Just a little something.

These two showed up on my desk today.

Spring is coming!

Free Paper Cut Template!

I dunno about the rest of you, but birthday season is coming up for me.  

Which also means: It's card-making time!

As you may recall, a few months back I decided to dabble in paper cutting.

After a brief hiatus, I am back at work with blade in hand!

Today I thought I'd share this cute template with you so you can give it a whirl for yourself.

Once finished, the paper cut may be adhered to the front of a blank card.  And voilà!  Handmade sweetness sure to brighten someone's special day.

New Inspiration

I've mentioned before how I love poking around antique shops for inspiration.  Well, over the weekend I got a big dose from these whimsical German papercuttings I spied hanging in the stairway of a cute little store in Purcellville:

I love the intricacy and symmetry of these designs.  It feels like a whole world in there!

Always eager to experiment with new artistic mediums, I decided to try my hand.

I didn't have the best materials - just a standard (not very dextrous) blade and some inexpensive colored construction paper.  But for a couple of cute and original Christmas Cards, they got the job done!

However, after a considerable period of time browsing Pinetrest and taking in some of the breathtaking work being featured at All About Papercutting, my eyes were opened to all that papercutting can be.  So I decided to invest in some better tools.

I picked up a fine-tipped razor blade and green rubber cutting mat, and harvested some paint swatches from my local hardware store.

I'll be experimenting today.  We'll see what develops :-)