Bedtime story with Panda!

Sorry it's a bit late coming to the blog, but here's a little bedtime story that I read live on Facebook just before Christmas.

It's a little story called 'Finn Biddybum's Cake' - you may have heard of it?

Also the camera cut out halfway through so it's in two parts, sorry!!

Part 1

Part 2

Get your copy here!

It's a Wonderful Life...

It's getting closer day by day and soon it'll all be over. No more running around, no more last minute making or post runs or running out of sticky tape/mince pies/lemonade.

This year has been different for me compared to the others. It might be my age but I'm seeing more stress, panic, upset and falling outs in the run up to Christmas. People's emotions are running high and with the aim of perfection I'm not surprised that you can almost see the stress pouring out of chimneys countrywide.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

If you didn't manage to get THAT present. If you only have the crappy wrapping paper left and you wanted to make their gift 'the special one', if you didn't send out your cards on time, if you haven't learned how to cook to perfect roasties, oh no, we forgot the batteries!...it doesn't really matter. None of it does. This time next week it'll all be over. We'll all be a little fatter, our cupboards will be fuller and the charity shops will be richer as we trundle our wheelbarrows along with Great Aunt Mildred's latest life sized knitted clown, filling it to the brim in the hopes the Cats Protection will be able to make a quid from it and that you won't have to find somewhere to put it.

(Great Aunt Mildred almost had a heart attack trying to make it on time, mind....)

What does matter? 

Time off. Winding down. Watching Christmas films with the family. Not spending so much money that you won't be able to eat until March. Ringing and visiting people who are having a worse Christmas than you. Being kinder, saying hello to your neighbours, taking donations to the local shelters or maybe even walking the dogs there. Taking time to reflect, to recharge, to reconnect. Having one too many and going on a rambling conversation until 3am by the lights of the tree. Writing letters to people. Spreading holly over the mantle.

Loving each other?

Yes, loving each other. You don't need money or batteries for that.

I'm way behind on my orders, my wrapping, my housework ready for 'the big day' but you know what? I'm off to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life', because it IS, and you only get one.

Lou xx

Christmas Delivery Info and Finn Biddybum's Cake Update

**Christmas Delivery Info**

Items direct from Paper Panda will be dispatched up to and including Weds 20th Dec, however we can no longer guarantee delivery before the big day. Deliveries will resume from 8th Jan 2018.

All custom made/guest artist orders will now be completed in the New Year.

Thank you all for your custom in 2017, and here's to a happy and prosperous 2018!

~~~~~

I'm so excited for you all to read Finn Biddybum's Cake! This tale of one brave hedgehog's quest for the perfect cake is coming very soon!

The books were due to arrive with us mid December, however the production part of the process has taken a little longer than expected. This is unfortunately out of our control, and we are relying on the publishers now to get the books delivered as soon as possible. We appreciate your understanding and hope you are as excited about receiving the books as we are to be sending them!

It's Here!!

Okay so it's cold, it's slippy, it's dark already at 4pm, I have a cold, sore throat, everyone around me is keeping Kleenex in business and I look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards... but...but...but....I am a children's book author!

My 19 advance paperback copies are here in my hands and it's AMAZING! Finn Biddybum and friends in glorious colour!!

Hopefully the rest will follow soon, eeeek! :D

http://www.paperpandacuts.co.uk/books-c86/paper-panda-pre-order-finn-biddybums-cake-childrens-book-p1373

Happy Birthday Paper Panda!

7 years ago...

"Hmmm is that it, yes, that's it!", hitting 'publish page'...

Paper Panda was born November 29th, seven long years ago. I'd made a papercut and showed a photo to my friends on Facebook and they all exploded with glee thus giving me the impression that other people may also like to explode too and so PP was born.

Did I ever think I'd be sitting here now talking to a squillion billion people about my cat, my piles and thinking about various ingenious ways to blow up the tax man? No! No way! Did I think that my third book would drop down chimneys this Christmas? Nuh-huh! Did I wonder if I applied Germoline to my newly formed finger callous that it'd go away by the Christmas partaaay? Yes, yes I did. Stoopid, 34 year old Lou, it'll NEVER go away even if you bathe it in a vat of Germoline.

So, I'm 41 now. I still work at home. I am still surrounded by many many animals, real and fictional, and I still love what I do. I hope to carry on doing it for a good many years yet.
Go buy stuff to enable me to do so ;)

Happy Birthday to PP and all who sail in her...erm...no, that doesn't sound right at all!

Happy Birthday FBH, Bunny, Bird, Mouse, Squiggle, Badger, Olive and Ladybug...let us eat CAKE!

New Guest Artist collaboration - stars&scars necklaces!

Admin Vicky of Stars & Scars has made us some exclusive necklaces based on Paper Panda designs!

They are carefully drawn by hand onto a translucent plastic hand cut shape and come ready to wear.

All of our templates have an 'other materials' licence and a 'commercial' licence which enable you to sell PP designs in your own style.

Available now!

Tiny Unicorn Challenge

Remember years ago we did the tiny mouse challenge when I cut a mouse the size of the number 1 on a penny? Well...how about we do it again? Unicorns are super popular at the moment so I figured we'd go with a unicorn.

So, the object of the challenge is to make a recognisable unicorn as tiny as you can in your usual medium. Anything from wood to silver, sketches to buttons, it just has to be as small as you can make it!

Upload your final piece into the comments section on this Facebook post and use the hashtag #paperpandatinyunicornchallenge and I reckon squillions of people will rush to buy them because everyone loves a tiny unicorn eh?

There will be a winner that'll win something. Mainly for fun, exposure and Christmas gift ideas for unicorn lovers 🙂

I'll keep this running until December 15th :)

Have fun!

Lou xx

Lest we forget.

Pop up cards!

Last week we held a giveaway to win a set of pop-up Christmas cards by friends of Panda - Cardology! These unique cards come to life when opened, it's such a clever design, and there's so many styles to choose from.

Big congrats to Shelly Benbow & Ros Taylor who won the cards.

Until 14th November everyone can enjoy 10% discount on all orders using the code PPXMAS10 (full priced cards only).  www.cardology.co.uk

**HALLOWE'EN GIVEAWAY**

**HALLOWE'EN GIVEAWAY**

All you need to do to win everything in this photo is comment on this Facebook post with your best Hallowe'en outfit pic, your favourite spooky joke or just tell us what you love most about Hallowe'en (or even what you don't like!).

A randomly picked winner will receive our Beginners Papercutting Kit and a runner up will be sent our new Hallowe'en House digital papercutting template. 

Giveaway ends on Tuesday 31st Oct at 23:59 and the lucky winners will be drawn the following day. Good luck! ❤️🎃👻

Diamond Painting...

Today I have completely shirked all responsibility and me and the cats have been trying diamond painting and drinking ginger beer.
All around me is utter chaos as the house is being rearranged for Ryan's mum to come and stay with us on a long term basis (she currently lives up a mountain in Ireland and has to fetch well water and everything!) because she's not well.
So, there's banging, crashing, swearing and general disarray going on all around me with beds being put together, couches being shifted and a teenager who 'can't possibly move THAT because she NEEDS it'.
So I'm hiding.
I usually get cross with crafts that take a long time but I'm finding this really relaxing. I'm pretty sure I'm going to find 48 different colour gems down my bra at the end of the day. That'll be exciting.
For those that have never tried it, the picture is sticky and the squares are coded so you know what goes where. It's really sparkly and pretty satisfying.
I think someone just dropped a shelf on their foot judging by the screams.
Ahh well...light blue goes on the hashtag...
(No, I've no idea what the cats are doing either)
Try it yourself.
Lou xx

Right guys, we are going to try something new!

Right guys, we are going to try something new! This beautiful original Paper Panda papercut is called 'Settled' and was recently displayed at a National Trust exhibition in York. We are going to offer this piece in a blind auction - basically, all interested bidders submit sealed bids, so that no bidder knows the bid of any other bidder. The highest bidder pays the price they submitted and wins the cut! Got it? :D

So all you have to do is email us (admin@paperpandacuts.co.uk) with your bid using the subject 'Settled', and keep your fingers crossed! Bidding starts now and will close at 8pm on Sunday night, 15/10/17. Good luck! x

'Settled'

Cut from a single sheets of hammered paper, floating and framed in a handmade Paper Panda beech wood box frame.

Signed and dated on the mount and the reverse of the papercut, finished with the engraved Paper Panda plaque on the reverse.

Edition: 2/3

Size: 12x15"

Certificate of authenticity included.

New Surprise Template - available now!

It's that time of the month again folks... Surprise Template time!

This month it's £2, but I think you'll all agree that it's worth that extra pound ;)

Here's some reviews from satisfied customers in our Papercutting Facebook Group -

~ Oh my goodness, it's gorgeous!! ~
~ Stunning, well worth it ~
~ Eeekk how beautiful <3 ~
~ It’s a *must* buy! Absolutely stunning ~

~ Just beautiful hun, worth so much more than 2 pounds ~

I hope you enjoy it too, let's just say, it'll get you in the spirit of a holiday which comes in a couple of months ;) xx

Save 25% on Original Papercuts!

These beautiful (and large!) original papercuts are currently 25% off at the LLD Flash Sale Facebook group. Don't miss out on these bargains! 

 

Of Storms and Templates and Life Updates

Last week...

I've packed up 40 goody bags and sold them before I even got a chance to tell you guys (honestly join Patreon, you get all the good news first!). I made a poppy themed template for this months Patreon goodies then made the magpie template that's just gone in the shop..

Then, because I cut two papercuts I got a migraine and ended up in bed. It comes to something when you work so hard that you relish 24 hours in bed with a migraine.

Something woke me up during Storm Eileen so I spent the early hours of the morning being slightly funny on Twitter and gaining more than the usual 2 likes. I think it was the meds, I can't recreate it. Why is Twitter SO HARD?

Woke up and turns out the thing that kept me awake was a tree falling on our house. Yes. A whole tree.

Now, I like trees. I'm an old fashioned tree hugging hippy in fact, but I'm kinda against them using the roof I'm sleeping under to have a little rest on.

So, my reach is pants on Facebook because I've not had a chance to ramble this week, but saying that maybe the meds would have made anything I write become awesome, but most probably just garbled warbling so I kept it to Twitter where my ramblings only go noticed by about 4 people.

So this week in a nutshell goes thus:

Frantic packing of goody bags

Papercut x 2

Horrible migraine

Interesting medication

Slight and unusual Twitter interest

TREE, there's a feckin' TREE arggggh!

So, we went to the Terry Pratchett exhibition at Salisbury Museum over the weekend. If you're a fan I highly recommend it. Look out for the PP papercut on the bottom shelf of the office 

We still have a tree on our house but it's okay, we've become friends and kinda hang out together. 

Nobody tell my new mate that I'm hoping to turn him into firewood, okay? He might move and decide to get up close and personal by falling through the ceiling.

Spent yesterday stitching in front of a real fire (using a distant cousin of my new friend) and watched Indecent Proposal which I've never seen before! I've always said I wouldn't have to think twice about that million pound proposal but, dagnammit film, you may have changed my mind!

Today a cat threw up in my shoe. 

That's about it, really!

Oh. I'm now making this new template. It's THAT time of year again, you either love it or hate it. Me? Love it. Dunno why, we never do anything different and because we live in the back end of nowhere I don't get trick or treaters or anything. Boooo!

(Boooo, see what I did there??) 20% off until end of Sept!

7.30 on a Wednesday evening. I remember when I used to watch Eastenders instead of this cutting paper lark. Lingering headache but nothing too bad yet. I've messed up with this one but hoping I've saved it, my own fault for not drawing it out properly first.

Behind me are two dogs. Both rescue. Both been 'done'. Although...one maybe not as much as it should have been as she certainly in heat and the other is so old he's very confused and is still having a go despite not having any tackle. I swear he's gonna have a heart attack. I keep reminding him that he's, like, 354 in human years but he doesn't care. Someone has spiked his Senior Winalot with viagra, clearly. It's noisy, messy and they're both massive so I keep being shoved with a knife in my hand. 

Trevor Tree still on the house. He says hi.
Happiness isn't having what you want, it's wanting what you have.
Even if that's dopey dogs and a tree on your roof. xx

 

**GIVEAWAY**

**GIVEAWAY** 

Have you tried your hand at papercutting yet? If not, why not?

You can now win our best selling papercutting kit for yourself or a friend, posted anywhere in the world. It includes everything you need to get started - equipment, hints and tips from me and literally LOADS of templates printed onto lovely cutting paper, so that you can get stuck straight in!

To win this kit just visit our Facebook contest post here, like the post and comment, or if you've already got one you could nominate someone else to win.

And remember, sharing is caring! ;) 

*giveaway not associated with Facebook in any way at all*

I'll pick a winner on Sunday 17th Sept at 8pm by commenting on the comment. Oh, and we also sell this fabulous kit in the Paper Panda shop too, for those who don't win. :P *hint hint* 

Good luck! P xx

What a way to wake up!

What a way to wake up! Well, I'd rather have tea and toast but this morning we had a big scary bailiff at the door who wanted £480 for a parking ticket collected in London last year. He either wanted the cash or the car (cue panicking).

Problem. We rarely leave the house. We've never driven to London. Of coooourse he wouldn't believe that, everyone must say it I guess, but in our case it was true!

He seemed legit, checked his papers, his ID, looked him up on the internet, all okay even though it was screaming SCAM at me, and all the time I could see curtains twitching. How embarrassing! Especially as I'm wearing my Pokémon pyjamas 

So, we paid him. What else can you do? Hell, we don't have to eat anyway!

After lengthy phone calls and trying to sound like a grown up we've just found out the parking warden keyed in the wrong number plate.

Oh and the money? It'll take ages to come back to us.

If you were that parking warden I absolutely demand a full vegetarian English breakfast immediately!! 

Picture because we also need an elephant playing a ukulele in addition to a good rant.




(Stressed) Panda xx

New Guest Artist templates to peruse!

Here's just four of the latest Guest Artist templates, all very different styles but each one just as gorgeous as the last.


I Have Found My Tribe - Paperlace

 The Day Dreamer - Zoe Tarrant



Animal tree - Anantaviana

Green Woman - Wildchild Designs

FBH - brought to you by Chanel...?

So I was looking for my Chanel nail polish... only to find Mr P painting was using it to paint the little the cupcake on these FBH figures :O

Handmade and painted entirely from scratch by Mr P, who has spent hours perfecting them (with my nail polish). Each Hedgehog is individually hand sculpted to the highest quality, hand painted in the signature colours, and hand finished with a little cupcake. No detail has gone unnoticed, down to his tubby tum and little spikes.

 These are very super limited and each comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
Look at his cute little face!

Love ya! Panda xx

Goodnight Sir Bruce :(

You've been making us laugh since age fourteen

It's only fair that you go have a rest

From stage to screen your talents have spanned

The airwaves, you've worked with the best

From The Muppets to dancing and Generation Games

You grew old with quite awesome disgrace

Turning cards with dolly birds, higher or lower

Always with a grin on your face

On Saturday nights you'd bring out a car

And ask us to go guess the price

It's safe to say that'll you'll be missed

It's been nice to see you, to see you nice.

Sir Bruce Forsyth 22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017

Miniature papercuts... coming soon?

It's been a long time since I made any tiny papercuts... but I've been back at it!
Keep your eyes on the Paper Panda site on 12th August, you might get lucky, that's all I'm saying!

Panda xx

Victorian Wild...

Meet the Victorian Wild animals!
Designed by Ryan (Mr P), these four woodland animals have a splendid vintage style.

Mr Meles, the Badger


Mr Brown, the Bear 

Mr Vulpes, the Fox 

Ms Alba, the Barn Owl 

Now available in luxury A5 prints, individually and as a set of four.

Panda xx