TV Commercials - A Trifecta

If you're in the U.S., there's a good chance you've seen this pair of Sherwin-Williams paint chip commercials, produced by New York ad agency, Buck. I thought our international pals would enjoy them too, as they're really very clever. Admittedly, it's computer animation and not true paper, but still fun to watch.


Bees


World of Color

As part of the same campaign, paper artist, Matthew Sporzynski, created a series of paint chip sculptures that have been used as print ads.

photo source: if it's hip, it's here

Matthew does lots of wonderful paper creations... you may remember seeing his work in Real Simple magazine. There's a very nice article about him at The Improvised Life.

photo source: if it's hip, it's here

I've had this post scheduled for a while, and then last night my sister sent a link for another paper-themed commercial she had just seen. It's for Biotrue, a contact lens solution which she didn't know I had started using a few days ago, so that was even more of a coincidence!

photo source: The New York Times

The nifty ad features an eye (of course!), the great outdoors, a lightbulb moment, and even some kanzashi flowers petals... all done as cut paper collage. TM Advertising of Dallas gets the credit. You can watch it right here.

Paper Me Jewels

I bet lots of us have tried our hand at rolling paper beads. I remember the process as simple and oh-so-satisfying when I was a child at our local summer playground. Wansena Spearman of Etsy shop, Paper Me Jewels, brings a grown up dimension to paper beads by combining rich colors with wire work and metal embellishments.


To make this pair of stylish bracelets, she hand painted metallic shades of red on paper, used it to create beads, and strung them on memory wire. Some of her beads are made from scrapbook paper, and others are recycled paper. All are coated with several layers of polyurethane for water resistance, but Wansena doesn't recommend submerging them!

Paper beads in a variety of sizes dangle from an antique chain bracelet.


Wansena's love affair with paper began several years ago while visiting a street festival which highlighted eco-friendly jewelry and accessories. She came away impressed with the intricate techniques and artistry of several sellers who designed pocketbooks and bags from recycled paper and magazines. She began thinking about making jewelry from paper, but due to elbow surgery was unable to pursue it. As time passed, being a wife, mother, and student took up the majority of her time, and thoughts of jewelry making became just a dream.

Bib necklaces and bangle bracelets are right in style this fall. Here's Wansena modeling a glossy black, silver, and rich ivory bib necklace.


About two years ago, she and her husband moved across the U.S. to California where Wansena worked as a counselor, but after being laid off from her job, she began to think about her creative passion. Not knowing where to began, Wansena expressed her thoughts to her husband who said, “What about the paper jewelry?" She began by rolling magazine paper beads and made several pieces. While she was away for a visit back east, her husband took all of the jewelry to his place of employment without her knowledge, and sold every piece to his co-workers. Needless to say this gave Wansena confidence to continue, and the rest is history.

Rustic paper bead earrings hang from bold, but lightweight, chains.


Wansena describes her jewelry as whimsical, eclectic, and bohemian chic. She likes an unconventional look, and many of her designs capture a love of nature.

A turquoise stone is surrounded by painted cylinders in warm shades of copper, metallic ivory, and turquoise.


These bright bangles are made from upcycled bracelets found at a thrift store. They're decoupaged with orange, green and yellow banana paper, as well as a bit of mahogany.


Wansena says she is still learning about paper, enjoys trying new techniques, and looks forward to seeing where this journey will lead. She feels fortunate to have uncovered her true passion.

Paper Me Jewels is on Etsy, and also Facebook.

Korean Paper Art with Aimee Lee

If you love paper, perhaps you've delighted in using sheets of unusual, loosely fibered mulberry paper from your local craft store. But have you ever wondered about the who, where, and how behind these beautiful papers? Aimee Lee, who filmed the video of Korean jiseung weaving with hanji I featured here earlier this week, definitely has.

Aimee Lee: Gaping III (2009). Ink on hanji; 52 x 53 inches.

I admire the way Aimee is meticulously introducing a subject to the internet that has never been thoroughly covered. A paper artist and also, as she phrases it, "the self-appointed hanji ambassador to the English and Korean-speaking worlds," Aimee is doing her best to document Korean paper making. Hanji, by the way, has the smoothest surface of all the handmade papers, making it well suited for painting and calligraphy.

Aimee Lee: Round (2008). Handmade abaca paper, spun and knit, 10" diameter.

An American born to Korean parents, Aimee realized there was huge gap in English documentation of paper making in Korea while she was studying for a Master's degree in interdisciplinary book and paper arts, so traveled there to explore the subject after being awarded a Fulbright grant.

Aimee Lee: Currency Flight (2008). Price tags, thread, spun handmade paper, variable installation length up to 143 inches.

She plans to write a book about all facets of Korean paper making, but meanwhile has posted online a great deal of what she learned in Korea. Currently Aimee is back in the States, creating her own extraordinary artwork composed of hanji and other types of paper she makes herself, and is also a performance, sound, visual, book, and text artist.

Aimee Lee: Paper (2007). Sample books of handmade paper from plants found in North Central Wyoming: sagebrush and cattail. 6.5 x 5 x 1 inch closed, 60 inches opened.

You might enjoy this video Aimee recorded that shows her making sheets of hanji while working at a third and fourth generation family-run paper mill in Gapyeong, Korea last year. I found it to be quite a mesmerizing process.



Thanks to Aimee's extensive documentation of the subject, the art of Korean paper making and weaving is far less likely to slip away with time... not to mention I now appreciate beautiful, specialty papers even more after seeing how much work goes into their creation!

Rolled Paper / Ruffled Paper

Here's a nifty follow-up to Monday's post that I stumbled upon at the quite new and always interesting site, Whipperberry.


The little, twig-like pumpkin, made of rolled and ModPodged strips of scrapbook paper, is way more rustic than the finely twisted Korean hanji featured that day, but I have to say it's quite lovely in its own right.

Emily posted a step-by-step tutorial for making the cute orb... you might want to roll up your sleeves as it sounds like good, messy fun!


Another site I'd like to introduce you to is Reduce, Reuse, Redecorate. It's a brand new blog started by Allison Patrick... you might remember her fantastic architectural quilling from last autumn.


Allie is on a mission to introduce us to thirty cool projects in the next thirty weeks, each of which will feature at least one of the three Rs. She's very clever and has an eye for design, so I know we're in for a treat.

Have you noticed how popular ruffles are right now? Well, Allie's kickoff project is a ruffled paper lamp that's covered in .... can you guess?


Coffee filters!


Follow the tutorial to make one of your own, or let Allie make one for you via her Etsy shop, Zipper8Design.

Jiseung and Hanji

Recently I came across jiseung, which is Korean paper weaving. I must admit I'd never heard of the ancient craft, found it fascinating, and hope you'll enjoy learning about the process as much as I did.

chamber pot

Master jiseung weaver, Na Seo Hwan, uses hanji, a handmade paper of pulp from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. Because the making of hanji and the weaving process require intense labor, time, and hand strength, there are very few remaining masters in Korea.

hanji cords - rolled and unrolled

Mr. Na weaves hanji cords to form practical, lightweight pots. Sticky rice glue is applied as a waterproofing agent, and the pots can be coated with layers of lacquer made from the sap of the lacquer tree, the vapors of which can be quite poisonous.

examples: the white pots are coated with sticky rice paste and the black pot is lacquered

Here's a lovely video made by Aimee Lee that shows Na Seo Hwan in action.



Watching the smooth process had me marvelling about the experimenting, trials, and tribulations that surely went into perfecting the creation of such beautifully balanced objects.

photography by Aimee Lee... stay tuned for more about Aimee later this week

Mark Langan - Corrugated Paper Art

I keep a long list of potential blog post topics... it never fails to amaze me how many wonderful paper related sites there are and people I'd love to showcase. Today's featured artist, Mark Langan of Ohio, has been on my radar for quite some time. His work is pretty darn incredible, so let's take a look.

Since 2004, Mark has been reusing ordinary cardboard, otherwise destined for the recycling bin, to make beautifully effective wall decor.

He uses nothing more than corrugated boxes, non-toxic glue, a razor knife, cutting edge, and mat. Needless to say, plenty of artistic talent is also required.


Here he's recreated Edvard Munch's Scream with fine detail.


It's no surprise Mark's work is sought after by companies that play a role in packaging, cardboard and paper manufacturing, as well as recycling and green industries.

His work is placed in lobbies and boardrooms, and sometimes he recreates company logos in cardboard.


Take a moment to visit Mark's art galleries - there are many fascinating works to see.

Quilled Nativity

The simple elegance of this all-white nativity scene caught my eye. Cheryl Scanks of Vancouver, British Columbia is the designer.


Cheryl told me she learned to quill in 2002 with the toothpick/puddle of glue method via a class at a scrapbooking store. Her love of quilling took off from that moment... she enjoyed practicing and was inspired by helpful sites such as the Yahoo quillers group.


For the past few years, Cheryl has made a similar nativity using colored papers, but the all-white version is new this season in her Etsy shop, Cards By Cheryl. She's also in the midst of creating sweet animals to join the manger scene. You can follow along on her blog.


About five years ago Cheryl tried 3-D quilling and found it was her favorite technique. "I love to tell stories though my crafts and 3-D quilling lends itself to that nicely."


Of course with a shop name like Cards By Cheryl, you can be sure she designs greeting cards too. Quilled in her signature style, they are simple and modern.


Cheryl works at The Essential Packaging Store in Surrey, BC which must be a dream job for someone who loves paper. She makes quite a few of the display samples, especially invitations, for the store and website.


Recently Cheryl shared a tutorial for these cute tissue paper pumpkin favors on The Essential Packaging Store blog.

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving today to all of you in Canada!

My Bohemian Summer

Summer Skillman of Etsy shop, My Bohemian Summer, describes herself as "a photographer with a love affair with paper." She isn't kidding... enjoy looking at some of the gorgeous pictures she has taken of her creative origami flower bouquets.

Autumn Celebration

Summer's husband's job brought them to Japan, which she has explored with both her camera and her art. She began making origami flowers in earnest when a friend who was hosting a bridal shower was going to buy fresh flowers for the event. Summer suggested origami flowers as an alternative, wound up making all of the flowers and favors for the shower, and truly found her niche.


Speaking of brides, Summer calls the above arrangement the "Corpse Bride Bouquet". Timely for All Hallow's Eve, it's an unlucky thirteen inches tall and comes complete with black origami bats. I love the description... sure to "escort you down the aisle with a little fun, flair and a bit of spooky."


Spooktacular would make a great Halloween decoration. In shades of bright orange, pumpkin, purple, and black, it features bats and candy corn.

But not everything Summer creates is on the dark side, far from it... here's a romantic arrangement of cottage roses and another that's kimono-inspired.



I love this unusual flower she calls, "Twisted Sister". They come in sets of six with hand printed name tags.


Summer is introducing Christmas and winter arrangements, and also does custom design. My Bohemian Summer has been gathering all sorts of accolades since opening just this past June and can be found on ArtFire and Facebook, as well as Etsy.

Quilled Tea Sets

Perhaps you remember previous posts about the quilling of Licia Politis, a friend I met via The North American Quilling Guild. Her creations, such as an outstanding Australian-themed chess board and If the Shoe Fits, Wear It, have won many awards.


Licia's latest art piece is a whimsical, full-size tea set, inspired by the movie Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. I'm happy to have seen it in person at the NAQG 2010 convention this past spring, where it won a First Place and the People's Choice award. It also took a First at the 2010 Sydney Royal Easter Show, was exhibited in the Showcase of Excellence, and was awarded the Rose Bowl at last month's meeting of the UK Quilling Guild.

"It's a Celebration" required over twelve hundred 12 inch (30 cm) strips of white quilling paper, one thousand strips of pink and green, five hundred strips of yellow, and took three months to complete.


The colorful, three dimensional sculptures are created entirely from paper and glue, and are great examples of specialty edging techniques.


Licia says, "When quilling the teacup, I was inspired by Dutch paper artist Siba Sahabi. Quilled heart shapes seemed the appropriate form to tessellate around a polystyrene ball to create the circular shape of the teapot, as well as to follow the theme of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party."



The quilled white doily contrasts nicely with the bright colors of the plate, cupcakes, teapot, and cup. I also like the way the crimped hearts create a star pattern when arranged in a circular pattern.


The New South Wales Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) has asked Licia if they may acquire this piece for their archival section for historical purposes. She is contemplating donating the piece so that the RAS will have a piece of quilling in their collection.


Another delightful tea set is this miniature version created by talented quiller and blogger, Inna Dorman. Many of you are familiar with Inna's terrific work, and as soon as I saw her post on Friday, I knew the two tea sets would make a great pair. See how versatile narrow strips of paper can be? It's entirely possible to quill as large or small as you like!