Weathervane ATCs

I'm sorry that I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. Sometimes it is easy to become distracted by other things.

This month's theme for my ATC trade is weather vanes. I was surprised by the variety of weathervane designs that are out there. I picked some of my favorites to use as the basis of ATC papercuts. I found that the letters were the hardest part to cut. This first one is of a sun and moon.

I like the idea of a llama on top of a weathervane.


I think the mice on the directional letters on this one was a nice touch.


The crane on this one will always know what direction it is flying.

I'm So Glad That It Is March

I'm very happy to be done with January and February. March is such a much more pleasant month. I love it when the promise of spring is in the air. I knew spring could not be very far away when I woke up with this cut in my head.

Whimsy ATCs

This month's ATC trade theme was "whimsy". I decided that that was very broad once I started looking into it. I decided to base my cards on the idea of flying frogs. That is just what popped into my head first. How many ways could I come up with to make a frog fly? The hot air balloon was the first that I did.

This is how the frog would fly if he fell out of the balloon.


A frog flying with a hang glider could reach those tasty butterflies more easily.

However, here is a frog that bit off more than he could chew and is flying in a way that wouldn't be so much fun.

Finally, Another Fairy Tale

It has been too long since I have posted a fairy tale. This one has been spinning around in my head for the past month. I'm glad that I finally got it cut.

This is a scene from the fairy tale, "The Donkey, the Table and the Stick". In this story, a son (or three sons in some versions) leaves home to prove to his father that he is good for something. He works for a year and receives a magic donkey as his wages. On his way home, he stops at an inn and shows the innkeeper his magic donkey. The innkeeper is so impressed that he switches the magic donkey for a normal one. Unknowingly, the son takes the wrong donkey home to show his father only to make a fool of himself when the donkey does not produce magic coins. Then the son works for another year and is paid with a magic table that food appears on when the right words are said. The same thing happens to the table that happened to the donkey at the inn, and again the son fails to impress his father with his business success. The third year of working is rewarded with a magic stick that will wack anyone that the son tells it to. He uses the stick on the innkeeper who gives the son back his magic donkey and table. The son comes home in triumph to finally prove to his father his worth.

The paper cut is illustrating the moment that the son is showing off his magic table that is supposed to be covered with food, only to find out that once again he has been tricked. His father isn't very impressed. The mice were hoping for a better performance, too.

Every Frog Needs a Princess

A Dragon and his Boy

Here is a quick cut that I did shortly after the last one. Dragons are fun to cut.

Picking Out a Dragon

Sometimes when I read a paper cut idea will pop into my head that relates to the story I am reading. This especially happens when I am reading children's literature. I haven't ever followed through with those ideas until now. This past week I randomly pulled a book off the shelves at my local library and brought it home. It was "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell. It was a funny little book about Vikings and dragons. The above cut is what popped into my head at the beginning of the book as the young hero must crawl into a cave full of sleeping dragons, where he must snatch one and take it back his village to train. This was fun. I think the next time I feel inspired by a children's book, I'll follow thru.