Supportive Spotlight: Local Handmade Maker with Paper Crane + Lotus 

I have a little throwback post for you! In early and mid-2020, I got to photograph and support my friend, Natalie Ledesma’s business, Paper Crane + Lotus. Natalie is a local, Northern Virginia artist, specializing in jewelry-making. Take a look at the cool things that Natalie has created!

Valentine’s Day 2020

Starting off strong, we have the Valentine’s Day 2020 collection. Natalie created some beautiful pieces including necklaces and rings. She uses unique gems and stones such as the Ethiopian opal in the rings (which is STUNNING by the way!), amethyst necklaces, and druzy quartz. When I took these photos, we were actually in Natalie’s dorm room with her roommate as an audience. They had their Christmas lights and twinkly fairy string lights around their living area, so we got to play around with the lighting options. The lights add some moody and romantic vibes (perfect for Valentine’s Day!). She also had some fake plants, so we incorporated them into the session.

Back-To-School 2020

Later in the year, Natalie created some stickers and button pins. In theme of back-to-school season, I decided to ~spruce~ up my backpack and added the pins. I’ve had this backpack for my whole college career (and beyond!), so if you need a backpack, I suggest LL Bean’s backpacks. You may also see one of the gorgeous rings make a cameo. Soo pretty! And a necklace!

Here are some linked products I used during the photoshoot:

• Canon 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM Lens
• Pentel EnerGel Pearl Deluxe RTX Retractable Liquid Gel Pen
• Five Star Spiral Notebook
• String Lights

To learn more about Natalie and Paper Crane + Lotus, go check her out on her Instagram. For bookings and collaborations, you can contact me here.

*Hey! Just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!*