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by Chrysa Smith
Ah, the beauty of flowers. They mark celebrations, lift spirits, and add color to our world. Short of a visit to the local florist, we in Bucks County muddle through the seasons waiting for the first blooms to appear, and voila, it is spring again.
But there’s an entirely different floral experience, just over the Frenchtown Bridge. A seasonless experience. Because where Race Street bends the corner, transformations happen. That’s where Kelly Grace Gibbons of the Paper Floral Company performs her magic. Gibbons takes all shapes and sizes of crepe paper, turning them into works of art. Art, in the shape of floral blooms, that have graced many a wedding, anniversary, birthday bouquet or arrangement, and retail display.
Take a walk into her shop/studio and you’re greeted by walls of flowers—Peonies, Roses, Anemones, Dahlias, and some you can pick from her new ‘help yourself’ flower bar. They all look perfectly authentic, but upon closer investigation, you’ll find they’re not picked from any garden. “It’s always very encouraging when people’s jaws drop,” Gibbons says. She’s right. I had to touch them to confirm it for myself.
A crafter from childhood, she was always making something creative. So not all that surprising, time as a nurse recruiter and human resource analyst left her completely uninspired. She was hungering to feed her soul. So, at age 35, back in school and preparing for her marriage, she stumbled upon a tutorial for paper flower making. Following her wedding, she finished the initial project and hasn’t stopped making flowers since.
Inspiration comes from a few places. When Gibbons wants a certain flower, her local florists will find it for her. Unlike most admirers who do everything possible to keep their flowers intact, Gibbons ‘deconstructs them.’ That’s right, she pulls them apart to see shapes, textures, coloring. She’s also inspired by floral designers. Seeing the combinations of shapes, varieties, colors give her food for thought as she takes to her paper, which she says, “Is willing to be transformed into something else.”
Not your garden variety crepe paper from the craft store, Gibbons stocks rolls, and colorful sheets made in Italy and Germany. The supply is plentiful, and her suppliers are most accommodating. “I can manipulate the paper, stretch it easily into the shape and texture I want,” she says. I watched as she created a leaf. From green crepe paper, she cut a leaf shape, ‘cupped’ it as she calls the process of pulling it into fullness. She then pinches it, takes a piece of floral wire, and attaches it to the bottom of the leaf. The piece is wrapped and finished with floral tape. And there you have the base for building a flower. “I decide what flower I want,” Gibbons says, “Then I take the paper that will give me the outcome I want.” There are different papers for different flowers. And once the crepe has been selected, so are pastels, acrylics, and some watercolors she uses to give them a finishing touch—perhaps a dose of reality.
“This is my way to bring so much sustainable beauty into the world,” she says. And her customers agree. Gibbons has been at it since 2017, and in her current location since 2018. She says her customers are a combination of people. There are brides, many who find her through Instagram and word-of-mouth. There is the general public who would like to obtain a meaningful gift for a friend or family member. And then there are the students; those who want to make paper flowers for themselves. And that’s why Gibbons offers classes, both in-person and online. As with most things this past year, Covid changed her business a bit. She says pre-Covid, her business was 50 percent commissioned work (custom orders), 50 percent workshops. Now it is predominantly commissioned. And she’s currently working on expanding her retail side.
“People are learning more about the art,” she says, as paper has begun mixing with live flowers in bouquets. “The handmade movement is alive and real.” And so it is. Her most ambitious, short turnaround project was for Gucci. Finding her through a Google search, the company asked her to make hundreds of blooms to be used in retail displays around the country. Gibbons got hold of her suppliers and basically wiped them out. “There was literally no supply of some materials for other paper flower makers for a while.” She also did a floral wall for the Bloomberg organization for the Grace Hopper Celebration event, a pioneering woman responsible for advances in technology. It’s the largest gathering of tech women in the world.
But as fascinating as this art is, it actually tracks back to ancient China, when paper flowers were placed in vessels that floated down rivers. This religious use of flowers wound up on sacred altars, through Asia. Eventually the blooms wound up in Europe during the 1800’s, and according to Gibbons, “It was fancywork, for women who couldn’t or didn’t work outside the home,” she says, “It was a status thing. They were dipped in wax and put on graves or preserved in the home.” Like many trends, it had its day, then reemerged at the turn of the century, and in the 1900s, crepe paper was used to make dresses and flowers for hats. I’m part of another revival,” Gibbons adds, “even though the paper is still made from aging machines from the last century.”
Gibbons does have her favorite projects. “I love centerpieces,” Gibbons says. But perhaps her strongest passion may be for mounted flowers and floral headdresses. Single, mounted blooms grace one of her walls in the shop, and she says she’d love to make more—maybe a series. But also, a series of headdresses. On her counter is a most unique and colorful piece of art. A framed illustration of a woman is surrounded by a headdress of flower papers in various shades of pink, and she has a name. Suki Hana translates as beloved flower. Gibbons says, “It’s a statement piece depicting an emotionally conflicted woman in repose.” It’s a favorite piece, and she claims her best work is that she does for herself. Much has made its way into regional art shows.
One of the more challenging aspects of her business is juggling it all—making flowers for much of her waking hours but needing to do marketing, teach workshops and perhaps even more difficult—run a retail operation. Originally wanting a studio, the shop sort of turned up, and even though retail has been a bit of a learning experience, things have begun taking shape. No doubt, her days are full and so is her waiting list. For custom orders, after she’s worked out the details of the job with her client, depending upon the piece, it could take anywhere from two weeks to four months. Weddings need to be booked about four to five months in advance, and workshops are on-demand. By appointment only, a class is a great way to learn a new skill, while spending time with friends. Add a bottle of wine and you’ve got a great girl’s night out. Gibbons says that, even if working with the same materials, “Everyone’s work looks different because their hands are different.” And even the most self-deprecating crafter can turn out the most beautiful creations.
“I do three things,” Gibbons says, “I teach, make and sell here.” And she does it all, in a most beautiful way.
The Paper Floral Company is located at 17 Race Street, Frenchtown, NJ. For more information, call 908-415-0676 or visit www.paperfloralco.com.
Chrysa Smith is a floral enthusiast and regular contributor to the magazine.