I've recently gotten into paper cutting and must say I'm rather addicted. There's something in cutting and pasting colorful papers and decorating them with paint and sequins that makes my inner child undeniably happy. To me, it's a beautiful marriage of fine art and fun crafts. Plus, there are just so many possibilities with the medium!

I've been a huge fan of Brittney Lee's work for a long time, and her paper cuttings are just magical. So, I thought I'd try my hand at the medium and see what happened.

My first attempt...was not so great. It was, however a learning experience, and taught me a lot about what papers/paints to use, etc. And thus began the mermaids. I started them back at the end of winter, when I was dearly craving some warm summer sunshine and bright, beachy palettes.

The first mermaid I kept pretty simple, just so that I could get the hang of how to cut out and layer the various shapes. The best part about painting/creating mermaids? You can go all out with the fun colors and sparkle! After all, I think mermaids have an awfully good time, especially with all that pastel hair.

Next up, I decided to tackle something a bit more complex, this time as a graduation gift for my cousin who, I am convinced, is a real-life mermaid. I started playing around more with cutouts in the various pieces, such as her hair and tail fin. It's a surprisingly easy technique and simply requires patience and time. And a paper strong enough to stand up to all the tiny cuts.

Most recently, I completed this lovely tropical mermaid, who is, thus far, my favorite. Mostly because of the jellyfish. I really love jellyfish. They're just too cute.

Who knows what will be next?