13/25 Posts: Papercutting

So Christmas was wonderful this year, and I need to finish up all my 25 posts. I hope to finish before '10!

Here's one gift I was so excited to give: a papercutting of my parents house. I really enjoyed doing this one, the largest one yet. I can't wait to do more.

The finished product:
The house on "The Land" (we always called it that because my parents owned the land years before they built on it):

11/25 Posts: I Finally Understand Why Ellen Doesn't Like Glitter.

I might be OCD, or maybe just a perfectionist about some things, some times. I drive myself crazy. That's a whole other story.

I told myself that it would be soooo simple to just make homemade cards. That it's delightful to receive handmade cards, so maybe I should make some this year. That it would take a day or two. That I would write a nice little personal message in each one so that it doesn't seem all generic. That it would be much cheaper. I was soo wrong on all counts, but I am still happy with the way these turned out!

It all started with the discovery of this little paper punch. I could not leave Michaels without it, and knew I needed to use it to get my money's worth. Next, we needed a photo. Although I found the perfect photo of Charlie, Jeremy really wanted the photo to be of the 3 of us. The one I used was my favorite. I put the one of Charlie that I liked so much inside the card.

It seemed a little bare without the snowflakes, and I made them before I purchased the blank cards-- which of course were only sold as white. Jeremy said they needed a little something-- and that's when my mini-nightmare began. I glued and glittered 3 snowflakes on 80+ cards! Am I nuts? Maybe. But I could not send them out looking too bland-- again with the OCD/Perfectionism! They gradually became much simpler than the one above.

But, I finally understand why Ellen doesn't like glitter. I sent these cards out last week, but I can't escape glitter. We still see it, we wear it, we eat it!

******I'm halfway done with Christmas posts! I might just make it this year!

2/25 Posts: Papercuttings

Considering the fact that I'm on student loans and not working, I know I have to be a little more creative with gifts this year. I'm also really short on time, having just finished my last class last night and my practicum journals need to be finished in the next few days.

I love papercuttings, as I have written about before.... so...

I am thinking for some folks, nostalgic about their homes maybe because they are moving or have just made a new home for themselves... Papercuttings of houses seems like a relatively easy project.

I know I am not the most technical of cutters, but I think it can be a nice gift.

Here's our friends Jonathan and Lyndsey's house-- they just moved to Northern Va.

A Special Valentine

A bit of a surprise valentine for Jeremy's family....

Paper cutting links and Other Fun Stuff

It seems like almost every day I run into a new paper cutting link I want to share, so here are a few:

• -How-to video from the very talented Cindy.
• -City-scape shadowboxes
• -Many "awesome" ideas (you should check out her whole blog- super fun!)

Also, a few other links worth mentioning:

• -Heather Ross's new fabric line. You've probably seen her gnome fabric, but I randomly discovered a preview of her next line, due in May. Love, love, love the mermaids!

• -Bayberry Cove. Truly adorable stuff from talented crafters.
• -The Chic Life. A new fun blog I've been reading-- stop by and say hello!
• -Cutest pillow-ever. Don't know how I found this, but it's got me thinking!
• -Montessori By Hand patterns. I really love the apron!
• -Denyse Schmidt's new quilt pattern. Jeremy got it for me for my birthday-- love it.
• -Dream Products. Finally found tea towels for embroidery that don't cost an arm and leg.

C'est fini!

All About Papercuttings

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I'm considering (or perhaps it's just a fantasy of mine) making lots of valentines out of papercuttings-- much like the one above I'm currently doing (pattern found at Ellen Brown's site). I've been interested in them since 2 summers ago when, at our community festival, I met a woman who did Scherenschnitte. I picked up a few more when I saw her again this past summer. I've attempted a few now, using just a Xacta knife, but I'm excited to recieve one of my birthday presents-- some of the special scissors! It doesn't take long to get hooked, especially once you see the great variety of designs-- from the Germans to the Mexicans to the Polish folks-- there's something for everyone.

I've noticed a few other bloggers interested in doing it as well, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite books and links.

Great Papercutting Sites:

• Papercuttings by Alison- she's got so many fantastic designs for wonderful prices. My first 3 papercutting designs were purchased here: this, this, and that! Love these, too.
• Ellen Brown- she has a huge number of patterns that she's generously posted; I'd like to do them all!
• Cindy's Scherenschnitte- a blogger! Her designs are fresh and fun.
• Wycinanki by Susan L. Throckmorton- go here for inspiration. I'm not sure mine will ever be this good!
• Barbara Buckingham- Just by chance I recently found her work-- and look, it's all of Lexington! (Which reminds me--I've got 3 gate papercuttings like these from Charleston, SC!)
• Pamela Dalton- Fantastic work; I believe she had an article a few years ago in Country Living.

My Favorite Papercutting books:

• The Amazing Paper Cuttings of Hans Christian Andersen- really fun.
• Scherenschnitte: Designs and Techniques for the Traditional Craft of Papercutting- beautiful designs, but not for the beginner!