Pretty Paper Eyelashes

images via Paperself

Have you ever heard of paper eyelashes before?  I just recently discovered them and was intrigued by the accessory.  They come in all kinds of shapes: flowers, butterflies, and even streetscapes.  Of course when I saw the paper lashes, my first thought was, "how to make them?". So I did a little online research and low and behold, I found a craft tutorial for paper eyelashes on Cut Out + Keep.  Now the question is where to wear them?

What do you think of the paper eyelashes?  Have you worn them before?

Origami Totoro Finger Puppets

Have you seen the animated film My Neighbor Totoro?  The film is about two sisters (Satsuki and Mei) who move to the countryside.  There they discover their new neighbor is a forest spirit called Totoro who can only be seen by children.  The film is directed my the famous director,animator and manga artist, Hayao Miyazaki (who just recently announced his retirement, BTW) . The film has been around for awhile, 1988 to be exact.

Promotional poster for the movie My Neighbor Totoro

During the summer my children watched this movie for the first time and they absolutely loved it.  That inspired me to see if there were any directions to make an origami Totoro.  I actually found quite a few but I chose this one to share because it's very easy to make and it's a puppet.  It's very similar to folding an origami cup. 

 

For the grey Totoro I used 6-by-6 in/15-by-15 cm paper.  For the little blue guy I used 3-by-3 in/7.5-by-7.5 cm paper.

Book Review: All Things Paper

All Things Paper by Ann Martin

If you've been following along on this blog, you know I enjoy paper crafts.  There's something very gratifying about being able to turn a humble piece of paper into a piece of art.  So when Ann asked me if I would like to take a look at her new craft book All Things Paper, of course I said yes.  Ann Martin is also the author of the blog All Things Paper where she posts paper craft tutorials and writes about various paper artists and their work. 

All Things Paper contains 20 projects from 18 leading paper crafters, artists, and designers. Since there are a variety of artists contributing to the book, you get a wide array of projects and styles.  The other benefit is many of the projects incorporate a specific paper technique such as screen printing and quilling.  I personally find craft books like this useful because it allows me to build on the techniques and come up with my own projects. 

One thing that stood out to me about this book was the detail in the directions.  I've never seen a craft book with such detailed instructions.  Because the steps are so well thought out, I believe a beginner level crafter could pick up this book and start making the projects.

Below are a few pictures of  projects you will find in All Things Paper.

Fringed Flower Card by Agnieszka Malyszek - The designer shares how to make this flower which includes a unique technique using mini binder clips.

Citrus Slice Coasters by Casey Starks - Included in this project you will learn about the art of screen printing.

Antique Key Pendant by Ann Martin - For this project you will learn quilling techniques and tips.

If you want to find out more about All Things Paper, click here.

Printable Swiss Army Knife Father's Day Card

My dad seemed to always have some kind of Swiss army knife on him.  Some were key chains and some were pocket knives.  I can remember him using them on various occasions.  For example, any time a ribbon needed to be cut off a present, I could count on dad to pull out the mini scissors to get the job done.  I'm sure he used the Swiss army knife tools for other things but that memory in particular stands out to me.  So as you may have guessed,  that was the inspiration for this card. 

This card is quick and easy to make.  The paper saw and knife swivel out just like a Swiss army knife. 

Supplies:
Template
One small metal brad
Scissors
Glue dots
White card stock
Hole punch

1.  Click on template twice.  Right click, copy, paste and print on white card stock.  Cut out templates.

2.  Stack saw and knife on top of the back piece.  Punch a hole through all three templates.  Add brad (refer to picture).

3.  Add glue dots where you see the red dots.  Make sure none of the glue dots will get in the away of the knife and saw swiveling out.  Place front template on top.

Your card should look something like the picture above.  Adjust the knife and saw so they stick out a little so they're easy to pull out.

This is what the back of the card will look like.

Sign the card and you're all set. 

Color Graduated Origami Sphere

Photo by Sweet Paul

Speaking of oversized origami, look what I found on the Sweet Paul Kids site!  This origami sphere was created by the ever so talented Lova Blavarg ( 17yr old craft genius). The sphere takes exactly 60 pieces to make.  This would be a great craft to make throughout summer vacation.  If you folded just one piece a day, you would have it completed by the end of summer.  To get the full tutorial for this project, visit the Sweet Paul site.

DIY Mother's Day Card

Today I'm excited to be participating in 100 Days of Tombow.  One hundred bloggers across America are creating projects with Tombow products to celebrate the company's centennial year.  But the best part is that for every blogger who participates, $100 will be donated to the Council for Arts Education.  You may know that art education is very important to me.  Often I volunteer my time to do art projects at my children's school.  In fact, just last week I scheduled an outing for a couple classes to visit a pottery studio.

Tombow sent me a few of their projects to make a craft for this event.  Today I will be working with the Tombow markers to make this Mother's Day Card. 

Supplies:
Tombow Markers - two coordinating colors
White Crayon
White Cardstock
Scissors
Ruler
Piece of plastic - I used a disposable plastic pie cover.  Any kind of plastic packaging should work. Check your recycle bin.

To make this card I'm using a wax resist technique.  With a white crayon I wrote out the words "Happy Mother's Day".  To get your letters straight and centered as best as possible here are few tips.

1.  Work in a well lit room so you can see the white crayon on the card.

2.  Place a ruler on the paper and use it as if it was a blue ruled line on your paper.  This will keep all your letters straight. 

3.  A good way to write well centered and spaced words on a card is to start with the middle letter.  For example, write the letter "P" for the word "happy" in the center of your paper.  Then write the letters on each side evenly spaced.

Once you have your images written out, you're going to cover the entire card with marker.  To give it a gradient look, use this method. 

1.  Write on your plastic with the darker color marker.

2.  Pick up the color with the lighter marker.  Just rub the marker brush on the ink and it will pick up the darker color.

As you color over the letters they will resist the crayon and show up.  The marker will also gradually lighten in color as you draw due to the technique you used above, giving it a gradient style.

Make your card into any shape you want.  You can also use this technique to draw images as well. 

 

Origami Snack Container

Hi everyone, you can find me over at the Chronicle Books Blog sharing how to fold an origami snack container  and talking about the first origami piece I folded.  Hope to see you over there!

Kid Craft: Sticky Note Monsters

I debated whether to label this project a "kid craft" because I had so much fun with it.  I could have easily wasted the day away making all kinds of sticky note monsters and the next day covering the house with them.  Since they have sticky feet, they can walk up walls, hang upside down, and peek out from the computer monitor. Hmm, maybe I should call them mischief monsters instead.

Want to make your own gaggle of monsters?  Here's the how-to:

Supplies
Sticky notes
Pen
Scissors

Make sure the sticky side of the paper is at the bottom where you draw the feet.  Sketch out your monster (left photo).  Cut out your monster (right photo).

Bend the paper at a 90 degree angle to make the feet. This also allows for your monster to stand up.

DIY Mini Paper Chain

I never tire of the humble paper chain.  It's simple, classic, versatile and in my opinion quite charming.  When I look at it, memories of countdown chains from childhood come to mind.  As a tribute to this humble craft, I decided to make a mini version of it.

This craft is pretty self explanatory so I'm not going to write a detailed tutorial but I will share a couple tips.

1.  When making a tiny chain you will want to use a paper that is light weight and flexible.  Card stock is too heavy and will kink when you bend the paper into loops.

2.  Instead of glue, I found washi tape works best for securing each ring.  This way you don't have to wait for the glue to dry or worry about part of the chain popping open.  For the washi tape, I recommend choosing a color that blends in with your paper. 

A few ideas of what to do with your paper chains:

• decorate a dollhouse
• use it in a mixed media art project
• hang it around the edges of pictures on a bulletin board or inspiration board

Pretty Origami Bunny Envelopes

I was looking for a little Easter origami inspiration when I stumbled upon a tutorial for these cute bunny envelopes by Paper Kawaii.   They're the perfect detail to attach to an Easter basket or any spring gift.  They fold up in about five minutes or less once you get the directions down.  Hop on over to Paper Kawaii for the full instructions.

Here's what the envelope looks like when opened.  I used 6" x 6" paper which will fold down to roughly a 3" x 2" envelope.  The paper I used is from my book, Party Origami.

Announcing my Craft Book, Party Origami

I've been keeping a secret for quite sometime now and I'm so glad I can finally share it with all of you.  I created a craft book with Chronicle Books called Party Origami!  The book includes 14 origami ideas specifically created to use for parties.  What sets this book apart from other origami books is that the pieces are designed to serve a function, such as hold a place card or rest a pair of chopsticks. Included with the book are 75 sheets of origami paper. Party Origami will be available March 26, 2013.  You can currently pre-order it on Amazon.  I'm also told it will be carried everywhere books are sold in April.  

If you're curious, here's a little background about the making of the book:

A little over a year ago I was contacted by Laura Lee Mattingly (Chronicle Books Editor) about creating a party themed origami book.  Of course, I was over the moon about it, Chronicle Books creates some of the most beautiful craft books around.  Plus, a lot of their books are Japanese related which appeals to me.  I've always enjoyed origami since I was a small child and you know I like planning parties so it was a perfect fit.

The first step in the process was creating some thumbnails (tiny sketches) of my ideas for the book.   Pictured above are the first sketches I created, some ideas made it into the book, others didn't. 

After the list of projects were finalized, I had to create the instructions and illustrations for all the steps.  This was by far the most challenging part of the book process for me.  Thankfully I had two things going for me.  One I have a graphic design background and was formally trained in Adobe Illustrator.  Two, I've been writing craft directions for the past five years.  Without these key skills, I'm not sure if I could have pulled it off. 

The book comes in a cute little package that unfolds revealing the origami booklet with the origami paper sitting behind it.  Here's something you may or may not know.  Before a book is created, a prototype of the outside cover is created (imagine a book without the pages).  It's a blank white cover and it's designed to give you an idea of what the book will look like. 

Hillary Caudle designed the book layout and the origami paper.  Pictured above is a sample of some of the origami paper you will find in the book. Isn't it gorgeous?!  What's unique about this paper is that it's double sided; there's a print on one side and a solid on the other.  One of my favorite prints are the sprinkles which unfortunately I didn't get a picture of. 

If you would like to see a sneak peek of one of the projects, the Chronicle Books blog shared a post about it earlier this month, click here.

Printable: Roller Skate Valentine Cards

I'm a little behind this year on my valentine cards but I still wanted to share what I've been up to.  The inspiration for the cards came from my daughter's new hobby, roller skating!   It also might have something to do with my childhood rollerskating memories.  I spent many weekends at the rink.  Just thinking about it makes me want to put on a pair of skates and roll to Celebration by Kool & The Gang.

These valentines are pretty easy to make.  What will take the most time is the cutting out the shapes.  So do a little hand stretches before you begin.

Supplies:
Card Stock in two complementing colors
Small Brads - any colors you wish
White Cotton Yarn
Scissors
Hole Punch

1. Click on this image twice.  Right click, copy, save, paste in Word or any other program you use.

2. Print on two different colored pieces of card stock.

3.  Cut out all shapes.

4. Place one wheel over bottom part of roller skate.  Punch hole (refer to top picture).

5. Place brad through both holes.  Repeat for second wheel.

This is what the back of your roller skate will look like.

6.  Punch a hole in the top heart.  Thread the yarn through the hole and cut into a bow.

*Other ideas: print out on white card stock for coloring.  Add stickers.  Use heart brads instead of circles.

And now if you would excuse me, I have lots and lots of cutting to do.  See the three skates pictured above?  That's all I've made so far.

A Christmas Card with A Surprise

 Photo Credit: The Witchcraft

The other day I was just clicking link to link, looking for new sites.  Ever do that?   Usually it ends up being a big time waster but that day I made a wonderful discovery.  I found the The Witchcraft blog which I promise you has nothing to do with witchcraft and everything to do with lovely, lovely crafts.  One of my favorite projects on the site was this Christmas card.  One of the first things I thought while I was looking at this was, "what happens when you pull the string".  Want to see?  Scroll down.

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 Photo Credit: The Witchcraft

Ta-da! What happens is you get the cutest little paper Christmas tree.  There are even directions on the site how to make this ornament.  Click here for the full tutorial on The Witchcraft.

Happy Friday everyone!

Origami Snail

I was first introduced to this cute snail origami tutorial on the lovely blog, Bloomize.  The actual directions to fold the snail can be found on this Japanese site.  The directions are in Japanese but with the pictures it's very easy to follow along.

This origami snail would also make a cute folded letter or note.  You know the kind. . . bubble letters written with colored pens, cute stickers for embellishments.  I spent hours making those cute little notes in my tween/teen years.  Anyone else?

Free Printable: Moomin Memo Card Holder

For all you Moomin fans, Afternoon Tea has a free Memo Card Holder to download and print.  You can choose which characters to add to your stand.  There's also an assortment of memo cards to print.  To save printer ink, only print out pages 2 - 4.  Visit Afternoon Tea for the free Moomin printable.  They also have a cute Moomin card and envelope to download for fee as well.

 Extra Memo Cards and Moomin Characters

via Sweet Tidings

Paper Craft Stop Motion by Odland

This charming paper-craft stop motion video was directed by Vincent Pianina and Lorenzo Papace for the french band Odland.  Without trying to sound cheesy, this video is absolutely dreamy.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Weekend

Soft Serve Origami

Can you tell I have a case of summer-itis?  Last post was summer reading, today ice cream cones. For some reason, I feel like the summer break can't come quick enough.  I know summer-itis is a student thing, but it can affect parents too, right?  Please tell me I'm not alone.

If you feel like making something to celebrate the warm months ahead, this project might be for you.  The origami soft serve ice cream cone is a quick and easy to fold.  It's also a good project for kids just learning origami. All you need is a yellow piece of paper and an orange marker to get started.

1.  Starting with a yellow piece of paper, have it face wrong side up like the picture in the left.  Fold down the center to make a crease.  Fold left and right flaps to meet in the center.

2.  Your paper should now look like the picture on the right.  Fold left and right flaps down so they look like the picture below.

3.  Fold left and right flaps back on dotted lines so they wrap around the paper.

4.  Your paper should now look like the image on the right.  Flip paper over.

5.  Fold left and right flaps on dotted lines to meet in the center.

6.  Your paper should now look like the image on the right.  Now you are going to make a pleat fold on the white solid lines.  Fold the top of paper down on the bottom line and then up on the top line.

7.  Your paper should now look like the image to the left.  Now you're going to make a second pleat fold on the lines you see at the top.

8.  Your paper should now look like the photo on the right.  Flip over.

9.  Your paper should now look like the photo on the left.

10.  Draw lines to make it resemble an ice cream cone. 

For different color combinations, fold with two pieces of paper stacked on top of each other. For example, start with a yellow and pink piece of paper to make a strawberry ice cream cone.