I haven't had much time this year to make anything creative for one reason or another, but I made some paper birds with my daughter for the xmas dinner table today. I originally made these a few years ago for our jewellery shop window, see here, and I had one left that I used to take a template.

They are easy and quick to make, and you can make them out of all kinds of paper and card, different sizes and species of birds, I made a seagull here too.

You will need some wire or string if hanging up, I only had this one, but it's better if you use white wire (I had some previously from a cake decorating supplier or florist might have it too) as this dark wire shows through the paper. If you are making crows then fine.

I used cartridge paper for these white ones, and I recommend using a biodegradable glitter (e.g. this one) if you want them glittery.

My daughter's one which I love!

(you can just about see my lovely snowglobe scene on the right from Buddug which I bought this xmas. It's beautiful!)

They are so easy, you don't really need any instructions! But I have been asked many times before so I made a quick template. You should be able to copy the image and then print it to what ever size you need. Mine measured 8.5cm from beak to tail, but I'm not sure how big this image is (?).

I cut about 8 pieces in one go because I'm lazy. Just fold the rectangle like a concertina, glue it to both tail sides and then glue the body part together (with the wire or string or whatever to hang it from) leaving the wings to fold down.

It's funny when I look back to when I was at high school and I had to decide what I'd most like to do with my life (My original plan was to move to Italy and then on to Sicily where I'd found a Volcanic island that I wanted to live on and go diving everyday) well, that plan began and ended in Rome...I changed my mind, because of a very inspiring British friend I met there. 

I always thought my passions were drawing, photography and making. I loved going to London when I was little and seeing all the amazing shop windows, I went there a lot as a small child (or maybe it just seemed like I did?).

I love my job because I get to do ALL the things I wanted to do (and other things I didn't know I wanted to do, like website design and social media that didn't exist back then). I sort of created my own job and it's just as well, because when I left college I really couldn't find the thing I wanted to do and felt sort of lost and bored of my then office job in a corporate world which I quit and was in a lot of dept. Working for another company wasn't for me...thankfully I found a likeminded person and we joined forces.

Anyways, now I get to have fun and call it work.

So it is Christmas soon and the shop in Yarmouth is looking sort of wintery with these swans I made.

It's just a bit of fun really, but it sort of satisfies my childhood dreams.

A tremendous thank you! to all of our customers who've made the trip down to our Isle of Wight shop  to order their wedding rings. You crossed actual sea to visit us and that means so much.

Happy Christmas! RU.ST x

WWW.RUSTJEWELLERY.COM

It just struck me how easy it would be to make some leaves out of paper (I do have more important things on my mind, but y'know...its sort of escapism), so I ordered some materials (via Amazon) and spent a free afternoon getting busy with a pair of scissors.

I think these would look great for xmas decorations or table centre piece (which is what I intended to use them for) and also nice for Autumn too. Why not have a go too!...

I got hold of this fine white wire that I think is from a cake decorating supplier, also get some extra fast drying glue, I used Bostik All purpose glue. I folded some standard computer printer paper in half and cut out some rough leaf shaped. Poke the wire down into the glue nozzle and then stick it on the fold line and let it dry. I made big leaves and little leaves for variation.

Once they were all dry, I simply twisted them together to make a garland, but it could also form a wreath too.

I didn't stop there! I thought about making a metal version too, so I found some pure copper sheet (about 0.1mm thick) which you can cut with strong scissors, and also some 0.6mm copper wire. Both found on amazon but you could find it at a model shop if you have one local.

 

I basically did exactly the same at the paper ones except I scored the leaves with closed scissors to make veins. *Be careful as the leaves are super sharp once cut out.

 

So I have some early xmas decorations! Actually I might use these for our shop display as xmas starts straight after halloween, I kid you not.

If you'd like to see and read more about making cheap but effective decorations, there is a nice little article about me in Mindful Christmas magazine at the moment. You can also catch up on past xmasses on the tabs at the top of this website too!

You can buy Mindful Christmas online here

So the winter blues have finally set in good and proper. The list of things I have to do, far out weights the list of things I want to do. Over the many years I have to deal with these feelings I have learnt that when I begin to feel this way, it's a good time to start getting absorbed into something new, and then I realise...of course I do have time to do the things I want to do, I just need to get motivated.

So with a set of new brushes for my xmas present I bought some paper and began painting some letters. I have been doing this before, for my A level Art (about 20 years ago 😱) at school and during my Art Foundation year at college. I've always been fascinated with lettering. I have, however, never been fascinated with rules and perfection, so you will see in my blog posts!

My mister and I rarely get a day off from both work and childcare, so I use my time very wisely (hence my frustration when I get ill on my day off, like today😂). I did as much as I could in a short space of time.

Even had a go at some Kanji, which is a bit tricky as you can imagine. I gave up after these.

I have been outdoors a bit too, it's been super cold but a bit dreary here most days, so we try to catch a nice sunset here and there when we can,

We found an old folding table in a junk shop and I cleared some space in our 'nowhere' room, more of a corridor really, (home to the buggy and bags and shoes and random items). The room has a little fire place which we hardly ever use, so I had a nice warm glow and a candle too...I felt proper Dickensian, and actually quite nice and cosy.

I've been practising with Japanese black ink and some standard blue writing ink, alphabets and circles etc...

(felt tip brush pen ↑)

and also some watercolour paints.

Some A2 sized pictures, I might put one up in the tot's room.

Anyways, so that's what I have been up to of late. I'm meant to be in London today, getting wedding ring orders made and working on my moon collection, but our daughter has brought us another cold bug home, lovely! So I will go later in the week and I will be a bit rushed I think!

I'm tanked up on Lemsip and it seems to be doing the trick.

Happy Winter folks! (January is almost over...almost!)