I’ve come across a wonderful website – full of whimsy and old world charm – and I thought I’d share it with you. It features the work of Marilyn Scott-Waters, artist and paper engineer. Her website provides hundreds of free patterns that can be printed out onto light card or paper and then cut and folded into shape. It’s a perfect school holiday activity, but also a peaceful, meditative pastime for grown-ups – here are some photos of the items we made today.
These “Penny Butterflies” (or in our case, 5c butterflies) balance on a point and flutter slightly in the breeze.
There are scores of downloadable Christmas cards, stationary and gift boxes, including the small Candy Cane Bags pictured above and the little Elf gift tags and Angel card below.
And just look at how cute these little guys are – polar bears helping Santa with his toy trailer!
Small Man, who loves all forms of model building, spent the better part of an hour cutting and folding this fabulous cardboard biplane.
The Toymaker’s website also provides several paper doll patterns, with intricately detailed clothing. She has human figures, but also otters and groundhogs – here are her otters, Charles and Brook, dressed in their ball costumes.
We had so much fun today, as we always do when given the opportunity to be creative. I’d encourage you all to spend some time this weekend indulging in a little papercraft – it’s very therapeutic!
PS. This is not a sponsored piece (nor are any of my posts) – quite the opposite, in fact. I was so impressed by the Toymaker website that I tipped some money into their donation jar!
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Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Hi Celia,
I just made your lemon curd in the microwave and, not only did it work, it’s delicious! I’m so excited, I just had to tell someone. Thanks for the inspiration.
I love this website too. We’ve made several projects with the kids. Try the Brownie Math Toys for learning multiplication tables and Racing Turtles just for fun!
Sue, it’s amazing, isn’t it? I’m so glad to hear it worked well for you! :)
Cathy, my boys are a little old now for the tables, but the racing turtles look like great fun! Thanks.. :)
Hope you’ll both enter the giveaway we’re having!
Cool Celia – I just printed out the Tea Bag Envelopes … very irish of me but it would make a lovely addition to a gift basket.
They’re gorgeous, Gillian – love the Wind in the Willows quote! (The envelopes are here, by the way.) What are you planning to do with them – fill them with loose leaf tea, or nice tea bags?
What a cool site! Well done, to little man, on the plane building. Now if only they had a blimp/Hindenberg model.
How lovely! What a great site you have found :))
Thank you so much for all your kind words. Charles and Brooke have never looked so spiff!
I’m off to figure out the lemon curd. We have all kinds of lemon, lime, mandarin and orange trees in our garden. :-)
Big hugs!
Marilyn.
—
“I urge you to please notice when you are happy,
and exclaim or murmur or think at some point,
‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.'”
~Kurt Vonnegut
Marilyn, thank you for being so generous with your art! We’re still having fun – I’m going to take Gillian’s suggestion and print out the teabags next.
Jo, knew you’d enjoy it! Thanks for the email on origami, by the way, sorry I haven’t had a chance to reply directly… :)
Dan, your two superheroes would love those penny butterflies! And so true re Small Man, though I somehow feel historic disasters probably wouldn’t be a good fit with Marilyn’s website! Having said that, Marilyn, if you ever do a paper model of the Hindenburg or Titanic, please let us know…hahaha
Celia
Celia, I really really like my butterfly. Thank you for showing us the website. Mum just read me the Violin Cat and it was great. I have to go now because I want Mum to read me something else – and I’m up way past my bedtime!
So glad you’re enjoying it, Dredgemeister Jr! Isn’t she a clever lady? :)
Wow, Thanks C (& Marilyn)
My small girl is just starting times tables, doubling & skip counting, so we will definitely try The Brownie Forest games.
It sounds fun!
hugs, J
:)
Yep, she’ll love this, J! :)
Another super tip. Thanks
Thanks for this wonderful tip–will have to browse through these and maybe get some activities for our upcoming looooong plane trip!