If I had to choose just one crafting material, I would choose paper. I love its versatility, its ability to be transformed, shaped and molded. I like that it has serious personality. It also has romantic connotations for me, which may contribute to my ongoing love affair.
When I first met my husband-to-be, I hadn't crafted in possibly fifteen years, my creative outlets taking form in other ways (though it had been a great passion in my childhood). But as our relationship began to unfold, I found myself buying paper - lots and lots of paper. I bought it in Los Angeles, where we lived. I bought it in New York when we visited. I shipped it from France and Italy and Morocco when we vacationed. So much paper that I bought an armoire just to house it in. The man who would eventually become my husband wondered aloud why I had so much paper and what I planned to do with it. Truthfully, I had no idea. I only knew that I needed it. Shortly after we married, I began my career as a crafter, and my need for paper became abundantly clear. In retrospect, I should have known he was the man I would marry the day I bought my first piece of paper, for clearly he was unlocking my true nature and passions, slowly allowing me to fully realize the person I had always been. Is it any wonder that the sight of paper still gives me a little thrill?
So of course I was excited when I received my copy of Paper + Craft in the mail this weekend. It was with great pleasure that I thumbed through it on a rainy afternoon and I was not disappointed, as I sometimes am with craft books that I eagerly await. Some of the projects won't feel like new ideas, but I'm always inspired to see what transformation a basic project takes on as it's imbued with the personality of its designer. There are 25 projects in the book, several of which are shown below, and Chronicle Books has the downloadable templates from the book online. All in all, a worthy new addition to the craft library. And since I have no shortage of paper, a very good buy for me, indeed!
An example of an old idea imbued with individual style (and what a wonderful way to utilize kid art - far left).
A recipe book project with cover templates and individual recipe cards.
DIY mini goodie bags with a template for making your own printable bags.
Paper makes me smile, paper makes me happy. I buy tons of paper, I hoard tons of paper. I know where you are coming from. :)
Posted by: Sarah | 01 September 2010 at 02:20 PM
What a fun book. I always love to see ideas in new ways too. Kind of gets the creative juices flowing. :)
Posted by: Aimee | 30 August 2010 at 06:31 PM