Hello I’m Amanda, your friendly flower folder and decoration designer at Origami Blooms. I’m on a mission to spread happiness and love by sharing my beautiful origami with the world! I would like to tell you a little about how this bloomin’ gorgeous business of mine began.
From the very first time I tried folding origami, it felt like I had found my style of meditation. It’s so soothing and satisfying and it allows my mind the time and space it needs to wander and unwind. At first I experimented with simple animal models and geometric forms. My youngest boy loved to watch me fold animals so he received most of those and has quite a menagerie!
I realised I especially loved making flowers which I gave away to friends and family. Several friends urged me to advertise my origami flowers for sale but I was doubtful.. surely they were just being kind? I had left my long term IT job a couple of years before and was just getting by with my two little boys, but as money got tighter I plucked up the courage to try. I set up a page on Facebook to share pictures of my creations. I had never felt particularly creative before I found my love for origami, so I was astonished and thrilled to find that people wanted to buy my flowers! It still gives me a buzz to this day!!
Everything you see in my shop is handmade by me. I use traditional origami techniques which I have practiced a lot over the years and tweaked to add my own style. My skill and dedication brings simple pieces of paper to life as colourful flowers and decorations. I have an eye for detail, some might say I’m a perfectionist.. although I think that’s only in this aspect of my life – I’m very much a go-with-the flow girl otherwise! My speciality flower is my unique origami rose. You won’t find it anywhere else.
Another aspect of origami which is very close to my heart is that origami flowers provide an eco friendly alternative to fresh flowers. I am environmentally conscious in my personal life and I encourage my boys to be the same, so it follows that the same should be true in my business. I do this in several ways: by making flowers and decorations from recycled paper, by using eco friendly packaging and by recycling/upcycling and reducing waste as much as possible – but that’s another blog post in itself! I will write about this in more detail another time.
Last year I discovered a great new skill: I can teach origami flower folding! I was invited to test the waters by the lovely owner of The Craft Studio in Nottingham last Spring and was extremely nervous before my first workshop, never having taught anything to anyone before – apart from my children of course! Thankfully it didn’t take me long to relax and become my usual chatty self while sharing my knowledge about something I love to do. I really enjoy teaching origami and seeing the delight in others when they master a technique and create their own flowers!
I post regular updates on social media, most often on Instagram, where you’ll see works-in-progress and sneak peeks of new products, as well as what goes on behind the scenes. I’ve added links below. Come over and let’s get to know each other!
I enjoy my work so much and I hope that this passion shines through. Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoy browsing my shop at the British Craft House and please, comment below or send me a message if you’d like to ask me anything!
Amanda x
