Bristol, glue
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When asked to create a three-dimensional “toy” only out of paper, I could only help but want to go all out. I often joke that paper was my first medium, as I made practically EVERYTHING out of it when I was younger. I knew I had to create something special, and the lovely Jolly Holiday carousel was the perfect fit.

I began by creating the larger forms by hand, such as the base and roof. When it came to the details, I delved into a tool I didn’t have when I was younger: a Cricut.

Having a Cricut led me to not only create the carousel forms, but also score details into them. So, I got to work designing countless files on Adobe Illustrator to score and cut the detailed elements like the bunting and horses.

The Cricut Joy did a beautiful job creating these pieces, which left me with a somewhat “carousel kit” that my younger self could only dream of.

The process reminded me of the many hours I would spend scrolling through the Kevin and Jody Blog long ago, always wowed by their attention to detail and paper creations. They were a massive influence on me and definitely inspired much of what I do today.

I then glued all of the elements together, leaving me with a charming merry-go-round from my favorite film. There are some proportional changes I would make if I were to create this again, but I am proud of my design skills and how far my paper abilities have come over the years.

-JA