Hi Everyone,

This summer stash buster project, Oval Abstract Botanical, was such a relaxing and fun project to complete. It was fun to take colors that were not in my normal palette and create something that I really love and am proud of. I know that stepping outside of comfort zones can be difficult but it usually proves to be well worth it. The real beauty of this project? The fact that you can make it as easy or difficult as you wish. It's really up to you and the restrictions you want to place on yourself. 

Punching is such a big part of our lives here that it's fun to have a project that we can add on bonus challenges, whether we do it ourselves or if they are set by a friend. It helps to make these projects more fun for us, allowing us to crack our knuckles and get down to the business of learning more and expanding our horizons. 

We didn't receive too many submissions this time around, which is completely understandable. Summer is such a busy time of year for many people. Especially those with families that have children out of school; whether they're your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. Everyone is trying to enjoy these warm and easy days. I also know that with the weather acting as crazy as it has seemed to do this year, it is additionally difficult to get into projects you want to accomplish. With record breaking rainfall and flooding here in Vermont it has seemed rather ambitious to get into anything that isn't helping out our neighbors in recovering from this wild weather. 

I would really love to showcase the submissions we have received so far, and please, if you are still working on your project, finishing it, or just haven't had time to take a picture, when you do send us a photo! We love to see what you all are creating, it inspires all of us here and we are continually learning from you all! 

Dawn created the above Oval Abstract Botanical, beautifully rendered and punched. I love the soft colors she used and the shading in the circles. They almost look like they were created with watercolors. 

Eriko created this stunning peacock inspired piece, using yarns that belong to her Mother-in-law, as a gift to her. Eriko spent a week with us here at the rug school taking the Oxford Certified Instructor course. I love the sculpting that she used and her amazing use of color!

Our next project will be launching this fall, it's a super fun project, simple, but will make great gifts for the holiday season. It will also come as kits for those that would like to give the kit as a gift or prefer to purchase it that way for yourself! 

Until then,

Happy Punching!

~Hannah