Watercolor-Inspired

I hope you had a delicious Fourth of July weekend!

Lately, I've been practicing my watercolor. My projects include a wedding present, tropical fruits like mangoes and dragon fruit, and just washes of cheery colors.

I came across some products with a watercolor theme: 

Aren't they pretty? I hope to extend my crafting to applications like these.

I wish you all a colorful week ahead!

Red, White and Blue

It's the fourth of July today! What are your fun plans?

Wishing you a Happy Independence Day and a long summer filled with good weather and exciting adventures!

Summer Dressing

Today, instead of the traditional crafting I'm used to do, I decided to craft a summer outfit. Here is what it looks like:

It's something I'd wear for a morning at the farmer's market, lunch with the girls, an afternoon of thrifting for treasures, and shopping for craft supplies. Oh summer, I'm glad you've arrived!

Fancy Paper Cuts

I hope, like me, you're getting the hang of paper cutting.

I'm learning a lot from this book.

Today I'll teach you a type of layered fold called the quadruple fold. 

Using a square sheet of paper (this one is 5 inches by 5 inches), fold the paper in half so each end meets and forms a triangle.

Fold this in half.

And fold again a third time.

I drew a pattern based from the book.

Then I cut on the lines using scissors or an Xacto knife and unfolded the paper to reveal this star. TADA!

This other one is a wreath of autumn leaves. Aren't they pretty?

Now that we have learned the basics of paper cutting, we can be more experimental with types of paper like old envelopes or book pages. We can then turn these into greeting cards or party decorations. TADA!

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

A Paper Cutting Tutorial

Thanks for visiting today!

This week is all about paper cutting, the techniques of which come from this book.

After learning about the single fold and the double fold, let's learn about the layered fold. 

Start with a sheet of paper cut into a square. You can use origami paper or regular paper cut down to size. This one measures 5 inches by 5 inches.

Fold the paper in half and crease the center.

Fold again in half to make a smaller square; crease the folds.

Draw a pattern with a pencil.

Cut on the lines with precision scissors, then unfold.

This double layered fold produces a doily-like design.

Here's another one with flowers. TADA!

There's another technique of you come over tomorrow. See you then!

More Paper Cuts

I'm trying my hand at paper cutting!

I'm using this book to help me out.

Yesterday, we learned about the single fold that produces two images on a sheet of paper.

Today, let's try the double fold.

We'll start with a square sheet of paper. This one is 5 inches by 5 inches.

Fold vertically in half and make a crease.

 Unfold, then fold each side in half toward the center crease. 

 Reverse the direction of the centerfold.

Fold again and crease all the edges.

Draw on a design on the outer panel. 

Cut and unfold. TADA! -- four repeating designs!

Here's another version with a candelabra.

Please stop by tomorrow for a new technique! 

Project: Paper Cutting

Happy Monday! For Father's Day and Mother's Day, I tried my hand at paper cuts. It's a craft I want to explore further.  

At the library, I found the book Creative Paper Cutting. It's a compilation of projects by Japanese crafters like Mari Kumada and Hiromi Koike. They're pretty simple to follow.

To begin, here are some supplies we'll need: a self-healing mat, ruler, pencil, Xacto knife, sharp pointed scissors, and a stapler.

And of course, we'll need paper. 

All this week, I'll share with you the basic folds, starting with this one: the single accordion fold.

Trim the paper into a square. This one is 5 inches by 5 inches. Fold the paper in half vertically.

On one side, draw or trace your desired design (this is a pattern from the book).

Cut on the lines with a sharp pair of scissors.

Unfold to reveal a mirror image of the design. TADA!

Here are a few other designs that I tried. Easy, right?

Please drop by tomorrow for another paper cutting technique. Have a nice day!