Cutting and pasting is a normal classroom activity for young children, but Ben Busko continued beyond the classroom. At the age of 6 he decoupaged his mother’s coffee table, making it definitely one of a kind. His love of flowers and fascination with words inspired him to make decoupaged notecards with pressed flowers, herbs, and quotes. “I considered them artwork,” Ben says, “and I would sign the cards. What I was too young to know then was no one ever wants the signature of the artist to be confused with the sender of the card.” That did not deter him for long. He continued creating and soon was selling to Smith & Hawken and New York Botanical Garden catalog. But being an elementary school student, he couldn’t even cash a check. So Ben’s mother had to drive him to his business meetings and to the bank.
