The Papercut Puppets shop on Etsy has now closed. I’d always considered the shop a time-limited side hustle, more of an experiment to see if I could sell some of my art in an easily reproducible and cost effective manner. I never wanted it to pull me away from my main art practice, though I did enjoy the simple pleasure of crafting weird little dolls and puppets between my bigger animation projects. Now that my concussion has healed and I’m able to work on the computer for longer hours, my studio hours are fully consumed with animated filmmaking.
It was lovely selling my puppets in the arts & crafts markets and I met so many interesting and creative shop owners. That’s the part I’ll miss.
Time lapse video demonstrating how to build the NINTH HEART paper puppet theatre that I created for the ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS VOL. 2 limited edition deluxe box set. Available from Severin Films.
Papercut Puppets will be a vendor at the upcoming Bazaar of the Bizarre. There’s lots to enjoy at this market including performers, DJs and lots of unique, hand-crafted clothes, art and crafts.
As some of you may know, I started my Etsy shop in 2019 as a side project, in part inspired by the paper cutout animations I was creating at the time. I had been making articulated paper puppets for my various film projects and, when I would bring my puppets into the classroom to share with my animation students, they would delight in them as art objects onto themselves. It occurred to me that there was a small market for such things, and thus Papercut Puppets was born.
Jump ahead five years, one pandemic and one concussion later, and I’ve decided to wind things down with my shop. There’s a few reasons for this:
It was only ever conceived as a side hustle with no plans to make it my full-time occupation. I’m happy being an art instructor and animator, and those pursuits will likely remain to be my main focus.
Some of the materials used to make my puppet kits — mainly, the coloured 3mm mini-brad paper fasteners — have all but disappeared from the market. The manufacturers from whom I’ve bought these have stopped selling them, and I’ve not found a comparable replacement.
I’ve run out of the printed bag toppers, cardboard backing boards, and printed promotional cards and have decided not to reorder, since that would mean another 2-3 year commitment.
In short, if you’ve enjoyed my quirky creations over the years, now is the time to purchase before they cease to exist. One of my popular designs, the mermaid, has now sold out and been retired. I have very limited quantities of other designs (the bat and octopus have less than 3 each).
Admission to the Bazaar of the Bizarre is free. April 27th, open to the public from 11am-8pm. Located in Parkdale Hall, 1605 Queen Street West. My Etsy shop is: https://papercutpuppets.etsy.com
After careful consideration, I’ve decided to retool and restock my Etsy shop with different products. While I’ve greatly enjoyed creating my unusual and off-beat paper creations, it’s time for me to change things up. (Stay tuned for future ventures).
Therefore, I will be selling off remaining stock of the paper puppet kits and the paper dolls (both the regular and the magnetic dolls) until the stock is gone. VERY limited numbers on certain items, so once they’re gone, they are gone. 30% discount on listed items.
Papercut Puppets will be a vendor at Ghostwoodmarket on Friday, June 16th at 5 – 11 p.m. Lots of off-beat and unusual arts & crafts, clothings, etc., plus live music! Located at Parkdale Hall, 1605 Queen Street West, Toronto.
Firstly, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy & Healthy New Year!
I have a brand new paper puppet to share with you all:
This is Wilfred the Wizard, a magical marmalade cat. While other wizards may apply their art of alchemy towards transmuting base metals into gold, Wilfred prefers to focus his arcane knowledge towards conjuring catnip and other treats.
Final size of puppet once assembled: 9″ H x 6″ W
Available as a digital download, a DIY puppet kit, and as a pre-assembled puppet.
Lady Lazarus 