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Upwey Grassroots Community Markey

Me on my stand at the Upwey Grassroots Community Market yesterday.

A closer photo of my table.

What a lovely start to GrowMe we had over the weekend. I managed to get a logo together thanks to my boyfriend Derek and some designs for my cards from my friend Aleisha Cutler and her mum Bev. I also designed a few cards myself with some plant and flower fonts which were quite effective. 

Although I wasn't quite sure how GrowMe would go as this was my first market, I did much better than I ever could have imagined. I sold 39 cards and 8 postcards over the 5 hours of the market and gave out over 150 seeded business cards. The response was overwhelmingly positive and people seemed to like the fact that they were something a bit different to everyday greeting cards.

Blue Bird on white seeded paper, artwork by Bev Cutler.

A sympathy card that I designed.

Swirly Heart on red seeded paper, artwork by Aleisha Cutler.

I really love how they turned out, they look really professional and just gorgeous. The flecks of colour in the purple and red papers and the contrast of the white paper with the black seeds look great. I've already had requests for Mother's Day cards and more cards with sayings on them, so I've got some more designs to work on for next time. Somebody told me about a sustainability festival that is happening in Selby in a few weeks time, so hopefully I can make it along to that, they seem like my kind of people!

I've started listing the cards that I have leftover from the market in our Etsy store, so head over there and check them out.

They're flowering!

Baby's Breath in one of the pots that I planted Christmas gift tags in.

These flowers have been growing in two places that I tip out my tubs of water after making paper. It could be a coincidence, but I think they might be Chinese Houses which are in my flower seed mix. I'm not really a flower expert though!

I can't believe it, they have started to flower! I went away for a few weeks and lost a lot of my seedlings, but a few of them survived and have started flowering beautiful baby's breath flowers. Just in time for a market I am doing next weekend, the Upwey Grassroots Community Market which is just down the hill from my house. Hopefully I can get some designs to put on my cards by then! If you're in the area on Saturday make sure you stop by between 9am and 2pm.

So many seedlings...

I can't believe how many seedlings have sprouted from the paper I planted a couple of weeks ago... Look at them all! Can't wait to harvest all those herbs and see all those flowers :)

I've been busy making paper!

Paper sorted into colour piles, ready to recycle into handmade seeded paper.

Coloured paper all ripped up and ready to pulp.

Red and purple shredded paper soaking overnight, ready to go into the blender.

Big tub of white shredded paper soaking overnight.

 I've been really busy making seeded paper while I've been on holidays. The weather has been a bit iffy, but I managed to find a couple of nice sunny days to set up my paper making supplies in the front garden and get messy making some paper. I've made purple, red and white so far - I can't wait to print cards on them and get GrowMe off and running properly.

I also planted some of the leftover Christmas gift tags that I gave out to friends last year, it has only been a few days and they are sprouting already!

Purple gift cards with herb seeds in them.

Green seeded paper scraps with flower seeds in them.

A bit hard to see, but there are a few tiny seedlings here! (Click on the photo to see it larger)

And more little germinated seeds on the right of this picture. (Click on the photo to see it larger)

Merry Christmas

You are probably coming to this page because you have been given a seeded Christmas card or a Christmas present that had a seeded paper gift tag. You may be excited to grow some flowers (in which case you can jump right to the planting instructions) or you may be a little skeptical that the piece of paper that you are holding can actually grow flowers right before your eyes - but rest assured, it can! In fact, it will grow many types of flowers (a full list can be found here).

Your card or gift tag is made entirely from post-consumer paper (junk mail, bills, packaging, envelopes and printed paper), which has been recycled into a new sheet of handmade paper and embedded with wildflower seeds.

Of course, if you just stumbled across this page by accident, then you are probably feeling a little disappointed that the only paper around you is boring regular paper that will not grow flowers no matter how hard you try. Never fear! In the near future we will be making greeting cards, gift tags, postcards, calendars and other paper goods from this eco-friendly plantable paper and selling it in our Etsy store and at local markets. 

If you would like to sign up for our newsletter and be informed of updates such as when our Etsy store launches or when we will be at local markets, please sign up here.

Please email us at - tara.growme [AT] gmail.com if you have any questions or suggestions, or if you:

• have photos of your paper sprouting seedlings or would like to show us the flowers that grew from your paper (to add to our gallery),
• have paper you would like to donate to be given a new life as a grow-it-yourself floral bouquet (all paper donations large and small are appreciated).

In the meantime, we hope that you enjoy your gift that keeps on giving. Feel free to read a little bit more about us here.