The Paper Arts site talks about everything related to paper including stationery, scrapbooking, and DIY paper projects.

OK, we haven’t updated in quite awhile here on The Paper Arts. But I wanted to get some posts up before the holiday rush starts. Yep, it’s already time to start looking for gifts for the Holidays! Maybe this year things won’t be as “jolly” due to the economy weighing on everyone’s mind. It’s important to watch your budget while gift shopping.

However, there are any number of cheaper crafty things that can make cheap gifts. One idea is to give a simple memory book or scrapbook. I like these basic scrapbook albums from Snapload - they are nicely designed yet sufficiently generic to serve multiple purposes. The albums have a memo pocket page, 10 top loading page protectors and can accomodate up to 300 pages. They come in black, red, purple and blue colors. They are photo-safe and suitable for archival uses. Might be a nice cheap gift for someone who’s interested in scrapbooking.

Joann.com is running a special coupon where you can get 40% off of one regularly priced item online. I know that if you signup for their physical mailing list you’ll get these coupons regularly, but this is in case you need to get more than one thing. Plus, it’s online for those who aren’t near a Joann store or just don’t want to drive out (gas prices these days!)

I had actually thought this coupon expired in a week or so, but I don’t seem to see the expiration date any longer - perhaps they renewed it temporarily.

40% Off the Regular Price of One Item at Joann.com (Code: JUNA840)

I’ve been interested in this enormous 320 page Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking for awhile now. From Creating Keepsakes (the folks who do the magazine under the same name), this book is meant as a ref guide for both beginner and advanced scrapbook artists. There are a ton of different techniques, sample layouts, embellishment ideas and descriptions of tools to use.

Some of the techniques they talk about include photo adhesion tips, how to crop photos, how to title items in the scrapbooks, paper trimming techniques and tips on cutting out shapes and using templates.

Continue reading “Encyclopedia Of Scrapbooking” …

Whoops, here we go with Martha Stewart Crafts again… can’t seem to stay away from their products lately. These delicate, handmade flower cards can be created with the simple kit provided - this one features cherry blossoms which would be a nice touch for weddings or thank you notes. the kit comes with 8 cards / envelopes as well as 128 paper tissue cherry blossoms that you can stick onto the cards individually.

Tissue Paper Flower Card - Martha Stewart Crafts

I’ve been eyeing this Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter from Provo Craft for awhile now ever since seeing it at Joann’s. At a price entry point of just under $200 and a fairly compact size of around 18 x 10 x 13 inches, this seems like a good way to upgrade from smaller die cutters to a more professional version without completely breaking the bank (there are plenty of cutters starting at $300 and up to nearly $1000).

Most people will be pleased with the fact that you don’t have to buy all the individual designs like you would if you wanted to get manual cutters (By Sizzix and Quickutz for example) for everything.

Continue reading “Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter” …

More groovy Iota goodness for you. These “Foldover” notecards are a bit quirky and colorful without going over the top. They are a longer size at 3 1/4 x 5 3/4 inches and each package contains 9 of them along with matching envelopes.

I actually think this comes as a 2-pack of 9 at Amazon…

I came across some cool pattern designs by Mike Lowery today. After I chose the above pattern to show (very cool because of the vintage synths), I realized that I didn’t know if it was actually printed on paper or just a pattern. Nevertheless, on his site he does sell original drawing artwork that is along the same lines of the wonderful patterns I saw. So if you like the patterns, you’ll probably enjoy his artwork too.

Visit: Mike Lowery (Argyle Academy)

Wow, in case you haven’t noticed there are a TON of design books for Scrapbook making out there. They range from everything from beginner focused books to “professional” designer guides. The Scrapbook Designers Workbook: Unlocking the Secrets to Great Page Design reference by Kari Hansen tends to fall into the latter category and that’s one reason why I’m mentioning it here.

That’s because there’s a proliferation of beginner books that don’t focus on design at all out there. So it’s nice to see something that’s meant to teach at least basic principles of design. The book goes into color theory and palette choice concepts and gives pointers on what a professionally designed scrapbook might look like.

Continue reading “Scrapbook Designers Workbook” …

I was all set to post about an interesting “Monkey Party In A Box” kit from Martha Stewart Crafts, but when I went to look at the item it turns out they’ve taken it out. But I did find this “Tiny Party In A Box Kit - For Eight” which is very similar. These are paper toys and accessories but they seem like they’d be a lot of fun for kids who like paper crafts. The kit has miniature invitations, party gift bags, favor boxes and stickers. Then it has complete 8 person “place settings” for the actual party including forks, knives, spoons, napkins, cups and party hats. It would be super fun if the kids had to come up with real miniature food as well to go with the tiny party place settings.

Tiny Party In A Box Kit - For Eight
Available at Marthastewartcrafts.com

I think by now I must have covered nearly every single gift wrap of this type they have for sale. Still, if you’re getting a gift for a friend who’s really into the Arts and Crafts design aesthetic I think they’d really be pleased to receive it wrapped in this William Morris themed gift wrap. One note about the paper - it is really intricate with floral designs, but there are only 4 sheets of 18×24″ in the pack. If you’re used to bargain bin holiday gift wrap, then you’re going to be really disappointed in how little paper you actually get. The quality and design is there, however, so plan to use it only for those extra special gifts for friends who will appreciate the paper (and not those who just rip the paper off without giving it a second glance).