10
JANUARY
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Maria Miller Studio’s Story
Meet Maria, from Maria Miller Studios. Maria creates beautiful handmade Eco-friendly Notebooks here in Victoria BC.
She has been creating cards and notebooks since January of 2016.
The first time Maria started working on one of her beautiful handmade as well as eco-friendly notebooks, she used a binding stitch technique. After having gone online to find out how to do it, (Thank god for Google!) she realized that it was a Japanese technique she was trying to use.
Being half Japanese, she felt connected to the stitch right away. But as luck has it, she made a mistake during the stitching and thus created her own unique look she still uses today.
Maria makes every one of her Notebooks by hand using the Eco-friendliest approach. Each step of everything she makes, whether it be using recycled, wind power generated paper in her books, or reusing water and making her own natural additives for her paper making, involves the intention to be as eco-conscious as she can be.
And it doesn’t stop at making paper. Maria has included fabric into her creations. Some of her gorgeous notebook covers are made by using authentic Japanese kimono fabric she inherited from her mother! So, not only are you helping the planet, supporting and showing appreciation for Maria and her work, but you are also getting a part of authentic Japanese culture. Maria really takes reduce, reuse, recycle to the next level!
One of the things Maria pointed out during our interview was her appreciation to all of you. She sends a Big thank you to all you fabulous Victorians who understand the time, effort and passion that is behind these things, appreciate it and are willing to pay for it.
She said it is incredible to be so supported and appreciated by so many people who buy local, care about the environment and support small businesses.
On another note, and you probably would have never guessed it, but Maria is utterly in love with cats. ???? So much so, that she donates to some local animal shelters to help out as much as she can. Every photograph she sells that has cats on it, she donates 25% to our local SPCA, 15% of every notebook sold that has cats on it, goes to helping homeless cats of greater Victoria society (where she adopted one of her cats) aaaand everything that does not have cats on it she donates 10% to the Canadian wildlife federation.
