Perhaps you might recall Joone, creator of high quality craft kits, as I featured the small business a few times here on All Things Paper. Its paper stitching, paper collage, and paper cutting kits were fresh and appealing, and I was sorry when the company closed.   Lauren Venell, one of Joone's original owners, recently contacted me to say she has founded Maydel (rhymes with ladle), a new needlework supply company in Chicago that pairs ethically sourced supplies with inspiring projects from around the world. It focuses on crafts that are frequently overlooked in mainstream needlework, including paper embroidery, and it offers an innovative business model.   Geometric Pinecone paper embroidery by Mayuka Fiber Art   Wanting to learn more about what sets the company apart (there are major differences), I invited Lauren to introduce herself and Maydel:   First off, tell us about your connection to needlework and especially to paper stitching.   I've always had a love for craft,

There are soooo many cool things popping up in Etsy shops for Halloween that I couldn't resist gathering a collection of spooktacular items that jumped out at me... BOO!    Best part? All of these finds are made of paper and can be displayed year after year. An abundance of Halloween decorations are plastic and considered disposable... a scary thought indeed, so choosing paper decor is a nice alternative.  

Have you heard of Rock Paper ? Perhaps you remember TerraSkin that I enjoyed testing out once upon a time. It too was made of calcium carbonate so was similar to Rock Paper, but this new addition to the art and craft supply world has the attraction of being available in an array of pretty colors, as well as pure white.     Pumpkins Kit  

Tònia of Tònia BÖSKÊ in Barcelona is a self-described perfectionist who delights in creating highly detailed paper miniature dioramas. One interesting fact about Tònia'a art life - and there are many - is that it was Spain's pandemic lockdown that gave her the impetus to develop her talent as a paper artist. I know you'll enjoy getting to know her...  

Meet Sami Lange, a paper artist in Phoenix, Arizona who has been cutting, dyeing, and stitching paper for the past sixteen years. Her work has evolved in many ways during that time, but nothing caused as large a shift in Sami's perspective as living through the Sonoma County, California fires in 2017.      Fortunately, her home and studio were spared, but the devastation impacted her work and brought into focus what she truly valued. This led to the construction of paper quilts in an array of sizes that are a reflection of the thoughts, actions, and memories that make up our lives. Sami's undergraduate degree is in Printmaking, which she did for a number of years before becoming fascinated by the surprising results of paper dyeing. In addition to her work as a paper artist, Sami is a college librarian and the mother of young children.   Her artist statement describes this meditative work further in a touching way... it is inspired by the heavy loads and responsibilities

Paul Jackson's origami and papercraft books are incredibly popular (he's written more than 40) and today I'm happy to alert you to the release of the Second Edition of Folding Techniques for Designers .   Originally published in 2011, Mr. Jackson says in the preface that this is the book he most always wanted to write. He realized fairly early on in his teaching career that rather than simply showing how to fold a particular model (while that might be fun for the student), it was far more important to teach folding techniques that he or she could then apply to different materials and use in a variety of design applications.   It is the lessons taught in his many Sheet to Form workshops and college courses over the years that make up the contents of this book.     All kinds of folds are demonstrated with drawings and photographs... knife, box, spiral, gathered, accordion, and twisted pleats to spans and parabolas. There is a chapter on boxes and bowls, another on no crease a