About Catherine Kasper
Hi, I’m Catherine.
It’s nice to meet you and I’m so happy you’re here. I’m always been an Artsy/Craftsy sort of person and if you are too, you’ve come to the right place! Even if you’ve never dabbled at all, come and play with me here in the studio. I bet you’ll have a marvelous time!
Growing up as one of the eldest of 10 siblings, it was often my job to teach and entertain the little kids. Throw 6 young cousins into the mix, and I learned to invent interesting things to do at almost a moment’s notice. “Playing school” with 15 kids really prepared me for all that came next and becoming licensed and certified as an Elementary School teacher was a natural next step once I went to college.
While I taught all subjects in the lower and middle elementary grades for 10 years, I realized I loved teaching Art the best of all. Eventually, I taught art on alternate days at 2 different schools, reaching almost 400 students in grades 1-8 every week for 20 more years. What fun that was!
It was also a challenge because I was a single mom. Although I considered my own daughter to be the “best kid in the world,” and she was (and still is) a super fun person to be around, I still had to work full time, put dinner on the table, drive the long commutes, repair the house, take the classes that enabled me to constantly renew my teaching license, and so much more. It was a real marathon at times.
I did it though, and was determined to learn everything I could about Art along the way. In the years before I moved on from teaching, I took all the college courses in Art that I could afford and what I couldn’t afford, I taught to myself from books, online tutorials and through good old trial and error. I filled my shelves with supplies and, although I felt guilty about it, bought the best brushes and paints. I practiced and practiced.
Later, I decided to use my spare time to learn all I could about the graphic side of Art. I bought copies of Photoshop and Illustrator via the teacher discount Adobe offered at the time, and learned to use them as much as possible. I opened 2 shops on Etsy and eventually began to sell my paintings in the form of clipart that people could use to make beautiful wedding invitations, greeting cards, t-shirt designs, and much more. The shops are still open and I’ll use many of those images in the projects you find here.
I’ve fully supported myself with my Art for years now and I’ve expanded my business to having my own shops on Design Bundles and Creative Market as well.
My daughter is now grown, I’ve retired from classroom teaching and I’ve still got hundreds of ideas about Arts and Crafts running through my head. I still get a big kick out of making it, teaching it, enjoying it and passing the love of it on to others.
Flowerdance Studio gives me a place to post all the ideas and the projects I come up with and make them available. You’ll find lots here to keep you occupied, entertained and learning a little more about the happy world of arts and crafts.
Come play in the studio with me. The doors are always open!
