STICK IT IN WATER AND IT WILL GROW - QUIT LITERALLY

I recently met Brynne Cogorno owner of Backward Prints and was impressed with her neat crafty products. What is it? Well it's this type of paper that she buys that has seeds embedded in the paper that she turns into cool cards. She makes the cards with love, her own stamps that she carves & lots of imagination. These cards are a great gift idea and if you stick them in water they literally will grow and sprout. You could buy one of her cards as a cute gift for your friend and he/she will have a neat plant to grow (maybe in a cute pot with some soil). Watching the cards sprout can be a neat project for your kids to enjoy. 100% environmentally friendly and just plain cute and fun. I asked Brynne out of pure curiosity why and how she started her biz...

About Backward Prints: From the Eco Artist Brynne Cogorno

I started the idea of creating Backward Prints over a year ago, but it wasn't until August 2008 that my earth-friendly stationary line was born. I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2007 with a bachelor of fine arts in painting and drawing. While living in Boulder, I learned a lot about living a sustainable life from the people I worked with and the students on campus who always stressed the importance of "doing your part". When I moved back to California a little over a year ago, I was trying to figure out how I could make art that was green; it took a lot of research and time before I found a company who manufactured handmade paper that is embedded with wild flower seeds and not to mention has the same values as I do. Also, the paper I buy is made out of plant fibers and cotton, and the envelopes are made of 50% pcw. So, as of September 1st, 2008 I started printing cards, and carving stamps. (I actually had the designs in my sketch books.. I just had to find my favorite doodles and bring them to life). I use the block printing technique which means that I hand carve my designs backwards onto a rubber material called speedy-carve. All my paper is hand torn, and folded, then I print. I've recently started a wall series as well, and hope to make more for my December 3rd Trunk Show, as well as my December 14th Laguna Beach Craft Guild show.

I started this company to remind people to enjoy what life has to offer. Getting together with friends and family, laughing and having a good time. I hope to educate everyone especially children in the importance of buying green, and how important their choice can make on our planet. I can tell a little girl or boy that the card in their hands is going to grow flowers, and if it ends up in a landfill, it will biodegrade, or bloom... and the expression on their face is priceless. So, Backward Prints represents following your dreams, making important decisions which effect the earth, laughing, friendships, greener earth=happy animals and happy people. I do believe that everyone can make a difference, and when buying my note-cards, you are saving one tree at a time, literally!