Hand-Made Monday: Paper Flowers from This Lovely Day

{Nicole Bieber in her Raleigh, North Carolina studio}

Let’s face it — wedding flowers can be expensive. That reality, combined with the fact that they rarely last longer than the wedding day itself, has caused some creative brides to seek out alternatives to live flowers. One such bride was Nicole Bieber, a crafter-turned Etsy Seller who now sells her paper flower creations in her shop, This Lovely Day, to customers in the U.S. and worldwide.

Nicole’s delicate paper flowers come in all sizes and colors, and can be used for bouquets, boutonnieres, table decorations and much, much more (I’m imagining a large paper-flower ceremony back-drop installation…) — not to mention the fact that since they do not die, they can make great home decorations long after the wedding is over! Nicole was kind enough to answer some of my questions about her work.

{Paper Flower Bouquet in Jade}

CV: How did you get started making your paper creations?

NB: I have always loved crafting and handmade decorations.  My husband and I got married last June.  We had a very small wedding and wanted all of our decorations to be handmade.  I created paper decorations for our wedding that we now display in our home. Our wedding was totally handmade — anything we didn’t make was from an Etsy shop owner.  I loved it and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

 

{Large Paper Flower Bouquet in Yellow}

CV: Where do you draw inspiration for your work?

NB: I enjoy browsing scrap stores to look for paper with interesting patterns or textures or old wallpaper.  I also like to read wedding blogs to find interesting color schemes that I want to use in my work.

CV: What are some of your favorite materials/types of paper to work with?

NB: I like to use heavy weight paper because it makes the flowers sturdy.  It is important to me to create bouquets that will last.  I also really like the look that textured paper gives to the flowers.

CV: What five words best describe your work?

NB: Handmade, Unique, Colorful, Creative, Fun

{Multi-Color Paper Flower Bouquet}

CV: What’s your favorite part of being a designer/creative artist in the wedding industry?

NB: I get to work with customers from all over the world to create beautiful bouquets.  I love hearing how my customers are using their flowers, helping them decide on what colors to use in their bridal bouquets, or creating a totally custom order for someone who has a very specific vision.

CV: What are some new/emerging trends you’re seeing in paper products at weddings?

NB: I have been getting a lot of requests for peach, cream, and tangerine colored flowers for weddings.  I’ve also made lots of paper flower boutonnieres which I love.

 

{Bulk Paper Flowers}

CV: Are you working on any new projects?

NB: I currently have solid colored flowers in my Etsy shop.  I am finishing up some flowers made out of patterned wallpaper and some flowers made out of book pages.

CV: What are some of the most creative ways you’ve seen your flowers/creations used?

NB: I had an order for 100 paper flowers that were going to be used to decorate the children’s wing in a hospital.  I’ve also seen them given out as wedding favors.

 

{Multi-Color Paper Flower Bouquet}

CV: Do you create custom pieces?

NB: Absolutely!  Most of my work is custom.  I have found that most of my customers are ordering for a very specific occasion and have different requests.  Each piece is made completely by hand once I receive an order.

CV: What is/are your favorite piece(s) you’ve created?

NB: I recently made some very bright yellow, jade green and coral bridesmaids bouquets that were so fun!  I loved the colors.

CV: Thanks, Nicole for taking the time to answer some questions for us! Be sure to visit Nicole’s Etsy Shop and Blog!

Corinne Van Arsdale is a Wedding Coordinator based in Madison, Wisconsin and serving Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago. Check out her website, blog, Facebook and Pinterest. If you know of a small business/hand-crafter you’d like to recommend for a feature on Handmade Monday, email Corinne at corinne@corinnevanarsdale.com.