When I'm at a market or restocking cards in a store, I watch people walking around shopping and I am absolutely, one hundred percent trying to psychically will them to come and look at my cards.

I'm not even embarrassed to admit that.

I'm standing there thinking — come on, just come over. They'll grow flowers. They're kinder to the earth. You're getting more than just a card. And hey, they're funny too.

When someone picks one up and reads it, my whole body holds its breath. And when they put it back down and walk away — it breaks my heart a little. Every single time. Then the whole process starts again with the next person.
It's honestly exhausting. 😄

But when someone finds exactly what they're looking for? Or asks me for something I don't have yet and I get to say "thank you, I'll make that" — that's everything. I don't want to disappoint anyone who needs a card. I want to be able to serve everyone who walks up.

That's what handmade means to me. Not just making things. Caring about who they're for.

When you pick up one of my cards — even if you put it back down — know that someone in a basement in Calgary made it carefully and hoped it would find the right person.
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Maybe that person is you. 🌱
— Anita

The Ones that Feel Like Me
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Blue has been my favourite colour since I was a little girl. I thought maybe I'd change my mind as an adult — pick something more sophisticated, more grown up. But here I am, still reaching for blue.
What I've learned about myself is that my eyes actually change colour depending on what I'm wearing. Blue outfit — blue eyes. Green outfit — green eyes. Sometimes grey. Growing up people would ask if I wore contact lenses. I didn't. That's just me.
I love all colours though. Even the ones that seem wrong at first — a muddy brown that looks terrible on its own but paired with the right complementary colours suddenly makes sense. That's the thing about colour. Context changes everything.
I'm drawn to loud, colourful prints. Clothes that make a statement. Patterns that say here I am. I've always been that way. It's taken me a long time to give myself the same permission in my art.
When I design cards I tend to play it safe with colour. Soft, natural, approachable. But the one time I really let loose — followed my gut, trusted my humour — I created my Friend card line. The cat cards. The ones that say exactly what you're thinking but would never say out loud.
They're my most popular cards now.
It took a while for the right people to find them. But they did. And that tells me something important about holding back versus showing up fully.
I'm still figuring out how to bring more of myself into my work. More colour. More boldness. More of the person who has always known exactly what she likes — she just hasn't always felt safe saying so.
I'm getting there. 🌱
— Anita

Paper Colours and Why I Choose Them

In my earlier years of card making, I always started with a white card base. Stamping or printing a sentiment inside the card always showed up nicely on white. I could also get a heavier cardstock in white than I could in other colours at the time. So white became my go-to — simple as that.
When I made the decision to start making seed paper cards, there was no other option in my mind than to order white. It's what I'd been doing for years and I loved how bright and clean it looked. I printed on white seed paper for my entire first year of making plantable cards.

Then something shifted. I don't really know what happened, but my eyes and brain just started to see it as too bright. I wanted something more natural — in the paper and in the envelope colours. I've always loved kraft coloured paper. So I made the switch. Natural coloured seed paper, kraft coloured envelopes to match.

Once I did, I knew I was never going back. The printing looked beautiful on the natural paper — warmer, more grounded, more like something that actually came from the earth.

Now don't get me wrong — white has its place. For handmade commission cards I'll still use a 100lb white cardstock when the occasion calls for it. But when it comes to my plantable cards, I want them to be as natural and earth friendly as possible.

It's about giving back to the earth as much as it is giving people something meaningful. I want everyone who receives one of my cards to feel as comfortable and sure about what they're getting as I am about what I'm providing.
That shift in paper colour was small. But it meant everything. 🌱
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— Anita

Hi, I'm Anita — the one person behind YYC Crafts and the voice behind Notes From the Basement.

I'll be upfront with you: I have a hard time explaining myself. My views on life have changed but don't ask me what they are exactly because I'll jump from topic to topic before I get there. That's just how my brain works. I've made peace with it.

What I can tell you is this — I put everyone else ahead of myself more than I should. I'm working on that. I really enjoy my business even though it's tough as hell doing it all alone sometimes. But that's also what makes it so rewarding.
This year I've listened to 60 books so far. A little bit of everything — I'm not fussy, I just love a well written story. I got my first tattoo last year and I'm already planning the next one.

I'm AuDHD, I run a handmade business from my basement in Calgary, and I'm figuring out who I am while also trying to make things that matter.
I do have one supervisor down here — Fuzz, my orange cat. He checks in throughout the day mostly to see if anything on the desk is worth knocking off it. He's not much help but he's excellent company.

Oh — and I can't concentrate without my noise cancelling headphones. It is seriously so fricken noisy in here sometimes.
Welcome to the basement. 🌱
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— Anita