fairy tale scherenschnitte

As you may have noticed, I'm a devoted fan of the art of paper-cutting. I'm just a beginner myself, but I do enjoy trying out little projects here and there with my trusty knife.

For the fairy tale scherenschnitte swap I hosted recently, my partner mentioned her love of period films and dolls in her profile. This spoke of a certain sense of romance and whimsy to me, so I thought she might like the Cinderella image I came across.  I decided to do a simplified version of an Arthur Rackham silhouette from the early 1900s, cut out from textured white paper and mounted onto pink card stock. I had to add a couple little dabs of additional glue after I took this photo, but overall I think it turned out pretty well (though perhaps could use more added detail in the interior space?) and it's now on its way to my partner in Malaysia. It looks like Cinderella and her prince are having a grand old time at the ball, doesn't it?

I have to apologize for my absence lately, too. I've been a little distracted between lots of good books to read and a little project that I'm launching soon, but I do have photos saved up to share that will hopefully get posted without too much delay.

nightingale paper cutting

Recently I hosted an Adopt a Book Pet swap, in which participants were invited to make an animal from a children's book, along with adoption papers. The swap was of course inspired by the Adopt a Monster Plush swap from awhile back.

I haven't finished my own outgoing pet yet, but I've already received a nightingale paper cutting from my partner Sarah, aka Lavender Lizard. I love scherenschnitte and I love The Nightingale, so this was just perfect!

As it happens, I also just posted a Fairy Tale Paper Cutting swap over in our Once Upon a Time group, so this was really serendipitous timing. Great minds think alike and all that! Apparently Sarah is writing a grant based on Hans Christian Andersen's paper cutting, so she has this stuff on the brain, too. Knowing that I really like narwhals, she also sent me a narwhal ATC that she made from stamps she carved herself. I quite like the expression on his face, as well as the swirly blue ocean in which he's immersed.

thomas keller, thumbelina necklace

Trading handmade can be wonderful, but sometimes you can just trade away stuff you don't want for stuff you do. Paperfarm and I set up a swap recently in which I sent her a couple of things I already had in exchange for a couple of items I was interested in. 

I'd been salivating after Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home so she sent me a copy from my Amazon wish list. I'm so excited over this book, and I can't wait to try his recipe for lemon-brined chicken. It sounds amazing!

My partner also makes jewelry, so she made me a Thumbelina necklace for me using a tiny fairy charm, a thimble, and some little silver spoons. Isn't it cunning? I also like the silvery moon shining above. 

All in all a most satisfactory exchange!

another red riding hood

Received from littlez in the Netherlands yesterday:  another Little Red Riding Hood from the fairy tale ornament swap! Apparently this is a popular theme here on the blog this week. This ornament is also sewn of wool felt, made with beautiful stitching and beadwork. I really like the child-like curiosity of this piece, and it's always interesting to see how different people interpret the same theme.

My partner also sent along a couple of cards she designed, based on a couple of European fairy tales I hadn't read: Soljev and the Dragon and Brother and Sister. Again, one of the pleasures of swapping in a group like ours is finding new things to read. The packet she sent was also covered in cool Dutch stamps as well--very colorful and fun.

red riding hood cards

Received from a tag game this week: two Little Red Riding Hood cards, hand-drawn by hollycm6. Holly makes a lot of really cool journaletters and stationery that she sells in her Etsy shop (she was also the one who sent me that amazing manatee postcard a few months ago), and I really like the dark, dark woods and lonely cloaked figure depicted here. I also like the drawing she did on the front of the envelope with the wolf peeking out from behind the tree. I'd never heard of the term zentangle before Swap-Bot, but many people seem to enjoy this technique and it's quite beautiful when it's well done.

Holly also stamped the inside flap of the card with a Postcard stamp, so that it may see a second life by turning into a postcard by the recipient! So cool. I'm glad she sent me two, because I'm not sure I'd give this away otherwise.

red riding hood ornament

Last year, I made a lot ornaments as gifts. I'd hoped to participate in some Christmas ornament swaps this year, but many of the ones I saw I was sort of leery about joining or the timing just wasn't quite right. I did join one swap from another blog, though, and I hosted one on Swap-Bot as well, in which you were to make a lovely fairy tale ornament for your partner.

Though the swap was sender's choice, I always try to tailor to my partner's tastes if I can, so I was pleased to see that one of weeatcrayons' favorite stories was Little Red Riding Hood. There's something about that story about a girl walking in the lonely woods and danger in disguise that's always been so appealing to me--and of course, the drama of the scarlet cloak can't be beaten!

I decided to sew a little Red Riding Hood out of wool felt, and used a vintage button and lace to accessorize. I cut everything freehand (I know it would be so much easier if I spent time on a pattern first, but sometimes I just think more intuitively with scissors) so it took a little while to figure out how to make the cloak nice and flowing, but I think it turned out all right. I had plans to weave the little basket with fabric strips as well, but working on that small a scale it was impossible, so I just created some detail work with embroidery instead. The little flowers inside her basket are also vintage, acquired from Dozing Dormouse's Etsy sale a few months back. I just clipped the flowers down and made a tiny bouquet with floral tape. Everything was hand-stitched, which took longer, but when things are this small I think it's just easier.

I thought it'd also be fun to make a second companion ornament, so I used shrink film and a vintage illustration to make another storybook page. I glued silvery tinsel around the edges (my first time using E-6000--it's kind of evil, no?) and tied a pretty ribbon at the top. I quite like the way the sun looks shining through it, so I think it should look pretty good on a lit tree as well. Hooray--the first ornaments of the season are complete!

rose tree bookmarks + download

There are a few different versions of "The Rose Tree "fairy tale, but I think the one by Flora Steel is definitely the most beautiful. I read this version for the first time recently when a member of our Once Upon a Time group chose this tale as the focus for a "winner takes all" tag game we play, in which everyone who participates must send something related to the winner's chosen tale.

The imagery of the language in the Steel version is very beautiful, and although it's a dark story it's quite lovely as well. I made a set of bookmarks for the winner using vintage illustrations and quotes from the story, and attached dusky rose lace ribbon after laminating them.

If you'd like a set of your own, feel free to download the Rose Tree bookmarks here. (For personal, not commercial use, of course.) It's really a pleasure to make things for someone and have the results turn out to be something you can easily reproduce for yourself, too!

fairy tale sewing kit

I sent a second present to Candy as part of a separate fairy tale exchange, in which participants were supposed to serve as a Lost and Found service and return an item to their partner that might have belonged to a fairy tale character.

Another favorite fairy tale of mine is The Wild Swans, in which a young princess is tasked with the job of knitting shirts in order to break the spell that has turned  her six brothers into swans. The shirts were made of sharp nettles that cut her hands as she made them, and because she becomes mute as part of the bargain, she cannot defend herself against the charges laid against her by her scheming mother-in-law. This particular story stuck with me because, although it does have a happy ending, it seemed fraught with trials and tribulations, and the poor princess had to sacrifice quite a lot in order to save her brothers and to save herself.

For this swap, I thought it would be interesting to create a little sewing kit that the princess might have used for the finishing work on these shirts. I first created six little swan pins to represent the brothers, using Shrinky Dink film and a vintage swan illustration. I roughly followed this tutorial from Wee Wonderfuls to create the pins, although I used a heating tool on the pins instead of baking them in the oven. This was the first time I'd used shrink film since I was little, and it was great fun and so easy to do!

Next, I cut a pattern free-hand and sewed a wool felt pincushion, incorporating a swan image as well as nettles and leaves around the edges. The pink and pale green felt was hand-dyed, and embroidered with floss. Lastly, I enclosed a pair of golden scissors with a bird on the handle, along with a letter written to the rightful owner from the Lost & Found delivery service.

The best thing about this is that Candy actually does a lot of sewing herself, so the sewing kit was both appropriate for the princess, as well as appropriate for my partner! This was a really fun swap to create, and I'm really glad I had a chance to do it.

old-fashioned calling cards

I've always rather liked the idea of calling cards. I thought it would be fun to design some for an imaginary character, so I created a Design a Calling Card swap for our fairy tale group. My partner Candy is an enormously talented artist, so it was great fun to plan this for her (along with another swap I'll share later).

One of my favorite fairy tales is The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen, and I thought it would be neat to make a set of cards for the Emperor. I found an old illustration of a nightingale I liked by J.F. Naumann and printed it out along with a quote onto textured card stock. The cards were still rather flimsy, so I spray mounted them onto another sheet of card stock before I cut them up, which worked really nicely. I liked the weightiness of the card, which felt appropriately formal and elegant.

I thought these would also make really pretty tags, so I printed out a few extra ones without the text and put them into a tiny envelope along with a letter from the Emperor, written to the young maiden who first found the nightingale for him.

As luck would have it, I was also able to find a nice hardback copy of the book on sale at a library bookshop, so I wrapped everything up in gold tissue paper tied with red ribbon--which is rather befitting a royal gift!

fairy bookmarks, windy poem

I've always loved Australian artist Ida Rentoul Outhwaite's beautiful storybook illustrations, but it can be very difficult and expensive to find any of her vintage books or prints. So for a woodland-themed exchange I'm participating in, I thought I'd make a pretty set of fairy bookmarks paired with quotes about reading.

I printed the bookmarks and laminated them, but then thought that mounting them onto another piece of grey cardstock would be even better. So I stitched them up and they're on their way to Singapore at this very moment, which means they're traveling somewhere I've never even been. Lucky bookmarks!

I actually made four bookmarks (although the exchange only called for one), but one of the quotes was very short and I didn't like the way they appeared on the page once it was printed out. So they were ruthlessly cut and promptly turned into little gift tags, to which I've attached pink velvet ribbon; they'll be very nice for an upcoming gift I'll be wrapping up this weekend. I quite like the way they all turned out.

Also in the mail yesterday: a "discover a new poet" packet I made for Laura in Massachusetts.  Whenever it's windy, my husband will sometimes recite a poem to me called "Who Has Seen the Wind?" by Christina Rossetti, which is a poem his mother used to read to him as a child.

I decided to put together a little booklet of several of Christina's poems to send, which I paired with images of artwork by her brother, the artist Dante Rossetti. I like the vivid imagery in her poetry, as well as the melancholy that seems to run through all of it.

Who Has Seen the Wind?
by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

If you'd like a copy of the poetry booklet I made, you can download a copy for yourself here and here. Enjoy!

I have to say, I really like having quick, focused projects to work on for Swap-Bot. It's almost like being in a writing group--the accountability forces you into action! But since I don't want you to think I'm completely insane, I won't share the paper Christmas envelope I also sent out today. At least, not yet.

scherenschnitte: the art of papercutting

The art of scherenschnitte, or "scissor cutting," has been around for hundreds of years. Artisans in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East have produced beautiful works of art for centuries armed with nothing more than a leaf of paper and a pair of scissors or knife. 

I first read about the art of papercutting a few years ago, and went so far as to contact a few artists with the intention to write a story on the art for a website I used to edit. The story didn't end up happening since I left as an editor last year, but since this art form has popped up as a trending topic in the crafting community recently, I thought I'd share some of the resources I gathered at the time. I spoke with several artists about their work in papercutting, and I've featured three of my favorites below.

The delightful Elsa Mora is well-known in the scherenschnitte circles for her delicate, intricate designs. I love the intelligence and thought that is behind each of her pieces, as well as the minute, feathery details and suggestion of movement in each one. This California-based artist's wonderful blog The Heart of Papercutting is full of generous links and resources for anyone who might want to try out papercutting for themselves, and it was her work that inspired me to try my hand at it. 

I attempted to cut two of the storybook children she designed (as pictured above) with a craft knife and self-healing mat, and surprised myself by finishing within a matter of hours with each one. Though my Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan have sadly slightly misshapen hands and are a bit rough in spots here and there, I think they turned out pretty well for a first attempt, and it was a really satisfying project to try. I finally got around to mounting the two children this week, and put them in wooden frames that I painted a slightly pearlescent grey.

Along with prints of her work, Elsita now also carries simple patterns in her Etsy shop for beginner papercutting enthusiasts, which is a much easier way to learn this beautiful craft than the way I went about it. She also offers her original papercuts for sale through Three Graces Gallery, and the complexity and subtle mystery in her work is truly unforgettable.

Su Blackwell is another scherenschnitte artist whose ethereal artwork makes me catch my breath. This UK-based artist creates dreamy three dimensional works, as with While You Were Sleeping above, and specializes in artwork cut from vintage books. Her 12 Dancing Princesses is just one of her many pieces inspired by fairy tales, although she also does fantastic commercial work for magazines and retailers as well.

Su alerted me last year that her artwork would be included in a Slash: Under the Knife, a group exhibition at Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and I popped in to see it last fall when I was visiting friends. The exhibit was really wonderful (even if I blanched at the admission price to the museum...oh, New York!) and I was glad to see some of Su's work in person. The exhibit just closed this spring, but you can view more of her work on her website or on her blog.

Cindy Ferguson is a graphic designer and artist who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. She says, "I have always loved drawing. When I went to Europe a few years ago, I visited my grandparent's farm in Germany. In their sitting room, there was an old scherenschnitt on the wall. It was so intricate and beautiful. I thought I would like to try my hand at the art and have become quite obsessed with it."

Cindy's Scherenschnitte blog is updated frequently with updates on her most recent projects, as well as with tutorials and free templates to download. Cindy also accepts commissions for custom silhouettes and artwork through her cindymindypindy Etsy site. My very favorite of her creations happens to be her custom piece for a man who wanted a papercut for his wife, whose favorite film is Pride and Prejudice. It features the moving quote featured in a pivotal point, "It taught me to hope," said he, "as I had scarcely ever allowed myself to hope before." I can't even imagine the amount of discipline and fine motor control that Cindy had to use in order to carve out the lovely text. I love all the details in this papercut, from the stripes in the Elizabeth's skirt to the hands in motion to the perfect frame provided by the trees.

Please do visit all three artists online for papercutting inspiration and beauty--the patience and artistry required for each complex work of art is incredible..and perhaps you'll even be inspired to try out this beautiful craft on your own. Photographs courtesy of  the individual artists.

As I was editing this post, I realized that all three of the artisans featured have created artwork centered around books and fairy tales--no wonder I was drawn to them! (Incidentally, Hans Christian Andersen was also very well known for traveling around and telling stories to children while snipping away with scissors to create instant papercuts while he was spinning tales. The book The Amazing Papercuts of Hans Christian Andersen features many of his papercuts, and if you're a fan of his writing, it's nice to learn more about this lesser-known talent.) Two things I really love, books and craft, come together in perfect harmony.