By guest contributor Amy Anderson
When I think of paper crafts, I usually thinking of origami and scrapbooking. Sure I can turn a piece of paper into a sailor’s hat or a crane, but the practical uses of these crafts are rather limited. Patricia Zapata expands the realm of paper craft in her book Home, Paper, Scissors and gives directions on accessories that are cute and useful.
Patricia divides up the book into sections of decorating, entertaining, and gifting with 33 crafts to choose from. I can’t say that I would want all of the designs in my home, but there are some very creative and unique crafts.
The Pillar Tealight Cover is a fun way to spruce up the lighting at dinner parties. A simple curl of vellum paper turns a regular tealight into a glamorous centerpiece.
I’ve seen magazine bowls at upscale art shops and figured I could make one myself. Now I know how, and it’s as easy as glue, scissors, and pages from old issues. What a fun way to recycle and make something beautiful at the same time.
In addition, Patricia’s gift wrapping techniques are a nice change of pace from generic paper. Learn how to make your own gift bags, bows, and boxes that are great to have on hand for holidays.
Unless you have a wide range of paper sitting around your house, you’ll probably have to make special purchases for these crafts. Not many just use scraps—they require materials from tracing paper and cardstock to textured papers and foam board. Plus you’ll want to have a variety of glues, scissors, and craft knives handy. But if you have the time and supplies, Patricia’s ideas are inexpensive and recyclable additions for the home. And they’re definitely cuter than my origami sailor’s hat.
About the contributor: Amy Anderson is an Indie Fixx interns and is also a student at Northwestern University. Amy has wanted to be a journalist since she was just 5 years old and she is also into the indie design and crafting scenes as well. In addition to writing the occasional post, she also helps me with a variety of projects.
I love make things with paper;) and also recycling it!
She really made good stuff…i have to buy that book…seems really nice 😉
My great-grandmother used to make the coolest containers out of magazine pages (back in the 70’s…before recycling was a big deal). I have that she made that I use as a pencil holder. very cool!