Interview
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What is your guilty pleasure?
Reading a good book on the
couch with tea, alone.
Favourite country or city you’ve
visited? Florence, Italy
Favourite colour? Purple
Favourite food? Tofu
Favourite junk food? Cheetos
Favourite drink? Milk tea
What is your biggest passion?
I’m always up for a game of
soccer (that’s football for you!)
Biggest ambition? Raising kind,
empathetic, and feminist sons
Favourite thing about Britain?
Britain’s vast historyand has a subtle air of the
unexpected. Compared to my
younger self, I certainly have
more con dence in my art and
with my choices of what to
incorporate and what to leave
out of my art – choices that
ultimately de ne my craft
and style.
What do you consider as your
unique selling point?
I’m known for my artistic
aesthetic, which is re ned,
romantic, and intentional. I
think if you like my style, you’re
guaranteed to love my projects.
What is it that you love
about crafting?
On a personal level, I love the
creative process – thinking
about how to interpret a oral
element, what materials and
techniques to use and how to
create the silhouette I want.
While I am happy once the end
product is achieved, I nd much
more joy in the creative process
of it all. Likewise, when I teach,
I love to pass that philosophy
on to my students – whether it’s
at a workshop, online course,
or in my book. I nd that this
type of approach brings people
together in ways that actually
build a stronger community.
Rather than focusing on the
results, we should share our
creative experiences and eureka
moments with others, which will
then elevate everyone’s craft.Do you have a crafting space
at home?
In the summer, I work a lot in
my home studio which has a
large sliding door leading out to
my garden. It’s inspiring to be
able to work so close to fresh
owers. I’ve set it up so I can
record my online courses or live
videos whenever I need to as
well. In the winter, I work more
on my kitchen island or dining
room, as it’s lit better there.What’s the most used item in
your craft supplies, and what
could you not live without?
My scissors of course! I have
large scissors to cut crêpe
paper from their rolls or across
folds, medium pairs for general
cutting of petals and paper, and
micro-tip pairs for fringing.
As a paper orist, there are a
few staple items that we alwaysuse (in
addition to
scissors).
These are:
stem wires,
tacky glue, and
crêpe paper in a
multitude of colours. In
addition, I collect and hoard
various colouring mediums. I
rely quite heavily on Pan Pastels,
and I also use calligraphy and
alcohol inks.Where do you get your
inspiration from?
For owers, I usually am
inspired by what orists are
doing. I’m drawn to unique
colour combinations and uses
of owers and silhouettes. I’m
drawn to unexpected pairings (of
owers) and colours. For foliage,
I get a lot of my inspiration from
just observing my garden and
the Canadian landscape. I watch
how the leaves fall or move in
the wind and that inspires me
to create similar movement in
my art.What’s your favourite paper
fl ower to create and why?
I love making openranunculuses. It was such a
fantastic moment for me when
I cracked the code. It’s also
because the open ranunculus
lets me express my style in
a way that not all owers let
me do. They come in so many
colours and they’re just the
perfect size for layering when I
make arrangements.How did your fi rst book Paper
Flower Art: Create Beautifully
Realistic Floral Arrangements
come about?
I was approached by GMC
Publications to write a book
after they saw my work on my
Instagram account.5urn over for
Lore froL +eRRie“I had always been drawn to
owers and botanicals – whenever
I doodled, it was always of some
sort of oral element”addition to
scissors).
These are:
stem wires,
tacky glue, and
crêpe paper in a
multitude of colours. In
addition, I collect and hoard