All Things Paper -- in print!

If you're a fan of papery goodness like I am, there's a good chance you already know about a gorgeous blog called All Things Paper. It's written by one of the nicest people I know, Ann Martin. Ann is an accomplished quiller and blogger, and consistently fills her site with anything and everything to do with paper arts.  If all of this is old news to you, you have also likely heard about a new book that's currently available for pre-order. Taking its name directly from the blog from which it was born, All Things Paper is a new book out next month that will sate even the most discriminating paper art tastes.

I'm so excited! It's going to be a great book, and I look forward to having my own copy to page through, bookmark and find inspiration. Knowing the book is authored and curated by Ann and that it's packed with amazing projects (you can peek inside online), is enough to get me to clear off my cutting mat, but did I tell you the really fun news? My work is in there, too! I was really chuffed when Ann invited me to submit a project for this book, and she's been amazingly helpful, kind, and patient to work with throughout this process. Let me explain it this way, if you browse through Ann's online portfolio of quilled marriage certificates, you'll see that her work defines the term "meticulous". She combines a keen eye for detail with clean curves and lines, all with a beautiful grace that pairs perfectly with the love and commitment documented in the certificates themselves. She brought this same dedication to the forming of and carrying through with this book. This is gonna be good, folks!

The tutorial I contributed is a little tree card that can also be made as a frameable work of art. One of things about this book that excites me is the potential for people to create their own versions of my card and share those pieces with others. I look forward to seeing what people do with this design! You can read a bit about the book on Ann's blog, and you can follow other book-related posts and activities by liking the Facebook page for the book, too! Hooray!

June's Voting Poll is Up

We're going to keep on rolling with the Lake of the Month voting poll, and the ballot for June is live! While I'm well aware that this month's winner, New Zealand doesn't qualify as a lake, humor me with this title. It just rolls off the tongue so much nicer than "Lake, Coastline, Landmass, or other Body of Water of the Month" does. ;)

We've kept the runners up from this month on the list (Chesapeake Bay, Penobscot Bay, and the Great Salt Lake), and added newcomers Lake Tahoe and the Florida Keys to the mix. 

Let the voting begin!

New New Zealands!

And here they are! Not one but two New Zealands at your fingertips.

When researching the land and bathymetry of the islands, I couldn't help but be awed by the topography and geographic history of New Zealand. It's a fascinating story dating back over a hundred million years! You can read more about it within the listing for the 5-layer piece here.

Or in the new 8-layer piece here.

As is usually the case, I've thoroughly enjoyed researching and creating these pieces. For many years, New Zealand has been on my short list of places to see in my life, and through this process, I must mentally underline and circle it as a destination!

We Have a Winner!

It's New Zealand with 50% of the total votes!

I'm looking forward to carving out these beautiful islands and having pieces available for YOU in the shop within the week. 

While you're waiting for me to trace, cut, glue, photograph and list this new addition to shop, please voice your nominations for the next poll. We'll probably include the Chesapeake Bay and Great Salt Lake as they also garnered a lot of votes in this round, but what else would you like to see? Let me know in the comment section of this post.

Thanks for all the votes in this round, and stay tuned for the next poll. 

Working my way up the West Coast

Here's a few shots of my latest custom piece. It features St. Helena Island including the towns of Port Royal and Beaufort, South Carolina. 

Since I've started making custom pieces, I've rendered the Savannah, Georgia delta area, Tybee Island, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. Now, moving just a little farther north, I've logged in St. Helena Island. I imagine a request for the Charleston area won't be far along.

It's tricky working this part of the country -- river deltas, coastal shoals, islands, wetlands, waterways, bridges and an ever-changing landscape require some of the most detailed and time-consuming work I've done, but I love the payoff with all the finger-like rivers pressing into the land, and the massive ocean depths just off the coast of the continent.