Paper Creations

Today I would like to feature Laura O'Shea of Paper Creations!

Laura is married and has two children, ages 8 and 6. She stays at home with her kids and volunteers st her children's school a lot. She says her business is a perfect outlet for her creativity and is flexible enough to fit her schedule.

I asked Laura some questions to discover more about her and her craft. Below are her answers:

How did you first get into your craft?

I started stamping back in graduate school over 15 years ago- yikes! Over the years I have kept up with my stamping although my style is constantly evolving. About 5 years ago I made the committment to selling my items. For several of those years, I sold predominantly at craft fairs although now I'm devoting my time to the online aspect.

Is there any particular artist or person in your life that influences or inspires you?

There is no particular artist that has inspired me although I have embrace the clean and simple style that has entered the crafting world.

What are your favorite materials to work with and why?

Most definitely I love working with rubber stamps. They are so versatile and the number of ways you can use them and the techniques that can be applied to them are endless. On any given day, I can experiment with paint, pencil, pen or marker using my stamps. Along with that basic, I enjoy using patterned papers and fun embellishments like ribbon, crystals or buttons.

Is there anything that you do that you think sets your creations apart from similar items/ your competitors?

I think my style makes me different. I think my cards appeal to those many who enjoy clean and simple lines. No matter what technique I use, I try to stay true to my style so you will know that its me, like many artists.

My cards are always high quality, much more "dense" than anything you will see at the local card store at the mall. There is a sense of substance to my cards as they are never just a thin layer. I never use card fronts only. I am not afraid to use strong base colors and layer in writing sections- this just adds to the quality as it is stronger.

All my cards, including the funny shaped ones, come with a perfectly fit envelope and every item is sent in a clear envelope for safekeeping during shipping.

Anything else you would like my readers to know about (sale, coupon, etc.)?

I always try to give back and send cards to soldiers overseas so they too can write to their loved ones. Many times my promotions revolve around the idea of giving back... for example, this past February, for every card bought I donated a card to Operation Write Home, an organization that sends cards to soldiers.

Many times a customer likes a design but would like to see it in a different color. I am always open to trying to fit a customer's needs and we can work together to create a card design in a certain color palette.

While my cards are blank inside, I do offer the service of adding a sentiment/ sayings to the inside of them. This again is on a case by case basis, working directly with the customer.

You can see Laura's creations at http://www.artfire.com/users/Laurascrafts