Hamsa papercut

I had the idea for this and sketched it out over a year ago but work, moving and life in general got in the way and it was only when I was rummaging through my paper stash that I rediscovered it and decided to finish it up. 

The inspiration for this piece was actually from a key ring that my mum gave me a few years ago. The hamsa (or khamsa) is a symbol that has significance in Islam, Judaism and Christianity and is supposed to offer protection and ward off bad luck. More about it here.

Traditionally, papercuts are done from one single piece of paper and are all all parts of the image are connected. This one has lots of separate pieces so a bit of a departure from purist papercutting and my usual approach. 

There are a couple of bits that still need to be stuck down and then I need to cut out about a million dots for the border of the palm...which is daunting. I'll post the finished piece if and when I manage to get it done!