Introducing Marigold from Earthy and Magical Paper Co. Where every item is unique and handmade !! From her home in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Marigold creates small batches of handmade papers infused with flower petals and more.
Find out why Marigold started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
Some plants are contained within the sheets, others I use to emboss/ imprint with, or to make a batch of natural dye. I use recycled office paper to make my papers, along with mostly hand gathered local, (or from my own garden) botanicals. This makes many of my papers seasonal - bottlebrush, eucalyptus blossom, jacaranda leaf, lavender, camellia, and autumn leaf.
Soon to launch will be plantable seed papers, and Australian Botanical mixed packs.
I offer a printing service for my handmade papers, which has been used for business stationery (logos, business cards, care/ thankyou cards, tags, instructions etc), wedding stationery (invitations, save-the-dates, thankyou cards, vows, wishing wells), personalised stationery, menus, or for art & craft projects.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
Years ago, I started doing local markets. I made a really wide variety of products- clay incense holders, dream catchers, bookmarks, pencil cases, badges + magnets, and handmade paper. My paper was always really popular at the markets, and as time went on, I realised that I loved making paper the most. From then on, I solely focused on papermaking - eventually selling online, and offering custom orders. My time at Art School gave me a lot of valuable skills, which I have brought along with me.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
I am incredibly inspired by the natural world. On my walks, or in my garden, I gather twigs, stones, leaves, petals, bark, fallen flowers & blossoms. I love all of the colours, textures and scents of nature.
'I wonder how this leaf, or that flower, will look and feel in the paper. Should I make a dye? Imprint the leaf? Add the petals whole or crushed? I have many little treasures that I have experimented with, that have become permanent papers in my range; with a thousand more yet to try!'
I would love to plant a full papermakers garden, with an amazing variety of plants to make dyes with, and a big selection of flowers and blooms to add to my papers.
Where did you learn your craft?
I first tried papermaking in high school. My friend had been given a little papermaking kit, which we used to share. One of us would be making sheets of paper with the kit, while the other was gathering and ripping up paper scraps, waiting for the kit to return. I eventually got my own kit, and made paper more often, using an old hand rotary egg beater to make the pulp!
Of course, my methods and tools have evolved and improved over the years, with much practice, and many experiments. I now have my own studio and a little critter beater to process paper scraps into pulp.
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
The process of hand making something connects us to the past, where a skill has been learnt, and passed along to new generations of makers. Trial and error, passion and time (lots of time!) are all contained within the handmade item.
Marigold is a much loved member of the Madeit Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ The Home of Australian Handmade ~ and sharing her new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Earthy and Magical Paper Co already, make sure you join our FB Group and say hi!
