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.
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
This is Krampus, the goat-like demon of Germanic tradition who arrives with Saint Nicholas during the Christmas season. While St. Nick rewards the well-behaved children with gifts, its the role of Krampus to punish misbehaving children. My version of Krampus — while no less grotesque and fearsome than that of the traditional folkloric demon — comes elegantly dressed in a black damask-patterned vest, charcoal grey britches, red waistcoat and matching cravat because even a punishing monster wishes to look his best on Christmas.
Final size of puppet once assembled: 10″ H x 5.5″ W.
Available as a download or a DIY printed puppet kit with paper fasteners included that ships right to your door. Visit my Etsy shop: 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.
Hello, gentle readers. Hope everyone is keeping healthy, happy and sane during these strange times. As always, I’ve been busy puttering about in my home studio, making stuff. Recently, I purchased one of those fancy cutting machines, which opens up a whole new realm of creative possibilities. After several days of struggle with both the printer and the cutting machine — because nothing is ever as simple as the manufacturer suggests it will be, ever — I present one of the projects I finally managed to make: a magnetic paper doll.
This is Maude, a Victorian-era spiritualist medium. She uses the gift of her mystic Third Eye to gaze upon the spirit realm to communicate with dearly departed souls. Occasionally during a séance, the contacted spirits will manifest physically in the form of ectoplasm, a whitish, gooey substance.
Maude comes dressed in her Victorian-era undergarments including corset, chemise and bloomers. She has a lovely day dress which she wears during her séances (the white ectoplasm contrasts perfectly against the two-tone green material), an outfit of full Victorian mourning attire, and a hooded blue High Priestess robe to wear during moonlit magick rituals in sacred forest groves.
This magnetic paper doll will adhere readily to your fridge, dishwasher, or any metallic surface suitable for magnets. Magnets have a good, strong hold.
Size of magnetic doll= 7.875″ H x 4.5″ W
Nifty. This magnetic doll was printed on glossy magnetic paper with my inkjet printer, and then cut out with the Silhouette Cameo 4. You can find Maude in my Etsy shop Papercut Puppets.
This is Maude, a Victorian era spiritualist medium. She uses the gift of her mystic Third Eye to gaze upon the spirit realm to communicate with dearly departed souls. Occasionally during a séance, the contacted spirits will manifest physically in the form of ectoplasm, a whitish, gooey substance.
Over the Christmas/New Year’s break, I turned my attention towards the business side of my art practice. In the spirit of renewal for the New Year, I decided to resurrect my cobwebbed and long neglected Etsy shop and upload some new listings. Ultimately, I plan to add these to this web site/blog — with an option to purchase via PayPal button — once I figure how to actually do that.
Lady Lazarus 