Stephanie Spear 
A flower that can bloom year-round sounds like a myth, but that’s what Arlington-based artist Jill Welch creates. Jill is behind Fairy Dusted: Spreading Joy, and she makes timeless paper flowers, bringing an old-fashioned art form into the 21st century. Jill uses heavyweight European crepe paper, song lyrics, cardstock, and other paper to create lasting paper artworks that can represent a season, an anniversary, or simply a bit of beauty in the everyday. The best part is that this craft is accessible for artists of all skill levels, since the work involves a lot of elementary school skills like cutting and pasting. Read on for more about Arlington artist Jill Welch and her paper flowers.
Art Journey
Jill Welch works in public policy full-time, but her ‘side hustle’ of creating paper flowers couldn’t be more opposite. The contrast creates harmony for her: “Policy is very rigid, intense, and the results aren’t always tangible,” she said. “With art, you can touch it, it’s more free-flowing, and the results are tangible.” Jill’s journey to art was always in the background. “My mom is an artist and my grandmother was very crafty,” she said.
Jill grew up in Georgia and moved to the DC area after college to begin her career in public policy. Art was still in the background, and a friend asked her to ‘play’ the Leprechaun for her children. “She was out of town for work but still wanted something to happen for her kids,” she said. “I looked on Pinterest for all these ideas and it was so fun, seeing all the ways people would celebrate this holiday.” Jill started her business, Fairy Dusted, creating other magical moments for kids. She realized that adults need magic too, and added gift baskets and other items.
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On a 2015 vacation to Vermont, a chance browse at a bookstore led Jill to paper flowers. “I found a book about how to make paper flowers, and I had never even heard of that before,” she said. As soon as she could, Jill bought the special paper used to make the flowers and started experimenting. Eventually, she pivoted her business to Fairy Dusted: Spreading Joy and focused on paper flowers. Now, she teaches workshops throughout the area, hosts private events, and works on commissioned projects with her art.
Paper Flowers
The paper floral art community is international, with thousands of online class offerings and in-person workshops. The craft of making paper flowers began in the mid 1800s and reached a peak in Victorian times. Now, making paper flowers is a popular hobby and art form, with some artists making arrangements that take hundreds of hours to create.
The paper flowers are made with special paper, shaped by hand, and sometimes painted or drawn on to create embellishments. “The skills are kindergarten skills,” she said. “It’s a lot of cutting, gluing, and thinking about color.” Jill uses mainly European crepe paper in her work, and other types of paper ephemera that can stand up to the manipulation of the craft. “It’s a lot sturdier and stretchier than the crepe paper most people think of,” she said.
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“Since paper is a first wedding anniversary gift, I do a lot with music from weddings,” Jill said. “I’ll do things with children’s books for something special.” At our visit to the studio, Jill showed us a custom piece that was paper made into the shape of the cosmos flower, using reproduced text from the Torah. The piece was a gift for a recent Bat Mitzvah, and the cosmos flowers were the main flowers at the event. We also saw an arrangement made with an upcycled copy of Where the Wild Things Are.
In Jill’s view, the possibilities are endless because the flowers don’t wilt. “It lasts forever, and you feel joyful every time you look at it,” she said. She is inspired by nature, as there is always something new to look at.
Try it Out
Jill says that making paper flowers is a great activity for using your hands to create something. “It’s very tactile,” she said. “It’s great to listen to music or a podcast and just let yourself go to work.” Even those who aren’t terribly crafty can make beautiful art. “If they can cut, if they can, color, if they can glue, then they can do it,” she said.
Images courtesy of Jill Welch.
She teaches workshops throughout Northern Virginia, and says that oftentimes, the people who claim not to be creative at all end up the most proud and excited about their work. Jill also works with people to host private events such as bachelorette parties and birthday parties. The best way to keep up with Jill and her art is to visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
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