areas. So... I was working in the garden this morning... and noticing the color in the landscaping... pretty lavenders and pinks... and the sun streaming across them and how it changed color where the light landed... and it came to me. I am about color... that is it. I am about the nuance of the pink in the sky when the sun sets; I am fascinated with the silver on the tiny edge of the horizon on the lake when you cannot see the sun, only the way it sparkles on that distant line of the water; I love that tinge of brown on the stem of a rose... sometimes just tiny little dots that make up the whole and curve to the green of the stem base. In the picture above, I wanted to create a pink & orange paper flower arrangement for my kitchen. I placed my flowers in an Antique Sugar Bowl that was made in Czechoslovakia many years ago. It adds a pretty warmth to this area. I placed it on a clear glass cake stand with a glass cloche over top... it is stunning to me. And, even though I mentioned that I was working in the garden this morning... it was mostly keeping up with the weeds, my perennials do very well... but the best flowers I grow are the paper ones!!
With my every best wish for a colorful day! Barbara

I am so excited to start a Garden Club for everyone!! Thank goodness it is not the 'traditional' Garden Club... or we would all be in big trouble. This one is for 'growing' Paper Flowers!!! Imagine how fun this will be. Check out our Calendar for the Saturdays that are available. I have sprinkled them here and there... hoping to grow some new fun times together!!

Happy 22nd! Work in our Studio continues each and every day. I am more excited than I can explain to arrive each day and continue creating art, paper flowers and anything that will intrigue our Visitors. This is a drawing that I did recently of a furry little friend. It sort of conveys how we feel sometimes at this point in the year. A little exhausted by all the hectic pace of the Season. Let us try to all take a deep breath and just enjoy what we have and not work so hard to make everything perfect. I know, easier said than accomplished. Let's try. Enjoy each moment! With my every best wish... Barbara

Well, I hope your December is a HAPPY one! It is such a challenging time of year. We are all so busy with the Holidays... they can be happy or sometimes, not so much. That is the thing I love about opening my Studio... I try, TRY to each day, make 'happy' happen. I cannot wait to begin to create. Seriously, I leave my two little kitties every morning [who I love so very much] to come and create art, design something new & be expressive with color. I hope you will find some time to focus on happy. If you need a little dose of happy... stop by... we hope to inspire you.
With my every best wish... Barbara