The Maker Behind the Magic
Packaging engineer. Paper obsessive. Mom of two college graduates. Builder of things that make people say HOW??
The Short Version
I'm a packaging engineer by training and by trade — I still am. For nearly three decades, I've designed structures that protect products from the moment they leave a factory to the moment they arrive at your door.
But somewhere along the way, I discovered that the same brain that engineers a protective corrugated structure could engineer a 3D paper gift that makes a whole room go quiet.
The tools have evolved over the years — paper, corrugated, 3D printing — but the obsession with structure, detail, and making people ask how is that even possible? has never changed.
The Origin Story
About 18 years ago, my son came home with a project: make something 3-dimensional representing the Statue of Liberty. I was working for a toy company at the time, and something clicked. I took a doll, completely transformed her — repainted, re-robed, hand-built the crown and torch, engineered a multi-level corrugated pedestal with arched windows — and turned in a piece that stopped traffic in that kindergarten classroom.
"A five-year-old's attention span meant most of the process quickly became a personal responsibility — and the creation soon took on a mind of its own."
The reaction from students, parents, and teachers was something I hadn't expected. People kept asking: how did she do that? That question became the fuel.
After that, the requests kept coming. Elaborate projects for silent school auctions. Gifts for teachers and coaches. Ways to commemorate the teams and groups my kids were part of. Every project was a new engineering problem in paper form.
Now both of my kids have graduated college, and I'm channeling everything I've learned — the engineering, the craftsmanship, the storytelling — into The Paper Ninja.
Where I Am Now
The Paper Ninja is where all of it comes together: the engineering background, the 30 years of structural thinking, the love of making something that earns a reaction. I work with team parents who want a gift that tells the whole story of a season, crafters who want to learn the techniques behind gifts people never forget, and — through YouTube — anyone who's ever watched something be built and thought wait, I want to do that.
Season in a Locker, Season in a Bottle, and more — designed for team moms and sports parents who want to give the gift that gets framed.
Step-by-step courses for makers who want to build 3D gifts that tell a story. Learn the techniques, the thinking, and the process.
Documenting every build — the process, the problem-solving, and the moment it all comes together. New videos all the time.
Whether you're shopping for a team, ready to learn, or just here to watch — there's a place for you here.