Kirigami update 3

The end of another week and time to reveal the latest patterns from my kirigami calendar.

25 and 26 January brought a couple of simple designs.

27 January: time for a pop-up and also a change of colour. My craft knife skills are still not the best so it's on the scruffy side. I also managed to rip the support bar on the right as I was trying to ease it out. You forget just how delicate the paper is.

28 January: A bouquet of tulips. This simple design was no hint of what was to come the next day. Hold onto your hats...

29 January: Wow! My favourite design of the calendar so far. It definitely wasn't relaxing to do. In fact, it was very tense cutting out all the small pieces with my craft knife and trying to remember to breathe. But it was so worth it and really should have been the design for tomorrow for Chinese New Year.

30/31 January: another stunner. I do like the lacy designs the best.

1 February: a simpler design to start a new month.

2 February: Another straightforward one.

3 February: This one looks simple but it took me all week to complete as I kept putting it off. The reason? You had to draw some kind of creature around the mouth/beak and that freaked me out. My drawing skills aren't the best and I was worried it would look ridiculous. In the end I decided it was me who was ridiculous and just drew some eyes.

4 February: Thankfully, it was back to cutting out. The girl at bottom right somehow lost half her face which is a bit creepy and makes me think of Dr Who monsters!

5 February: Crabs doing 'ring-a-ring-a-roses'.

6 February: A heart pop-out to end the week. I've already had a sneaky peek at what's to come and there's a new technique to learn - can't wait!

It's been a funny old week, mostly because I've been suffering from toothache and all the tummy issues you get when taking antibiotics. Urgh!

To cheer myself up I've been reading this colourful article in the latest issue of Landscape magazine. You can see more of Amanda Perkins and her gorgeous blankets on her blog.

More colour on my mantelpiece as tulips brought sunshine into my living room and the real sun actually shone for a change!

Not to miss out on those rare rays, we went for a muddy walk in the woods, even if Chickpea looks more dressed for a shopping trip ;-)

I can't show you more photos as I'm saving them for my scavenger hunt entry but here's a taster: some beautiful hellebores.

How amazing it was to get out into the fresh air for a change. I'm hoping for more of the same next week as it's the start of the scarecrow festival at Tatton Park. Fingers crossed! xx