thinking green saves you green

There’s no doubt that 2007 has been the year of green.  It makes me happy to see the environment take a front seat in the media circus.  And it’s about time that catching fireflies got in the act.

First a little history – circa 1996…  Before catching fireflies, there was April’s Ideas (a.k.a. a.i. paper design)  Since I was going to become a special education teacher, I worked in elementary schools and couldn’t bear to see all that colorful bulletin board paper go to waste… so I started recycling it by making handmade paper. 

There’s my now husband, Steve helping shred loads of paper (Little did he know this was only the beginning of the craziness!)

Making paper is a little like panning for gold… only it’s just pulp.

I’d layer the wet sheets of pulp between tapestry samples (for texture), Then officially stand on them to press the excess water out.

Afterwards, I’d hang them to dry and then peel the paper from the tapestry samples for cool textured paper sheets.

All of my designs were originally made from these recycled sheets, but as a.i. paper design grew, it wasn’t practical or feasible to continue making my own paper.

Now, most of the papers I use are handmade and printed in India.

With all that being said… I still care about the three R’s (recycle-reuse-reduce) and want to pass that passion on.  I realize this is a very small step, but at least it’s in the right direction.

From now on, ALL our paper* bags and gift boxes will come with this card. *(unfortunately, our plastic merchandise and gift bags wrinkle too easily to be reused)

For every 2 bags or boxes (in reusable condition) you bring back, we’ll give you a buzz buck coin you can use the next time you visit us.  It’s our way of saying thank you for thinking about the environment.

Also for small items, I’ve instructed our staff to ask if you need a bag.  Every little bit helps. Thank you so much for being supportive in our efforts.