Goodbye to an old friend...

I was very sad to hear the news recently that Craftseller magazine has ceased publication. I've had some fun designing for their free paper sets over the years. I thought I'd show you a quick round up of a few commissions I had this year. Starting with January issue 45 Craftseller, I designed a Parisian themed paper pack free with the mag including icons such as champagne, croissants and pretty perfume bottles, as well as a retro themed geometric set of bonus papers which came with card ideas inside the mag...

Issue 47 March Issue of Craftseller had a set of butterflies and birds papers I designed with a collagey feel, layers of textures and pattern. I love this set, it's one of my favourite this year!...

Issue 48 April Craftseller contained a circus themed set I designed with some super cute box-card ideas their designers came up with! Also an exclusive 'Vintage Americana' set of 52 papers and tags as a cover gift including icons like hot dogs and burgers, 50's retro signage, retro diner-style icons etc.

May issue 49 had some lovely origami cards made from the oriental style floral papers I designed...

Issue 50 went down an Art Nouveau route with bold, green and peach organic shapes and repeated icons of the era with some wedding invite ideas... 

Origami Love

I have really got into origami lately and have taken to decorating the house with it! I found a tutorial online which shows you how to make these beautiful kusudama flowers with step by step instructions. If you collect and hoard interesting papers like me, you could put them to some good use- it's a really interesting way of recycling.
They would look lovely stuck to a present or gift bag, or lots of them in a bowl on a sideboard. I however, think they make a lovely addition to my vase!

I also tried out an origami 'shirt' card for my dad's birthday. These instructions show you how to make the shape, but I personalised mine with buttons and a pocket, and slipped a piece of card under the back collar which made it stand up. I wrote the greeting on the underside of that piece of card. I thought it worked well...