It was great to catch up with paper artist Ioana Stoian recently and to hear about her latest project, an adorable board book with a thoughtful message for both children and adults, Always Be You. This sturdy book with captivating images cut from Ioana's own handmade paper by illustrator Dawn Cardona contains a rhyming message that expresses acceptance of each and every child.


Ioana was previously featured here during the launch of her first book, Origami for All. Since that time, she became fascinated with handmade paper and began making it to use in all of her work. She also married Eric Gjerde, a familiar name in the paper world, as he is an origami artist and author too. They now have a two year old son.

Ioana, tell us about the origins of this book.

One evening I sat down to write a letter to my son... I wrote it as a poem and the next day decided to turn it into a book for young children. Creating the book has very much been the same as I create artwork - listen to my …

I was reminded of the clever recycled paper art Amy Gibson of Colorstory Designs in Tulsa, Oklahoma creates when I came across her vivid feed on Instagram. I first featured her Etsy shop in 2011 and all these years later, Amy continues to think up fresh and appealing ideas for upcycling glossy magazine pages.


Back then she collaborated with her best friend... they had met in 2007 while working for a Seattle architecture firm and soon launched their green business as a way of being creative and having fun together. A few years later the friend moved away to pursue a different job, but their friendship continues.


Amy has an eye for design, often selecting the most colorful pages and using them in a multitude of ways to decorate picture frames and mirrors, and make scenic wall art. Despite a wide range of styles, the heart of each piece is true to the shop's original mission... the reuse of simple paper as modern home decor.



While scrolling through the Colorstory Designs shop whe…

As one who truly enjoys wrapping presents, I'm already looking forward to the holidays because I'll be dressing the gifts I give in papers from Tuttle Publishing. Who knew that in addition to publishing a range of how-to art and craft books, Tuttle curates themed wrapping paper collections!

It's not quite the stretch it seems because Tuttle also sells high quality origami paper to go along with their many origami books. And then there's the fun fact that each gift wrap collection is actually packaged to look very much like a book.


The sheets are bound into a sturdy cover with perforations along the interior edge so they can be kept in pristine condition, yet they easily detach one by one when ready to use. I recommend taking your time to avoid tears (as in rips, hopefully not the crying kind, ha), but it is indeed doable.


The papers in the two collections I was sent, Red and Gold and Rainbow Watercolors, are an ideal weight for wrapping... not so heavy that it'…

I love it when a scroll through social media shows me something totally unique... such was the case when boldly patterned letterpress earrings from Monday Morning Press roared into my consciousness. A quick zip over to the Instagram feed cemented the idea that I must feature Natalie Monday and her beautiful paper art!


Natalie, who has a degree in Architecture and worked in a design firm before opening a letterpress shop, grew up in Virginia where she and her father enjoyed taking art lessons together. While she and her fiance were planning their wedding, Natalie became enamored with letterpress and designed the invitations. This led to taking classes, acquiring a 1903 Chandler & Price press, and the launch of a home-based business that allows her to stay close to her young family.


Creating letterpress sheets to be used specifically for earrings is a new venture. Up until now, Natalie has been designing and pressing modern monogrammed stationery, funny greeting cards, custom we…

This lovable fellow caught my eye on Instagram and I couldn't wait to scroll through more images of Sarah Suplina's cut paper art. Layered watercolor collages - Sarah Snippets, as she calls them - are her specialty... something she enjoys creating when not at her job as a middle school art teacher in New York state.


I wrote to Sarah to ask if she would have time to answer questions about her art. Enjoy getting to know her and perhaps take a moment to visit the online shops she set up while on school recess over the summer.


Via Society6 and Red Bubble, her collages can be printed on an array of gift items like mugs, clothing, and phone cases, as well as wall art. The Sarah Snippets Etsy shop is where you'll find her original cut paper collages. She welcomes requests for custom portraits.


As a longtime artist when and how did you become interested in working with paper, and more specifically, in creating your tiny cut paper collages?

My interest in cutting paper evolved f…

Would you like to learn to quill while making a winter decoration? If you're near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, sign up to take a class I'll be teaching at Brandywine River Museum of Art.


Creative Escape: Paper Quilled Snowflakes will take place on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 from 6-8 PM.  We'll be quilling a new style of modern snowflake ornament. You'll find tips for making these examples in a previous post.



The program fee includes art materials and light refreshments, and perhaps a first in the world of quilling classes... it's BYOB. Is this the answer for those who suffer from quilling anxiety? Come and find out!


All Things Paper is an Amazon, AWIN, and Craft Industry Alliance affiliate.

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! [Edit: the giveaway has ended] 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…