Featured Artist of the Month: Sherry Venegas (Paperfacets) and her tea bag folding (the art of folding paper). Also known as Miniature Kaleidoscopic Origami.
I first met Sherry at the Claremont Farmer’s Market on a Sunday. I was immediately drawn to her table because she had the most intricate and beautiful folded paper art on cards, book markers, tags, all kinds of stuff made out of paper.
As a young girl I have always been drawn to paper, the texture, the color, the design on it. I remember my mom telling me that I played with the Christmas wrapping paper more than the toy it came in as I unwrapped my presents! I don’t remember that, but it sounds about right. Even now as an adult I love paper! All kinds! I especially love scrapbook paper, homemade paper, journals, diaries, paper tablets, you name it. I use paper all the time. For my personal life and my creative life.
When Sherry told me that what she did was called Tea Bag Folding, I immediately thought, wow! What a weird name to call it (as it may sound to you as well). So here’s a short bit about where and how tea bag folding came about. Click HERE.
I immediately bought two small books on how to tea bag fold and some cards that were created from Sherry. I really appreciate Sherry for her sense of generosity in sharing her techniques and information. She put together tons of online resources, tutorials and other information on how you can tea bag fold from home off the internet without having to buy a book to learn it. Here are some links to check out:
The Best in Tea Bag Folding:
http://www.squidoo.com/tea-bag-folding
Paperfacets TBF (Tea Bag Folding) instructions start @www.squidoo.com/tea-bag-folding-for-children-and-beginners
Make a Paper Flower Rosette (easy step by step photo tutorial):
http://www.squidoo.com/paper-flower-rosette-decoration
Here is a favorite item I bought from Sherry. A flower greeting card!
Now on to the interview with Sherry Venegas with Paperfacets:
1. Sherry, tell us a bit about Paperfacets. An introduction of how this came about and your website address/contact information so we can look you up online:
In 2002 I discovered paper folding in the tea bag folding style. I slowly got my feet wet with design ideas for greetings while still working at AT&T. After 39 years I retired from the phone company and have enjoyed paper folding since. My web name is Paperfacets and my main contact site is www.squidoo.com//lensmasters/paperfacets and I have an ETSY shop under paperfacets. All my greeting designs are unique and “at the moment” original in color and motif. The paper goods I create include bookmarks, gift tags, two sizes of greetings and new eclectic items that just have to be made.
(Sherry aka Paperfacets (Fanciful Paper Goods) can be seen once a month at the Claremont Farmer’s Market Sunday morning. Schedule is on her ETSY shop: http://www.etsy.com/paperfacets. From there you can index all her web pages at the bottom of the page.)
2. Tell us a brief history about Paperfacets, what you are doing now, a bit about your journey:
By the time I retired from the phone company after 39 years, I was selling cards and paper items at craft fairs, and maintained and established web shops at eBay and ETSY. During this time I became interested in the writing website, Squidoo. I started writing about tea bag folding and other interests.
3. Sherry, can you tell us about your typical day, and why this is so special to you?
My day starts on the computer and ends with paper folding. Not much time for the regular household chores, though I do some gardening most days. Paper folding and Squidoo is intertwined. I have several showcase pages of my past designs. Fans can get an idea of how my creations may look; in the end, each new item is new and different with always an element of surprise.
As the recession progressed I lost my fan base on the web shops but I am actively setting up my display and offering my paper wares at the Claremont Farmer’s Market once a month.
I enjoy visitor interactions about the paper folding and offer creations for sale and little giveaways highlighting the Squidoo pages I created about tea bag folding.
4. What are your future goals and dreams for Paperfacets?
I very much strive to limit the footprint my wares produce. I reuse “what is out there” and find uses for most of my scraps of paper. This also keeps the cost of my creations down. I always give that savings to my customers. I will continue to present paper folding ideas on Squidoo and create items for others to enjoy. After all, the writing and the paper folding both have those elements of surprise, creating thrills that can’t be matched.
Thank you Sherry for letting us interview you and I know I’ll be seeing you at the Claremont Farmer’s Market which is located in Southern California.
Interview done by Ann Lihl owner of Simply the Best Creations.



































