Book Review- All Things Paper

Usually I'll put my disclosure at the end of a review, but this time I'm going to start with it. Ann Martin's All Things Paper  blog is a favorite,  because she loves paper even more than I do! She links to some incredibly awesome things you wouldn't believe are made from paper, she's a quilling enthusiast who shares her love and some great projects, and it's one of the most inspiring blogs out there. So when she wrote to me to ask if I'd like to review this book for GoodReads, I went kind of fan girl. Ok, REALLY fan girl. Took me a full ten minutes to answer YES! and much of that time was spent trying to compose an answer that wouldn't make her decide I was a crazy craft stalker.

So, now for the review (and the version that will be posted on GR and Amazon will skip that whole first paragraph and have the nice more professional disclosure at the bottom.)

All Things Paper is a book of paper crafts by various artists that is curated by an expert in the field. Ann Martin is enthusiastic about paper, and it shows. These are 20 projects that truly showcase the range of paper as a material for artists and crafters to create things. From realistic paper flowers to beautifully bound books, this book is a fantastic collection.

There are all sorts of paper used in the projects shown. Some are upcycled from things you have around your house already, others use specialty papers. Paper is very affordable, and most of the projects in the book can be tried and practiced with plain paper before you cut into the more expensive sheets.

The instructions are all very clear, with lots of photos of the steps to illustrate. The photos are well done and well lit.

The projects are separated by use.
Home Decor covers projects that are used in the home, such as simple to make and elegant luminaries, realistic lilacs, a Japanese inspired stationery box ,a silhouette portrait and a few others. My favorite project in this chapter, surprisingly isn't the stationery box, which is gorgeous and a practical gift; but the silhouette art because of the way it combines with a pretty cut paper background to make a truly frameable personal piece of art.

Fashion Accessories surprisingly only has two projects, but that's only because Jewelry is another chapter! Between the two chapters, you'll see a tote bag, a Tiger Lily fascinator, some gorgeous quilled pieces by Ann Martin, and learn a new technique for creating something almost like paper mache but stronger that can be braided and shaped. My favorite project in these two chapters is easily the Antique Key Pendant because the basic idea key design lends itself to all sorts of adaptations to make a very special pendant.

Correspondence is the stationery chapter, and this includes cards of course. There are also instructions for a neat journal project that would be a good gift for anyone. The cards are miniature works of art, and frameable. I love the clear and concise instructions with a lot of photos for making a journal, and my favorite card is hard to choose. There is the very elegant cut out paper tree card, but there is also a fun and colorful 3d flower card.

At the end is great gallery, and also information and websites for all of the contributors to this great collection.

I really recommend this book for paper enthusiasts, especially for beginners and intermediate crafters.

You can get it at Amazon, and using my affiliate links helps pay for this site and my book addiction.

U.S.A. U.K.

Book Review- Party Origami

If you've been following my blog for long, you'll find out that I'm a big fan of Japanese crafts. I spend a fair amount of time on Japanese craft boards looking at all the fantastic eraser stamps, scrunchies (chou chou!) and amigurumi. For English sites, I like the Zakkalife blog, which is written by the author of this book.

Party Origami is one of the sweetest gift book sets I've seen. The envelope like folder holds a small origami book, and a tablet of patterned paper to use to make the projects.

So first, the paper- it's not quite square. I'm okay with that because I've had problems in the past accidentally ripping or creasing paper pulling it from a tablet. It will need to be squared to make the projects. The patterns are brightly colored and trendy. There are geometric prints, chevrons, little candy prints and floral prints. All in very pretty colors with solid color backs. The solid colors coordinate with the prints on front. Two sided paper is a lovely touch on origami. The paper is a thin kami type, which means it's very smooth and thin and creases very well.

The instructions in the booklet are for 14 projects that are mostly based on classic models. They are written in standard origami format. The introduction of the book includes full instructions for following the symbols used in standard origami diagrams. They are some of the best instructions I've seen.

I wanted to see what someone who didn't fold would think of the instructions. I let my son pick a model, he's been interested in learning origami. He's never done origami before, this is a new interest for him. He was able to fold the model he chose, then he picked a few others to fold.

I love the choices of models and how they are used. There are place card holders, napkin rings, buntings and coasters. Some great decorative models that are easy to fold and add a great touch. The place card with a favor pouch is one of my favorite projects, and I also really like the lantern bunting.

This set would make a nice gift for people who enjoy origami or want to learn more about it, teenagers, and crafters who entertain. Because of the use of traditional models, it's a great way to get started in origami, but more advanced folders may not find enough new in the set to enjoy it. I did enjoy it very much because the models are used in ways that are cute and stylish and the instructions are so clear. The trendy colors and patterns of the paper are a nice bonus.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.

Book Review- How to Make 100 Paper Flowers

Maria Noble is an enthusiastic artist who wrote this book to share with people the art of making paper flowers. It's 100 projects shown with color photos and with the templates you'll need to create the blossoms shown. It's spiral bound in a hard cover to lay flat while you're working on a project from this book.

It starts with an explanation of the tools and materials you'll need to create the flowers, explaining the different kinds of paper, what florist tape and how it works, and other information you'll need. It also offers suggestions for where to buy the materials.

Then it gets into the projects. The first section is the one that a lot of people will find the most inspiring. Realistic flowers made from good quality crepe paper. It's also the most extensive section in the book. The flowers in this section would work well for creating paper fashion accessories such as a straw hat decorated with flowers for a Derby party, or gorgeous decorative accents for a home or an occasion.

My favorite thing in this section is the fact that it has 10 of the 12 birth month flowers! So you could pair a pretty vase with a handmade paper flower as a birthday gift.

January- Carnation, pg 44
February- Violet, pg 38
March- Daffodil, pg 18
April- Sweet Pea, pg 59
May- Lily of the Valley, pg 43
June- Rose, there are several rose designs, my favorite is page 30- the country rose
July- Larkspur, not in the book
August-Poppy, pg 56
September- Forget Me Not, pg 25 (shown in pink, I'd do them in light blue)
October- Marigold, not in the book
November-Chrysanthemum, pg 24
December-Narcissus, pg 16

After that, is less realistic flowers made from a variety of materials such as newsprint, construction paper, cupcake wrappers and tissue paper. These are the flowers that will look fantastic in paper craft applications like shadow boxes, book covers, fanciful gift wrapping and dimensional cards. My favorite in this section is the black and white newsprint poppy and on the facing page, the brightly colored, loopy and easy to make Fiesta Flower. The fiesta flower is one that could be made as a project with children then hung on thread to create a fantastic spring decoration, or made small as a decoration on a gift or card.

Then comes origami flowers- these don't follow standard origami instruction diagrams. They are explained in text with photos to show how to fold them. There are some modular flowers in this chapter as well. My favorite is the Kusudama flower.

After that, quilled flowers! Quilling is such a great look, and the simple flowers shown are a great introduction to the craft. My favorite project in this section is a toss up between the intricate filigree effect of the quilled bouquet which would look wonderful framed as art or the dandelions because I love dandelions so much.

At the end of the book are the templates for the various flowers, and a resource guide with places to buy materials online. The projects are simple and look really beautiful.

To see one a project by Maria Noble, check out this one for whimsical poppies.


I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.

Book Review-Simply Precious Pop-Ups

I really love Japanese crafts and paper crafts a favorite of mine as well. Simply Precious Pop-Ups- Easy to make and Beautiful 3D Greeting Cards by Kiyoshi Kikuchi is a perfect fit.

This is an English translation of a book by Kiyoshi Kikuchi. He's written several books of kirigami projects that are only available in Japanese. Kirigami is cut paper art, it can be sculptural or flat. These cards are right in between. They are dimensional, but not quite sculpture. They are very clean looking and easy enough that if you couldn't do it in 5 minutes, you could certainly do it in 15 and have just the right card for any occasion.

The cards all follow the same basic steps. You fold the paper, cut out the lines to create a mirror symmetrical shape that is mountain folded in contrast to the valley fold that makes the cards. When the recipient opens the card, the mountain folded parts pop out.

The first few pages show the cards in color, with white paper for the pop up and the colored background for the outside of the card. Then you get into the patterns.

The patterns cover a wide range of interest, holidays and special occasions. Baby showers, weddings, new job, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas and some cards that are just general occasion cards. Some are very Japanese in style such as the Emperor or the rice cake card.

After the photos are instructions for making the cards. Starting with a copy of the pattern from the book, it explains step by step with meticulous precision how to trim, fold and cut the designs. While the trimming is done with a craft knife, the designs are cut with scissors. Lots of photos show how to cut each card neatly. Then it explains how to glue it to the contrast paper.

Then the projects themselves all have their own pattern and folding instructions. All the folds are simple folds, but some of them are very tight, such as in the guitar design. However, most of them are easily done. At the very end are more patterns to cut out of a contrast paper to personalize your card a little more, those are shapes that look much like silhouettes.

I really like this book, it doesn't have sliders, spinners and other fancy effects like some pop-up books. Just very clean designs that are easily accomplished. You may need to practice a bit before trying some of the more intricate designs, but none of them are too intricate. They can be done with your children too as long your children are mature enough to use sharp scissors.

Published by Vertical Inc
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I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.

Book Review: Delight in the Seasons

I loved Lisa M. Pace's book  Delight in the Details. Delight in the Seasons is just as good. It's a mixed media techniques book with a seasonal theme.

She covers all sorts of great embellishment ideas. Each project is to illustrate the use of one technique that can be used in all sorts of ways. It's richly photographed with both in progress pictures and the incredible finished projects. If you're a scrapbooker, a lot of these techniques will work to create wonderful pages and album covers. If you're more interested in mixed media decorations and gifts, you'll get ideas for those as well. There are some great pieces for putting on a mantel or shelf.

Techniques include various ways to work with chipboard, embroidery, air dry clay, ultra-thick embossing enamel and modeling film. Lots of great accents create the details part. You don't need to  be able to draw or sculpt to create art. The techniques are simple enough for anyone to do, the art comes in how they are combined.

It's gorgeously inspirational, and you can imagine ways to mix it up, so the delicate chip board cameo accent on a card becomes instead, a brooch that's a gift for a friend. The embroidery technique to create a felt banner can be used instead to create a bunting.

There are fabric roses, ways to alter die cuts, and all sorts of glitter and shiny accents. The instructions are clear and easy to understand. While each project focuses on one element, the finished projects have a list of the supplies used to create them with the companies listed to make finding components a lot easier.

The projects have a lot of texture, visual interest and sparkle. I love glitter and love seeing it used in tasteful ways to give projects that something extra. My favorite project is probably the tart tin ornaments. She shows them as Christmas ornaments, but I’m thinking as little dioramas that can be displayed all year. I also love the metallic edged chipboard letter. Used in a masculine page layout in the book, the same technique could be used on other shapes to create pieces that look like cloisonné .

At the end of the book is a short gallery for more inspiration, using many of the same techniques shown in the book. One of my favorite pieces is a patriotic star that can be hung on a wall or put on a base to put on a shelf that uses bottle brush trees and her method for dying them. There is also a good resources list, and a complete index to find things fast.
This is as good as the first book. Her examples may be seasonal, but the techniques themselves can be used in so many ways.


Published by North Light Books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, my reviews are always my personal and honest opinion. You can read more about my review policy here.