Making things with paper crafts used to be an activity that kids did with their teachers or at home on rainy days to keep them occupied. But for many adults paper crafting is a serious hobby. Making beautiful things out of paper can be simple or quite complex depending on how advanced you are in the hobby of Paper Crafts. You can do endless things with different types of paper. From, scrapbooking, to making cards, flowers, origami, paper cutting, and all kinds of decorations. As you can see, there are many things one can do creatively with paper.
When it comes to paper crafting, there is a multitude of projects, techniques, and supplies one can use to achieve a work of art made from paper. Paper crafts no longer mean just hanging streamers for a party or drawing a sketch on a folded piece of paper for a birthday card. With all the possibilities available in the world of paper crafting today one can take virtually any plain piece of paper and make it into a thing of beauty.
Even though most projects do come with instruction and techniques, one gets the most satisfaction when they let their creative touches enter the equation. Many people who think they do not have a creative bone in their body start to paper craft and are surprised by what they add to a basic project. What happens is the more a person crafts like anything else, the better they become, and then they start to experiment. The person starts to experiment with the tried and true paper crafts, and as they master them, and the results start to become paper works of art. For those who feel they have “NO” artistic bones in their bodies, there are things like rubber stamping to create paper things with. So the possibilities are there for those who want an easy, inexpensive hobby.
It is recommended that as far as supplies go you want to use what is referred to as Archival vs. Non Archival quality paper supplies. What this means is when you use archival quality materials the piece you create will last a lifetime. This goes for the quality of paper adhesives and inks as well. If you don’t use Archival inks and adhesives they too will fade over time. If you want your piece to last, then it is recommended to go with the archival quality material.
If you are just practicing, then you can go with cheap quality materials just to make a prototype or experiment before you use the good quality stuff. What makes archival materials last is that they are acid-free and therefor do not discolor or fall apart the same way non-archival materials do. If you are doing something for a one-time-only reason like a party and don’t care if it lasts or not go with the cheaper nonarchival materials.
When you begin paper crafting like anything else, start with the easier projects first. After you get used to them, you can advance at your pace. The possibilities are endless, and it will open up the creative side of your personality.
