Happy November, everyone!
So hard to believe how fast the time
is flying by and before we know it, the holidays will be here. Yikes! Well, to
perhaps help you get into the spirit of the season, I’m very excited to share
with you today the awesome creations of Gail Gallagher of Gailigami @ https://www.etsy.com/shop/Gailigami and http://gailigami.weebly.com. By
happy chance through my Etsy shop, I had the good fortune of “meeting” Gail,
who’s the first person I’ve come across to create origami sculptures from
digital paper. I admit I found that to be incredibly novel and intriguing, and
I just really wanted to know more. I’m thrilled to offer you here a bit of insight
into Gail’s craft, her process, and her fabulous creations!
Q&A with Gail
A-How did you get started with
Origami?
G- I had always wanted to do
something creative with my hands. My father did woodworking and model
ship building. My husband also does woodworking.
About a year and a half ago, I had been looking for a wreath for my home and
came across one on Etsy. I was about to order it, but then wondered if I could
make one myself. I started searching the internet and found instructions, and
the rest is history.
A-How did you come to opening your
own Etsy shop?
G-With the help of a lot of
instructional diagrams on different websites and many YouTube videos, I started
doing origami as a way to relax. As I began showing my wreaths to
friends, I found that they really seemed to like them. I started getting
requests to make personalized ones as gifts and for holidays. That led me
to opening an Etsy shop.
A-What types of items do you create
and what inspires your creations?
G-I have made traditional Origami
animals; cranes, dogs, bats, fish, etc. I have the different kinds of wreaths
as in my shop and I have also made a few “sculptures” using the basic wreaths,
but in smaller sizes. I make paper lucky stars which I put into glass jars, as
well as paper boxes and business card/cell phone holders. As for inspiration, I
get a lot of feedback from customers for customization of the wreaths. My boss
asked me to make one for her son’s girlfriend’s birthday using a picture of her
son and their dog. I have donated a pet themed wreath to a local animal
shelter. I made a customized one for my hairdresser, and another using my
dentist’s logo and one of ToutAimée’s patterns for his office.
Many thanks to Gail for taking the
time to participate, for sharing her story and for the terrific pics of a
wreath in progress!
And last but not least, I’m
particularly happy bringing this to you because since starting this blog, I’ve
intended to explore the many different uses for the digital papers I create,
and I’ve finally begun! I hope to bring you more interviews with talented
crafters in the future as well as lots of fun tutorials so stay tuned!
Hope you all enjoyed!
Aimée
