Paper Cut

Exactly sixteen years ago today, I did the first of the three most amazing things in my life; I gave birth to my daughter.  That perfect bundle has filled my life with love,  fun, beauty and friendship every single day since and has become an incredible young woman and the person I most admire and would love to be like.  Happy Birthday Pea.

I feel I should point out that she wasn't actually born with fake antlers on her head.  They are a recent addition.

I have recently discovered paper cutting, thanks to the gorgeous Homemaker magazine.  As a child I was fascinated by paper and spent hours engrossed in cutting, drawing and making things with it.  It spilt over into a life long passion for books and reading but over the years got pushed away as babies and life took over.  I sense a long overdue rekindling of the paper-love and I think paper cutting will be my new-found passion.  At least until I make a hash of it and wished I'd never set eyes on it.

Yesterday, while Pea was in Llandudno cinema watching The Hobbit and the boys were quietly employed in doing boy things, I spent a relaxing hour drawing some simple designs that I hope will lend themselves well to being cut.

It can be a bit tricky to know where to start.  I found the best way for me was to just draw a design or pattern and then concentrate on the negative space as this is the bit that will be cut away, leaving the design behind.  I also tried to make sure that it was all connected, otherwise bits of it will end up on the floor, which would be a tad annoying.  As I said, these are basic to say the least.  If you search 'paper cutting' on Google images, be prepared to scrape your jaw off the floor.

Hopefully, in time, mine will be a bit more like this beauty by Emma Daniels.

H2 has been very busy making Christmas dinner in miniature.  He is a sculptor in the making, I think.  He as the ability to look at a piece of card, a twig, an empty milk bottle; see what is hidden inside and then help it emerge.

He made these from a roll of brown paper, scraps of coloured paper and copious amounts of sticky tape.  Jolly good, I say.

I will keep you posted with the paper cutting thing and let you see any disasters and successes as they unfold.  I am really excited about using a different medium to fabric for a change, and the more craft skills I can learn, the happier I will be.  Tomorrow marks the start of the cookie and chocolate making week in my kitchen.  I made some chocolate covered marzipan hearts on Friday.  They were gorgeous.  I would show you what they looked like, but we ate them all, so I can't.

Please feel free to leave a comment, and let me know what you're making at the moment.  Have a lovely evening and thank you for reading. xxx