Interview with Do It Paper
Our latest interview features Karem from Do It Paper! Karem is a wife and mom of two who is traveling the country by RV with her family, all while running her own crafting business! We have loved learning about her journey, and also seeing what she’s created with PrintWorks Paper and Cardstock! Karem has used her artistic talent and entrepreneurial spirit to not only create memorable décor, but also educate others on how to do the same!
Read on for more DIY projects, crafting resources and inspiration from Karem!
“I really need to be creating and expelling all the things I have in mind through my designs. I feel that I express what I feel, think, and actually what I am with my art. I’m behind the papers, making magic.”
Tell me a little about yourself.
Hello, my name is Karem. My principal job is to be the mom of two handsome boys. I’m married, and live traveling all around the United States, at least for 2021 and 2022. My second and real job is to be the CEO of my company named “Do It Paper”.
I was born in Venezuela in South America, and came here 5 years ago and I’m still learning all the things about this beautiful country that opened its heart and gave to my family a new opportunity to grow and live a better life. So, we’re an emigrant family who talks with an accent and has its heart and soul divided. We love and honor our home country and keep our traditions but we adopt all the traditions and love this amazing country as well, we feel at home.
I’m a creative person, very creative. I’m always thinking about what I’m going to design and assemble. It’s like a necessity, I really NEED to be creating and expelling all the things I have in mind through my designs. I feel that I express what I feel, think and actually what I am with my art. I’m behind the papers, making magic.
I’m a civil engineer because this is what my college degree says. But what I really am is an artist. When I found what I could do with my Cricut machine and some papers, my life changed. Seriously, I still remember when 2 years ago one of my friends told me about the Cricut in her daughter’s party. I was so impressed and told my husband “If I can find that machine I know that I can do a business around this”. It was like a statement, and I’m still excited to tell this story.
What is Do It Paper all about?
Do It Paper is basically two things: Make others party stand out and encourage others to do art with their hands and transform dreams into paper as I do with my clients.
It’s a stationery brand, which designs the dreams of its clients and turns them into paper. In addition, educates through an online school, so that other creatives have all the tools to make their dreams, paper.
But how? Through unique, simple but original 3D letters. I started making all kinds of decorations for parties, but then, I figured out that kids throw those decorations to the trashcan after they eat the candy inside. I saw this in one of my friends’ parties and I said “No, I don’t want this for my business, I need something meaningful, I want to make keepsakes that people can have forever (or almost). So, I decided to change all the business and only make personalized 3D letters that people can keep in their kids’ bedrooms.
Created with our Floral Cardstock!
Karem made this with our Earth Tone pack!
What sparked your interest in crafting with paper?
I feel that it was always in me, I’m a very visual person and I have loved colors, textures since I was very young. I always liked crafts, I love colored markers, construction paper, scissors and collages.
When I was in college, I decorated my notebooks with photos, cutouts, and glitter. Later, when I worked (I have lost that a bit), I decorated my agendas and my workplace. Then, when my kids came, I went crazy months before making the decorations for their birthday parties, all this by hand, I didn’t know about the cutting machine, I come from a very small town where you do not see those things hahaha.
I’m that kind of friend that’s always looking to help you with the decorations, you know? Well, one day, one of my friends asked me if I could help her with her daughter’s party decoration. Of course I said yes, we spent 4 or 5 hours making the balloon arch (more than 400 balloons) and talking.
She started to receive all the things for the party and then she received a box with the paper decorations: that DROVE ME CRAZY! I said “OMG what beautiful things”, “How can people make these things” and so on. She started to talk to me about the Cricut and I still remember our way back home. I told my husband “If I can find that machine I know I can do business with it”. Next day we came to the store and the rest is what you see today.
How do you come up with your ideas for your craft designs?
I love and enjoy so much scroll down through Pinterest looking for the trendy themes that are at the top. Most of the times I agree with people, the themes are the best. So, I try to figure out how I can make those themes, paper. With my own style and design. But, my clients are so creative as well, so, they come with awesome ideas that inspire me to create new themes.
Do you have a favorite holiday/life event to create for?
I love Christmas, it’s my favorite holiday. I love the vibe of Christmas. I love decorating, last year we decorated the tree only with paper decorations. It was a nice opportunity to include the whole family and spend time together making memories.
Recently, you and your family made a huge transition to RV Life. What prompted this change? How are you managing it all? Crafting? Family? RV Life?
Yes, we highly value the freedom we have in this country and how rich it feels to go on a trip and spend hours talking and playing. For us, family is super important, and we were always planning our next adventure. Therefore, we decided that it would be cheaper if we bought an RV and went on a trip to see this beautiful country. Fortunately, our work allows us to travel while we educate our children at home and we work on what we like.
The organization is the key to keep all the things going well. We have an online business that give us the freedom to work wherever we are. We run an online school to teach others how to master their skills with the Cricut machine and create things on paper in an original way. Check it out here:
What are your plans for RV and Crafting?
We’re planning to travel for one year and my plan is to take my craftroom with me everywhere. I share all my journey through my Instagram @doitpaper and people is loving the fact that sometimes, I work outdoors with beautiful backgrounds.
Where do you see Do It Paper in the future?
Once we land back in a house made of bricks, I have so many plans that I’m already developing, like more courses, merchandising, new products and what I dream for this company is to make it grow so much because is the only way I have to reach more people and encourage them to reach their full potential.
What other projects/endeavors are you working on?
I’m working on templates, designs made by myself, cliparts, and so many other things that help my “crafty friends” to achieve their goals even if they don’t know how to design. I’ve created cake topper SVGs that have been a success because I have known how to listen to my audience and create things that are useful for them.
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