At a time when many of us feel overwhelmed by the demands of the modern, digital world, craft practices, alongside activities such as colouring books for grown-ups and the up-surge of interest in cooking and gardening, are being looked to as something of an antidote to the stresses and pressures of modern living.

“Especially during COVID lockdown and restrictions, I have found that people are seeking out activities like paper crafts because they are so wonderfully therapeutic and rewarding on so many levels,” said The Girl’s Paper Cave owner, Heather Sutton.

After spending her working life in dental nursing and then health administration, Heather was keen to explore her creative side through crafts. “I started off beading about 18 years ago and over the years I have dabbled in all kinds of crafts,” Heather said. 

“When I retired, I wanted to do everything! But what really stuck for me and has become my passion, is paper crafts. When I saw how much others loved it too, I realised it was a wonderful business opportunity. I enjoy passing on my knowledge and helping people with their own projects very much.”

“People love to make pieces that mark special occasions”

Initially, Heather and Dennis  established a bead shop, Feather’s Nest Creations in Farrell St, Yandina. Heather then diversified into the  papercraft side of the business and took over too much space for Dennis’ liking. So she moved back to her home studio in Creightons Road, Yandina.  “She has too much stuff and had to find a space of her own!,” Dennis said.

“It has been good to set up a bit of a ‘one stop shop’ for my workshop clients,” Heather said. “They come along with a specific project in mind and I am able to supply them with all the materials they need to get it done. I find that my customers like to buy from me because I can advise them about what materials they need and they can get everything organised in one go. I have a lot of supplies here and if there is something they need that I don’t have in stock, I am really happy to order it for them.”

There is a mind boggling range of beautiful things that can be made using paper products. From exquisite customised albums, cards, gift boxes and photo frames to chocolate boxes and Advent calendars, Heather uses her years of experience and practice to show her customers how to make gorgeous personalised gifts and mementoes.

“Lots of people love to make pieces that mark special occasions such as weddings, births, birthdays and anniversaries,” Heather said. “It is actually quite overwhelming to be given a gift that has been made with such care and love.”

All this aside, Heather has found that many of her customers love to come to workshops for the company and friendship. “I have even had customers with Depression come along over the years, and they have told me that enjoying the social environment and making lovely things with their hands has helped them to cope. You can’t imagine how rewarding it is to get feedback like that.”

Heather has a loyal following of customers from Gympie to Caloundra and has even taken her workshops on the road with one day workshops. “These are a really great way to get bigger and more complicated projects done,” she said.

The Girl’s Paper Cave is open from Wednesday to Saturday. Basic classes are from $10 (depending on the complexities of the project),  and bookings are essential. With Christmas just around the corner, it is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to make heartfelt, handmade gifts.

• Contact Heather on 54728710 or 0407612786 to find out more.