Paper quillers have been anticipating revered paper artist Yulia Brodskaya's new, tell all book, Painting with Paper - Paper on the Edge - and now you can enter to win a copy from Schiffer Publishing! Wait... tell all? Yes, rather than a project-based book, Yulia freely explains her personal process of creating on-edge art by painting with paper, rather than on it. Many colorful images serve as examples.


Ordinarily, I don't offer my opinion of a new book when it is featured in a sponsored giveaway, but in this case, as a dedicated quiller myself, I will say without reservation that I thoroughly enjoyed Yulia's thoughtful, conversational tone and found myself savoring the many nuggets of information she gathered from an advanced art education and innumerable hours spent experimenting with paper strips.

The included information is akin to taking an art course, but not in a dry, textbook sense. You'll learn about choosing colors, creating backgrounds, working with vari…

It isn't unusual to read about website designers who long to look away from their computer screens and focus on the handmade instead. Abigail McMurray in Arlington, Massachusetts is one such artist who made that happen five years ago when she turned her attention to creating the appealing paper goods that stock her Etsy shop, Yeiou. Abigail calls what she has accomplished as returning to the real world... a world in which she marvels at the endless ways a sheet of paper can be turned into a dimensional object.


While she relishes a hands-on approach to paper crafting and shares her passion for paper via project-based workshops, Abigail's graphic design skills and a cutting machine are invaluable in her work. She uses the latter to produce cute gift box pumpkins for you to assemble, movable greeting cards, and a celebratory Yay banner that comes in a wide choice of colors. There's also a festive Happy Birthday option.


A current Etsy Design Awards finalist for her hand cu…

Here's a look at ten more Etsy Design Awards Finalists that utilize paper (previous ten). The program is the online marketplace's first-ever global awards, and how nice it is to see that quite a large number of the nominees are paper art. The winners will be selected by a panel of judges in September. Best of luck to all, but honestly, it's pretty darn wonderful just to have been nominated considering the number of handmade items available on Etsy!


Jennifer Bell of Jennifer Bell Art in Brisbane creates woven and cut paper art, collages, and pattern paintings. It's difficult to choose a favorite as each piece is special, but this art canvas nominee, wrapped with recycled paper strips and painted in red, blue, and pink acrylics with gold paper accents, is a showstopper. Within its beauty is the ironic reference of destruction caused by mining in the West Australian desert.


Rosemary Cheetham of Rosie and the Boys in Bedford, UK designs papercut party decorations, garland…

For all you paper cut enthusiasts out there, I'm happy to introduce this upcoming book, Papercutting - Geometric Designs Inspired by Nature. Now available for pre-order on Amazon, it will be released on September 28. Want to be the first on your block to own a copy? At the bottom of this post, you'll find the chance to enter a U.S., Canada, and U.K. giveaway, courtesy of Schiffer Publishing who will be sending out the brand new book directly to the winners.


This 128-page paperback is an absolute wealth of information about the study of symmetry. It is authored by Patricia Moffett, a versatile UK artist who specializes in surface pattern design and has produced an array of coloring books, as well as titles on kirigami and creating 3D paper scenes.

You'll find 25 projects that look to nature and its mathematical perfection as inspiration. You'll learn about, or expand your understanding of, the Golden Angle, Fibonacci Sequence, and Golden Spiral.


Papercutting themes ar…

People are so clever. As proof (as if you needed any!), let's have a look at some of the Etsy Design Awards Finalists that utilize paper. The program is the online marketplace's first-ever global awards and I was happy to see that the list included several made by talented artists who have been featured on this blog previously. For example, Griffin Carrick of Griffin Carrick Design in North Carolina is exploring new territory in quilling via macrame-style tapestries composed of rolled and fringed paper strips.


160 finalists selected from thousands of worldwide entries are in the running for the $15,000 USD Grand Prize or the top prize in one of five categories: Inventive Decor, Signature Style, Festive Celebrations, Earth-Friendly, and Creative Collaborations. Griffin's showstopper, Copper Hills Quilled Landscape, is listed in the Inventive Decor collection.

Abigail McMurray of Yeiou in Arlington, Massachusetts is skillful at cutting and sculpting dimensional house portr…

I have something very special to show you today...  handmade remembrance books with companion boxes made by Imre van Buuren in The Netherlands. Educated at Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, she works as a professional graphic designer, yet always looks forward to spending time in her studio where she creates detailed artist books.

Not only is Imre's frequent use of blue and white timely for a summer feature, but there is a soothing peacefulness to her books and boxes. I wasn't at all surprised to learn she enjoys making them as much as the end result, and wrote to ask about her work.


What is the purpose of a remembrance book and box?

The books can be filled as you like, with your stories, thoughts and images. You can write in it and paste photographs so it really becomes Your Book. It fits into a matching box that features a collage positioned on the front... for example, small objects found in nature, folded bundles of silk, embroidered French poems, calligraphed fragme…