Lotta Jansdotter - Paper Pattern Play: Min-and-Match Patterned Papers, Plus Postcards, Stickers, Gift Wrap & Other Bits and Bobs for Creating, Writing & Exploring

What is it about patterns? What makes them so appealing?

For me, I think it is because pattern is repetition, a sequence that creates structure, order, and a sense of safety and assurance.

Repetition creates familiarity and that feels good, right? Familiarity can be very comfortingit makes me feel happy. I also truly enjoy the process of creating patterns by making marks, cutting out shapes, and arranging and gluing them in place. Creating structure out of random bits of paper and playing with paper generally helps me relax creatively and is rather meditative. I recently learned about Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). It is a good feeling that is produced when listening to certain sounds and/or looking at certain visuals. For me, the sounds of folding, cutting, turning, or smoothing crinkly papers are very calming. I know its funny and a bit strange, but its a real thing! The Internet is full of relaxing ASMR videos. Look them up!

I have been creating patterns for over twenty years professionally, but my love for mark-making and drawing started much earlier than that. As a little girl I loved to draw patterns and flowers and color in coloring books. I spent many hours sitting at my green desk at my grandmas house creating on paper. I was also an avid paper doll maker. I collected and traded paper bookmarks for years and I had seventeen pen pals all over the world by the time I was fourteen years old. My passion for decorating those envelopes and letters was probably the main reason I had so many pen pals. I did not want to actually WRITE letters. I wanted to DRAW them. Of course, I did everything by hand back then. Now I can use a computer, but I choose not to. I love my India ink, scissors, pens, watercolors, and block-printing stamps. I need to feel and touch my materials. So, I have a very long history of loving paper, and not just paper that I decorate myself. I also love stationery and other paper products. I still collect too many notebooks and have a hard time not overbuying gift wrap and gift tags.

Creating the book that you are holding in your hands was a dream project as it combines two of my favorite activitiesmaking patterns and playing with paper. I have chosen a selection of double-sided patterns that can be downloaded here. Some of the patterns I created when I had just started my company, Lotta Jansdotter, in 1996; some I created two years ago; and some I created last week. They all seem to get along and are very happy to hang out togetherthey make a great family to mix and match for all kinds of projects and uses.

This book is a celebration of shapes, colors, marks, motifs, and patterns. In addition to mix-and-match papers, I have included project ideas. Some of the projects are easy, while others require a bit more patience and a bit of fiddling. I included these ideas to jump-start your creative juices, but I know many of you will come up with your own terrific, unusual, and clever projects.

It feels great to make functional and useful items, but I hope you wont limit yourself to that. Abstract and artful, seemingly useless things are also cool. No matter what you make, the best part is usually the process, the act of sitting down and doing something with your hands, right?

I hope this book will find its way onto kitchen and craft tables and into classrooms of all kinds. Ideally, your copy will rarely make it onto the bookshelf because you will be using it oftenwhen you want to wrap a gift or send a card to a friend. When the kids say, Maaaaaa, were booored. We dont know what to do, maybe you will open this book and start making something together. Or how about hosting a paper-crafting night with your friends? Or planning a paper-crafting bridal shower? If everyone works together you can make hundreds of place cards in a jiffy.

Paper is such a great medium for experimentation. It is low riskits just paper!and not too precious. It is ok to start chopping things up and folding left and right. If you mess up, no big deal, start again. There are so many different things to do with paper: gluing, sticking, playing, rolling, folding, even stitching.

Ok, lets get started.

Make sure to have a really sharp pair of scissors. And save all of the leftover scraps because you never know what kind of gems they can be turned into. And watch out for papercuts, they can really hurt!

Wishing you lots of merry and crinkly moments!

LOTTA

These are the basic tools that I like to have around for paper play. Most of them can be found at craft or office supply stores.

* A ruler is very helpful for measuring, of course, but can also be rubbed along a crease to make it into a crisp fold.

* String for hanging, tying, binding, etc.

* An awl is great for making precise and fine holes in paper. Search online for bookbinders awl and you will see a lot of options.

* Easy-to-bend metal wire. I use paddle wire, which is popular with florists. You can find it in well-stocked craft stores and online.

* Tapes of all kinds are super-useful, including clear tape, washi tape, and masking tape.

* Hole punch for ribbons and other fasteners.

* Pencil.

* A sharp blade to make thin, precise cuts. Remember to protect your work surface to prevent cutting into it. A cutting mat is a good protector; so is a piece of cardstock as long as you dont press too hard.

* Scissorsa must!

* Rubber cement is helpful when you want to glue papers together temporarily.

* I recommend that you use an acid-free liquid paper glue or glue stick, so the projects last a long time. Glues that arent acid-free will eventually discolor your papers.

* Eraser.

* Staplerany one will do, but cutes ones like the Klizia stapler shown here can be found online.

Whatever else you like!

Back home in Scandinavia, as part of our Easter celebration, we decorate branches with different-colored feathers. Well, these branches with paper leaves remind me of that tradition and theyre a nice way to add festive loveliness to a room year-round. For this project I prefer papers with small-scale patterns and a coordinated color scheme. To make the leaves and connect them to branches, see the templates here.

Print the templates and trace them onto the papers of your choice. You will need a front and a back for each leaf. Next cut pieces of wire to approximately 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. I use paddle wire, which is the kind of wire florists use. You can find it in well-stocked craft stores. Place a piece of wire in between two leaves and glue them together. When the glue is dry, trim the edges of the leaves with scissors to make them nice and even and then use the wire to attach the leaves to branches.