Hanami Gallery - Origami Cards and Ornaments

These are the beautiful creations from Hanami Gallery. She creates beautiful cards and ornaments from fine Japanese papers. My favorite is the Red Butterflies card above. She was so kind to answer a couple of questions for me about herself and how she got started crafting.

I went to college for mathematics and economics, but I've always loved art and crafting. I learned how to fold origami when I was very young. My first books were from Tomoko Fuse and I still have her books to this day! I also drew, painted, and took photography. My grandmother also taught me how to knit and I enjoyed knitting capes for our chickens in the winter. HAH. I love paper. I tried to think about how I could showcase some of the great papers I have. My mom has always loved collecting cards. I thought making cards would be a great way to showcase the paper, and I could always use them if they did not sell! My family and fiance have supported me and helped me when I get down about my craft. My inspiration is the paper. Really I look at each sheet of paper and think about what type of design would best showcase the paper.

As for other hobbies or interests, I enjoy knitting and just learned how to crochet. I’m expecting some dyes and will try hand painting yarn! I also enjoy playing video games! HAH. It is a lot of fun when I can really escape into other worlds. I just started selling on Etsy in January 2009.Before I moved to Providence I showed in a gallery in Pennsylvania for a little while, but the commission was a bit much. I also had a website, but got rid of it to make another new website that is currently in progress. I also have a blog where I try to show some items from my shop every now and again.My favorite ways to promote my store is probably word of mouth.

My blog address is: http://hanamigallery.blogspot.com/ I write about anything I am doing currently!

I hope I can sell my cards to people who will cherish them and the words written inside forever. So, I hope I will have sold more cards by the end of the year!I want to make sure I stay positive. It’s hard to start a business and to get a reputation built. So, I just really need to stay positive and keep trying at my store. I’m proud of my work, to an extent! I am a bit of a perfectionist. HAH My favorite part of the day is when I can hang out with my fiance and kitties.

You can check her out at http://www.hanamigallery.etsy.com/ and tell her that Mrsfatface sent ya!