Well, hello Autumn... perfect timing to welcome an array of tempting new paper craft books!

Makers, a head start... whether you choose the paperback or e-book version of Making Christmas Bright with Papercrafts: More Than 40 Festive Projects! by Alice Hörnecke, Dominik Meißner, and Sabine Seyffert for Dover Publications, you can begin crafting holiday decor, ornaments, and gifts right away. Check out the Look Inside feature where you'll see the extensive project list that includes Advent calendars, paper cut snowflakes, bows, boxes, tags, wrapping paper and more.
Art Makers: Papier-Mache: A step-by-step guide to creating more than a dozen adorable projects! from Walter Foster Publishing will be released on March 2, 2021, but it can be pre-ordered now. Allow me to judge a book by its cover... so quirky and cute. Projects by Sarah Hand (she has a papier-mache Etsy shop, by the way) include home decor, jewelry, figures and dolls. Creating with papier-mache is fun for all ages and…

I’m a self-confessed fan of paper jewelry, but even if it isn’t your thing, I'm pretty positive you’ll enjoy seeing the creativity and skill that Kirstine la Cour Rasmussen of Denmark folds into her stunning origami jewelry designs. She always uses paper that would otherwise be discarded... definitely a matter of making lemonade from lemons!
For example, this chic black necklace with gold accents was hand-folded using paper cut from a Royal Copenhagen catalogue. Kirstine told me that she has long been fascinated by paper and folding. "The Corona lockdown made for the perfect opportunity to 'fold away', and I started out with my first folded bead pattern and the first necklace in my series that I call The World on a String. Since then more patterns have come into shape. I use recycled paper only: worn out books, wrapping paper, discarded maps, torn cartoon and the like."
"All designs are original. I first draw a pattern on the computer and then transfe…

At the risk of repeating myself, once again I'll say how much I enjoy coming across a person who has a new approach to working with paper. Today, I'm happy to shine a light on Paulina M. Johnson, whose paper art was recently introduced to me via a Google Alert. It is currently on display in Pencil, Paper & Ink, a show that brings three artists together at Pine Moon Fine Art, located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where Paulina lives. First, let's take a look at a few of her pieces that are featured in the exhibit.
What attracted me to Paulina's style is its simplicity and neutral color palette, not to mention the use of negative space and perfection with which she places each archival letterpress paper strip.
With paper on edge artwork, simplicity does not equal simple... far from it. Instead, the eye is drawn to the slightest flaw - I see none in Paulina's work - and, of course, to the overall shape. The design must convey what it represents despite lean lines.…

Throughout my blogging journey I've enjoyed featuring those who are relatively new to the paper art and paper craft world. There's no question I admire the stellar work of the famous names, but coming across people who are doing great things, but aren't nearly as well known, is what makes me happiest... I consider it an honor to help bring their work to light. Such is the case with today's featured artist, Adam Hu, a young paper artist in Toronto, Canada.Adam wrote to introduce himself to me on Instagram. After taking a look at the examples that were posted in his feed, I knew his story was one I wanted to tell.
Adam has been creating with paper since 2012, but only recently started to seriously consider turning it into a part-time career after graduating this past June with a Master of Music in Piano Performance.

Adam's first undergrad degree was in civil engineering, but he quickly realized that there was a drive to pursue beauty within himself that couldn'…

As promised in last month's paper stitching geometric star tutorial, today I have another paper embroidery project for you... a pretty hummingbird. Why yes, I do love a good geo design! Tip... just Google geometric clip art of whatever it is you're interested in stitching and you'll probably find a pattern. Someday when I look back on 2020, rather than remembering being in the midst of a pandemic, I'll prefer to think about the hummingbird feeder my husband and I enjoyed watching all summer long. In June he installed a video camera on the same tree branch as the feeder and soon we were hearing a ping on his phone each time a hummer landed in view of the lens. They're fascinating little creatures and surprising territorial! If you ever need a distraction, I highly recommend installing a bird feeder near a window, and if you'd like to lower your stress level, find a seat nearby and have a go at paper stitching. A project doesn't take long, is …