Paper Talk

By Sara Kim of Handmade by Sara Kim, Quynh Nguyen of Pink and Posey and Jessie Chui of Crafted to BloomEducation Arts How To Visual Arts Design

Paper Talk episodes

October 24, 2019 Friends of TPFC: Building Lasting Relationships with Kelly Lemon
LISTEN TO PAPER TALK - EPISODE 24: Building Lasting Relationships with Kelly Lemon
We talk today to one of our dearest friends, Kelly Lemon of Kelly Lemon Photography! Based in Seattle, Kelly travels all over the world as a wedding and lifestyle photographer to document her client’s special life moments. Her passion for people defines her art and her life.In her words: I am the photographer for the adventurous couple that values real connection.As a one-armed photographer, she has faced many challenges in her life. Her perseverance and her faith has helped her push through these hardships with dignity. She was recently on King 5 a local Seattle network sharing her story - and what an inspiring one it is. We will let her share this with you in her own words:1. Who is Kelly Lemon?I’m a talkative extrovert, a hugger, inspirational speaker, wife, dog-mom, Jesus lover, chocolate chip cookie connoisseur and a Seattle based wedding + lifestyle photographer. I am also a mom to be! We have a baby girl on the way via surrogacy and we are due this January! I feel at home when I’m near mountains and I’m an enneagram 2w3. Simply put - I love people and am excited about the challenge of capturing someone’s story - either through a wedding/elopement or my women empowerment photography. 2. How did you get started in photography?It’s actually a great story! I loved photography from a young age, but was in a serious car accident when I was 12 that paralyzed my right arm. So after adjusting to life with one arm and learning to use my left arm - I approached a high school film photography teacher and asked if I could join their class and they told me that photography was a “two-armed” art and that I wouldn’t be able to do it, so I should try something else. So I took that as a challenge and joined another class the following year and learned to roll film with my feet! Just after that experience I studied abroad in Ecuador at the age of 16 and learned that I was much more drawn to photographing the people I was meeting more then the landmarks of the cities I was visiting. When I went to college I thought I would just do photography as a hobby or maybe a side job, but joined the college newspaper photography team. I was sent to a photojournalism conference at the age of 18 and was way out of my league. But in between sessions, this man came over and saw my photos on my laptop over my shoulder and started flipping through them. I was so embarrassed because they weren’t edited or sorted but we started talking about photography and at the end of the conversation he said something that changed my life. He asked “So let me get this straight…you spend all of your free time doing photography, you spend your money on equipment, you are only 18 and these are your photos…remind me why you don’t think this should be your career?” That really stuck with me. I went to the next session at the conference and he walked out on stage and was introduced as the photo editor of the New York Times! I was inspired that he saw something in me, so I switched my degree to fine art photography, studied for 4 years and started my company the year I graduated in 2010 and here we are almost 10 years later!
3. Tell us about your photography business, Kelly Lemon Photography.I am primarily a wedding and elopement photographer and I have a heart for community - like real, lets hang out and do life - kind of community and that is the heart behind my business.The KLP couples are laid back, adventurous, they are people who value people more than things, they believe in marriage, don’t mind getting their dress dirty and like to push the limits! I love being out in nature so when I can be in the beautiful outdoors and celebrate a couples’ love story - my heart is happy!I also photograph women empowerment and I have recently started to branch out into lifestyle shoots and photography for business owners and that has been a fun project - to tell the story of someone’s business. For me it comes down to storytelling and thats what excites me! 4. How would you define your style? How did you find your artistic style? How has your style evolved to what it is today?I would say my style is warm, emotional, and natural. I strive to create photos that make you feel something. When it comes to tones and editing - I think your artistic style is often a reflection of you. I think it’s important to not just look at the trends because they come and go but trust your gut and how you see the world and explore that. My style began to evolve as I really took the time and examined what I was drawn to artistically - not just with photography, but with other types of art. If you are trying to figure out your brand style for your business and you aren’t sure where to start - look at your closet. What colors are you drawn to? What type of interior design inspires you? When I was in the process of rebranding my business 5 years ago - my designer encouraged me to really dig in to the things that I love - across all art mediums. I created a Pinterest board of photos that I was drawn to and started seeing a theme. My closet, brand colors and photos all have a similar vibe of earth tones and natural textures and that is naturally what I began to create with my photo style once I learned to ignore the trends around me and focus on the art I want to create.
5. What are some of the challenges you've faced during your career as a photographer and as an entrepreneur?Self care. I think as an entrepreneur - for most businesses you are a one person show - so everything falls on you - and that can be really exhausting. I have found it hard to create boundaries around work life and making time for your family and friends. So blocking off weekends to be work-free, consider outsourcing the projects that don’t require you directly, and scheduling in time for you. It’s a continual struggle but so important for the longterm. 6. How have you made yourself stand out in the crowd of other photographers?I think the community I have built with my clients and the overall client experience is something really unique. I host events 3x a year - where past and present clients are loved on and given a pretty special experience that goes beyond the wedding day. My Sailing Soiree event is something really special and you can see a peek at it in my recent promo video! See it here: https://legacy.mediazilla.com/cphk1s1R1
7. You are incredibly passionate about your Empowerment Photography project. Tell us about it.I would love to! I am really passionate about empowering women to love the skin they are in! We live in a culture - where the beauty standard is so narrow and it causes women to think they aren’t skinny enough, or curvy enough, or fill in the blank and I have loved creating a space to break those beauty standards and celebrate women of all shape, size, and color! I also love empowering women with physical differences - because when I was growing up I had a lot of surgery scars and people told they were disgusting and I needed to cover them up and that really impacted how I saw my body. So I love encouraging women to see their scars or physical difference as symbols of what they have overcome. It’s a part of them that we don’t have to cover or hide but it also doesn’t define them. We have had women who have battled cancer, organ transplants, amputations/limb loss, vitiligo, Cerebral Palsy and it’s been such an honor to share their stories. But all women are invited to our Women Empowerment Events - where we photograph 5-7 women and have their sessions back to back and its a real special time of community!8. Give us one tip that would improve our images/photos of our paper flowers.Learning about natural light! If you can learn how to use natural light to show off the depth in your flowers - that will be the ticket!
9. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?Just want to encourage you as Paper Florists - if you are starting your business - remember to serve and love people well. It sounds simple but it’s easy to forget when there are so many other things you are trying to learn. And have fun with it! Try crazy ideas! Meet other people in the industry and create just to create for fun! Learn more about Kelly Lemon by following her on social media:WEBSITES: Kelly Lemon PhotographyINSTAGRAM:@kellylemon@kellylemon_empowerment
31 min
October 16, 2019 Friends of TPFC: Sugar Flower Artistry with Jacqueline Butler
LISTEN TO PAPER TALK - EPISODE 23: Sugar Flower Artistry with Jacqueline Butler
As paper florists, we ultimately found our artistic medium in paper. Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes found her perfect medium in gum paste. Based in San Diego, California, but internationally renowned, Jacqueline specializes in creating and teaching sugar flower art. She teaches around the globe and is the author of “Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 1” (which Jessie owns and believes every paper florist should have on their shelf). In it, she generously shares her experience, tips, and tricks. Her style is forever tasteful and stylized; her techniques innovative and applicable across disciplines (like our’s!). In addition to being a generous teacher of sugar artistry, she is also incredibly personable and humble.Now, Jacqueline is publishing her second book, “Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 2”, available for preorder on Amazon UK, Amazon US and Amazon CA. It will be released on November 1st in the UK and November 19th in North America. We are so excited to get our hands on it!Listen to Jacqueline as she talks about how she go started making cakes and sugar art, how she found her artistic style in the gum paste medium, and her new book, “Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 2”.
1. Who is Jacqueline Butler?Sugar flower artist, former wedding cake designer, baker, author, dog lover, red wine and burrito lover (not together!), trail runner, world traveler, and wife to my wonderful husband Keith!2. How did you get started in sugar art?I had a great dollhouse when I was young and used to buy miniature kits and make all the furniture and accessories for it. I also modeled tiny plates of food and desserts with polymer clay for the dolls’ kitchen and dining room tables. I think this is where I learned to love using my hands and making little things. As an adult when I was baking and making cakes as a hobby, I found a small book that featured simple sugar flowers and I was immediately drawn to the art form! As I learned more about sugarcraft, I was fortunate to take classes with a few great artists I admired (Colette Peters, Scott Woolley, Nicholas Lodge and Ron Ben Israel) and I learned a strong foundation in sugar flower making techniques. This gave me the confidence to try making sugar flowers on my own, and over time these flowers became the signature style for my business, Petalsweet Cakes.3. Tell us about Petalsweet Cakes.Officially founded in 2005, I created my wedding cake business after being a longtime hobby baker outside my day job at a national non-profit organization. I finally decided to make the leap to building a business, and knew I wanted to focus on wedding cakes with sugar flowers. I created cakes full-time for about 6 years, servicing San Diego and a bit in the Bay Area where I’m originally from. Around that time, I began getting a lot of inquiries from colleagues in the industry who wanted to buy my sugar flowers or learn how to make them. I started teaching a few classes and sharing the results on Flickr and Facebook (remember this was before Instagram!). Because of social media, I had a lot of interest from lovely folks all over the world and started saying yes to invitations to teach overseas. I was enjoying the teaching so much I cut back on making cakes, and really the rest is history! I rarely make any cakes these days, spending almost all my time developing content and focusing on instruction.
4. How would you define your style? How did you find your artistic style? How has your style evolved to what it is today?When I started my business, I was making stylized sugar flowers in soft pastels. My “formula” was to mix them with green and white for a fresh, modern look and feel. Everything was light and soft. The flowers also came together quickly because they didn’t need much work to finish before going on a cake. I interpreted flowers in my own way, getting rid of parts I didn’t find pretty or useful, or that took too long to create. I considered sugar flowers a “confection” since they were going to be placed on a cake, so my style was not botanically correct. Much of my style was born from functionality. I wanted to create (and teach) sugar flowers that were achievable and profitable for someone who was running a business, including me! There are some incredible sugar flower artists out there who make truly jaw-dropping sugar flowers. I am blown away by their talent. Not everyone can replicate that type of work, nor can they make money doing it. So, it’s always been important to me to have a balance between pretty and cost effective, and I think my students have appreciated that. Today, with the constant exposure to IG and other social media, I can’t help but be inspired and influenced by so many amazing real flower florists AND paper flower artists such as yourselves (Quynh and Jessie). The trends in cake design have been shifting towards more realism in sugar floristry and towards fine art mediums and textures for cake finishes. The result is the cake industry has been beautifully elevated, which makes me so happy, but that can also mean much more time and work for makers to meet those levels of artistry. So, it’s both exciting and stressful at the same time. I’ve been expanding my color palette to include deeper and brighter colors, and I’ve been creating a lot of new flowers, or re-tooling older flowers to include more details. All while still trying to balance the time involved in making them. I also started using darker backgrounds for some of my photography, which initially made me nervous. In my head, I thought I had to stay with soft pastels on a light and bright background to fit my brand. I thought anything else would be rejected by my students and followers. But I couldn’t have been more wrong! I’ve felt incredibly encouraged by so many lovely messages and comments about the changes, and I’m feeling more open to trying new things than at any other time before in my sugarcraft career.5. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced during your career?Being a creative person running a business (even with a lot of leadership experience from my previous career) has been very challenging. I don’t have a lot of natural business acumen and it’s hard for me to see the big picture. My strength is in the details. I’ve struggled with all aspects of my business, from finance and growth, to marketing and now scaling. I’m grateful to get great help from my brilliant husband and a few wonderful mentors, but I’m still very much a work in progress. I spend a lot of time learning things that have nothing to do with sugar flowers, and I’m only recently learning to welcome it instead of fighting it! I also really struggled when I first began teaching internationally. I didn’t know anyone doing the same, so I had to figure it all out myself. I was thrilled for the opportunities to teach in Australia, Europe and Asia, but there were so many other things to figure out beyond the actual time spent teaching the class. Preparation and organization at home, the exhaustion of travel, schlepping tools and equipment, cultural differences, and not having access to similar supplies were all part of the adventure. And while difficult at the time, they did hone my problem-solving skills quickly, and forced me to become better at asking for exactly what I needed and standing firm in those expectations.
6. How have you made yourself stand out in the crowd of other sugar artists?My brand is well established within the industry, but a lot of that is simply some luck mixed with good timing. I created Petalsweet at a time when there weren’t many known sugar flower artists in the world, and access to them or information about learning sugar flowers was very limited. It was a great time to build a brand. Also, my style is very clean and achievable, so I think a lot of artists starting out find my work a good starting point for them. I’m one of the more “seasoned” sugar artists now, and a lot of the younger artists today kindly point to me as their initial inspiration when they started their businesses. It’s very kind, and the OG status isn’t lost on me, ha ha! I do my best to continue to work on content that reflects what I think is pretty and what I think students will enjoy making for their cakes and clients. I also pride myself on being kind and helpful to anyone who is looking for information or wants to learn more about sugarcraft, and I think that goes a long way. I was fortunate to have a few amazing artists help me in the same way years ago – it’s a great honor and pleasure to pay it forward.
7. What advice would you give to an artist who is starting out today? And one that is about to give up?Don’t try to be everything to everyone and pay attention to the art you enjoy creating most. When you are starting out, many times you must take on a wide range of orders to pay the bills, but that doesn’t mean you have to do those things forever. One of my favorite exercises with my students is to give them a blank 4 tier wedding cake and tell them to decorate it however they wish. And to pay attention to the decorations they choose. It can tell them a lot about a direction they might want to pursue, as well as the types of cakes they DON’T want to make. If someone wanted to give up, I’d suggest stepping away for a break, and then trying a completely different art form. I always enjoy my work more when I’ve exercised or spent an extended amount of time outdoors. A break could mean a vacation, or a hiatus, or both. Everyone needs something different to stay motivated. Trying a different art form also helps your brain problem solve in new ways. And getting your hands on different textiles can spark new creative joy. I’d also ask them if the reason they wanted to give up was founded in comparing themselves to someone else. I’m guilty of doing it and it always makes me feel poorly about myself and my work. It’s not easy to get out of that headspace, so the more you can focus on your own path the better. Easier said than done these days when we are surrounded by beautiful photos of outstanding work. It’s hard – you must focus on what is in front of you and make that meaningful. And the more you can enjoy the process of creating over results, the better.
8. Tell us about your books, Modern Sugar Flowers and MSF Volume 2.Both books are sugar flower how-to instructional manuals with added inspirational photos and cake projects so readers can learn how to use their flowers once they have made them. Filled with tips and techniques that have worked well for me all throughout my business. Writing a book was a longtime dream of mine, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to share my processes for making and finishing flowers with the folks at David & Charles. And to do it twice! Turns out my brain is good at breaking things down into achievable steps, so the technical writing came easier than I expected. The cake projects and the creative design for all the flower chapters were quite challenging for me, but I loved the process of styling the photos. The books are a true set. We carried over the fonts and layouts to the second book so they can sit side by side on the shelf. The flowers and cake projects in Volume 2 are different from the first book but are all broken down the same way. The only overlap from book 1 to book 2 are the hydrangea and filler flowers which are staples we use in many cake designs. We wanted to include them so the second book could stand on its own, and readers could learn my arranging skills without having to start with the first book. It’s been an incredible amount of work over several years now, and a lot of highs and lows. But I love hearing from students who have used the first book and seeing them get excited about making sugar flowers has been amazing. I hope the second book is well received and that everyone enjoys making the new flowers!
9. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?Just so grateful to both of you for inviting me to talk with you on your podcast, and to share the news about my new book, thank you so much! We didn’t have a chance to chat about the tools and processes that might be shared across our two mediums, so I’d love to come back another time to talk about it! Thank you again! Learn more about Jacqueline Butler by following her on social media:WEBSITES: Petalsweet CakesINSTAGRAM:@petalsweetcakesBOOKS:Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 1Amazon.co.ukAmazon.comBook DepositoryModern Sugar Flowers Vol 2Amazon.co.ukAmazon.comAmazon.ca
37 min
October 16, 2019 Episode 23: Sugar Flower Artistry with Jacqueline Butler
As paper florists, we ultimately found our artistic medium in paper. Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes found her perfect medium in gum paste. Based in San Diego, California, but internationally renowned, Jacqueline specializes in creating and teaching sugar flower art. She teaches around the globe and is the author of “Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 1” (which Jessie owns and believes every paper florist should have on their shelf).
In it, she generously shares her experience, tips, and tricks. Her style is forever tasteful and stylized; her techniques innovative and applicable across disciplines (like our’s!). In addition to being a generous teacher of sugar artistry, she is also incredibly personable and humble.
Now, Jacqueline is publishing her second book, “Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 2”, available for preorder on Amazon UK, Amazon US, and Amazon CA. It will be released on November 1st in the UK and November 19th in North America. We are so excited to get our hands on it!

Listen to Jacqueline as she talks about how she go started making cakes and sugar art, how she found her artistic style in the gum paste medium, and her new book, “Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 2.”

First, let’s get to know Jacqueline:
1. Who is Jacqueline Butler?
Sugar flower artist, former wedding cake designer, baker, author, dog lover, red wine and burrito lover (not together!), trail runner, world traveler, and wife to my wonderful husband Keith!

2. How did you get started in sugar art?
I had a great dollhouse when I was young and used to buy miniature kits and make all the furniture and accessories for it. I also modeled tiny plates of food and desserts with polymer clay for the dolls’ kitchen and dining room tables. I think this is where I learned to love using my hands and making little things.
As an adult when I was baking and making cakes as a hobby, I found a small book that featured simple sugar flowers, and I was immediately drawn to the art form! As I learned more about sugarcraft, I was fortunate to take classes with a few great artists I admired (Colette Peters, Scott Woolley, Nicholas Lodge, and Ron Ben Israel) and I learned a strong foundation in sugar flower making techniques.
This gave me the confidence to try making sugar flowers on my own, and over time these flowers became the signature style for my business, Petalsweet Cakes.

3. Tell us about Petalsweet Cakes.
Officially founded in 2005, I created my wedding cake business after being a longtime hobby baker outside my day job at a national non-profit organization. I finally decided to make the leap to building a business and knew I wanted to focus on wedding cakes with sugar flowers.
I created cakes full-time for about 6 years, servicing San Diego and a bit in the Bay Area where I’m originally from. Around that time, I began getting a lot of inquiries from colleagues in the industry who wanted to buy my sugar flowers or learn how to make them. I started teaching a few classes and sharing the results on Flickr and Facebook (remember this was before Instagram!).
Because of social media, I had a lot of interest from lovely folks all over the world and started saying yes to invitations to teach overseas. I was enjoying the teaching so much I cut back on making cakes, and really the rest is history! I rarely make any cakes these days, spending almost all my time developing content and focusing on instruction.

4. How would you define your style? How did you find your artistic style? How has your style evolved to what it is today?
When I started my business, I was making stylized sugar flowers in soft pastels. My “formula” was to mix them with green and white for a fresh, modern look and feel. Everything was light and soft. The flowers also came together quickly because they didn’t need much work to finish before going on a cake.
I interpreted flowers in my own way, getting rid of parts I didn’t find pretty or useful, or that took too long to create. I considered sugar flowers a “confection” since they were going to be placed on a cake, so my style was not botanically correct. Much of my style was born from functionality. I wanted to create (and teach) sugar flowers that were achievable and profitable for someone who was running a business, including me!
There are some incredible sugar flower artists out there who make truly jaw-dropping sugar flowers. I am blown away by their talent. Not everyone can replicate that type of work, nor can they make money doing it. So, it’s always been important to me to have a balance between pretty and cost-effective, and I think my students have appreciated that.
Today, with the constant exposure to IG and other social media, I can’t help but be inspired and influenced by so many amazing real flower florists AND paper flower artists such as yourselves (Quynh and Jessie). The trends in cake design have been shifting towards more realism in sugar floristry and towards fine art mediums and textures for cake finishes.
The result is the cake industry has been beautifully elevated, which makes me so happy, but that can also mean much more time and work for makers to meet those levels of artistry. So, it’s both exciting and stressful at the same time. I’ve been expanding my color palette to include deeper and brighter colors, and I’ve been creating a lot of new flowers or re-tooling older flowers to include more details.
All while still trying to balance the time involved in making them. I also started using darker backgrounds for some of my photography, which initially made me nervous. In my head, I thought I had to stay with soft pastels on a light and bright background to fit my brand.
I thought anything else would be rejected by my students and followers. But I couldn’t have been more wrong! I’ve felt incredibly encouraged by so many lovely messages and comments about the changes, and I’m feeling more open to trying new things than at any other time before in my sugarcraft career.

5. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced during your career?
Being a creative person running a business (even with a lot of leadership experience from my previous career) has been very challenging. I don’t have a lot of natural business acumen and it’s hard for me to see the big picture. My strength is in the details.
I’ve struggled with all aspects of my business, from finance and growth to marketing and now scaling. I’m grateful to get great help from my brilliant husband and a few wonderful mentors, but I’m still very much a work in progress. I spend a lot of time learning things that have nothing to do with sugar flowers, and I’m only recently learning to welcome it instead of fighting it!
I also really struggled when I first began teaching internationally. I didn’t know anyone doing the same, so I had to figure it all out myself. I was thrilled for the opportunities to teach in Australia, Europe, and Asia, but there were so many other things to figure out beyond the actual time spent teaching the class.
Preparation and organization at home, the exhaustion of travel, schlepping tools and equipment, cultural differences, and not having access to similar supplies were all part of the adventure. And while difficult at the time, they did hone my problem-solving skills quickly and forced me to become better at asking for exactly what I needed and standing firm in those expectations.

6. How have you made yourself stand out in the crowd of other sugar artists?
My brand is well established within the industry, but a lot of that is simply some luck mixed with good timing. I created Petalsweet at a time when there weren’t many known sugar flower artists in the world, and access to them or information about learning sugar flowers was very limited. It was a great time to build a brand.
Also, my style is very clean and achievable, so I think a lot of artists starting out find my work a good starting point for them. I’m one of the more “seasoned” sugar artists now, and a lot of the younger artists today kindly point to me as their initial inspiration when they started their businesses. It’s very kind, and the OG status isn’t lost on me, ha ha!
I do my best to continue to work on the content that reflects what I think is pretty and what I think students will enjoy making for their cakes and clients. I also pride myself on being kind and helpful to anyone who is looking for information or wants to learn more about sugarcraft, and I think that goes a long way. I was fortunate to have a few amazing artists help me, in the same way, years ago – it’s a great honor and pleasure to pay it forward.

7. What advice would you give to an artist who is starting out today? And one that is about to give up?
Don’t try to be everything to everyone and pay attention to the art you enjoy creating most. When you are starting out, many times you must take on a wide range of orders to pay the bills, but that doesn’t mean you have to do those things forever.
One of my favorite exercises with my students is to give them a blank 4 tier wedding cake and tell them to decorate it however they wish. And to pay attention to the decorations they choose. It can tell them a lot about a direction they might want to pursue, as well as the types of cakes they DON’T want to make.

If someone wanted to give up, I’d suggest stepping away for a break, and then trying a completely different art form. I always enjoy my work more when I’ve exercised or spent an extended amount of time outdoors. A break could mean a vacation, or a hiatus, or both. Everyone needs something different to stay motivated. Trying a different art form also helps your brain problem solve in new ways. And getting your hands on different textiles can spark new creative joy.
I’d also ask them if the reason they wanted to give up was founded in comparing themselves to someone else. I’m guilty of doing it and it always makes me feel poorly about myself and my work. It’s not easy to get out of that headspace, so the more you can focus on your own path the better.
Easier said than done these days when we are surrounded by beautiful photos of outstanding work. It’s hard – you must focus on what is in front of you and make that meaningful. And the more you can enjoy the process of creating over results, the better.

8. Tell us about your books, Modern Sugar Flowers and MSF Volume 2.
Both books are sugar flower how-to instructional manuals with added inspirational photos and cake projects so readers can learn how to use their flowers once they have made them. Filled with tips and techniques that have worked well for me all throughout my business.
Writing a book was a longtime dream of mine, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to share my processes for making and finishing flowers with the folks at David & Charles. And to do it twice! Turns out my brain is good at breaking things down into achievable steps, so the technical writing came easier than I expected. The cake projects and the creative design for all the flower chapters were quite challenging for me, but I loved the process of styling the photos.
The books are a true set. We carried over the fonts and layouts to the second book so they can sit side by side on the shelf. The flowers and cake projects in Volume 2 are different from the first book but are all broken down the same way. The only overlap from book 1 to book 2 is the hydrangea and filler flowers which are staples we use in many cake designs. We wanted to include them so the second book could stand on its own, and readers could learn my arranging skills without having to start with the first book.
It’s been an incredible amount of work over several years now, and a lot of highs and lows. But I love hearing from students who have used the first book and seeing them get excited about making sugar flowers has been amazing. I hope the second book is well received and that everyone enjoys making the new flowers!

9. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Just so grateful to both of you for inviting me to talk with you on your podcast, and to share the news about my new book, thank you so much! We didn’t have a chance to chat about the tools and processes that might be shared across our two mediums, so I’d love to come back another time to talk about it! Thank you again!

Jacqueline’s books are now available for purchase worldwide!
Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 1
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
Book Depository

Modern Sugar Flowers Vol 2
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
37 min
October 10, 2019 Episode 22: Lighting the Way to Success with Caroline Tran
Quynh first got to know Caroline Tran of Caroline Tran Photography when the photographer shot her sister’s wedding a few years back. Fast forward to today and Caroline and Quynh are frequent collaborators on many projects together across the United States from workshops to photography sessions.
She, along with Kelly Lemon, was one of the photography instructors at The Paper Florists Collective Masterclass in Seattle back in April 2019. Caroline first got her feet wet in photography when pursuing a creative side hustle. Eventually, she discovered that her ultimate love was photography. Known for her airy and bright style and her ability to create beautiful images of intimacy, Caroline is based in Los Angeles, California.

Listen to Caroline as she describes how her creative side hustle turned into a business, how she stays inspired, and her decision to offer online education.

First, let’s get to know Caroline:
1. Who is Caroline Tran?
I am a Los Angeles-based photographer who is constantly working on the art of balancing running a photography business and being a mom to two young boys. I started in weddings and portraits, and have since expanded into content creation, branding, and commercial photography. I have also started to offer online education as well to help creatives run a successful business.

2. How did you get started in photography?
I always knew I wanted to own a creative business. While doing market research for one of my businesses (I was designing and sewing doll clothes), I realized that brands with better photography were able to charge up to 100 times more! While learning how to better photograph my designs, I found my love for photography. I started photographing my co-worker’s children and my friends after work for fun, as a hobby and that’s how I started my portfolio.

3. Tell us about your photography business, Caroline Tran Photography.
What I love most about what I do is that I become my client’s lifelong photographer. I photograph them from engagement to wedding to babies, and for the past few years, I have also started to do more commercial work, including content creation for brands, and branding/lifestyle shots for people’s personal brands as well. I love telling stories so these are all so much fun for me.

4. How would you define your style? How did you find your artistic style? How has your style evolved to what it is today?
My photos tell stories. They’re romantic, emotional, and freezes a person’s legacy. I found my voice when I stopped comparing myself to others… when I stopped doing what I THOUGHT I was supposed to do (based on what everyone else was doing) and allowed myself to do what I FELT. I eventually attracted more people who connected with what I did, which further strengthen my voice.

5. What are some of the challenges you've faced during your career as a photographer and as an entrepreneur?
Growing pains… everything works until it doesn’t. For example, if I up my game in marketing and get more leads, I might not be able to keep up with the increased volume and become susceptible to unhappy clients. So many growing pains, but it’s a good problem to have.

6. How have you made yourself stand out in the crowd of other photographers?
By not looking at what others are doing and just focusing on my own art.

7. Give us one tip that would improve our images/photos of our paper flowers.
LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! Bad light is bad light! You can’t fix bad light later. Use good light to take the photo and you’ll be more than halfway there.
You can read more tips on lighting on my website: https://carolinetran.net/photography-tips-for-perfect-indoor-lighting/

8. Tell us about how you got into teaching photography.
Backtrack a few years, the inspiration for where I came up with education. I used to be a high school teacher, so that’s where my educational background is from. I love mentoring, inspiring, and helping people in general. I left teaching to pursue photography. When I started photography, I used to have small cohorts where we would meet up at industry events over the years.
One thing that occurred to me was year after year, I would need to form new groups because many of my colleagues were no longer in the business anymore. I started teaching photography and education to help others to succeed.

Learn more about Caroline Tran by following her on social media:
WEBSITES: Caroline Tran Photography Caroline Tran Education
INSTAGRAM: @carolinetran
PINTEREST: Caroline Tran
25 min
October 09, 2019 Friends of TPFC: Lighting the Way to Success
LISTEN TO PAPER TALK - EPISODE 22: Lighting the Way to Success with Caroline Tran
Quynh first got to know Caroline Tran of Caroline Tran Photography when the photographer shot her sister’s wedding a few years back. Fast forward to today and Caroline and Quynh are frequent collaborators on many projects together across the United States from workshops to photography sessions. She, along with Kelly Lemon, was one of the photography instructors at The Paper Florists Collective Masterclass in Seattle back in April 2019. Caroline first got her feet wet in photography when pursuing a creative side hustle. Eventually, she discovered that her ultimate love was photography. Known for her airy and bright style and her ability create beautiful images of intimacy, Caroline is based in Los Angelas, California.Listen to Caroline as she describes how her creative side hustle turned into a business, how she stays inspired, and her decision to offer online education.
1. Who is Caroline Tran?I am a Los Angeles based photographer who is constantly working on the art of balancing running a photography business and being a mom to two young boys. I started in weddings and portraits, and have since expanded into content creation, branding, and commercial photography. I have also started to offer online education as well to help creatives run a successful business.2. How did you get started in photography?I always knew I wanted to own a creative business. While doing market research for one of my businesses (I was designing and sewing doll clothes), I realized that brands with better photography was able to charge up to 100 times more! While learning how to better photograph my designs, I found my love for photography. I started photographing my co-worker’s children and my friends after work for fun, as a hobby and that’s how I started my portfolio.3. Tell us about your photography business, Caroline Tran Photography.What I love most about what I do is that I become my client’s lifelong photographer. I photograph them from engagement to wedding to babies, and for the past few years, I have also started to do more commercial work, including content creation for brands, and branding/lifestyle shots for people’s personal brands as well. I love telling stories so these are all so much fun for me.
4. How would you define your style? How did you find your artistic style? How has your style evolved to what it is today?My photos tell stories. They’re romantic, emotional, and freezes a person’s legacy. I found my voice when I stopped comparing myself to others… when I stopped doing what I THOUGHT I was supposed to do (based on what everyone else was doing), and allowed myself to do what I FELT. I eventually attracted more people who connected with what I did, which further strengthen my voice.5. What are some of the challenges you've faced during your career as a photographer and as an entrepreneur? Growing pains… everything works until it doesn’t. For example, if I up my game in marketing and get more leads, I might not be able to keep up with the increase volume, and become susceptible to unhappy clients. So many growing pains, but it’s a good problem to have.6. How have you made yourself stand out in the crowd of other photographers?By not looking at what others are doing and just focus on my own art.
7. Give us one tip that would improve our images/photos of our paper flowers.LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! Bad light is bad light! You can’t fix bad light later. Use good light to take the photo and you’ll be more than halfway there. You can read more tips on lighting on my website: https://carolinetran.net/photography-tips-for-perfect-indoor-lighting/
8. Tell us about how you got into teaching photography.Back track a few years, the inspiration for where I came up with education. I used to be a high school teacher, so that’s where my education background is from. I love mentoring, inspiring and helping people in general. I left teaching to pursue photography. When I started photography, I used to have small cohorts where we would meet up at industry events over the years. One thing that occurred to me was year after year, I would need to form new groups because many of my colleagues were no longer in the business anymore. I started teaching photography and education to help others to succeed.Learn more about Caroline Tran by following her on social media:WEBSITES: Caroline Tran PhotographyCaroline Tran EducationINSTAGRAM:@carolinetranPINTEREST:Caroline Tran
25 min
October 02, 2019 Over Coffee: Ways to Preserve Your Paper Flowers
LISTEN TO PAPER TALK - EPISODE 21: Over Coffee - Ways to Preserve your Paper Flowers with Quynh & Jessie
Join us this week as Quynh and Jessie have a frank discussion about how they preserve their paper flowers to minimize the effect of fading and damage. This is a common topic among paper florists and one that is much talked about on The Paper Florist Facebook group.
14 min
October 02, 2019 Episode 21 - How to Preserve Your Paper Flowers with Quynh & Jessie
Join us this week as Quynh and Jessie have a frank discussion about how they preserve their paper flowers to minimize the effect of fading and damage.
This is a common topic among paper florists and one that is much talked about on The Paper Florist Facebook group.
14 min
September 26, 2019 Episode 20 - What to Expect on a TV Segment with Quynh & Jessie
Join us this week as Quynh and Jessie chat about Quynh’s recent appearance on a local television segment. With some help from her friends (Kate of @cobralilyshop, Kelly Lemon of Kelly Lemon Photography, and Angela Evans of @makeupartist.angela).
Quynh was able to pull off a thrilling 10-minute segment on King 5’s New Day daily talk show, while also plugging the paper flower community.

Watch the TV segment here!
https://bit.ly/3EBEKsu
21 min
September 25, 2019 Over Coffee: What to Expect on a TV Segment
Photo credit: Kelly Lemon Photography
LISTEN TO PAPER TALK - EPISODE 20: Over Coffee - What to Expect on a TV Segment with Quynh & Jessie
Join us this week as Quynh and Jessie chat about Quynh’s recent appearance on a local television segment. With some help from her friends (Kate of @cobralilyshop, Kelly Lemon of Kelly Lemon Photography, and Angela Evans of @makeupartist.angela), Quynh was able to pull off a thrilling 10-minute segment on King 5’s New Day daily talk show, while also plugging the paper flower community. Watch her appearance in the video below:
21 min
September 18, 2019 Episode 19: Paper Flower Powerhouse with Eileen Lim
Eileen Lim of Miss Petal and Bloom has been on the paper flower scene for more than 5 years and she has truly made a stamp in our paper flower community. Her Instagram feed is filled to the brim with bright and colourful blooms and high-end collaborations with designers (like Ferragamo, Coach, and Olivia Burton) and stores (like Mamonde and Keds).
It’s no surprise that her recognizable style is also a true reflection of her bubbly and friendly persona. She works out of her home studio in Singapore and regularly teaches workshops. Now, she’s on Teachable as well, offering paper flower online courses. We always look forward to viewing her Monday Bloom Crush on her Instagram Stories where she shares posts of other artists that inspire her! We love paper florists who support each other!

Listen to her talk to us about the paper flower community in Singapore, how she found her brand and style, and her upcoming collaboration with The Body Shop.

First, let’s get to know Eileen:

1. Who is Eileen Lim?
Hi, I’m Eileen and I’m just a girl who loves crafting and making pretty things in my home country - sunny little Singapore.

2. How did you get started making paper flowers?
The quick answer - Instagram!
I’ve always loved crafting and while exploring flowers on Instagram, I somehow chanced upon the amazing crepe paper blooms by Margie Keates. Needless to say, I fell in love instantly. I did my research, sourced for Italian crepe, and started experimenting on my own as a side hobby.
At that point in my life, I was working in the education team at a local museum. It was great working with students and being in that art scene, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as I would have liked it to be - my fingers were still itching to craft and create. So, I took that leap of faith and left my job to start Miss Petal & Bloom.
I have to add, Margie was a big reason why I decided to take that leap of faith, I had reached out to her asking if she could spare any advice, and she replied with so many helpful tips and such kind words that her generosity blew me away. I don’t think I would have started my paper flower journey without her and I really think she’s such an inspiration and role model!

3. Tell us about your business, Miss Petal & Bloom.
MP&B is really simply about making pretty paper flowers and spreading the joy of crafting. I make every bloom to order, so usually I’ll have customers reach out with their ideas and requests and I’ll do my best to create something beautiful and lasting for them. I also enjoy teaching - it is so fulfilling to witness someone learning a new skill and unlock that sense of pride within themselves.

4. How would you define the style of your flowers? How did you find your style?
I like to see my flowers as vibrant, happy, and whimsical. My style is a reflection of my personality and aesthetic preferences - I’m just naturally drawn to bright colours and cute fluffy things. I’m not so keen on achieving botanical accuracy, I simply want my blooms to be pretty, haha. It definitely took a lot of time and experiments to solidify my style though.

5. How did you find your brand? How has your brand and style evolved to what it is today?
Honestly, when I first started out, I had no experience building a business so I did not really think too much about branding. I just knew I wanted to stay true to who I am and I wanted my flowers to reflect that. My brand name “Miss Petal & Bloom” was a random thought I had and it stuck because I felt like it sounded whimsical and cute and had a nice ring to it. Of course, after 3+ years I’m more aware of the importance of branding and I do try to be consistent in my artistic style and how I present my flowers - I always want my blooms to have a cheerful and vibrant feel to them.

6. How have you made yourself stand out in the crowd of other paper florists?
Oh, this is such a crucial question and I think one of the more important questions for any new paper florist starting out. For me, this links back to my style - I really want my blooms to look unique and reflect my personality. I feel that's one of the biggest compliments you can get as an artist when someone instantly recognizes your bloom. Hence, I was careful to avoid watching too many tutorials and reading too many paper floristry books (I’ve bought so many books though because I’m such a big fan of those artists! I, however, avoid reading them because I fear I might subconsciously copy someone else’s stylistic choices).
I think that is very important to me - having a unique artistic voice. And I do hope that makes me stand out from other paper florists? I’m not sure how successful I am, haha, but I am happy to get occasional positive feedback from the online community!

7. What are some of the challenges you've faced in your business and/or art?
Oh, I think the biggest challenge is dealing with my own insecurities - my business is my biggest pride and joy (it’s like my baby) but also my biggest insecurity at the same time. In Singapore, crafting is not exactly a career choice that is highly regarded by the general public - in fact, I would say a great deal of Singaporeans still look down on freelance artists/ crafters, there’s that misconception that freelancers have lots of “free time” when in fact, we might be working as hard, if not harder, than most people with regular 9-5 jobs.
Honestly, I think the people in my country are so accustomed to measuring success by the size of your pay-check, hence I wasn’t taken very seriously when I first launched my business. To this day, I struggle sometimes with being steadfast in knowing my own value and worth as a small craft business owner, and such insecurities and public perception inevitably trickle down to things like how I price my items, how I price my time, etc.
I’m actually really glad I got to spend 4 years in the U.S. when I was in university - that really opened my eyes to how amazing the crafting culture was there and how supportive and non-judgemental the general public was towards crafters and artists. It truly inspired me and showed me that it was possible to be a full-time crafter and creative.
Now that I’m more established than I was when I first started, I do feel more confident and comfortable with my career choice. I’ve accepted that not everyone will accept, understand, or support my business, and at the end of the day, I don’t need everyone’s validation, and it’s up to me to define what success means to me.

8. What advice would you give to a paper florist who is starting out today? And one that is about to give up?
Oh, there is so much advice I could share, but I think one big thing I’ve learned is that you have to be true to yourself. If you’re just starting out, don’t rush into it, give yourself time to develop your artistic voice, which will help you stand out from the rest! Be patient, you’re not going to grow your
following overnight, you’re not going to get all the orders overnight - it takes time. Have patience and faith in your skills and your creative voice.
If you’re feeling tired, jaded, and about to give up, give yourself a break! Try a different craft, do something outside the box, pick up a new skill in a different medium - this always helps to remind me that there is such great joy in making art - I don’t think I will ever tire of that sense of fulfillment and achievement that comes from creating something truly and uniquely yours. Even if you’re frustrated with the business end, just doing something new might be refreshing and reinvigorating, and remind you of the true purpose of your craft business.

9. Do you have any tips that could be helpful to other Paper Florists?
DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Haha. This was something Margie shared with me in her first email to me, and I’ve kept it close to my heart all these years. You shouldn’t compare your first step to someone’s 100th step, everyone is on a different path, it’s not a race!

10. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the listeners?
I can be a pretty shy person and I’m easily intimidated when I meet people face to face! Haha which means I can be pretty awkward, especially if it's a big group setting, and I’m usually not the one who takes initiative to meet people. So if you’d like to chat with me or fan-girl with me over other amazing paper florists (like Jessie and Quynh and Priscilla), or if you’re ever visiting Singapore, please don’t hesitate to reach out and say hello! I promise I’m not as shy or awkward once we get to know each other.

Want to learn more about Eileen? Follow her on her Instagram @misspetalandbloom and check out her website/classes at https://www.misspetalandbloom.com.
37 min