My name is Cat Davis. I am married, have 3 children and 8 grandchildren who are the loves of my life. I have been a decorative painter for over 15 years, and for many of those years I sold my designs on the craft show circuit in San Diego, Ca. At that time I worked primarily with wood. About 7 years ago, my husband (also my woodcutter) decided he wanted to retire. So, we tried retirement. Worked for him, but not for me. If you are a crafter, you understand, the need to create is almost a compulsion. So, I developed a method of painting on brown kraft paper that makes the items lightweight, durable, and weather resistant. I hope you will give one of my designs a try! There are two types, and honestly, both sold equally well at shows. One is what I call 3d, in that each feature is sewn leaving an opening, and then when almost finished, each feature is stuffed with fiber fill, dryer lint, or your choice of stuffing, and is then hand sewn closed. Think of it as almost making a stuffed painted doll. The second method is a flat version. When finished properly, the flat pieces come out looking like tin. There is some paper prep involved in both versions, but the time involved is no more than it would be with wood. And, the cost savings to produce is unbelievably low. I couldn't believe how much we saved in saw blades alone. You will quickly learn which method, flat or stuffed that you and your customers prefer. (I did!). I have been a huge fan of the works of Terrye French, especially her earlier works, and also of Renee Mullins, but I was always so committed to painting their designs exactly as they did, and on the surface they used. Before painting, I always did a first draft on brown paper and then I would throw away the paper, and paint on whatever surface the original painting was on. I'm not sure at what point I realized that the paper designs I was throwing away could be turned into something that would last, but once I did, there was no turning back. I HAD to figure out a way to make the paper durable, and the designs weatherproof. And, so, Painted Paper Craftin' was born. I have included the basic steps for both types on a drop down menu located under the About Me section. I hope they are clear. If there is something I didn't explain quite right, please, share that information with me. With this process I learned to stretch my own designer wings, so to speak. And, while I probably will never have the line drawing ability that my idols have, results at the craft shows I did with my paper designs were a very pleasant surprise. So, try both a flat design, and a 3D design to see which you like best. All my patterns are clear on which type they are. The stuffed patterns are always going to have 3D after the name of the pattern.