Something New - Paper Cutting

Hello.... This year one of my new years resolutions was to try some new crafts, and today's one is Paper Cutting.

The inspiration for this make is Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid' as the authors books are one of the themes for our craft clubs exhibition this year.  Back in the Summer as a free gift with a craft magazine I got a '20 to make' book, which had this Mermaid paper cut in so I decided to give it  go...

So after a friend had very kindly enlarged and printed the image onto some card for me, I was ready to go scalpel in slightly shaky hand (I'll never be a surgeon)

 I'm still really not sure that this is a craft for me as I found it quite exhausting. With my shaky hands I found it such hard work pressing hard enough to cut through the card, and in no time at all I have a very painful arm, neck, hand and shoulder, in fact a few hours on I still have pins and needles in my finger from pressing so hard with the craft knife. I think perhaps the card I used might have been a little too thick and my body a bit too poorly.

Hey ho wimpy whinge over,  so with lots of rest breaks I kept cutting away and I think my accuracy did improve as I went and some time later ..........

 I had completed the cutting, well I say completed as I decided in the end not to cut out the scales on my mermaid tale, mostly because I was too tired and scared (about how fiddly it might be) but also because I felt I wanted her tale to look different to the background paper representing the sea.

So then it was onto picking the paper, I choose this piece from the Summerhouse stash, I had hope to use a turquoise piece of the same paper with it's pretty iridescent effect but sadly I didn't have enough of it left so for now I'm going for this greeny/purple, I'm not 100% certain about it, so I might have to have another rummage in the Summerhouse, for something else if I have some spare energy.

So how do I rate paper cutting, well as I said it was hard work for me physically with my health so poor, but if you have bundles of energy and a steady hand I'd say give it a go, as all you really need is a cutting mat, craft knife and paper.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx