DIY & Crafts
Book review and giveaway: Paper Made!
DIY & Crafts
Book review and giveaway: Paper Made!
Wait – don't throw that newspaper in the recycling bin just yet! Everyone has extra paper lying around, waiting to be transformed into something beautiful. That's the message in Kayte Terry's new book,
Paper Made! 101 Exceptional Projects to Make Out of Everyday Paper (Workman, 2012, $16.95 CDN). Everything from yesterday's newspaper to a deck of cards can be the raw material for a crafty homemade item.
Upcycling is the name of the game in this book. Each project starts with some kind of leftover household paper – junk mail, raffle ticket rolls and old maps are just some of the options – and transforms it into a useful, beautiful object. You might end up with a bowl, a decoupaged table, a photo album or a funky purse that's as clever as it is eco-friendly. The book is a delight for DIY types. The pictures are bold and bright, and almost every step is illustrated, making even the tougher projects seem really straightforward. The design is also really pleasing to look at. (No wonder – the author is a visual merchandising manager at
Anthropologie, one of the best-looking stores around.) Also tucked into the pattern pages are fascinating tidbits about paper history. Did you know that toilet paper dates back to sixth-century China? (Neither did I, but check out page 55 for the full story.) Or that the average U.S. office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper
per year? (See page 186 for the astounding details.) There were a bunch of projects I loved in this book. There's a sweet beehive piñata you can fill with your favourite candy, cute girlie-drink umbrellas and a really cool Paris skyline pop-up card. But I actually dug out a bottle of
Mod Podge and made the That's a Wrap Bangle on page 103.
First, I cut 1/2-inch strips of some beautiful
Japanese paper I'd been saving. Then, using the Mod Podge, I decoupaged the strips onto a wooden bangle form. A couple of coats of Mod Podge to seal it all together, and it was done.
Feeling crafty? Want your own copy of this lovely book? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post and you'll be entered in a draw to win a copy of
Paper Made!
Contest is open to residents of Canada only, and closes at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, July 2, 2012. Check back on July 4 to see who the lucky winner is!
Upcycling is the name of the game in this book. Each project starts with some kind of leftover household paper – junk mail, raffle ticket rolls and old maps are just some of the options – and transforms it into a useful, beautiful object. You might end up with a bowl, a decoupaged table, a photo album or a funky purse that's as clever as it is eco-friendly. The book is a delight for DIY types. The pictures are bold and bright, and almost every step is illustrated, making even the tougher projects seem really straightforward. The design is also really pleasing to look at. (No wonder – the author is a visual merchandising manager at
Anthropologie, one of the best-looking stores around.) Also tucked into the pattern pages are fascinating tidbits about paper history. Did you know that toilet paper dates back to sixth-century China? (Neither did I, but check out page 55 for the full story.) Or that the average U.S. office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper
per year? (See page 186 for the astounding details.) There were a bunch of projects I loved in this book. There's a sweet beehive piñata you can fill with your favourite candy, cute girlie-drink umbrellas and a really cool Paris skyline pop-up card. But I actually dug out a bottle of
Mod Podge and made the That's a Wrap Bangle on page 103.
First, I cut 1/2-inch strips of some beautiful
Japanese paper I'd been saving. Then, using the Mod Podge, I decoupaged the strips onto a wooden bangle form. A couple of coats of Mod Podge to seal it all together, and it was done.
Feeling crafty? Want your own copy of this lovely book? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post and you'll be entered in a draw to win a copy of
Paper Made!
Contest is open to residents of Canada only, and closes at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, July 2, 2012. Check back on July 4 to see who the lucky winner is!
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