Paper perfect – 25 bright ideas for paper Author: Labeena Ishaque (Lark Books)
I was attracted to this book because of its bright colours and gorgeous photos. Even though the book is 2 dimensional you sense the tactile three dimensional nature of the paper through the pictures in this book. This book is bright and vibrant without being over crowded.
It offers a range of projects made from paper, everything from household items such as storage boxes to a cute paper blind, handmade cards and lovely packaging ideas.
Although my interest is not in hand making paper I found the section covering the history of paper, methods of paper making and paper crafting techniques really interesting and came away with a greater appreciation for the processes involved in creating beautiful handmade paper – something to try down the track perhaps!
From my own point of view there are a number of projects in the book that are of particular interest providing inspiration for do it yourself gift wrapping and packaging:
“Funky Files” – are cute concertina envelope style folders which could be a perfect packaging for a set of handmade gift cards.
“Gift Glamour” – provides three gorgeous gift wrapping ideas using simple, cheap and easy to access materials. The examples provided look really striking.
“Bags for all” – are cute gift bags you could easily make yourself. Adjust the size of the template using the photocopier to create a bag to suit your gift exactly.
“Lime lozenges” – offer the perfect gift box for jewellery, sweets and other small items
“Bonbon boxes” – these are wedding style bonbonniere boxes, but create these out of bright colour, textured or patterned card and these boxes could package a whole range of gifts.
“Wacky wallets” – are a flatter style wallet compared to “Funky Files”. They would be perfect for flat art work, gift cards, note paper and other stationery.
The added bonus in this book is the section at the back with templates for all the projects including the envelopes and boxes.
If you are looking for gift wrapping ideas or inspiration for creating our own packaging this book will definitely provide you with a feast of options. If you’re interested in paper making, or paper crafts generally, you will be sure to find a project to create or a technique to use or adapt for use in your own projects.
Definitely worth a look!
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