I have been approached by a publisher and asked to produce a 'How To Papercut' type book and it's just been approved which is a bit exciting, no? It will be filled with templates for people to make their own things so you'll actually see ol' Bunny & Bird in print amongst other favourite characters. I may have to leave out the Tiny Profanities, though as I don't think they'll go down too well on the shelves of WH Smiths.
I'm currently working on pieces for a new exhibition at Obsidian Art Gallery in the Spring, you can see the details as they emerge here: "The Art of Poetry" and yes, you'll be able to buy the pieces directly from the gallery without having to swear AT ALL or fight people (much) which will be nice, huh? 'The Stag' will be there along with spin-off pieces and the new Alice In Wonderland papercut.
'The Stag' is finished already and I'm chuffed to bits with it, and no, o'er is NOT a spelling mistake, but a ye old English way of saying 'over'. I can't tell you the hearts attacks I had when people told me, "lovely, but it's wrong" when I uploaded the pictures, haha!
Obsidian Art have also asked me if I'd like to exhibit all on my own sometime this year which is a huge honour and hopefully I can just do away with stuff like sleep and going to the loo in order to pull out the stops and make enough artwork to fill that gorgeous space. If you haven't yet visited then it's worth a trip. Filled with fabulous work by various talented bods. I'm pretty sure I spend more than I earn there whenever I visit. Shhh, don't tell Mr P!
2014 has also seen a rocket in the value of PP's. Why? I don't know!! I'm trying my best to please as many peeps as I can, though, by using eBay (ID theoriginalpaperpanda) and starting pieces at 99p so that you guys can determine your own prices and I'm also selling cuts in the online shop www.paperpanda.bigcartel.com at their regular price (as they've tended to skyrocket on eBay) so it's fastest fingers first for those ones. If you're trying to grab one from the shop I've found out how so many peeps have managed to nab one time and time again so I'll let you in on the secret, shhh, don't tell anyone else! See the 'like' button on Facebook? Hover over it and it says 'get notifications' and that way you are told the very second anything is posted on the page. Now, I know that 50% of page posts are me just waffling about my new blue boots or trying to make you buy a kit, but other times it's to tell you that something has been released for sale in the shop so YOU can get there first. Cunning eh?
For the time being the ones in the online shop will stay at a more 'normal' price compared to what they are reaching on eBay, mainly because I have no desire to start wearing ballgowns, and diamonds are sooo last year, dahhling ;)
In two weeks time there will be a three page feature in my favourite magazine Cotswold Life, the March edition. Candia, one of the editors, came to interview me and she was lovely and didn't mind that I had tattoos, a nervous twitch and was slightly 'odd' and didn't even flinch when Munch leaned on her. Nice lady. She has a cat called Sid Vicious which says it all, really. So you can catch up with the story of Paper Panda in it soon. I still find it hard to believe that anyone can write more than three lines about me, never mind three pages! I guess news is slow in the Cotswolds.
The biggest, and probably saddest news of all is that we are leaving our beloved Quarwood at the end of this month. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I cry every time I think of actually going, but we are overcome with boxes of cushions, trays of cards, knives, cutting mats, 263785 printers and there's just no room anymore. I looked into having a garden office but it didn't conform to planning regulations so alas we are packing up my ol' desk and moving just along the road to Bourton on the Water and *gasp* civilisation. Yup, there will be people, real life ones that can see me and everything. I may even have to get dressed in normal clothes and ditch the animal costumes and speak to people again. Eeeek! On the plus side we will have plenty of room for Paper Panda to expand and for me to run around, arms out, pretending to be an aeroplane which I do believe is mandatory. And I will also be able to swing a cat, apparently, so watch out, Mabel! *must not cry, must not cry*
Catch up with us on Twitter now, too if you want to be extra stalky as I can give away stuff on there. I knoooow you can do it on FB too, but they change the rules so often that it's difficult to keep up, y'know? So hopefully see you there!
Here's some bits and bobs I've been working on recently for your eyeballs pleasure. Toodles xxx
