Paper cutting and photos of Bude

On Sunday I mentioned I would be back during the week with another post - well, here I am!

Paper cutting

I've been working on a commission which is to be given as a wedding present. The couple have lots of interests which I've represented as images hidden within the piece. I've blurred the names in the photo below just in case they should stumble across it!

I'm thoroughly enjoying working on this one, right from drawing out the design on the reverse of the card to cutting it out bit by bit. Every evening this week has involved at least an hour of paper cutting and there's still some way to go.

I find it very therapeutic and if you want to have a go yourself, it's really not a very expensive or difficult hobby to start. Be warned though, it's very addictive.

I did a bit of research and found that the best blades for paper cutting are Swann Milton number 10A or 11. I went for number 11 as they've got a slightly narrower point but accidently bought a cheaper brand. 100 blades in fact! They seem to be doing the trick at the moment though.

There are a variety of paper cutting templates available to buy online if you're a little hesitant to draw your own. However, I recommend just doodling some patterns to start with and cutting them out to see how they look. You'll soon find out if they're too intricate!

The strings on this violin were tricky to cut. Having already got quite far into the paper cut I didn't want to slip and make a mistake at such a crucial point!

Another paper cutting art project I'm working on is for our own wall. Trawling through a car boot sale the other week (don't you just love car boot sales?) we found a vertical box frame with five squares cut out of the mount. It originally had dried flowers in, but I had other ideas.

This collage will form the background for five little paper cut hearts which I hope to raise up slightly to give a 3D paper cut effect. I don't know how this will work at the moment but the inspiration came to me in a dream (really!) in which Simon Cowell was on a bus handing out awards for abstract art projects! If it's got his stamp of approval I'm sure it'll be a success.

These are the little hearts I've cut so far, I'm not sure whether to make the other two slightly different or go for a uniform look for all five.

Simon Cowell and paper cut hearts aside, we couldn't pass up on the chance to enjoy some of the lovely sunshine at the weekend.

We went to the pretty little town of Bude for a walk, browse of the surf shops and the inevitable coffee and cake.

I often take lots of photos which end up getting dusty in some distant corner of my hard drive, so I thought I'd share these with you.

This is the aforementioned tea, a view from the breakwater across to the fantastic sea pool, and the river which runs from the town to the sea.

I've got a thing about boats, so this little composition of boats, buoys, sand and cliffs really floated my boat. Haha.

Another one for good measure. 

Something else I find very aesthetically pleasing is rusty old objects. I must have hundreds of photos which, at the time, I had visions of drawing but never did. So here's another to add to the collection and one which I have actually drawn before, a rusty winch.

The last photos in this visual extravaganza are these, a few more snaps from around Bude.

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PS. If you would like to order a paper cut, I do take commissions. Please get in touch to discuss what you're looking for - no pressure to go ahead if you decide it's not for you!

Today I'm sharing this post on the following blogs: The Seasoned Homemaker, Free Pretty Things for You, Savvy Southern Style and Knotted Cotton.