Paper Made!

March 5, 2012
Repurposing diva Terry transforms trash to treasure, fashioning newspaper, wallpaper, or plain old paper headed for the garbage into beads or bangles or headboards. A merchandise manager for Anthropologie and a crafter, Terry has transformed playing cards into lampshades, and an abandoned roll of raffle tickets into a coffee-table conversation piece. An avalanche of catalogues can become a cavalcade of crafts: the “Ring around the Rosy Vase” is constructed of pages woven from advertising usually destined for refuse. Paper maps become passport covers or origami birds on a string for a child’s nursery. The process may appear tedious at times, with instructions to cut 100 paper strips, but they are well worth the payoff of drink umbrellas from paper scraps and papier-mâché piñatas bursting with treats. Family heirloom letters fashioned into a bridal barrette may not be to everyone’s taste, but with a gum wrapper or 200, you can be a jeweler on a budget.

July 1, 2012

Paper is inexpensive, abundantly available, and easy to repurpose, and thus an excellent craft supply. In this collection, crafter Terry presents 101 different projects using paper products, most of which require supplies that can easily be found around the house or at a craft store and no special skills other than the ability to cut out shapes and use a hot-glue gun. The projects are generally stylish, which is no surprise--Terry is a merchandiser for the fashion chain Anthropologie, known for their crafty-chic aesthetic--and since paper projects are almost endlessly customizable, they can be made to suit any taste. VERDICT Fans of eco-friendly crafts and creative repurposing will enjoy this collection of nicely designed, easy-to-make projects.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.