Meet the Maker - Louise Firchau and Paper Panda

It's no surprise that Paper Panda has over 80 000 fans on Facebook and that, as a result, designer Louise Firchau has been able to quit her day job and make her hobby for making typographical lyrical papercuts from recycled paper a full time job.

I'm not going to say too much about her work as it speaks for itself but there are a few at the bottom in Louise's own words for those who want to know more.  

It is no surprise to me that this piece is causing a bidding frenzy on e-bay - it's just adorable.

One lucky competition winner had an original design created just for them and you can see the work that goes into producing one of Louise's pieces.

And because I'm always on the look out for projects you can have a go at yourself, you should know she has a beginner's kit, more details further down the blog too

  

 and you can get a template, just perfect for Mother's Day.

I promised to let Louise explain more about Paper Panda so here she sums it up in her own words:  "PP has three very distinct styles available in a multitude of merchandise.  I hand draw and hand cut The Bird & Bunny and folk series of papercuts that are inspired by Quarwood, where the Panda family live in a little cottage in the Cotswolds surrounded by animals and woodland life.

The Storybook series (and other gothic darkness) is a cute collaboration between Mr & Mrs Panda. I tell Ryan what to draw with a waggy, pointy finger over his shoulder and only when he gets it perfectly right will I cut it out of paper. It's a good bit of teamwork.
The typographical pieces are created using digital software. I studied typography at university and it became an obsession. There is nothing more satisfying than creating a piece of graphic art using amazing fonts and hand cutting it so perfectly that no matter what the size it looks like it's been printed."
As promised too, here's the information about the trainee kit: what's included and reassurance that you will be able to do it!

In each kit there will be:
1 x A4 self heal cutting mat
1 x soft grip blade handle with 5 x blades in a rubber encased blade holder (some may differ slightly)
1 x 'how to Panda stylee' instuction sheet
1 x Practice sheet showing you what to do
1 x Baby Panda Design 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'
1 x Baby Panda Design 'Home Sweet Home'
1 x Small Panda design 'I love you'
1 x Large Panda Design A4 (Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain)
1 x sheet of speciality paper
1 x Panda badge (essential)

I guess today's tenuous link would have to be our own 'learn how to knit' tutorial which you can find on our website by clicking here.   Personally, I'm off to order my own kit from Paper Panda and hopefully surprise my mum with a truly personal gift this year!

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Meet the Maker - Cardboard Collective

 

If you fancy yourself as a whizz with the old fancy dress, I think I've found something to challenge your skill levels, especially when you discover they're all made from cardboard.

These creative masterpieces are all the handiwork of Amber who hails from the US originally but, having travelled all over the world for the past 10 years with her husband, has finally settled in Japan where she started her family. 

She started her blog in October 2011 and tries to post once a week. Here you’ll find inspiration for projects, cardboard links, information about tools and techniques, and also a bit about sustainable building, crafting and living.

Each year she runs a challenge and this year's no different. You can find out more here. The standard varies but looks pretty high!

   

   

And they also offer some awesome tutorials with great instructions and easy to follow photos.   This one will allow you to create your own unicorn costume.  Check it out here.

If you do have a go, please let us know. Post your photos. We'd love to see them.  We must find someone who can make something like this for our photographers.  Check out our stunning images in our professional gallery here.

www.cobwebkbnits.co.uk

Meet the Maker - Jane Means

I love trying to wrap presents beautifully and have even spent December weekends in a shopping mall in Surrey offering Xmas gift wrapping for charity, but realise I am a mere amateur when I look at the amazing work produced by Jane Means.

Jane started out in floristry but set up her company nearly 20 years ago from her kitchen table.

After starting off by making bespoke cards and wedding stationery she realised her true passion was gift wrapping and decided to start her own gift wrapping courses.

Based in London and Lincoln, Jane's hobby quickly became a full time business with clients travelling from the far flung corners of the world to attend the workshops she holds around the UK.  She also offers private courses at home or in the workplace and you may well have seen her work in glossy magazines, on the television or in one of the more glamorous boutiques such as Dior, Ralph Lauren or Selfridges.

I urge you to try one of her workshops, but if you can't, at least check out her blog or that of one of her team of experienced ribbon bloggers who regularly post DIY tutorials and crafting ideas. 

There's even a DVD and plans for a book which I'm sure will inspire.  In the meantime I'm off to raid my ribbon box although I think I may have to indulge in some of her trademark collection soon!

All our products come in tissue or straw filled rustic presentation boxes and although I'm a little nervous to mention it on the same page as Jane, we offer a gift wrap service of our own which you can find out more about here.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Trivial Pursuits - Valentine's Day gift ideas

We’ve just celebrated St Dwynwen's Day* in Wales (the patron saint of Welsh Lovers) and with St Valentine’s Day just around the corner, thoughts have turned to some creative ideas you can make at home.

I've made a few of these as wedding gifts for friends in the past and although it takes a little time to line them up, they work rather well.  It's worth investing in a heart shaped paper punch to ensure the shape and size of each heart is identical and I've used good quality wedding wrapping paper to create most of the hearts.  
Interspersed I've added printed hearts celebrating the occasion and included names, date and place of the wedding together with other significant details or quotes.
There's a neat tutorial by someone else here.  I must do my own tutorial some day too.

Another really easy version could be something like this. Especially if you can find part of a map with particular significance.

For simple but effective garlands, check this tutorial out. Again, perfect for weddings and other romantic celebrations but cute and inexpensive if you want to make a bit of an effort over a romantic dinner at home.

And these are a great alternative and could easily be adapted for birthdays. I love the circular version with greetings on it. Check out the tutorial here.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

*Here's St Dwynwen's story.

The story goes the Dwynwen was the prettiest of Welsh king Brychan Brycheiniog's twenty-four daughters. She fell in love with a man named Maelon Dafodrill, but her father had already  arranged for her to marry someone else. Distraught, Dwynwen prayed to God and asked for help in forgetting Maelon. An angel visited her in her sleep and gave her a potion to erase her memory of feelings for Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.  With each of her dreams coming true, Dwynwen devoted her life to God; she set up a convent on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. The remains of the church can still be seen on the island, along with Dwynwen's well.

It's believed the well is home to sacred fish who can predict whether couples relationships will succeed; if the fish are seen to be active when visiting the well, it was seen as a sign of a faithful husband.  God offered Dwynwen three wishes. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed, the second that God should meet the needs of all lovers and the third that she should never marry.  The well has since become a place of pilgrimage for young Welsh lovers since Dwynwen's death in the 5th century.