Marie Clayton - Ultimate Papercraft Bible: A Complete Reference with Step-by-Step Techniques

Papercraft is an exciting and absorbing pastime that offers a simple and effective way to express your creativity, without having to learn complicated skills or buy lots of expensive tools. You may not believe that you are very artistic, but the range of possible papercrafts is so wide that there is bound to be one that will appeal. You dont need extensive crafting experience or expertise to begin a willingness to try out simple techniques and a little confidence is all that is really required.

Paper is a really great material to use; it is readily available, inexpensive and very adaptable but also quite satisfying to work with. It comes in so many types, weights, colours and textures that its unlikely that any two projects will look the same, even if they use the same techniques. And the range of stickers, punches, stamps and accessories that can be used is so wide that it is always possible to find something new. Some of the techniques in this book only need simple measuring and cutting skills, others require adhesive, colouring or the addition of other items. If you make a mistake you can often easily change it or cover it up, although many accidents can turn out to be great design ideas!

This book covers a full selection of different papercrafts, from cardmaking to origami, decoupage to quilling. At the beginning you will find a chapter on general tools for working with paper and basic techniques, followed by a chapter of decoration ideas that will be used again and again in many of the following pages. The chapter on Cardmaking covers all types of cards, from simple designs based on colouring or sticking down motifs to more complex pop-up cards and includes useful sections on batch cards and invitations. The following chapter is related it covers envelopes, gift boxes, giftwrap and tags.

After this we move on to the popular craft of scrapbooking, with a collection of tried-and-tested techniques to record your precious memories as well as decoration ideas for covers and how to make your own scrapbook pages. This chapter also includes techniques for mounting and using photographs, and other artworks, in both standard and some more unusual ways.

Papercutting is a traditional folk art that appears across history and in many cultures; this chapter covers several different types of papercutting from around the world. It is followed by a short chapter on origami techniques with some simple models to put them into practice. The final chapter features several types of papercraft: papier mch, paper flowers, tissue paper and wire, decoupage, quilling and making three-dimensional items in paper. It also includes paper making techniques, so you can make your own hand-made paper.

The best thing you can do is just dive in and enjoy yourself what could be more fun than to spend the afternoon surrounded by colourful paper and accessories as you bring your creations to life? And if you are making something as a gift, I am sure the time and effort you have spent in making something unique and personal will be appreciated.

Good luck!