{ Sneaky Peek } A Diamond Anniversary card

I was commissioned to make a paper cut card for a very special couple celebrating their Diamond Wedding Anniversary, 60 years, something to truly be celebrated.

Where to start with a commission, the awful prospect of a blank sheet of paper!

The commissioner had seen my work before and liked the idea of having two birds, a heart and leaves, so to the scribbles. 

I start with a few thumbnail sketches to get the idea fixed on paper, to try out a few of ideas, get the major components in the right places and the overall proportion and composition "right"!

At this point I tend to walk away and let the ideas circle through my sub conscious and thought for the rest of the day.  Somehow this "sets" the idea of how I should cut the piece and I can develop the design a bit further.

And then BINGO! It all clicks into place and the design flows from the pencil onto the paper.

A bit of time and patience and here it is, all cut out.

I backed the paper cut with a lovely matt gold paper which gave the card a lovely glow and I'm told the special couple were delighted with their card.

{ Sneaky Peek Thursday } Top secret project "A"

I don't want to give too much away about this super, top secret papercut, so the photo shows the design back to front and the wrong way up!

I've done a design similar to this as a commission but this one will be available as a screen print, and possibly making some other items super special and pretty!

I'm hoping to have the prints ready to launch at

The 11th Holmfirth Art Market

on the 29th/30th June so watch this space!

My June newsletter will be sent out this afternoon so if you'd like to join the mailing list, fill in the form on the right hand side.  As this is my very first newsletter there's a special offer for EVERYONE who signs up and I promise I won't spam you with endless news of what I'm having for lunch or how to lose 3 stones in a day!

Red Nose Day

A HUGE, MASSIVE thank you SO much to everyone who made a donation to Red Nose Day in exchange for one of my special edition Grow Old screen prints.  Together we managed to raise £195!! I've been blown away by every ones generosity and I only have one lonely print left!

I've been promising to have a giveaway for about six months but have never got round to it, completely rubbish I know! So.....since Red Nose Day is still a whole 11 days away (it takes place on Friday, 15th March) I thought that a raffle in aid of Red Nose Day with this beautiful papercut as the prize would be MUCH better! Hang it on your wall and enjoy it forever whilst getting a warm, fuzzy glow from knowing that your hard earned pennies are making a REAL difference to someones life.

All Will Be Well, a fantastic uplifting sentiment to remember when it seems as if the whole world is on your case.  The words are surrounded by delicate, lacy leaves, birdies, hearts and stars in a lovely deep green with a hint of teal.

To buy a ticket, hop over to my giving page http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/louisemclaren and leave a donation, there is NO minimum ticket price, just give whatever you can. 

I would love to get as many people as possible involved in raising money, so this is how YOU can help!  If you're on Facebook and share my status about the raffle I'll give you a bonus ticket (just let me know you've shared by leaving a comment as FB doesn't ALWAYS tell me!) Same goes to Twitter, just retweet any tweets about the raffle and I'll give you a bonus ticket.  Again let me know that you've done it, just in case!

Sneaky peek Thursday - LOVE papercut

I though I would share a slightly un-sneaky peek with you all! I've dug through my photos and flicked through my sketch book to share the story and scribbley sketches of the development of my LOVE papercut.

I have been mentally playing about, for a few months, with the idea of doing a paper cut with the infinity symbol and the word love and I'd done a couple of scribbles ages ago.  But I felt they weren't really "me" and had left the idea looming in my sketch book. 

While idly wasting time, ehhm I mean "researching" on Pinterest I can across a tattoo of the word love formed into an, almost, heart shape and whirr, whirr, click, click the wheels began turning again. 

Would this make a better basis for the LOVE cut?  Could I make it "me" enough?

I sometimes worry that my sketch book is like the inner working of my mind.....and when you look at this page there are at least four ideas I'm working on....at once!

Almost there, not completely convinced about the flowers and leaves on the bottom of the "heart" shape.........

A few more sketches later and BINGO! It's LOVE, it's "me"!

 Here it is, all framed up!

**********************************************************************************

I've had such an UNBELIEVABLE resoponse to this wee papercut that I'm going to give all you wonderful, fabulous, followers, likeres, fans and friends a special Valentines treat! (exciting isn't it!)

Until and including 1st Feb, I'm going to give anyone in the UK FREE postage on this papercut, just enter the coupon code UKLOVE12 on my

Etsy shop

. 

Now I KNOW lots of you fantastic lot are based overseas and I don't want you to miss out on the treat.......but (there always is isn't there?!) to post the papercut framed overseas costs a small fortune sooo I will post it to ya FREE but unframed just enter the coupon code LOVE13 on my

Etsy shop

to get a 20% discount.

This crazy life

Not really what I should have been doing today....................................................................

....................................but I couldn't resist finishing it off and sharing!

I love working on a new design and cutting it out for the first time, I'm never sure exactly how it's going to look, very pleased with this one!

Snow.......hurray.......hurrah!

This is what we woke up to on yesterday morning! It was raining when we went to bed so it was a lovely surprise when I opened the curtains!

 

This is the view from our kitchen window.  Now you can see why my work is full of wee birdies, leaves and flowers!

 

The snow just topped off a super exciting weekend for me! Ann Martin featured my work in the Fab Friday feature on her terrific blog All Things Paper and the response has been absolutely amazing! So a big hello and thank you to all you new followers who have found me!  Ann also submitted the article to CraftGawker and it's been one of the most viewed posts of the past seven days........PHENOMENAL!!!

 If you've not had a look on the site yet, go now! It's AMAZING, you will lose at least an hour of your life,....just looking at things!

I've been working on a new design this weekend for the 6x4" exhibition which takes place in Dundee next month.  The exhibition "will explore the postcard as a distinctive artistic medium in its own right".  I'm quite excited about this wee papercut and I can't wait to see the rest of the exhibition!Here's a wee sneaky peak of the sketches I've been working on........

Not giving too much away.......yet!

I'm a film star!!

Only 90 days until Christmas....apparently....I've not actually counted!

I do have Christmas card designs and a few other goodies, and they will be available....soon.  Just need to get cutting and screen printing!!

During Perthshire Open Studios I had a visit from the brilliant Genie and Phil from Ivy Cottage Industries.  They filmed me paper cutting and blethering about my designs and have made this lovely little film! My boys are sooo impressed that mummy was on the "pooter"!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A big, huge, mahoosive THANK YOU to all of you lovely people who popped into see me during Perthshire Open Studios, without you it would have been........well..... just me sitting in my studio!  It was great to meet you all and have a blether.

I am now going to have a REALLY hot bath......with a bottle of wine!

Fab Friday!

I can't believe that it's the last weekend of Open Studios already, the week seems to have flown by.

As this was the first year I've taken part I really didn't know what to expect.  How many people were going to turn up and was anyone was going to buy anything?

Grow old, original paper cut......

off to a new home.

My home, original paper cut.........

off to a new home.

Birdie, original paper cut.........

off to a new home!

My greatest expectations have been far surpassed on ALL counts!  I've had a steady stream of visitors every day, all of them have been lovely (I'd love any of them to pop in and see me......anytime!) I've had quite a few commissions and I'm delighted with what I've sold! 

Open Studios has arrived!

I've had an absolutely fantastic opening weekend to Perthshire Open Studios! It's surpassed all my expectations. I've had lots of really lovely visitors, had some interesting chats, sold some work and just generally had a fab time!  The past few weeks have been really busy, filled with lots of hard work and late nights but NOW it feels really worthwhile!  

Everyone has been really interested in how I design and then actually cut out my paper cuts and it's been fun discussing my work and where I get inspiration from.

The Open Studio event runs until the 9th September and I'm open 10-5 every day and 10-7 on Saturday, so do pop in and visit me, venue 70, green route!

Tuesdays' sneaky peek!

We were away this weekend for a well earned break on our boat, which we keep in Tarbert, Loch Fyne. The weather was good. Dry and pretty sunny all weekend........but it was a bit windy! Well, too windy to think about sailing with two wobbly small people! We just "caravan-ed it", didn't go sailing, hung out, rowed round the bay in the dingy, ate ice creams and sweeties and walked!
It's recharged my batteries after the battle to get my studio emptied and decorated and I'm raring to go!

I thought I'd show you what I'm working on at the moment and how I go about making a papercut.......

Grow old with me papercut, initial design sketch.

This is the initial design sketch for "Grow old with me", complete with a few "re-thinks"!  I draw each leaf in outline only, not showing the detail that I'll cut out, and don't show the thickness of each branch.....mainly out of laziness!   

Grow old with me, 1/3 cut out, right side. 

Here it is about 1/3 cut out, with a few more scribbles and "re-thinks"! I tend to keep revising the design right up until it's cut out, changing the position of leaves and where they connect, adding more hearts or birds......


Grow old with me, 1/3 cut out, wrong side.

This is the back of the cut.  It's much easier to see how it'll look without all my scrawls! I use white paper and draw the paper cut as it'll be seen, the right way round. Then after I've cut the whole picture out I spray paint it. Some other papercutting artists use coloured paper and draw the cut on the reverse of the paper, back to front.  

New paint delivery!

This is the range of colours that I'll use to paint the paper cuts on show for Perthshire Open Studios (note the chubby 11 month old hands desperately trying to pull the cans out of the box!)

Busy, biz, biz!

I've had a busy few weeks with a very, very full order book, which is fantastic; but as Open Studios looms closer I've decided that I'm going to close my order book at the end of July until the begining of September.  This should give me time to complete all my orders, sort out my studio and concentrate on cutting some new designs. 
........Sorting out my studio is shorthand for remove everything, give it a long overdue paint and organise it!
........Studio is shorthand for the room where I take up one corner and the rest contains a piano, various chairs, toys and other detritus!

Here's a photie of my wee corner......eeerrrr nice and tidy!

Here's a sneeky peek of a paper cut inspired by a quote from Christopher Columbus, this is the initial drawing of the design.  The next stage in the process is to have a trial cut out to see how it all works and tweek the design a bit if necessary!

To bee or not to bee!

If you're a likerer of my Facebook page you'll know about the saga of my bees swarming! Well there was a not soo happy outcome for the old queen and her devoted entourage....involving a hoover! Unfortunately I just couldn't get the queen out of the coomb space in our attic and soo after 4 days, numerous attempt at removing them, countless stings and sweary words, I had resort to the hoover and get them out.  I feel really awful about it; they all toil away selflessly producing honey.....most of which I steal from them and I repay them by splatting them in the hoover!  So I now have any extra hive which is empty!  I may get some more bees from a friend of mine so fingercrossed for a slightly happier outcome!

You'll notice, as if my magic, a gallery tab has appeared at the top of the page! It takes you to my Flickr page where I keep photies of ALL my paper cuts, I've got a whole set of Happily Ever After cuts! I've really enjoyed looking at them as a set and seeing all their differences!

In between mass murdering bees, doing the run of the mill housewifey things and a huge number (well...sort of!) of Happily Ever After cuts, I've been working on some sketches for a series of paper cuts for Perthshire Open Studios.  Photos will follow......maybe!

Hello....I'm still here...I think!

Errrrrrr, well I'm not sure what's happened to May or most of June......it seems to have flown past in a blur of birthdays, gardening and paper cutting with a few sunny days thrown in for good measure!

Fear not though, I've been busy cutting away, making happily ever after cuts and they've been winging their way to new homes far and wide, from London to Florida! I think that I'll do a photo montage of all the cuts I've done, just so I don't bore you with a huge list of photos!

This week's highlight will be J's 3rd birthday on Sunday.  It's going to be a weekend full of cake, ice cream and fizzy juice, with both sets of grandparents visiting on different days! I haven't got a clue where the last three years have gone, it just seems like yesterday we brought a tiny bundle home, I'm sure I'll still be saying that when he's 30!

I thought I'd share this new design that I've FINALLY found some time to make! It's been bobbling around in my head for months and been doodled in my sketch book for almost as long.....here is Deep in a wood, carved on a tree - a customised wedding congratulations card and it's available from Folksy and Etsy.

I am taking part in Perthshire Open Studios this year, which takes place in September and as this blog will be listed in the brochure I'm going to try double hard to post a bit more regularly! I attended a marketing workshop organised by the committee and run by Cultural Enterprise Scotland and met lots of fellow artists, it was really great to put faces and voices to people I'm in touch with on Facebook or who I know by reputation! I'm really excited about taking part in Open Studios and I've been sketching away with some new designs and I'm hoping to try my hand at making some screen prints of them!

Instead of leaving you with an Etsy treasury I've put together a Folksy finds board on Pinterest around the theme of British summer, tell me what you think.......enjoy!

A turquoise happily ever after!

What a day Wednesday was! We were in Oban all day and had a fabulous day, it wasn't exactly great weather (a bit grey and windy) but it was a much needed break from the usual grind!  When we got home I switched on the laptop and.......WOW!

Firstly my happily ever after paper cut had been included in this beautiful Etsy treasury.
Secondly I entered it into the fantastic Crafty Loves giving inspiration game and got some fantastic comments from people and thirdly.......it only bloomin' got included in the Folksy handmade wedding list!!!! I've been floating about 6 inches off the ground since!

And since it's Sunday, we have an Etsy treasury! I give you Turquoise #1................I bloody love turquoise I do.....and if that's not a good enough reason.....I don't know what is!

Paper cutting and Treasury Sunday

Well.......hello! I kind of disappeared for a wee while...again, and after all my good intentions!  I have not been sitting twiddling my thumbs (I wish!), I've been busy cutting away making this paper cut for a wedding present.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out.....hopefully they will be too!

And as it's Sunday, here's the Etsy Treasury. I've cheated a bit with this, *whispers* I put it together last week but never got round to doing a post about it, just don't tell anyone! 

and relax....it's the end of the week!

Just a wee quickie (oohh err Mrs!) this evening, a bit of a rounding up of the week! 

I've been very busy with my trusty scalpel over the last few days...and this is what I've been making.

Sorry about the slightly rubbish picture but I was soo excited about finally getting this finished that I just wanted to share it! A wee tidy up and then into a frame......this evening.....maybe!

I've also been working on another paper cut, which is a wedding present from me (the royal us!) but no photos yet.....I don't want to jinx it! It took me ages to come up with a design that I was happy with and now is the really nerve wracking bit of cutting it out....without mishap!

We spent a couple of impromptu days with my Maw and Paw, which was really nice.  The boys LOVE spending time with their Grandparents, especially since they have a farm, with tractors and other big noisy machines and of course Granny and Grandad dote on the pair of them! My plan for the week kind of disappeared around Wednesday somewhere, never to return! But that's life isn't it?!