~Creative Crafts~: PaperAffection Feature

Today I'm featuring a wonderful Etsy seller. Please welcome PaperAffection. She recently shared with me some things about her Etsy shop. So, enjoy the interview, and please take a moment to visit her shop! Me: So, how did you get started in crafting? PaperAffection: Its been about 13 years now since that fourth grade class where I made my first crane. I first got into origami because I had this problem with sitting still when I was a kid. I discovered that folding paper helped me concentrate in class while I took notes. This was especially true in college and long lectures and I honestly believe I did better in class when I was folding! As I practiced more and more, I realized that if there wasn't a real use for my origami models, and they'd all go to waste - and I couldn't let that happen! So I set out to make my origami functional - jewelry was my first thought, and I'm exploring other mediums. Me: That's wonderful. What are some of the things that inspire you? PaperAffection: What inspires me? Colors. Other artists (jewelry and paperfolding and more). Intelligent conversation. I like my craft because its like a puzzle sometimes! Me: A puzzle, that's a great way to describe it:) What do you think would be the perfect project? PaperAffection: Perfect project... oooh. I think the coolest project would be a commission to do all the jewelry for a fasion show - think of all the colors, the lines, and come up with a piece that matched each one perfectly. I think I'm going to have to buy an issue of Vogue and try that now... Me: *laughs* That would be cool. Show us what you come up with:) How long have you been selling on Etsy, and how long have you done origami? PaperAffection: On Etsy its been four months today! Origami has been forever really. :) Me: Selling your work on Etsy, or online in general, can mean a lot of competition. Are you intiminated by this? Why or why not? PaperAffection: I am and am not at the same time. I feel that I really offer a very unique spin on jewelry that you can't find in many other places (the people who do exactly what I do I can count on one hand). At the same time jewelry is a saturated market and its hard to make someone fall in love with an item without picking it up - my items don't have that bling factor :) But I stand behind what I make, love the process, and I know that no one else can offer you the same product. Me: Thank you so much for your time and wonderful, PaperAffection!Here are some samples of her work.

Bronze and Gold Butterfly Necklace