winter meet spring

It looks like winter is ready to pack up and leave (even though it snowed yesterday for about half an hour) and we might just be seeing the beginnings of sunshine ahead. We are really looking forward to shedding all our layers and snowsuits, even if it means we'll be trading them in for raincoats and umbrellas. Hey, anything has got to be better than all the salt and slush!

I've already started a lot of our spring cleaning, and it feels good to be purging the baby clothes that the mini has outgrown, as well as snowsuits, boots and toys that have seen better days. We got a new rug for our entryway, and tomorrow I'd like to pick up some new floor mats for the kitchen. Every few months we go through the kids' toys and donate the ones they aren't playing with anymore. The house always feels lighter and more organized after we've done it, and now with a third little rugrat with her own pile of toys, the house feels like it's due for a good overhaul.

With the departure of winter we can pack away all our gear that has cluttered up the front hall since November...skates, helmets, boots, snowsuits, hats, gloves, scarves, heavy jackets. I love the winter months, but we are all impatiently awaiting the warm weather, and I think it might be on it's way! Keep your fingers crossed:)

start small

I have big hopes for Little Papercuts.

Over the past few years I've come to realize that while it would be wonderful to have a website, a blog can be a great forum to promote your work.

I would love to have a a big airy (read organized) studio space, separate from my kids' play space, but it's nice to be able to watch 'Twilight' as I work and listen to the chatter of my funny monkeys:)

Even though being busy with artwork is something I enjoy, I am content to put it on hold because the mini papercuts are only young once, and I don't want to miss even a second of it.

I really need to get my etsy shop up and running, even if it means only offering 5-10 custom orders a month in the beginning. (Yes muffin, I hear you and I know you're right)

Word of mouth can be a girl's best friend, and really help out the pocket book. I am lucky to have such wonderful customers, family and friends!

If you have a great product, it will speak for itself. Start small and dream big...yup I think that's right:)

almost, but not quite

© 2010 little papercuts

I'm trying to get back to work. Everything that I've tried to use as a substitute is not really filling the void. I finally dragged out my makeshift light table and I'm determined to finish up some artwork that I had started for my niece while I was pregnant, before my belly got in the way. I 'm not sure if I'll be able to devote enough time and attention to Little Papercuts, but it's a start. I had high hopes that by now I'd be back to work and whipping through orders while the mini papercut watched, content to play on her own and watch from her bouncy chair. That is obviously not the case.

Even though I've found the time to sew, I have come to realize that not having an actual studio space to do papercut stuff (and working in a medium that is prone to fly off the table if someone walks past me at a brisk pace, causing a gust of wind) could become a bit of a challenge.

For those of you who are patiently awaiting my official return to work, I say 'Thanks'. I promise I will return, I'm just not sure as to when that will be. Sorry :( Hopefully it'll be soon!

a b c d e f g....

I made this a few years ago, but I thought since I wasn't doing anything papercut related, it might be nice to give you all a little peek at something I made for my daughter a while back. Enjoy!

butterflies + flowers

As we get into the home stretch of my pregnancy, the nursery nook is FINALLY near completion, and the rest of the master bedroom is also moving along. We ordered our new bed last week...white leather:), and today we are picking up the dresser/changing table for the nook. We still have a bit of a way to go as far as completing the entire room, but for now my main concern is being ready for the mini papercut who should be arriving within the next week or so:) Now I know I've blogged about not being sure about the sex of my little bun in the oven, my gut has always been that I'm having a girl (my instincts were right with my two older kids), and I've decorated accordingly. So here's a sneak peak at the butterfly garland and paper flower bouquet I rustled up for my wee one.

babies, babies + more babies

For those of you who have been following my blog, I had mentioned some time ago a nursery I had decorated for a girlfriend of mine who was having her first baby, a little girl named Sydney. While her husband had posted a very blurry pic of said room on his Facebook account, and received numerous compliments on it :) , I have yet to post any pics myself. So for those of you who've been waiting, I thank you!























This is the first nursery I've designed, that didn't belong to my own kids, but I've been busy with my sister-in-law's nursery recently...she's expecting twins within the next 2 weeks, a boy and a girl (incidentally the palette is very similar to Sydney's because my sister-in-law loved this nursery so much). I'm also giving a hand to my sister muffintopdesigns who has her own mini-muffin due at the end of April. Pics of the twins nursery as well as the mini-muffin's pad will follow shortly, but for now hope you enjoy Sydney's nursery!



















Sydney's room was quite a challenge seeing as the room itself is only about 10'x10' and three of the four walls are comprised of sliding french doors or sliding glass doors that lead out to the balcony of her parents' condo. Oh, and did I mention the room is really a den, which means there are NO closets! Needless to say storage was an issue in this room, but we were able to create a clean uncluttered appearance by choosing pieces that utilized not only the horizontal space, but took advantage of the vertical space as well.























By incorporating a long low dresser that does double duty as a change table and clothing storage, and placing tall bookcases on either side, we created the look of a built-in piece, but all of the individual pieces can easily be used once the family moves into a larger home, whether it be in Sydney's new room or else where around the house. We were also able to find great storage boxes at Loblaws ( a grocery store, for those of you outside of Canada) that house extra diapers, blankets and clothing that need to be grown into, all of which are hidden neatly under the crib.




















The colour palette of the room adds to the modern grown-up feel of the space, while the over sized flower that graces the wall above the crib adds a touch of whimsy that every little girl deserves. I've always felt that while kids'rooms need to be fun and playful, they needn't be filled with cartoon characters that most kids quickly outgrow. For me, a child's room should have as much detail and attention paid to it as any other room in the house, if not more. Originally Sydney's mom had said that the doors that led into the living room would be closed off once the baby arrived, but after completing the nursery she chose to keep the doors open because she loved the room so much! Now if that's not a compliment, I don't know what is:)

happy canada day

Happy Canada Day!! So school is out and the summer activities begin...so to speak. I have a ton of work to do, and I'm finding it really hard to get into the swing of things. With the kids running around the house, and toys all over the place, it's hard to get motivated to do art! Plus we just got the kids new bikes, and the weather's been beautiful so we haven't really been inside all that much. School finished last Wednesday and since then we've spent almost every day out! In the past 5 days we've been to the water park, biking riding every day and to the mall a couple times. Today it's sooo sunny outside ( and Canada Day too!) and of course the kids want to go biking AGAIN! I'm not sure how much work I'm gonna get done this summer, but I've got 4 orders that need to be finished by the end of July, 2 kids rooms to decorate and I'd like to repaint our master bedroom. I'm hoping that by blogging about this it might motivate me to work...or at least guilt myself into doing so:) I hope you all have a great Canada Day, even if you're not in Canada!! I think I have to work now:(

hmmm...sorry my bad

The other night my hubby was goofing around on the computer so I asked him to take a look at my blog to let me know what he thought. You know it never occurred to me to tell him to read it! Anyway, after giving me the "Looks good, anything else?", I took a closer look at the few posts that I've taken the time to write.

Now when I originally started this blog I did it because I wanted to keep a log of what I was doing work wise. Granted there are only a few posts, but what I have come to realize is that the majority of what I have been writing about has been weather related, and actually has nothing to do at all with my artwork! It seems like an awfully long time since I've posted anything work related...OOPS!!! I am currently waiting for my website (http://www.littlepapercuts.com/) to be completed, and I'm hoping it'll be ready by the end of June or early July. I put a lot of work into all of the artwork, layout and text for my website, and after handing it off to my web designer I now have to wait and hope for the best:) Like I've said before, I know how I want my website to look, and I'm hoping my web guy is on the same page, but I'm very nervous about whether or not it's gonna live up to my 'standards'.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I think since the weather has gotten soooo nice here, I've found it too difficult to stay home and work! The temptation to go and do something outside has been far to great to want to sit and create art, and I have TONS of artwork to start for upcoming projects! So, I am going to make the effort to post more art related stuff from now on...well, right after I take a walk outside in the sunshine:) Just kidding!

spring at last

Yes, I think it's safe to say that spring is finallly here and I'm hoping that the warmer weather is here to stay. It's nice to head out the door with spring jackets and sneakers instead of packing up the kids in their bulky jackets, snow pants and boots. Things have been very busy around the Little Papercuts household so far this month. I finally sent off all my website artwork and paperwork, and now it's in the hands of the web designer. I've got my fingers crossed that it will live up (if not exceed) all of my expectations!

In addition to all of the website stuff I've been working on, I've also got quite a bit of actual work to do as well. Let's see...I've got about 4 name art orders that have to be completed by the end of April, not to mention 2 other orders due for the end of May. It's gonna be busy around here! But hey, I'd rather be busy than twiddling my thumbs waiting for someone to order something.

This morning I treated myself to some new paper packs. I love paper. Looking for new papers and finding great deals always puts me in a great mood. I wasn't really on the hunt for new paper, I have TONS (as my husband can surely attest to), but sometimes you just have to have more! Today was definitely one of those days. Last year I had started buying some of my paper pads from Indigo bookstore. They sold really nice quality paper, but they're a little pricey, so I would splurge every now and then but not very often. Well, you can imagine my surprise and joy when I found stacks of the very same packs at Homesense. Any of you that live in Toronto know that Homesense sells mainly housewares stuff, but withing the last year or so they started to carry scrapbooking products. But the best part is that they were only $9 for the larger size pads and $6 for the smaller ones. Needless to say I bought about 3 packs, and I probably would have bought more but my little one wanted to go look at toys. It's hard to force a 4 year old to be excited about scrapbooking paper!

I can't decide if it's the great weather or the beautiful paper, but overall today's been FABULOUS so far!!!!

what is little papercuts?

So, I realize that there are some of you who are wondering 'What is Little Papercuts', besides the tiny cuts you get from paper that hurt A LOT!! For all of you, this is my explanation. Little Papercuts is the business I started, officially a year ago. I mainly create children's name art, but I have also done artwork for adults and kids which are not name related. All of my pieces are made from cut paper, but also include ribbon, fabric, yarn and other goodies.


















Although I have only been in business officially since last year, I have been creating name art for over 3 years now. I think what appeals to most of the people who purchase Little Papercuts artwork is that they are all custom made for each individual. My customers love that they are able to be involved in the creative process, and have a finished product that reflects their child. Whether that means their personality, their interests or even something that matches their room, I strive to make something that embodies the person it is created for.


















Being a stay at home mom with two kids constantly on the go, it was difficult to find the time, not only to work, but to have creative space. I am very lucky to have a wonderfully supportive husband, great kids and some amazing friends who have encouraged me along the way. My 'company' is only in it's baby stages, but the journey thus far has been incredible. It still astounds me that people want to buy something that I have made...and I think that's part of what pushes me to do what I do.