the twisted yarn

Knitting, crochet, running, and silliness.

Paper House

by 41 Comments

I want to show you something handmade that’s exquisitely beautiful, even though it has nothing to do with yarn. It’s a perfect replica of our brewery home, made with paper by the artist-craftswoman, Silvina De Vita, aka My Papercut Forest. There’s even a light inside, too!

How stunningly beautiful is this piece? I’ll scatter photos of it lit and unlit throughout this post, but first, a bit of backstory…

A year(ish) ago, I went to London to be filmed for an episode of the BBC television programme, ‘Make’. (Here’s my post about the experience.) Whilst there, I met some brilliant creative folk, including Silvina, whose papercutting took my breath away. Amongst other pieces, she’d made a model of the place where she lives, on a hill in Brighton. She doesn’t just do houses. Her flowers and foliage are just perfect, too, and are often in miniature.

Photo credit: Silvina De Vita, used with permission.

We got on from the moment that we met, in part because we both understand the need to drive ourselves mad creating crazy, ambitious, projects that take ludicrous amounts of time to finish. So after filming, we kept in touch.

Photo credit: Silvina De Vita. Used with permission.

Having admired her model houses so much, I started pondering… and then – short-story-shorter – I commissioned her to make an illuminated paper model of our wonky old home.

Silvina, if you’re reading this, may I please just say publicly that I am truly sorry for all the hair-tearing stress that went in to rendering our ludicrously-shaped house in paper. OK, not sorry enough to have asked you to stop at any point, but at least a bit sorry. But just look at the result:-

Yesterday, I took a day’s leave from work and drove down to Brighton to see Silvina and to collect the finished piece. It’s fair to say that I was a bit excited.

Now, as everyone knows, when somebody makes a model of your house, it’s traditional to give them ornamental cabbages in a bouquet. (What? You didn’t even know this? Are you trying to suggest that this rule exists only in my head?) Anyway, I took ornamental cabbages.

It was good to see Silvina at her beautiful home. This isn’t a replica: this is really her, in her real home… I think…

And man, can we talk when we get together! 🙂

She showed me her studio, too, where the magic happens.

Photo credit: Silvina De Vita. Used with permission.

And I finally got to see her model of my home. She’d even included the twinnage, much to the boys’ delight when they – later – got to see it.

With the precious cargo loaded into my car, I drove home very carefully.* I couldn’t wait to get it home, and to show the Stoic Spouse and the twinnage. Predictably, my family adored it. Here it is in its new home, on my late grandmother’s table. A house within a house.

I love it. I really, really, love it.

Photo credit: Silvina De Vita. Used with permission.

Silvina sells her work through her Etsy shop, and she takes commissions. I know that most of you are reading this from outside the UK but don’t worry, she ships internationally. I promise I have no financial incentive for saying all this, although she did bake some biscuits for when I visited, and I’m a bit of a sucker for a tasty biscuit…

She also runs workshops, as detailed on her website, and her Facebook page, and her Instagram.

And seriously, I highly recommend her work.

Photo credit: Silvina De Vita. Used with permission.

 

∗ Not that I usually drive like a maniac.

Comments

  10. Phil you are just adorable. Thanks for the post , and for coming yesterday all the way to Brighton. I know that you came only for the biscuits right? I’m so so so pleased you liked the house and your husband and children liked it too. My most intricate, mad and detailed project I’ve ever made. I’m so glad it will lives in your hands. Abrazo

    Reply

    • Yup, I came mostly for the biscuits. 🙂 In my defence, they were pretty delicious biscuits.

      It was SO good to see you (and your littlest lad). And I can’t wait to see you again in December.

      Reply

  12. So wonderful – I’m glad to see you’ve put it under glass! Dusting it would be a challenge. Thanks as always for sharing.

    Reply

  20. My mom forwarded this to me, because she knows I love paper. The house is absolutely amazing. Oh yeah, she also follows you on your Twisted Yarn BLOG. Between yarn and paper, you 2 are, once again, amazing!!! Oh also, I love the cabbage. I have tried to grow some, but the deer around here, love it too. So I gave up. I live in the US.

    Reply

    • Hi Debbie, I’m grinning an embarrassingly large grin at your comment. Thank you to you AND your mum for taking an interest. One thing that we can definitely agree on is that Silvina and her papercutting are just wonderful. 🙂

      Reply

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