When Carrie Levesque was a little girl in New Hampshire, the family cut snowflakes out of paper for the holidays.
Now, as a 41-year-old woman, Levesque is still cutting snowflakes. But she makes them with intention. Her intricate designs are fun and beautiful, ranging in subjects from the city to flowers and even, ahem, penises (those were done by request).
She's been making snowflakes her whole life, but really got into it when she was trying to channel winter on a hot summer day in Tucson.
"I just started doing it in the summer when I was locked in the house in the air conditioning in the summer," Levesque said. "I don't watch TV. I read and try intentionally to get art into my life. And you can do it anywhere. You don't need much, just scissors and paper, any kind of paper."
Snowflake created by Carrie Levesque
Levesque can often be seen at coffee shops around the holidays with her paper and scissors. She brings enough and encourages others to create with her.
"It's meditative," she said. "You get the benefit of doing art."
Creating the wintery wonders has also given Levesque a dream to reach for.
"My big goal in life would be to have my snowflakes on the women's Olympics snowboarding pants," Levesque said.
She wants to call her line "You are Unique."
"We're all like snowflakes. We're folded different, cut different. People are different sizes, different positive and negative spaces and we all fade away eventually like snowflakes," Levesque said.
Carrie came to the #ThisIsTucson office to show us how she creates her gorgeous snowflakes. Watch the video below:
Workshops
Levesque is hosting three free workshops in December. Go learn how to cut snowflakes for your winter decor.
Dec. 3: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Exo's SAW, 403 W. Sixth Ave.
Join Carrie Levesque for a free snowflake workshop.
Dec. 10: 9 a.m. to noon at Cartel, 210 E. Broadway
Remember making snowflakes as a kid?
Dec. 17: 9 a.m. to noon at Johnny Gibson's patio, 11 S. Sixth Ave.
Be a kid again. Create snowflakes.
