http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/sharyn_sowell/ Confined to a fishing boat with a pair of restless toddlers and two avid fishermen, Sharyn used her husband's Swiss army knife scissors and the children's lunch bags to cut out Noah's ark and a zoo full of animals. Merely trying to amuse the boys, Sharyn never suspected she'd just fallen head over heels into a love affair with scissors and paper. <p> </p> <p> Thousands of sheets of paper later, Sharyn's deft scissors flash, revealing a sparrow's wing, violets in a grassy meadow, or children at play with the fairies. </p> <p> Today, her work can be found on tableware, greeting cards, needlework kits, gift bags, rubber stamps and more. Sharyn's original designs always begin with just scissors and a single sheet of paper cut free hand. She embellishes the cut paper with calligraphy, watercolor, pastels, type from her antique press, and digital enhancements. Sharyn's book, <em>Paper Cutting Techniques for Scrapbooks &amp; Cards</em>, was published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. in 2005. Her work has been seen in galleries and museums nationwide; critics call her work &quot;striking...imaginative.&quot; </p> <p> In a tiny cottage studio, Sharyn surrounds herself with snips &amp; scraps of paper, pots of ink and glue, old family photos, birds' nests and other everyday wonders. &quot;My work celebrates the miracles we see each day if we open our lives to simple pleasures,'&quot; says Sharyn, who agrees with Hans Christian Andersen that &ldquo;real life is the best fairy tale.&quot; </p> <div><p><strong>Other Sharyn Sowell Links</strong></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sharynsowell.com">www.sharynsowell.com</a></p></div>