Waikanae Paper Artist | Nicky Bourke

Letting the Words Flow – From My First Blog Journey “The first step in creativity is setting your thoughts free”. Starting this blog wasn’t the hard part. My mind had been swirling with ideas for years, and never really having the time to  finally put them into words was a rush of pure freedom. The real challenge has been shaping those thoughts into something meaningful to share. Now I’m considering redesigning that first post – the font feels off, the background image is frustratingly wrong, and honestly, I have no clue how to fix it. Yikes! Time to learn, grow, and embrace the journey.  Bear with me - technology and me are another challenge altogether. Here’s the thing: I’m not going to go back to change it. That first post captured a moment of pure elation – the joy of finally letting the trapped words pour out. This blog is about discovery and growth, and I want you to see the evolution, mistakes and all. I’ll share real life – my  stories, my home projects, my recip...

"Crafted Moments - The Beginning" The beginning of a new creative chapter — Nicky Bourke, intuitive artist and Waikanae Paper Artist. For a long time, I believed there was nothing particularly remarkable about me. I was simply Nicky—married, in my mid-50s, and the proud mum of a teenage daughter. Today, I’m also Nicky Bourke, an intuitive New Zealand artist and the creative heart behind Waikanae Paper Artist and The Papercraft Studio. We live in beautiful Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, in a home my husband built with his own hands. It is more than a house; it is a labour of love, complete with blood, sweat, tears and, yes… a few swear words too. Our gardens have grown slowly over the years, filled with plants begged, borrowed, gifted or discovered at local sales. Every bloom and branch tells a story of patience, persistence and possibility. Now, when I look around, I see the vision we once imagined taking shape before my eyes. They say home is where the heart is, and I believe...