Your supportive responses to the paper crafting projects that I’ve shared online so far this year, including on social media, have been wonderfully kind and encouraging. Thank you all so much for each and every one of them!
Now that we’re a few weeks into this blog’s life, I thought it would be a lot of fun to chat about more about my past, present and future as a paper crafter, why I’m not currently seeking design team work, and what I might have named this blog, had it been solely paper crafting related.
Please note: The projects shown in this post were all created prior to the arson fire (see below) that we experienced tin 2016.
Who am I?
Isn’t the great question that we’re all asking ourselves! 😃
Deep philosophical discussions aside, if we’re meeting for the very first time, I would suggest you read my inaugural post and my About Page to get to know me a bit better.
Beyond what is housed in those two spots, from a scrapbooking perspective, I feel that it’s worth noting that I am…
-(At the time of writing) 35 years old.
-The first of three children (I have both a younger brother and sister), the oldest grandchild and oldest first-degree cousin on both sides of my family.
-Married to an incredible man named Tony. We met in March 2004, had a whirlwind romance, and tied the knot about seven months later in October of that same year. We had a very small civil ceremony wedding with less than ten guests in attendance.
-Not a parent / do not have any children. (I plan to discuss this topic as it pertains to both my own life and childless paper crafters in general later on this year.)
-An aunt to one adorable youngster, our nephew, Jarno, who lives in Italy with his folks (my sister-in-law and her husband).
-A lifelong history buff and vintage lover (for several years I ran a popular vintage fashion and lifestyle blog, which I retired in March 2017).
-A (sun sign) Cancer and, gosh, do I fit the profile for the most part. As much as I’m a homebody, I also have a great deal of wanderlust in my soul and find travel to be one of the most incredible and rewarding aspects of life. (If you’re curious, my moon sign is Sagittarius and my ascendant sign is Aquarius.)
When it all began
I officially began paper crafting in October 2010 (my first project was a layout about my maternal grandma that used a sheet of My Mine’s Eye paper as the main background paper).
Prior to that point, I had developed a deep interest in paper crafting and started to amass a stash of supplies at least a year before I began creating.
One of my aunts has been an avid paper crafter herself for multiple decades now. Her beautiful, heartwarming pages and handmade cards were (and still remain) a wonderful source of inspiration for me.
I’ve always been the nostalgic type. I’m an old soul who adores history, genealogy and preserving memories, and for me scrapbooking is a powerful way to unite and celebrate those important aspects of my life.
Between 2010 and 2016, while I wasn’t always able to actively engage in paper crafting for various reasons (moves, serious medical issues, etc), I did create whenever possible and was frequently active on the website scrapbook.com.
For a while during that time, I ran a paper crafting blog, but my spirituality and the fact that I was a witch were not a part of that site (which was retired and taken off line several years ago now).
When it all changed in the blink of an eye
If you’ve read my intro post or About Page, you may recall that in October 2016, my husband I experienced a devastating arson house fire that destroyed virtually all of our belongings and, infinitely more heartbreaking, took the life of our precious cat, Stella (pictured in the layout below).
Thank the universe, we ourselves and our darling dog (Annie) made it out alive.
As challenging as that experience was and as hard a road as we’ve had to forge ahead in order to rebuild our lives in the 3+ years since then, I try not to dwell excessively on what happened to us.
It was brutal, it changed us and our lives forever, and it taught us more than I could ever put into words, but I have zero desire for that tragedy to be a common focal point here on Witchcrafted Life. Or in my life point-blank.
Sometimes, however, it is bound to come up. In this case, I feel it warrants mentioning because the fire not only destroyed all of my crafting (paper and otherwise) supplies, it also wrecked the first six years of my paper crafting projects.
In addition, it destroyed all of our photos (physical and those stored on computers and external hard drives), mementos, and personal documents.
It is a surreal, horrible experience to lose every material thing you own in the world. No one should ever have to go through that for any reason. Yet, sadly, countless individuals and families do each year due to various reasons.
I wasn’t easy at all, and it pained me to my core to lose my scrapbook albums, photos, family treasures, craft supplies, and other belongings, but I had to move on. There was no option. No amount of sorrow or grief or depression (each of which I certainly experienced in the wake of the fire) was going to bring back what the flames had devoured.
Instead of bemoaning what happened, both myself and Tony were resolute in our determination to piece our lives back together again, start afresh where we could, and to focus on what presently is and what lies ahead, not what once was or could have been.
I should note, as I’m often asked about this point, while we did have renter’s insurance at the time, the maximum payout value was (unbeknownst to us until after tragedy struck) significantly smaller than the total value of our belongings. The max payout was more aligned with what we owned when, over 4.5 years prior, we moved into the house that burned down, not what we owned at the time of the fire.
Therefore, the payout did not allow enough room for us to replace most personal items (including my craft supplies). It went to critical expenses and household needs. Instead, we have gradually been acquiring new non-essentials when possible over the past three years and will continue to do so further as time goes on.
Note: As I was fortunate to have photos of some of my completed projects online in various spots at the time of fire, I have a visual record of a portion of my paper crafting work. Not, however, the whole body of it. Still, having anything is awesome and I’m super thankful for what does exist.
What the past 3+ years have been like
Busy! A roller coaster of highs and lows! Unexpected!
They’ve been pretty wild to say the least and not at all how I foresaw my early to mid-30s playing out. That’s life though. You never know what, be it positive or negative, is coming round the bend next and it’s usually best to roll with the punches, make the best of a rough situation, and hold tight to hope along the way.
After a succession of short-term rentals following the fire, in early 2018, Tony and I were able to purchase our first home. It is located in a charming little town in the northern end of British Columbia’s Okanagan region. We’re both smitten with the gorgeous scenery and landscape here, which breathtakingly marries woodland with farmland.
The achievement of this lifelong goal, especially so soon after the fire, is still hard to believe at times. It remains the most positive thing to happen to us since before the fire occurred.
2018 wasn’t all sunshine and new houses though, it also saw various heartbreaking events transpire to some of my relatives. These happenings hit me with the force of an asteroid and I’m still continuing to process and heal from them to this day.
Thankfully though, by and large, things are looking up for ourselves and my loved ones in general as 2020 finds its footing.
On the paper crafting front, my stash was started anew for me within days of the fire, when my aunt (mentioned above) blessed me with a truly thoughtful “starter scrapbooking kit” she had lovingly put together.
I was also incredibly fortunate to receive some paper crafting items from several kind-hearted, generous online scrapbooking friends, acquaintances, and even a few total strangers.
For as long as I live, I will grateful to, and for, those caring individuals whose compassion and desire to help a fellow crafter get back on her feet again played an integral role in ensuring that I was able to do just that.
Between 2017 and the summer of 2019, with my budding new paper crafting stash, I made a few projects (chiefly cards and layouts).
At first, it was strange and difficult to craft because my mind kept thinking that I still had all of my old pre-fire supplies and photographs. Rationally, of course, I knew that I do not and as time goes on, thankfully, this sense has lessened. It did certainly impact me a fair bit though as I began to ease into paper crafting again.
From the summer of 2019 onward, as time and my health have permitted, I’ve been going full steam ahead on the paper crafting front once more and loving every moment of it!
I feel like I’ve gotten my grove back and have been reveling in the joys, catharsis, and fun of paper crafting again.
So much so, that it led me to create this website. A blog that combines two hugely important aspects of who I am and what I hold dear: being a Pagan witch and paper crafting.
Where I’m at on the paper crafting front today
The launch of this site, which happened on January 1st of this year, has been at the heart of my paper crafting related focus in recent weeks.
Beyond that, I’d say that I’m in a good place again on the creativity front.
While it isn’t possible for me to actually craft daily, between this blog, social media, blogs and websites that I follow, conversations with fellow crafters, magazines, and much more, paper crafting is once again an integral part of my daily life (yay!!!).
Our house is quite, how shall we say, cozy, which means that space is at a premium (two people, both of whom work primarily from home, and a high energy 70 lb dog all share said space).
Thankfully, however, I have a small room on the ground floor (our house is a two-story home, both of which are above ground; there is no basement or functional attic) which, in a lot of ways, is the physical version of this very blog itself.
In that one wee room lives my main altar, the majority of my witchy related items, almost all of my books, and the entirety of my current craft supply stash.
I am truly grateful for this space, the empowering energy that it houses, the creativity and magick alike that flow through me when I’m in it, and what it represents in my life regarding how far we’ve come in just three years since the fire.
My current stash of paper crafting items is an interesting mix of items. There are some areas (6×6 paper pads, for example) where things are fairly plentiful at present, others where they’re sparse, and some that are missing entirely.
I’ve long learned though that you can make a lot with a little where creativity involved and love to put the products that I do have to work in as many fun, fresh and imaginative ways as can.
What do I (currently) mostly make?
Scrapbook pages (especially 12 x 12 single-page layouts, but I’ve been hearing the siren’s call towards smaller sized pages on and off lately, too), cards of all sorts, tags, mini albums, home, and seasonal décor projects, and gift packaging/wrapping.
Plus an array of paper crafting projects pertaining to my spiritual path (including sabbat themed cards and tags for fellow witchy friends around the world) – as you might have guessed by this point.
How would I define my paper crafting style
“Shabby goth” springs to mind! 😊
My work often embodies feminine, dark/spooky, elegant, sweet, detailed, layered, tattered and distressed, inked, antique and vintage, nature inspired, fall and Halloween related, and dimensional techniques and products.
Stitching – faux, die cut, real – is a biggie, too.
These elements – coupled with including journaling on most of my layouts – are some of the key factors that help to define my personal scrapbooking, card making and paper crafting style in general.
Some of my favourite paper crafting products
Text and wood grain print papers, anything old-fashioned looking, burlap, bling (rhinestones, pearls, wood pieces, metal pieces, etc), dimensional flowers and leaves, tulle and netting, trim and ribbon, seam binding, twine, metal dies, stickers, glitter glue, die cut shapes and chipboard pieces, border and shape punches, paint, sequins, Micron Pens, Copic markers, my Tim Holtz Stamp Platform, and yes, as old school as I know this sounds to many people, (gasp!) decorative edge scissors.
Some of my favourite paper crafting brands
My taste in paper crafting brands and products, much like in many areas of my life, tends to run eclectic, so I buy from a wide number of companies.
Sadly, some of my all-time favourite brands and/or product lines (think Webster’s Pages, 7 Gypsies, Teresa Collins, Jenni Bowlin, Maya Road, Petaloo, K & Company, and Ranger’s Adirondack line) are no longer produced or have radically shifted the focus of what they sell.
This point makes losing the items I had from those companies sting all the more.
Thankfully, however, there are still many terrific brands going strong as we embrace the 2020s.
I adore plenty of them, including – but certainly not limited to – Anna Griffin, Carta Bella, FabScraps, Graphic 45, Pink Paislee, Martha Stewart, Kaisercraft, Prima, Authentique Paper, Tim Holtz, Echo Park, Bo Bunny, 49th and Market, DCWV, Tsukineko, and Pion Design (I don’t currently own anything from Pion, but, my word, do I melt like a snowman in April for their breathtaking offerings).
What die cutting machine do I use
I currently have a Sizzix Big Shot Machine. It’s a powerhouse of a die cutter and I love it to bits.
I do not, and to date have never had, an electric die cutting machine (i.e., Gemini, Silhouette Cameo, Brother ScanNCut).
I’d happily welcome an electric die cutter, especially since they are a lot easier on the ol’ wrists, but don’t foresee one coming my way anytime soon. Perhaps some day. 😊
What do I use to take photos of my projects
I currently have an iPhone 7 and take photos of my projects with it. I shoot indoors using either artificial (tungsten) or natural light, depending on what time of the day it is.
If needed, I do minor photo editing on my phone, generally in Afterlight and/or VSCO.
Why I’m not actively seeking design team work (but remain open to the possibility)
Several ago, I was a design team member for a US based online scrapbooking store that has long since shut down. I had a wonderful time and am still in connect with some of my fellow design team member friends from those days.
However, that experience drilled home how challenging it can be for me to be a design team member due to the fact that I’m a multiple severe chronic illness fighter whose health and physical abilities can fluctuate significantly from day-to-day.
I’m the type of person who loves to give things my all, honour my commitments and deliver on time. There’s a very real risk I wouldn’t always be able to do that if I was on a design team (let alone multiple teams concurrently). A point that doesn’t sit right with me at all.
However, if the schedule was flexible, the requirements weren’t too extreme, and the company/website was understanding regarding my health, I would certainly consider taking part in design team work again (assuming of course, I was tapped to do or accepted for a specific team, if I applied).
What I might have called this blog had it been focused solely on paper crafting
As awesome as things like stamping, colouring with markers, and watercolouring are, and as much and I delight in employing them at times, I am a paper lover at heart.
I adore beautiful papers, writing on my layouts, layering paper (and cardstock) on my projects, collecting paper for my stash, you name it!
Thus, assuming that the URL was available, I may have named my blog “It’s all about the paper” or something to that extent.
To be honest, I didn’t really give much consideration to running a blog that was just about paper crafting at this point in my life.
I knew from the get-go that I wanted to write about both witchy topics and paper crafting ones alike, and thus Witchcrafted Life was born.
What inspires my paper crafting work
So… many… things! 😊
The seasons and The Wheel of the Year, nature, art, music, books, fellow creative folks and makers, fashion, history, great colour combinations, my own personal experiences and dreams, my spirituality, traveling, photography, and oodles of other sources.
What else would you like to know about my paper crafting?
Now it’s your turn. What would you like to know about my paper crafting that wasn’t covered here?
Don’t be shy! Ask away! And while you’re at it, if there are specific types of paper crafting blog posts that you’d be keen to see here, please feel to let me know.
Your questions and ideas are welcome and sincerely appreciated. ❤
Autumn, it was lovely getting to know you here is this post. I cannot begin to fathom coming out of a horrific arson fire, losing everything, and starting over. But you seem to have chartered a beautiful and amazing second life. Your paper crafting is gorgeous. And, I look forward to learning more about my sister Cancer sun sign, Halloween and Autumn obsessed friend!!
Sweet, wonderful Debi. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your compassionate and supportive understanding regarding what we experienced. 🙏
Even now, more than three years after the fact, it is still surreal at times that we endured a total loss arson fire. Things have not been in the park for us post-fire in the slightest and some very real challenges that were created in our lives as a result of that fateful night still exist. Thank the universe though, we have made solid progress on the road to rebuilding, with our journeys of personal healing, and in moving ahead after an event that forever altered the course of our existence.
You’re so lovely! Thank you very much as well for your super kind words about my paper crafting projects. It’s an immense joy to have this platform on which to share and document many of my post-fire makes. Keeping a record of what I create took on even more meaning and importance for me fter what we went through. You just never know curveball might strike your life and in this day and age, digital photos can one of the most concrete ways (ironically, one could almost say) of preserving our lives and (images of) the things we create.
Immense hugs & the very deepest of thanks again,
♥ Autumn
This was very cool to read, to get to know a part of you that you didn’t share on your old vintage blog. I wept for dear Stella after your fire, and often think of you and Tony (BC bloggers, yo!).
As I childless-by-choice person, I’m interested to hear what you have to say about your own childfree experiences.
Thank you very much, dear Shelia. I appreciate your immense compassion and kindness beyond measure. 🙏
Stella’s loss was, by a sizable margin, the most difficult and painful part of what we went through with the fire. No animal (or person either, of course) deserves to have their life snuffed out in the blink of an eye like that. I think about her daily and carry unending love in my heart for our precious tabby girl who was taken from us far too early. She will be with us in spirit and memory forever and we will never stop loving her with all of our might. ❤️
It’s really motivating to know that you’re keen to read more about my experiences of being childless. Thank you for letting me know that.
In my (our) case, it is not by choice but rather caused by my infertility, which stems in large part from my severe endometriosis (though I am 110% certain that some of my other chronic illnesses play a roll there as well).
No matter if being child-free is a choice or a product of circumstance, I believe that it is a wonderful, healthy and important thing to readily discuss this topic and the myriad ways it impacts our lives.
I also firmly believe that one does not need to have kids to live a completely full, happy, rewarding life. Thankfully the mindset that you do (need to have youngins of your own for that to be true) is lessening to a modest degree in some parts of the world nowadays, but it’s still unnervingly common and something that we as a collective whole need to make far greater strides towards leaving in the past.
Kids are awesome for some, not the desire of others, and not possible for others still. None of these is inherently better or “worse” than the other, they’re just different ways of walking the exciting, incredible path that is life.
Thank you again for everything, my beautiful friend. You have a heart that makes gold look rusty by comparison.
♥ Autumn
It is so nice to learn more about you, I’m sorry to hear that you have had many challenges to overcome but you seem to have come through these challenges a much stronger person. Having weathered many challenges in my own life, I know that it makes you a more rounded, strong and compassionate person who lives life to the full.
Thank you for sharing your story and beautiful craft projects.
Pauline – Crafting with Cotnob
x
Thank you very much, Pauline. Your kindness is a meaningful gift that I sincerely appreciate.
I’m truly sorry that life has thrown some mammoth storms your way over the years as well. How right you are regarding the multitude of ways in which our greatest challenges shape, impact and sometimes even inspire us.
Very little in my life has been easy or straightforward from day one, but I don’t bemoan a single moment of my existence. I am incredibly grateful for the ways that each challenge and difficulty (much like the positives, as well) have helped to make me the determined, patient, caring, strong, independent, driven, brave, and wonderfully unique individual that I am today.
Thank you again wholeheartedly. Many hugs coming are coming your way.
♥ Autumn
Yay! I love learning more about my friends, especially when they get personal. I know how horrible the fire experience was for you so I was eager to hear how and in which ways you responded. We lost touch for a while after you stopped your earlier blog so the flow of information ended — but not my concern for you. I’m happy to hear you weathered the storm and reside in comfort now. I’m always cheering for you, pal!
What a profoundly touching and meaningful comment, Ally. Thank you wholeheartedly. That means a great deal to me – as does the friendship we’ve long shared.
While the overwhelming majority of the blogs that I once followed and engaged with during the years that my previous website was active are now long gone, retired, or abandoned (I say that with zero judgement – life truly happens, interests change, priorities shift, etc), yours is one of the very few from those days that is still going strong.
I applaud you for continuing to blog and am wholeheartedly happy to connect with you again through our respective sites.
Your friend and fellow cheerleader,
♥ Autumn
Well what can I say -thank you for sharing -you basically-and what you have had to endure I cannot begin to think what you went through rebuiling your lives after the fire!!!R.E. children I have three grown children -my daughter 47 has never wanted children by choice and my sons partner is longing for children but has fertility problems and unable to -so right across the board there
Carol x
Thank you deeply, Carol. You are such a kind and supportive soul. 🙏
The process of rebuilding, healing (which in some respects will be a lifelong journey), and finding a sense of normalcy in our lives again has certainly been challenging at times. Three and a smidge years on, I’m immeasurably happy to say that we’ve made positive strides in all of those areas. Certain fire-related difficulties still exist in our lives and we’ll look feel the repercussions of what happened, but things could have been so much worse and we’re very blessed to have come as far as we have in a relatively short amount of time. I give profound thank for this – just as I do for everyone who has extended support and kindness our way at any point since that fateful night.
My (our) own childless state is due to my infertility, which stems primarily from my severe endometriosis (though I’m absolutely certain that some of my other chronic illnesses play a role there, too). I would have loved with every fibre of my being to give birth to a child (or multiple children), but clearly the universe had other plans. As difficult as this is in a lot of ways, I have long made as much peace with this fact as I realistically can and accept that it’s highly unlikely we will have kids of our own.
As mentioned in this post, I plan to talk more about being childless in a future post (possibly as soon as this summer) and to delve into how it impacts my paper crafting (particularly my scrapbooking). I really appreciate you sharing with me regarding your own children’s journey’s with being childless and am deeply sorry that conceiving is proving highly challenging for your son and his partner.
On a more upbeat note, thank you again for everything. I hope that the first weekend of the month smiles warmly on you, sweet lady.
♥ Autumn
That was a lovely read, Autumn. During the years after the fire, you were often in my thoughts, and often wondered how you were and in which ways you were rebuilding your life. Therefore I was overjoyed to reconnect with you on Instagram and now through our blogs. I only have endless admiration for you and the courage you have displayed in the face of all the things life kept throwing at you. It makes me happy to know that your love for paper crafting hasn’t been diminished and I love the beautiful and accomplished finished projects you are sharing with us. Much love and hugs xxx
Sweet Ann, thank you with the utmost of appreciation from the bottom of my thoroughly touched heart. Your concern, care and support mean a great deal to me (and Tony + Annie).
It’s safe to say that the past three and a bit years have not always been a bed of roses. Many challenges – both pertaining to the fire and otherwise – have come our way for sure, but that is life, really. Both myself and Tony are firm believers in the concept that it is not so much (at least once the dust has settled, so to speak) what happens to you, but how one chooses to respond to and handle life’s challenges that often determines the longtime outcome of your life and happiness levels all the more.
From the very get-go, we refused to throw in the towel, kept our chins up, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other. We might have lost darn near everything of a material nature that we had in the world, but we were incredibly fortunate to still have one another and our sweet Miss Annie, and that alone was an ample, invaluable catalyst on the road to putting our lives together again.
A huge thank you as well for your support of my paper crafting projects. I can scarcely begin to put into words how much that means to me. Being able to not only (paper) craft again, but to have a blog of my own in which to share some of my makes is an important indicator of just how far we’ve been fortunate to come since the fire.
Huge hugs straight from my heart to yours,
♥ Autumn
Autumn, I’m glad to find you again and to know that you’re only a blog away. I followed you when you were on Scrapbook.com. Your amazing work is very inspiring. Thanks for sharing and I wish you continued success here and would love to continue seeing some of your projects on SBC just in case I miss checking in on your blog.
Lois
Hi lovely Lois, thank you very much for your wonderfully sweet comment and for connecting with me here. You’re such a kind person.
Definitely! Things have been seriously intense, busy, and sometimes challenging for us/our family literally since January 1st (which was spent at the ER – but that’s a story for another day), so I’ve not had near as much time as I’d ideally like to spend on SB.com, but I do hope and plan to share more of my recent makes there as the year progresses. Thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoy seeing my project share there as well.
Your comment made my whole day and then some. Thank you again!
Wishing you a joyful first weekend of March,
♥ Autumn
It’s so nice to get to know you a bit! The projects you posted are beautiful! I greatly admire those that can create many layers and with many different elements. I have tried but I tend to go right back to a CAS style. You have been through tough times! I am so glad that things are a bit better. I hope they steadily improve. I am sorry to hear that you struggle with some health issues. I look forward to seeing where this year takes you! Hugs!
Hi sweet Angie, thank you very much for the gift of your heart-touchingly kind, supportive comment. 🙏
It’s awesome that many of us differ in our creative styles and leanings. There’s so much we can learn, and draw inspiration from, those whose styles differ from our own. I hugely admire a good CAS/minimal/understated design, but feel like a fish out water when I try to create a project in this style. Such is true of my wardrobe choices, too – minimalism has never ruled my closet. 😄
I really appreciate everything that you said, including your kindness regarding my health. It’s a pleasure to connect with you and to be inspired by your own stellar makes.
Many hugs,
♥ Autumn
Autumn, please shoot me a DM on IG. I have something for you I think you are going to love.
Hello wonderfully sweet Willow, thank you very much for your kind and thoughtful message + offer. I am sure I’d adore anything you wish to very generously share with you. I’ve just zipped an email (via the email address listed on your blog) to you, as my DM box is massively overflowing and correspondence between us will much faster on my end via email.
You’re such a dear person. Thank you again! I’m very excited to know what the mystery item/thing you mentioned is.
Many heartfelt hugs,
♥ Autumn
I have only ever known you to conduct yourself with grace and dignity, as you once again do so here in your discussion of such serious and devastating life events, such as losing your home because of arson, your dear little pet cat perishing in said fire and your childlessness primarily from endometriosis and other health conditions. Your candour in discussing such issues and shining a light on the feelings and thoughts that go with such issues is so important and breaks down that awful feeling of isolation so affecting our contemporary society. I very much thank you for sharing your life and interests on this platform, Autumn, and I wish you and Tony continued courage and resilience as you face further challenges and plenty of happiness and joy also!!
Donna 🧚🏻♀️❤️🐝
https://donnadoesdresses.com
Thank you for blessing and brightening my life with your incredibly heart-touching comment, sweet Donna.
I’ve long said throughout that I’m part closely guarded secret, part open book. The ratio of each half shifts and sways, but the general principle applies continually, I find. With those areas I’m keen to discuss publicly, I’m generally happy to be quite candid and open – especially if I think that doing so may be of positive benefit to others.
Happily, I have no qualms discussing the topics touched on here in the public sphere at this point in my life. They haven’t always been a walk in the park, but they have truly helped to make me stronger, wiser, and more resilient – and I am profoundly grateful for that fact.
Receiving your positive words of support and understanding only helps me to open up and continue to share all the more here as time goes on.
Truly, thank you again for everything.
♥ Autumn
What a delightful introduction! I loved this deeper look at your work in paper crafts, and I love seeing your work!
xoxo
-Janey
Thank you deeply, my very dear friend. 🙏
It is so personally meaningful and empowering to share another highly important part of my life online.
While this blog (and my IG account) are not technically the only places I’ve posted about being a paper crafter over the years, they’re amongst the first spots where I’ve strongly connected paper crafting to my spirituality and my life as it exists at present. I’m so grateful to have these outlets in which to do so now.
Thank you again so much for your support, kindness and sweetness. You are a wonderful gem of a person.
♥ Autumn
Autumn, I so loved reading your intro and getting to know you a little bit better. I know we’ve chatted a bit about some of these things in the past, but I LOVED also getting to know a bit more about your papercrafting hobby, too! It warms my heart that you’re able to create again, and that now you’re doing it on your own terms. It’s so hard to keep diligent and stay passionate in the face of challenging life events, but your courage and strength to forge on are to be admired. I sincerely hope (should that ever be a wish of yours) that a flexible design team is in your future (and with your STUNNING work, I know it’s only a matter of time)! Sending the biggest hugs to you, sweet girl!
Thank you with the utmost of appreciation from my very touched heart to yours, sweet Ivana.
Your beautiful support and friendship over the years is a blessing in my life that I do not take for granted in the slightest.
Thank you for not only believing in me, but for encouraging and cheering me on as well – DT work included. If the right opportunity arose and the terms involved were very flexible, I’d definitely be open to the possibility. Your vote of confidence in me there means a great deal.
Thank you deeply again for everything.
Immense hugs,
♥ Autumn
Although I have followed you for so many years, I learned a few new things about you. Well written as always. Have a lovely weekend, dear. 🙂
Thank you so much, dear Sanne. I couldn’t help but beam over what you said. It’s great to know that even after so many years of being close friends, there are still some facts about me that are new to you. 😊
Wishing you a serene, beautiful, and above all else safe + healthy start of spring during these globally challenging times.
♥ Autumn
I’m glad to see you’re blogging again! I look forward to seeing your paper crafting projects.
Have you ever crafted with pages from old books, or would you consider it? Some of the local libraries sometimes have workshops on making crafts from used books, but I don’t think I could bring myself to cut up a book.
Hi Carrie-Anne, thank you very much for your lovely, supportive comment. What a wonderful surprise (and treat!) to hear from you again. I sincerely appreciate you visiting me here at my new site. Hard to believe that it’s been live for just over four months now. What a profoundly intense (both globally and personally) third of the year they’ve been.
Great question! I’ve always had an exceedingly difficult time with damaging, cutting up, drastically altering, etc a vintage or antique item of any sort, so I will generally only work with old books (and ephemera) if it is already damaged/falling apart/similar.
Thankfully quite a few papercraft brands make products that look the old school part (plus plenty of both free and for sale vintage clip art exists online, too, which is super handy if one has a printer or is working with digital paper crafting), so that means there’s a lot of options out there that don’t involve damaging intact vintage items.
I’ve seen some incredible things done with book carving art, turning old books into art journals, etc and would be game to give some of them a try – though likely with newer books. It really does pain me to my core to hurt any vintage or antique items. I’ve always been this way and the aversion to doing so only deepened in me all the more after losing everything (a lifetime up until that point of vintage and antique items included) in the arson fire we experienced back in 2016.
Thank you again so much for visiting. It’s fantastic – and highly commendable – that you’ve continued to blog over the years. Way to go!!!
♥ Autumn
Hello Autumn!!
I am so glad that you posted a comment on my blog so I can come visit you here!! I didn’t know you were blogging now and am so happy to hear that you bought a house!!! I adore your creations and cannot wait to see more. I am also fascinated to see what you write about witchcraft. I have always been interested in how it encompasses and honors nature. I will be following you via bloglovin. Have a great day!! Nora
Hi lovely Nora, it’s fantastic to connect with you here. Thank you SO much for your awesomely kind, supportive comment and for following my blog in Bloglovin’. I’m doing the same with your terrific site as well.
I sincerely appreciate you sharing with me that witchery is a topic that resonates with you as well. The many nature related aspects are a key and defining aspects of my personal practice and a broad topic that I delight in chatting about, both here and on Instagram. If there’s every any subject you’d be particularly interested in reading a post on, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Questions, requests and ideas are always welcome.
Many heartfelt thanks again. May you have an incredible safe, serene, positive springtime.
♥ Autumn