The collector: My name is Dawn, but online folks know me as Dawbis. I create paper art and I love to collect paper. I live in Carmel (USA) with my husband and six month old baby girl. Currently, I am a stay-at-home mom with very little time to be creative.

The collection: Paper, mainly vintage (i.e. transit tickets, price tags, library ephemera). I also have a collection of paper I use in my art which I have gathered from folks around the world; mostly from those who are happy to trade paper for art with me. They send me paper and I send them artwork made from some of the paper they send in. It's a fun way to build up my collection while sharing my art at the same time.

The story behind the collection...

The second I discovered paper as my medium of choice I have been absolutely obsessed with it. I started off collecting scrapbooking papers, but that soon changed after I found a discarded parking tag in the middle of the sidewalk in downtown L.A. I picked it up and was immediately drawn to the large printed numbers on the front side of it. I couldn't understand why anyone would leave such a cool piece of paper on the ground. In that moment, I knew I had gone about my paper collection all wrong. Suddenly, it didn't make sense that I h had been using paper printed to look like, for example, note book paper rather than the real stuff. So I put the ticket in my pocket and brought it back home with me and have been bringing home found and vintage papers ever since.

I collect paper to use in my art or to scatter about in my studio for inspiration. I love the quality and colouring of aged papers. I also like to think about how many hands have held each piece of paper before falling into mine. I bet they never thought it would end up in a work or art!

My collection is nearly eight years old now. I have more papers than I can count. There are enough papers in my collection for some folks to consider it an obsession, but by no means am I hoarding more than I really need. Honestly.

Unfortunately, our current home lacks the space for an art studio. My entire collection is now tucked away into drawers and boxes. Usually I like to have it all displayed out in the open. I think having my collection out in plain sight gives me daily inspiration to create and it also encourages me to keep my studio neat and tidy. Also, having it all out for me to see prevents me from hoarding more paper than I really need or have space for.

Every find is a favourite. I won't buy paper unless I have an absolute desire to own it. I never know what is missing from my collection until I see it.

I am not the collecting type. I don't think I would have a paper collection if I weren't a paper artist, but I make an exception for paper because it's pretty to look at, it doesn't take up a lot of room if you keep it organised and it doesn't cost a whole lot.

I never thought I was obsessed until my daughter was born. Suddenly, buying paper seems a bit ridiculous to me and pointless even. But I know that feeling will pass once I start making art on a regular basis again.

I have a personal blog (www.lovelypaper.blogspot.com) where I share my art, my collection and other things that inspire me.  From there, you can find links to my Flickr, Tumblr and Pinterest.  In case you're curious, I find a lot of my paper on Etsy, in parking lots and through online friends.