Heidi Kenney (a.k.a. My Paper Crane) is a master of turning the mundane into handmade, personified toys. From rolls of toilet paper to a stack of pancakes, her colorful world of animated objects is compelling, funny and inspiring. Based in PA and working full time creating her plush creatures as well as raising a family, Heidi was kind enough to trade a few emails with me in the interim. Enjoy the interview!


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SG: Tell me a little bit about your work, the scale and materials you work with, and your background.

HK: I grew up in Maryland, and am currently living right over the border in PA. I have no formal training when it comes to art. I just make things I love. I work mostly with fabric. Most things I sew are around 5 inches tall, but occasionally I whip out the big stuff. (So far the largest being a tree about 5 feet tall.) I make things that make me happy, which sometimes means dabbling in many mediums.

SG: What inspires your work?

HK: My kids influenece my work a lot. Being that I make a lot of toys, it's nice to be surrounded by kids who can appreciate them and love them for what they are. Sometimes adults will see the stuff I make and say, "Oh, thats cute, but what do you do with it?" With kids, there is never the thought of "what would i do with this?" They seem to get that its something to just have, something that makes you happy.


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SG: How do you cope with feeling drained of inspiration or out of ideas?

HK: Sometimes I will swtich gears and work on something completly different like cooking or spinning yarn. Otherwise I just put it all away and get out of the house. If I dont feel inspired, I just try not to make anything...again with the "keeping it fun."

SG: What's your favorite texture?

HK: Right now it's nubbly, soft + nubbly.


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SG: What's your guilty pleasure?

HK: Thrift shopping! I am a bit of a yardsale flea market junkie. We continue to outgrow our houses due to my thrifting obsession.

SG: What projects and directions do you have in the works for the future?

HK: I am part of a plush show called Stuffed on Sept 10th in Baltimore MD, and I also have my first solo show coming up in Feb. of next year at Art Star in Philly. In general, I just plan to continue making stuff.

Visit Heidi online at mypapercrane.com!


This interview was conducted by boygirlpartay, a painter and proprietor of boygirlparty.com. She too outgrows houses due to her thrifting obsession; moving was always difficult with 14 typewriters.