It's Concertina Friday!

Today's blog throwback is all about concertina folding, as I like to call it. Something I like to do, even though it can be a bit fiddly to turn into a flat, round ornament - but with a bit of patience and practise it is super easy. It's perfect for gorgeous flowers and stars, I think, and it doesn't involve a lot of thinking or complicated folding sequences - all you have to do is make a whole lot of really, really sharp and even folds. 

The Solino Stars (top) and the Dip Dye Flowers (middle) are both from 2013. They both include a perfectly finished design to download, which you only have to print, cut and fold. Both blog posts have a few bits of practical advice on the how-to.

The Gold Stars (bottom) post from 2016 is a kind of tutorial in itself, explaining the easiest way to make something like this - tried and perfected by me, and it involves making a little tool for super quick and accurate folding. These gold ones are made from thin, glossy gift wrap, which I find particularly suited for this kind of folding.

Have a lovely weekend, everybody!

Spring favorite # 1: Modulor in Berlin

Hope you're all enjoying spring, which is turning into summer her in Cph!

I've been very busy, but have collected a few thoughts and loose ends, so even though I have a bit of a blog break at the time, let me welcome you to my little series of Spring Favorites!

We took a small Spring break in Berlin some weeks ago, and I love love love Berlin. I could write a lot about that place, and we had some sunny and lovely days on our visit, so I have lots of blogging material, so to speak, loads of photos and such. But I actually only want to share this one tip with you!

I've been to Berlin quite a few times before, and it's a city full of change, energy and exiting things, and every time you come, there is a whole new neighborhood or scene to check out. And the shopping, oooh! In my view the very best shopping spot in Europe - as far as I'm concerned, anyway. I have it pretty well mapped out, and have lots of must-visit-shops.

Which is why it is a bit odd - with my almost lifelong passion for paper and art supply shops - that I have never visited this utterly and completely fantastic shop before. But this time I finally went!

If you, as I do, love that kind of shops - look no further. This is seriously the best there is, and I would travel to Berlin for this shop alone. 

Niftily situated right next to Moritzplatz U-Bahn Station, and near the Design College - and opposite a small park, where they have nice street food vendors in the Summer - it is an absolutely must from now on, for my future visits. As driving there is fairly easy and quick from Copenhagen, I contemplate going there on a shopping expedition with an empty trunk! Oh, man, did they have some nice stuff I would like to own.

Because, not only do they have EVERYTHING you can possibly imagine in the way of papers, modelling materials, glues, paints, colors, pencils, markers, stickers, tools, metal bits and bobs, decorating materials and aaaaaaaaall that. No, no - they also have probably the most interesting selection of affordable storage and office/workplace furnishings and accessories I saw in a long time. 

So, I am having a real retail love thing going on here.

See for yourself.
Here is their web shop, with a fraction of the range you see in the actual shop...!!

We drove in a car stuffed to the brim with four adults and two kids and all the luggage relevant to such a setup, so my friend and I had to stick to fun (small) paper products. I filled a bag, and here is a little bit of it...

(- and the wooden thingy? Well, that is a carrying handle, of course. A small, but significant, freebie from their packaging table, after the checkout. They obviously have this huge table, with free wrapping paper, bubble wrap, different kinds of tape, string, scissors, cutting knives etc. so that you can wrap your purchase properly. And anyone who have carried a heavy, big or oddly shaped parcel, knows just how big a difference such a handle can make! God is in the detail and Modulor is one cool shop.)

Are you making an Advent Calendar?

Because if you are, you might want to get one of my lovely 24 days Advent calendar gift wrap paper kits - available for 17 Euro plus a bit of shipping in the heart heart shop, and still in time to ship internationally to most places before December 1st!

Go have yourself a colorful December...

24 Days Advent calendar gift wrap / shop update

After some very busy weeks, I finally landed in November pre-Christmas mode, got my 24 Days Advent gift wrap and Tictail shop ready, and are now open for business!

Check out the whole concept here in the heartheart shop - a few teasers are seen above!

Big PS: In true Christmas spirit I knocked a few euros off the original price, since I realized I had miscalculated my packaging and shipping costs a bit, so go get them!

 

2021 update: Please go here for absolutely free download of this new version. The only trouble is that you have to download each sheet individually - but they are pretty! They are scaled for print on A3 paper.  

24 Days Advent calendar gift wrap now available in the shop!

Wow - The shop is now open, and you can buy my new and improved 24 Days Advent calendar gift wrap and have it delivered at your doorstep!

No more mucking about with the inkjet printer (and emptying a full set of ink cartridges), and these babies are laser printed and therefore the colors really pop and look great. The color palette is more or less the same as last time (this is not random - this red / grey / electric blue / pink combo is very dear to me, and says festive and Christmas and happy. And that kind of thing.) - but most of the patterns are new, and the sheets are A3. 

Please go to the shop and order now - in time to get the calendar done by December first! I very gladly ship Worldwide, but of course, if you live in Brazil or Australia, the shipping takes some time.

I will process all orders promptly, from day to day, if at all possible.

 

2021 update: Please go here for absolutely free download of this new version. The only trouble is that you have to download each sheet individually - but they are pretty! They are scaled for print on A3 paper. 

New version of the Advent Calendar Giftwrap on it's way!

Remember the Advent Calendar Giftwrap I made last year?
(....the paper shown in the photos)

It was a great hit with my son, and with several other people, as it turns out - so this year I have decided to do something a bit extraordinary. I am having a small production of this paper printed professionally, so this year, you won't have to bother with the printing yourself!

It will be brand new colors and patterns, but the concept is the same; 24 different patterns, all playing with numerals in different ways, for a quick-fix but fine looking Advent Calendar. Hang the gifts on a string as a garland or display them in a basket or on a shelf, and let the small ones have some fun figuring the gift of the day out. The sheets will be approximately 30 x 40 cm. this year (or A3), enough for a proper size gift, or even a couple of small ones - and will be printed on quality paper in what I hope will be fabulous colors!

The 24 sheets will come beautifully wrapped in tissue paper and a strong cardboard tube - and will be for sale in my new Tictail-shop from this Sunday, November 1st. Yippeee..!!

I haven't landed on the exact prize yet, but it will be reasonable, and I will ship worldwide. Order as soon as you can, so you'll have time to make dear young ones a cool looking Advent Calendar, ready for December 1st.

So, gotta go - am madly busy to get this product ready for sale! Stay tuned....

2021 update: Please go here for absolutely free download of the new version from 2015. These were a commercial product, I had them printed in a small batch and sold the kits online, but now they are yours for free. The only trouble is that you have to download each sheet individually - but they are pretty! They are scaled for print on A3 paper.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Remember the advent gift wrap? It has been a great hit with my son - and I hope some of you out there have used it as well. We have had lots of fun and daily discussions about numbers, and most particularly about how different they might look. Very educational, but not boring, I would say!

I actually hardly remember what I wrapped in these last two, but the rattling teeth and the Playmobil lumberjack, were in there, sometime in December.

And here is our tree. Atopped with candy stripes, and adorned with this and that. Now for a late breakfast, and then I need to wrap some gifts. 

Merry Christmas to all my readers, everywhere in the world.
I wish you all peace and some quiet days and time to enjoy the company of someone dear to you.

24 Patterns Advent Calendar Gift Wrap

December 1st is a week from now, and some of you are probably making advent calendars for your lucky dear ones. I am making one for my son, as I usually do, but this year I felt like making a bit of a wrapping concept (otherwise I just wrap 24 gifts in as many different types of paper as I can find in my drawers). 

Remember the four Sundays gift wrap I made last Christmas? I thought that was quite fun to make, so I decided to go all the way this year!

Here is the 24 Patterns Advent Calendar Gift Wrap - click here for the PDF.
I have decided to make a new version of these, so stay tuned for news when Christmas is coming!

 

2021 update: Please go here for absolutely free download of the new version from 2015. These were a commercial product, I had them printed in a small batch and sold the kits online, but now they are yours for free - only trouble is that you have to download each sheet individually - but they are pretty! They are scaled for print on A3 paper. 

The idea is super simple of course: wrap 24 small gifts, each one meant specifically for a certain day, and your kid might have some fun finding the correct one. That happens to be fun, when you are five and in the process of learning numbers! All of you who have the numbers down, might just enjoy the colors and patterns.

Okay, they are A4 and thus suitable for, well - rather small objects. But you may just wanna print an extra sheet for the larger gifts, and if you have access to A3 printing, just hit the 'scale to fit media' button.

Happy wrapping!

First advent and a little quick fix for you

Late last night I wrapped 24 small silly gifts for my son - ranging from glow in the dark dinosaurs to a pack of fake sailor tattoos (if you know him, please don't tell him). They hang on a long rope suspended on the front our bookshelves, and that is how we do it. Every morning he gets to choose a gift, and open it after breakfast.

This kind of advent calendar is very popular in Denmark, and as much as many parents loathe them, I still cannot resist the sheer joy it brings a four year old. I buy about half of gifts and his grandmother the other half, and I rarely buy anything that cost more than a euro (his grandmother tend to go a bit more crazy). Anyway - some people hate these things, some do a sock, as you can buy the things as you go along - and some only give the little gifts on the four Sundays of advent.

I do the full 24 gifts thing, because I like wrapping things, and the gifts in themselves are pretty.

Well - today is not only December first, but also the first Sunday of advent.
For those of you who haven't gotten around to inventing a clever gift calendar thingy for your dear one(s), here is a little something that might inspire you. And it is a quick fix - all you have to do is print the PDF (it is right here), and find four little lovely things to wrap. It might be four chocolate bars, it might be four golden rings (four calling birds won't fit, since the sheets are only A4, ha ha) - I'm sure you come up with something.

I like making patterns, and all sorts of graphic details or shapes can set off some kind of pattern or repetition going on in my head, when I am in that particular mood.
These patterns are made from the numerals 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 - and are little hints about which gift to open on which Sunday.

Happy first advent!

2021: I have a new location for my downloads, please go here:
Advent 1  /  Advent 2  /  Advent 3  /  Advent 4 

Ombré Schlombré

It has been impossible to miss this trend, if you like to browse the fashion blogs every now
and then, like I do. I had never heard this slightly pretentious word before - ombré, oh la la -
but in fact it just means 'shaded', as far as my rather poor French will take me.
Or something in that neighbourhood, I guess.

But this effect is something I have always been very fascinated by, and I remember home dyeing
sessions where my friend and I ruined yards of silk chiffon, trying to make something like this.
It ended up just looking slighty blotchy.

Whether you call it ombré or something entirely different, it is quite yummy, and I have been
bookmarking things all summer, and never buying any of them, of course. Here are some....

Vintage kimono, Zara suede bag, Stine Goya t-shirt, Ann Demeulemeester sneakers

Patent leather Prada mules I saw on eBay. Sigh. I would never wear these, but arent they just desserty?
See, I just made up a word there, 'desserty' - but that is exactly what they are. Desserty.

And another Stine Goya dress, from 2010 (she sure was on to something there...)

Last, but not least, is a really useful thing that I think Santa is going to bring my son in a few days.
Lucky him....

'Kebnekaise' bean bag from Little Red Stuga

But I was getting to something entirely different. I have been doing some backgrounds for some
designs, very inspired by this relentless trend. There is a tool in Adobe Illustrator called 'gradient',
that enables you to make such color effects really easily, but it has its limitations, and is a rather
crude tool, in my opinion. So I have been working with simple geometric patterns, and making
up to forty layers in a design, in order to isolate them and be able to gradually adjust the fill color.

This I would call nerdy digital dip dyeing.

As a byproduct I have been using some of these for some of my christmas stuff, and today I just
wanted to give you some plain sheets of these, to wrap small gifts in, or to use for paper crafting.
If you have access to A3 printing, just scale them to fit, but the ones you see here are A4.

The sheets come in a dotty pattern, and one with triangles. Use as you like!

Here are the dotty ones.                 
And here are the triangle pattern ones.