Hiking ATCs

This month's ATC theme is "A Hiking We Will Go". As usual, I had to ponder for weeks about what I wanted to do for this trade. I settled on cutting pictures of places that my family and I have gone hiking this summer. We spent a lot of time wandering the state and gazing at sandstone rock.

This first cut is of Goblin Valley State Park. This is my kids favorite place to hike around in. It feels like an alien landscape as you wander around the strangely formed rocks. The middle ground of the picture is a photo of Goblin Valley that I found in the park's brochure, I felt that it helped to give the feeling of the valley.

This second cut is of Hickman's Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park. This was the first year that we have taken the time to hike any of the trails in this national park.

The third cut is of the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. The family hiked to the arch early in the morning in July. It was a relatively easy hike, but we were glad that we didn't try to hike over the slickrock in the heat of the middle of the day. We passed people starting out on the trail on our way back, and we could see them beginning to sweat. It wasn't even 10 o'clock in the morning yet.

Last of all is Angel's Landing in Zion National Park. As a family, we hike the easy trails in Zion, but there is no way that I am taking my young children on the hike up to the top of Angel's Landing. The thought of my kids near those 800 foot or more drops is enough to give me nightmares. Zion is one of our favorite national parks, and we try to get there every year.

Hansel and Gretel

Here is this month's fairy tale. I wanted to cut a tale that could be related to Halloween. I always thought that Hansel and Gretel was a little creepy. What could be scarier than a witch that wants to fatten up a child in a cage in order to eat him for dinner? Here Hansel and Gretel are wandering in the dark woods after being left behind by their father and stepmother. I layered three different paper cuts and put tracing paper between each layer to give it a feeling of distance. That way I could make the woods feel more dense and menacing without losing the main figures in the foreground.

Things I Learned from Hansel and Gretel:

1. Don't ever use bread crumbs to mark a path.
2. Eating candy off someone's house can lead to bad things.
3. Don't accept hospitality from hungry witches.
4. If you are a witch, you should never trust children to tell you the truth.

A Border That Toots Its Own Horn

Last month, I found a pair of printing blocks for newspapers with heralds on them at an antique shop. Each was facing a different direction so that they could frame type between them. I brought them home and used them to base this papercut frame on. I haven't decided what should go in the middle, so for right now I am leaving it by itself.

She Loved the Squirrel; He Loved the Acorns

Here is an idea that popped into my head yesterday and wouldn't leave until I had cut it. I really like it when an idea works out as well on paper as it does in your head. I wish it happened more. Too often that idea remains just in your head because you can't seem to find a way to bring it to life to your satisfaction. The background paper I used is actually a pale green, but the scanner didn't seem to pick up on that.

My Witch

Here is the witch that I cut for October. I used the same background paper that my daughter used for hers. I'm not sure what is in that pot, but I don't think that I want to try any. The cat looks like it might be interested though. Happy October!