08/18/26
by Victoria Ritter
Since she was young, Zahra Ammar has been tuned into her creative side. Even as she earned a degree in finance and taught AP English and math for a decade, Ammar kept up hobbies including weaving, bracelet making and clay sculpting.
Twenty years ago, Ammar’s sister-in-law introduced her to paper quilling, the practice of taking thin strips of colorful paper and rolling them into intricate designs. Upon receiving a quilling tool as a gift, Ammar sat down with her sister-in-law and created her first piece: a butterfly.
“I was completely hooked,” Ammar said. “Then I created my own tools. Back then when I started doing this, there were barely any tools, materials or information online. Quilling was pretty unknown, although it is a very old craft.”
Like that initial butterfly, Ammar’s passion for paper quilling has evolved into a new adventure. Today, Ammar and her business partner Tasneem Kapadia operate My Creative Camp which seeks to make paper quilling accessible for everyone.
The dedication shows in the details
About a decade after she was first introduced to paper quilling, Ammar left her teaching career and became a full-time artist. But she did not stop exploring. Paper quilling led her to try other paper art forms including origami, kirigami (paper cutting) and modular origami (folding and gluing paper).
“Every year I take up a different skill, and then I do more experimentations with paper as well,” Ammar said. “From the scraps that I have, I’ll create fresh pieces of paper, reconstitute them. I’ll make collages and do different experimentations.”
Ammar takes inspiration from fellow paper quillers including Ann Martin, author of the “All Things Paper” blog; Sena Runa; and Yulia Brodskaya. Ammar considers herself to be “both a conventional and a nonconventional artist,” as she introduces modern tech into her art and has developed her own techniques.
Of all her artwork, Ammar is most ardent about her floral pieces. She draws inspiration from grocery store bouquets, her garden where she grows 35 roses, and trips with her husband. “He is actually a better photographer, so he’ll take photos for me,” Ammar said.
Before starting on a project, Ammar will make a sketch in Procreate and enlarge it to the size she wants; she typically doesn’t go any larger than 48 by 48 inches, but has been commissioned to create larger works. When working with an art consultant, Ammar will send over a color palette and examples of her work to give an idea of what the end piece will look like. She then gets to work cutting strips of archival, acid-free paper and transfers the sketch onto a board. From there, Ammar lets the process take over.
“Sometimes things go as planned, but I let everything be very fluid,” she explained, adding that the best pieces take on a life of their own. “I’ve learned that the more fluid the process is, sometimes the artwork is trying to make itself. I believe that in that process I’m the creator, but also a device for it to come into existence.”
Ammar is not afraid to experiment with techniques and designs. If something doesn’t work out the way she wants, she’ll remove the paper and try again. An average project takes a month or two to complete.
People can not only see Ammar’s work on her website, zahraammar.com, and Instagram page @zahraammarart, but also in gallery exhibitions, hospitals and offices. She finished a project in January for UT Health of San Antonio, a 4- by 5-foot piece depicting a bouquet of flowers including wildflowers and iconic flowers in the San Antonio region. Other works hang in Boston Children’s Hospital, seven of Kaiser Permanente’s sites and Children’s Hospital of Orange County. “I really like doing these projects because you have your art in a public space where a lot of people can see them and I’ve got really good feedback for that,” Ammar stated.
Ammar’s favorite part of being an artist is playing with the materials and creating pieces that resonate with viewers. Those who have seen her work have shared stories about how they’ve instilled inspiration and joy. Taking her mental vision and putting it out into the world in a unique way is especially meaningful for Ammar.
“Paper, for me, is a much more dear medium than anything else,” she said. “Being able to work with paper has been the most fulfilling part.”
The beginning of a beautiful friendship
Six years ago, Ammar’s passion for sharing art opened a door to a new venture. One night she hosted a paint class that Kapadia and a friend attended. After the evening was over, Tasneem was encouraged to look up Ammar on Instagram.
“I was just blown away by what she was doing as a paper artist,” Kapadia stated. “I’ve always appreciated art. I like beautiful things. I’m not creative myself or an artist, but I’ve always appreciated good pieces of art.” She reached out to Ammar with a proposal to make kits that could help others start their own journey in paper quilling. It was a perfect match.
They began development virtually in 2020, Ammar working from Sacramento and Kapadia working in San Jose; they didn’t officially meet in-person until six months after launching My Creative Camp. “It actually worked out because a lot of people were trying to find things to do and have unique activities to engage in,” Ammar recalled.
The first product to launch was the Beginner’s Quilling Kit, which included all materials, tools and instructions – both paper and video tutorials – for learning techniques and designs. Once a person learns the 12 basic shapes and designs structured around those shapes, they are equipped to create their own designs. “Our whole goal was to make high quality products with a teaching mindset,” Kapadia said. “We want you to learn a craft that you can continue with, not just have a one-time experience.”
“Paper quilling is very intuitive,” Ammar added. “It’s really easy. At the end of the day, it’s paper. Even if you mess it up, it’s okay. So, people’s inhibitions go down.”
Spiraling towards success
My Creative Camp now has 19 SKUs, all geared for ages 8 and up. There are box kits with larger pieces, one-project kits and tools/supplies. Ammar designs all of the kits, providing unique designs. She will start by creating a piece without any restrictions. Later, she’ll recreate it with user friendliness in mind. She and Kapadia will test the project with others before sampling and packaging the product.
“It’s a very lengthy process for us to come out with a kit because we want to make it as simple and user-friendly as possible,” Kapadia said. “At the same time, we want it to be something they’ve never seen before.”
My Creative Camp releases two to three new kits a year on average. A couple projects scheduled to launch this fall include a terrarium complete with 3D paper quilling with mushrooms and flowers as well as a Christmas ornament kit.
The company exhibits at holiday markets in the Houston area as well as Creativation by NAMTA, ASD Market Week in Las Vegas and ECRM. There are plans to exhibit at Creativeworld in Germany. It distributes nationwide in large chains and independent retailers and has a presence in the U.K. and Australia; for a full list, visit mycreativecamp.com/pages/stockist.
“We had no idea when we started this company that it would end up where it is,” Kapadia said. “It was just an idea that we both had and it has since catapulted. We couldn’t be more grateful that it happened to us.”
Ammar encourages people to be creative in their own way, whether it be through paper quilling, cooking, playing an instrument, carpentry or something that isn’t artsy. “As human beings, we create,” she said. “That is our way to grow and personally develop. I feel we shouldn’t lose touch with it because it’s one of the most precious gifts that we have in this world.”
