Winter Wonderland

Today I went to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum to prepare for my upcoming art show there. Dana and I spent the whole day preparing the gallery.


When it was lunch time, we decided to try out the Bruges Waffle's & Frites place that I had heard about. Dana got one of the waffles and shared it with me and let me tell you, if I could bury my face in one of those waffles every Saturday for the rest of my life, I would be so happy. We each got a medium fry and their medium fry is NOT like McDonald's medium fry. We should have shared.

Then it was back to work! This is Dana. She is the one who is responsible for this whole event. I was having my show at the Masonic Temple and she came up to me and asked me if I would be willing to do one at the children's museum. I thought she would maybe call me a few months later, but no, she called right away and now here we are. One of the walls was a 90s yellow color and here she is painting it blue.


Kim! Kim came by after her date (I'm not going to tell you about it) and we put her to work. Here she is denuding the branches. We're going to spray paint these white and hang them from the rafters.


Here's a long view of the gallery. I'm kinda nervous about the whole thing.


Here's one set of windows. It's hard to see what it looks like because of the sparkly lights on the trees in the background.


This one is easier to see. This is the doorway to get into the place. The trees look better from the outside in the daytime and better from the inside during the nighttime.


The window beside the elevator. It was the last one and I had lost all my desire to paint another tree and then I got a second wind and got 'er done.


The window with the squirrel.


The first window on the left. There were 6 of these size windows and one door.


A good day's work. I hope that everyone can come to this show. It's going to be super fun. It opens to the public at Gallery Stroll on the 19th of February. There will be a kid's room where they can cut out their very own scherenschnitte. It should be very kid friendly. More information to come!

No Excuse

Ugh! I'm so sorry that I haven't posted anything lately. The holidays were crazy and life in general was just plain crazy. Things are calming down now. They're also not calming down. I have a gallery show coming up in February that I'm crazily getting ready for (more info to come). I promise I will be better though!

Also, if you live in the Salt Lake area and have always wanted to learn Letterpress Printing, my friend Eva is teaching a class. It's a great price and a fun lesson to learn and I would suggest if you have the time to take advantage of this opportunity!

Sycamore Street Press :: Introduction to Letterpress :: Valentine's Class


I am hoping to be able to take the class! If I can't this one then definitely next one!

Template Tuesday - Utah

So, the audience scope for this one is kind of narrow, but it was one I felt like doing. Last week I went to Oregon and Washington for work. While in Oregon, I saw all sorts of bumper stickers that had the shape of Oregon with a little heart symbol in the middle. I thought, "I don't think we have anything like that that is really prevalent in Utah." We're kind of like the girl with the low self-esteem that goes around saying, "I'm fat..." until everyone starts to believe her. I've heard, countless times, and have even been guilty of it myself, the question, "Why Utah?" when asking someone why they moved here. So, that trip, I decided to change my attitude. I like it here. I bought a house here. I have a dog here. I have great friends here. My neighbors left me a care package for Halloween. I can go hiking here and the streets are wide enough for my carriage to turn around on. So, here's to Utah, the 45th state.

Here's what the template will look like. However you create it, make sure that the tall part of the state is on the left hand side when it's finished.
Download your free papercutting template of Utah Love.

Here is some of the reasoning for my images:
State Bird: California Gull
State Flower: Sego Lily
State Insect: Honeybee

I have the gull eating a Mormon Cricket. My friend Kim in an entomologist and I helped her stuff some of those Mormon Crickets for pinning. They are huge! For those of you who don't know the story, and it's a good one, check out Miracle of the Gulls.

Teaching!

I keep forgetting to talk about this, but I'm very excited to teach a class on Friday! I'm going to be one of the teachers at The ART Weekend. If you live in the Salt Lake area (or even if you don't) come and join us for a weekend of the arts. This little scene from the Frog Prince is what I will be teaching people how to make (quite timely if I do say so myself):


My class is on Friday from 4:00-5:50. I think one class costs about $45 and the more classes you take, the greater the discount. The class is located at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel on 122 W South Temple. Hope to see you there!

Template Tuesday - Halloween Witch

My Halloween templates all seem to be on their way somewhere. This witch, maybe she's going to a party? I love it when I see cats on leashes. They never seem to really enjoy it.

Here's what the template will look like:

Please download your free papercutting template here: Halloween Witch

The Silence

This one was my favorite piece of the whole show.

The Saint

I have always loved deer. Growing up in Las Vegas, I heard that Wayne Newton had a deer in his backyard (he also had penguins and raised beautiful Arabians). In my head, that made Wayne Newton the coolest person in the world. It still kind of does.

The Pirate

The Gardener

I have a fondness for all of the pieces I came up with for this show, but I really enjoy that she is growing birds in her garden.

Template Tuesday - Halloween Werewolf

This werewolf is so excited for trick-or-treating. He brought his pet raven along with him.

I still haven't gotten around to making the template for the 3d spider, but I will! Hopefully before Halloween! So here's a papercut that's a little bit more on the easy side. The thin lines of the pumpkin handle and the leash might be a little tricky. Just remember to cut from left to right so that you can see where you're cutting (unless you're left-handed). Also, make sure you have a fresh blade if you're using a craft knife.

Here's what the template will look like:
Download your free template here: Halloween Werewolf

The Diviner

Here's one of my pieces for the Festival last Saturday. This one I called, "The Diviner" but I don't know if that guy is really a diviner. I don't know if that guy is even really a guy. When I drew him, I was thinking of him as a guy but everyone I've shown it to thinks that it's a woman. I guess I just drew a pretty decent shim.

I have five that are similar to this. They are all pretty small - the green part measures 4.75" square. So teeny!

Anyway, thanks to all who came to the show. It was nice to meet those of you who I hadn't met before!

UTLFA

Here's a little hint of this weekend's show at the Utah Local Festival of the Arts (see below for more information).

Template Tuesday - Halloween Spider Attack!

Don't you just hate getting attacked by a giant spider?

Okay, guys, I don't have time to make the template for this because I have an art show on Saturday, but I will post it shortly thereafter.

BUT...if you want to learn how to make this papercut, I will be doing a demo at this art show if you're in the general vicinity.


Website: http://www.utlfa.org/
Tickets: $4/Adults Advanced, $5/Adults at the Door, $3/Students Advanced, $4/Students at the Door, $2/Seniors Advanced, $3/Seniors at the Door
Dates: Saturday, October 10,
Times: 5-11pm
Location: Salt Lake Masonic Temple
650 East South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84102

It's at this place, which, to tell you the truth, I'm pretty excited about.

I don't know how chaotic everything will be, but I'll try to do a demo around 7pm and 9pm. I'll just show you how I make it and then you can take the template home and try it for yourself. It needs to be done on something at least as thick as regular scrapbooking paper.

Template Tuesday - Beetle Birthday

This one is for my friend Kim. It's her birthday today. She's an entomologist and so, while probably overused and she's probably tired of getting bug things, the theme still works. Here is one dung beetle giving another dung beetle a birthday present.

Happy Birthday, Kim!

Here's what the template will look like. Remember, do not cut on the parts that fold.


Download your free template here: Happy Birthday Beetles

Template Tuesday - Fall Equinox

Today is the first official day of Fall and it's not being shy about it. Last night I went to a little gathering at a park and it was downright chilly. I guess I'm going to have to start wearing socks again. I did buy a couple sweaters at the mall this weekend, so I'm pretty excited for that. I did a simple papercut today because I've been doing a lot of more tricky ones lately and I just need to tone it down. I'm getting out of control. Here's a mirror image cut. These are so fun to do because you do half the work and get a really pretty end result.

Here's what the template will look like. Remember, fold your paper and put the dotted line on the fold. Then cut out the inside bits first and then the outer lines. Careful not to cut the hinging parts on the dotted line.

Download your free scherenschnitte template here: Fall Equinox.

Minneapolis

I'm at the Mall of America for Scrapfest this weekend (I work as a product designer for Making Memories). If anyone is in the area and swings by, come say "hi!"

Will You?

My friend Joe proposed to his wife on the catwalk of this building. It was his anniversary just a little while ago and he commissioned me to make a papercut of it. It took me forever because I was moving and I finally finished it this week. Do any of you know which building this is?

Template Tuesday - I Had The Time Of My Life

In honor of one of my childhood favorites, here's a little bouquet of flowers for Patrick Swayze. He just seemed like he was a really nice guy.

Here's what the template will look like:
Click here download your free papercutting template: I Had The Time Of My Life.

Sorry about the sparseness of posts lately. Filling holes in hardwood floors and finding my way through boxes takes time. I think it will get better soon, I hope!

Template Tuesday - End of Summer Bike Ride

My co-worker, Audre, has always been a fan of papercuts. When I gave the previous scherenschnitte to my other co-worker who just had a baby, she was a little miffed. I told her I'd do the next one for her and asked her what she wanted. She said a mountain scene and then I completely went and disregarded what she said. She has this little demon dog, Looey, who only loves her. She also loves to ride her bike and has a basket to go with it. So I thought I'd combine the two. The nights are getting a little chilly again and the scent of Fall is in the air. There probably won't be too many more bike rides left in the year for us working girls. Here's a little papercut to remember the days.

Here's what the pattern will look like. Remember to cut out the inside parts first. Also, remember that whatever way you cut something out on the back, the image will be reversed on the front.
Here's your free papercutting template: End of Summer Bike Ride

Also, a big THANK YOU to One Pretty Thing, Craft: and How About Orange for featuring Scherenschnitte on their blogs! I'm gonna have to send you guys some papercuts too!

Template Tuesday - Mushroom Bunny

I just moved into a new house and everything is so overwhelming so I'm trying to ignore the chaos and put some normality back into my life. I figured I'd do that by starting up exercising again. This silhouette was going to get pushed aside but I decided to take advantage of my new porch and the moonlight and the giant floodlights the old lady had put up who previously lived there and sketch a little something. I'm researching mushrooms for a different project I'm doing and thought I'd try out a little scene with that theme.

Here's what the template will look like. Remember to cut out the gray areas first and then the outlined area in the back.

Download your free scherenschnitte template here: Mushroom Bunny

I cut this out at work and am using a different mat than I normally would use. This one doesn't suit me. If you are trying to use a craft knife to cut out your papercuts and it tears all the time, maybe try getting a different mat. It'll make a big difference.