Paper Crafting

With this lovely name card, a bird looks as if it has just landed daintily to tell your guest where to sit. Honeycomb paper is available online in a wide range of colors. When you buy it in sheets, you can make lots of paper balls of any  dimension, even the tiniest sizes.


                                                         Supplies

Bird-in-Flight Place Setting templates    Pencil   Card stock   Scissors for paper   Bone folder   Honeycomb paper  Glue   stick   Lightweight paper for bird   Liquid glue.


1.   Download the Bird-in-Flight Place Setting templates at www.chroniclebooks.com/sweetpaper. Using the pencil, trace the card template on card stock. Cut out using the scissors. Fold the card in half and score with the bone folder.


2.   Trace the half-circle honeycomb template on the honeycomb paper, making sure that the lines of the paper are perpendicular to the straight side of the template. Cut out  with the scissors. Using the glue stick, apply glue to each side of the half circle. Line up the straight edge of the half circle
with the folded edge of the card and press to adhere. Open the half circle to form a ball, and attach it to the other side of the card so that it grasps the card. Press to adhere.


3.   Trace the bird template on two layers of lightweight paper. Carefully cut out so that you have two identical birds. Be careful to cut inside the pencil line so that you don’t have to erase it later. Using the glue stick, apply glue to the beak, head, and body of one bird, but not to the wings and tail feathers. Place the other bird on the glue and press firmly all around the bird. Gently bend open the wings and tail feathers.


4.   Apply a thin line of liquid glue to the bottom curve of the bird’s body and gently place the bird on top of the  honeycomb ball, slightly off center, so that the bird looks as if it has just come in for a landing. Hold in place for a few minutes, then allow to dry thoroughly for about an hour.

42, 2008

Yulia Brodskaya was drawn to paper craft because she loves the material itself. For years she collected various kinds of paper, practiced origami, and made collages, paper sculptures, and handmade paper.
More recently, with her signature quilling technique and intricately detailed designs, Brodskaya tries to show the potential for paper craft in general and quilling in particular to be used for a wide variety of creative tasks.

 
                                                             Supplies
 
Party-Time Party Hats templates   Pencil   Scissors for paper   Liquid glue   Ruler   White butcher paper   Glue stick   Ribbon   Crepe paper in various colors


1.   To make the chrysanthemum cone hat: Adhere two pieces of butcher paper using the glue stick. Allow to dry for about 10 minutes. Trace the cone template on the prepared butcher paper and cut out. Roll into a cone. Apply liquid glue along the tab and glue in place. Cut two pieces of ribbon about 20 in/50 cm for ties. Using the liquid glue, adhere the ribbons to the outside of the hat directly across fromeach other.



2.   Stack three colors of crepe paper. Cut a 3-in-/7.5-cm-wide strip, through all layers, long enough to go around the bottom of the hat. Fold the stacked paper lengthwise into fourths. 


 Cut fringe nearly to the center on both long edges of the paper. Apply a very thin line of the liquid glue around the base of the hat about ½ in/12 mm from the bottom. Unfold the paper and attach one strip to the line of glue, being sure to glue the area of the strip without the fringe. 

Apply a line of glue to the center of the first strip and attach the second strip. Repeat with the third strip, using small dots of glue spaced about 2 in/5 cm apart. The liquid glue will warp the crepe paper, but the flowers will cover the warped places in the next step.


3.   Cut a strip of crepe paper 2 in/5 cm wide and 25 in/63.5 cm long. Starting at one end, pleat the strip widthwise to make a flower by pinching the strip of paper and applying glue here and there as you pleat to keep the folds together. 
 Make enough flowers to attach them every 2 in/5 cm around the base of the hat (about nine flowers). Allow the flowers to dry for about 30 minutes.



 Clip the back of the flower to make a flat surface. Apply a dot of glue to the flat surface and press into place on the fringe, holding the flower in place a few  minutes.



4.   Cut a strip of crepe paper about 2 in/5 cm wide and 10 in/25 cm long. Fold lengthwise into fourths. Cut fringe along one unfolded edge nearly to the opposite edge of the strip of paper. Without unfolding the fringed paper strip, pinch it along the bottom of the unfringed edge. Apply a dab of liquid glue to the inside of the hat at the peak of the cone to keep the fringe in place and push the pinched end of the fringe into the hole at the top of the hat. Allow to dry completely, about an hour. Fluff the fringe and push open the flower petals before wearing the hat.

Crafted from exquisite crepe paper flowers, this wreath makes any doorway a pretty place to enter. Be sure to hang your wreath in a spot that is not perpetually exposed to the elements. You can also make individual flowers to string into a garland or to pin to your hair.


                                                                   Supplies
Flower Fancy Wreath templates    Scissors for paper    Ruler   Crepe paper for stamens and flowers    Wire cutters   Cloth-wrapped floral wire    Liquid glue    Pencil    Contrasting crepe paper for leaves    Floral tape    24-gauge galvanized steel wire     Fine silver wire

1.   Download the Flower Fancy Wreath templates at www.chroniclebooks.com/sweetpaper.


2.   Each flower has a stamen, multiple petals, and two leaves. To make a stamen, use the scissors to cut a strip of crepe  paper 2 in/5 cm wide by 5 in/12 cm long. Fold the strip in half widthwise and fold in half widthwise again. Cut fringe along one side, being careful to cut only about 1½ in/4 cm into the paper. Unfold the paper so you have a 5-in/12- cm-long piece with fringe along the length.


3.   Using the wire cutters, cut a 4-in/10-cm length of floral wire. Apply a small amount of liquid glue  to one end of the paper on the edge without the fringe. Place one end of the floral wire on the glue and wrap the paper tightly around the wire. Apply glue to the end of the fringed paper, gently pull
tight, and press the end on the wire to secure.



4.    Using the pencil, trace the flower template on crepe paper, aligning the template so that the lines on the crepe paper run vertically on the template. Cut five to seven petals. Be careful to cut inside the pencil lines so you don’t have to erase them later. Carefully stretch out each petal to create a more natural shape.


5. Gently pleat the bottom edge of a petal. Apply a small  amount of liquid glue to the pleated edge and attach the petal to the stamen directly beneath the fringe. Continue pleating petals and attaching them around the stamen until the flower is as full as you want it to be.


6. Use the leaf template to cut two leaves from contrasting crepe paper. Apply a dab of liquid glue to the bottom of a leaf and attach it directly under the petals. Repeat with the other leaf.

7. To finish off the flower, cut a strip of crepe paper the same color as the flower about ½ in/12 mm wide by 6 in/15 cm long. Apply a small amount of glue to one end and carefully wrap it around the wire stem to cover the bottom of the petals and leaves, tightening the strip as you wrap and adding more glue as needed. Or use floral tape to cover the bottom of the petals and leaves. Bend the petals outward slightly to create a natural flower shape.

8. Repeat the process to create more flowers. Depending on the fullness of your flowers, you will need eighteen to twenty-five flowers for a 12-in/30.5-cm-diameter wreath. Allow the flowers to dry for at least an hour before attaching them to the wreath form.

9. Using the wire cutters, cut a piece of steel wire about 36 in/91 cm long. Shape the wire into a 12- in/30.5-cm-diameter circle. Tightly wrap a 4-in/10-cm piece of fine silver wire around the ends of the steel wire. Trim with the wire cutters.


10. Tightly wrap the stem of a flower around the wreath form. Attach the remaining flowers, spacing them about 1 in/2.5 cm apart. Bend the flowers as you like to make them face different directions. Wrap the wreath with floral tape to give it a neat finish, weaving the tape between the flowers and bending them slightly if necessary. Hang the wreath and adjust the flowers as needed.

 Partricia Zapata makes use of the three-dimensional quality of paper to create beautiful but practical objects such as lampshades, gift boxes, stationery, and calendars. South African Heather Moore and Emily Hogarth may live on opposite sides of the Equator, but both have a similar interest in applying paper-cut design to textiles. Pattern and repetition are important in their designs. Moore's fabric includess "herds", which feature repeated patterns of a single cow from a cave painting or a repeated solitary mongoose, horse, or deer. Her fabric is sold by the meter and is readily made into cushions, tea towels, or aprons. Hogarth's imagery borrows primarily from nature, including highland cattle, mountains, and flowers. She focuses on the pattern and geometry that can be found in the natural world; a recurring interest seems to be flowers with big, bold petals.




Peter Callesen, a Danish artist who creates both life-size and A4-size works, also dares to challenge, Callesen's cut images emerge from the page like litte sculpture's attachement to this negative space gives the image an element of tragedy; it is as though the figures are trying to escape but can't; Birds can't properly take flight, and skeletons
cna't walk away from their graves. A continual theme is 'the dying swan," which he explains is a hybdir of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" and a human figure.

From time immemorial, people have given bouquets to express love, gratitude, and congratulations. This bright bouquet of yellow and orange roses has a simple, unpretentious beauty. Attach a card to this handmade bouquet to make a wonderful gift - or use it to decorate your home. (The bouquet is designed to hold the roses in a flower basket).

This paper water lily sculpture is as beautiful as it is simple. It involves cutting, scoring, folding, and layering paper before you glue it to a lilypad base. You can make the baseboard from a single sheet of card stock. You glue two rows of petals into place on top of the baseboard, along with some paper leaves. The finished result is an elegant water lily with a layered look that defies the simplicity of its construction.

2 to 3 sheets of thin white card      Ruler      Pencil and eraser      Scissors or a sharp craft knife
Cutting mat     White school glue and glue spreader

1. Copy the templates from Figure 9-1 onto a sheet of card and cut them out.

Three parts make up the flower: the large outer petals, the small inner petals, and the
stamen. Copy the templates as accurately as possible. Then cut them out to create patterns
that you’ll trace around in the next step.


 2. Draw around the petal and stamen patterns you created in Step 1.

The final flower has six of the large outer petals and six of the small inner petals. Draw around each petal pattern six times, each time carefully lining up the pattern with the outline you’ve just drawn. Erase part of the lines where the petals touch each other to make them dashed — these are score lines. Trace around the stamen pattern three times, creating three separate pieces.

3. Draw a tab on each of the petal parts and stamen as well as a tab to close the petal shapes.

Look at the petals in Figure 9-2. Draw a small tab on the base of each petal as shown and also draw a tab to close the petals.

4. Score along the dotted lines and cut out the petal and stamen parts.

Cut in toward the center of the cuts to get the best quality cuts. If you cut outward from the corners, the card tends to twist, leaving unwanted kinks in your work.




5. Glue the petals together and glue them to the center of a sheet of card.

Glue down the tab that closes each set of petals, creating two rings of petals. The two sets of petals fit one inside the other. Fold the tabs from the outer petals outward and those from the inner petals inward; glue them to a sheet of card (your baseboard).


6. Glue together the stamen parts and glue them into the center of the flower.

The stamen is made of three identical stamen pieces. Fold two of them in half and glue two halves together; then glue the third stamen piece into place so that it touches the other two stamen pieces. Glue the finished stamen into the center of the flower.
 

7. Finish the model by adding two or three large leaves to the base piece of card stock.

Cut out some large lilypad leaves; don’t worry if they hang over the edge of the baseboard.
Glue them down and then trim off the excess to look like this.