Origami flowers can enhance so many celebrations. They are unique and everlasting. They make their way into your home with their handmade appeal, as centerpiece bouquets, as decorative wreaths, and as mobiles for your children’s rooms. Have you ever considered a sheet music flower mobile in your library, or as a gift to a friend or librarian, or music teacher who loves music? As a maker onEtsy my shop has so many origami flower choices. Come pay a visit to gracelinestudio.com and find a large variety of examples where origami and paper decor can enhance your life. And by the way, even you can make origami flowers. Try a search for instructions on the internet. It’s exactly how I began my adventure with paper flowers.
Art of Graceline
My Craft Obsessions and thoughts
Friday, November 10, 2023
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Decisions
For me as an artist, I have difficulty choosing the direction to go in. Many of my decisions are based on paper as my medium…..origami, paper folding for decorations, paper for butterfly or bird mobiles, paper for circular orbs, paper for paper flowers. . or…as of late, my obsession with alcohol ink on ceramic tiles? My problem seems to be that I began on Etsy 11 years ago folding origami flowers for bouquets. At the time, on Etsy there was little competition in this area so I had some good success at making sales. Over time, sales slowed as Etsy became bigger, thus more competitive. So, here began my search regarding my shop, for what products would sell, placing different products up in different categories instead of concentrating on one particular category.
My choices did not develop my shop into a money making place to hang out. This trickled past me going unnoticed because I enjoyed everything I chose to work on; butterfly mobiles, origami trees and other folding options, and now alcohol ink. It seems with my Etsy shop I continue to add different products, most of which do not sell. The Etsy way seems to go in waves….according of course with the economy waves, young peoples popular choices, and holidays. This year for me, I have begun making a few sales of my origami trees. It’s always a toss up.
Truly I have discovered something important about Etsy, it is in it for the money as it has gone public and grown very large. I have a lot of fees that I pay to Etsy. Granted they are small, but can you imagine these same fees times thousands and thousands of shops on Etsy. But this is business, and I have, because of my love of arts and crafts, found an acceptance of not making much income on Etsy. Lesson learned here…? NOTHING…., business related that is. The pertinent principle here, and it is not a lesson learned, the most important thing to me each day is doing art, for myself, for my family as gifts, or just because I love spending my time that way.
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Handmade
On The Edge of a Paper Obsession
…..
more like a “book”, not a carousel.
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Triskelion …Because I Love Working With Paper
Dear and Glorious Physician
Saint Luke, living in the Roman times, a healer, a man of God, but seemingly out to prove that God's wonders are God's punishment. I am half way through this novel, filled with the destruction of an empire ruled by a man who makes all the rules, but tries to save his empire.
It is difficult for me to understand how humanity seems to constantly repeat its mistakes: wars, killing, destruction of its land and resources, and how corruption takes a foothold on society. And then we begin again…..maybe the destruction of our beautiful planet will eventually lead to the beginning of a new society far, far away?
Time will tell, but my hopes for a moral, giving, righteous existence here on earth are primarily for the lives of my grandchildren.
Monday, October 4, 2021
Thank You for the Bluebirds
Woke up a bit grumpy. Was trying to kick it goodbye. What happened next?
1. Cup of coffee
2. Outside to greet the day.
3. First sip….a bluebird greeted me. Then another, and another….until 5 had shown up to say good morning. Now, this may not seem remarkable to others, but this showing up of the Western Bluebirds actually made me cry. Mother Nature cleans my soul….and this beautiful event was just the blessing I needed.
4. Quail, goldfinches, scrub jay, and bluebirds, and an eye to eye peek from the Annas Humingbird were all blessings that scrubbed away my cranky start.
This I write in my gratitude journal on the 3rd day of October, 2021. Karen Grace
Plus I finally got one new order on my Etsy shop. Gracelinestudio.com
Saturday, October 2, 2021
When Life Throws You Lemons…Make Lemonade
Handmade Origami Flower Adventure
Origami flowers can enhance so many celebrations. They are unique and everlasting. They make their way into your home with their handmade a...