Twenty years in, still not tired of it.
My Story
I've always loved a good greeting card. Given the chance, I could spend an hour in the Hallmark aisle reading every single one - and still leave without buying anything, because I wanted the front of one card and the inside of another. Nothing ever quite fit.
How it started
When my kids were small, I started going to a monthly card-making class. It didn't take long before I was seeing everything in daily life as a potential card idea — genuinely, an unreasonable amount. Twenty years later, I still am.
Why plantable
I love making handmade cards — I still take on custom commissions for exactly that reason, so I can go all in on a piece that's meant to be kept, not thrown away. But making cards every day with no real purpose behind them, just hoping they'd sell, started to feel wasteful. I recycle what I can, but I wanted to actually cut back on waste, not just manage it.
That's when I found seed paper. You can get it from basically anywhere — including, yes, Amazon — but I wanted better than "anywhere." I looked for a Canadian company with quality, non-invasive seeds, and landed on one that's also woman-owned. Being one myself, that mattered. Once I found them, I knew it was the right fit.
Why "Crafts," not just "Cards"
I'd already been selling cards before YYC Crafts existed — it was still me, just without a name people could actually remember, or one that told them where to find me. I chose "Crafts" on purpose. Cards are my specialty, but I didn't want to box myself into just paper. Framed art, custom pieces, whatever else catches my interest — it's all fair game.
A jack of all trades, mostly on purpose
Drawing, painting, digital design, knitting, ceramics, jewellery, even a little dancing and singing along the way — if it's creative, I've probably tried it. Some of it's stayed a hobby. Some of it became the business. I don't think that's something to apologize for.
Where I'm at now
It's been 20 years since I first started making cards, and I'm a different person than I was when I started — hopefully a better one. These days, I care less about what I can get out of something and more about what I can offer. That's really what YYC Crafts is: a custom piece made to bring someone joy, or a plantable card meant to do that twice — once as a card, and again as something that keeps growing.
I've always loved a good greeting card. Given the chance, I could spend an hour in the Hallmark aisle reading every single one - and still leave without buying anything, because I wanted the front of one card and the inside of another. Nothing ever quite fit.
How it started
When my kids were small, I started going to a monthly card-making class. It didn't take long before I was seeing everything in daily life as a potential card idea — genuinely, an unreasonable amount. Twenty years later, I still am.
Why plantable
I love making handmade cards — I still take on custom commissions for exactly that reason, so I can go all in on a piece that's meant to be kept, not thrown away. But making cards every day with no real purpose behind them, just hoping they'd sell, started to feel wasteful. I recycle what I can, but I wanted to actually cut back on waste, not just manage it.
That's when I found seed paper. You can get it from basically anywhere — including, yes, Amazon — but I wanted better than "anywhere." I looked for a Canadian company with quality, non-invasive seeds, and landed on one that's also woman-owned. Being one myself, that mattered. Once I found them, I knew it was the right fit.
Why "Crafts," not just "Cards"
I'd already been selling cards before YYC Crafts existed — it was still me, just without a name people could actually remember, or one that told them where to find me. I chose "Crafts" on purpose. Cards are my specialty, but I didn't want to box myself into just paper. Framed art, custom pieces, whatever else catches my interest — it's all fair game.
A jack of all trades, mostly on purpose
Drawing, painting, digital design, knitting, ceramics, jewellery, even a little dancing and singing along the way — if it's creative, I've probably tried it. Some of it's stayed a hobby. Some of it became the business. I don't think that's something to apologize for.
Where I'm at now
It's been 20 years since I first started making cards, and I'm a different person than I was when I started — hopefully a better one. These days, I care less about what I can get out of something and more about what I can offer. That's really what YYC Crafts is: a custom piece made to bring someone joy, or a plantable card meant to do that twice — once as a card, and again as something that keeps growing.