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    Paper Craft - An Introduction

    Paper crafting is a hugely popular hobby in the USA. It includes a wide range of fun and easy projects for home and other gift functions. If you enjoy being creative, you will find at least some aspects of paper crafting fun. People of all ages can craft together. There really is something for everyone.

    It is a relatively inexpensive hobby. You probably already have a good pair of scissors and some paper lying around. With these two things you can start paper crafting right away. But there are some great tools available these days, such as electrical cutting machines, which makes paper crafting less time consuming and even more enjoyable. You don't have to spend a lot of money though to enjoy it, and a lot of crafters stick to the "old" techniques of paper and scissors.

    Cutting may scratch or damage tables or other working surfaces. As such, get a self-healing cutting mat and do your cutting jobs here. It has a special scratch-resistant surface.

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    For advanced paper crafting you will require more tools.

    The first thing to get is a self-healing cutting mat for all your cutting jobs. It has a special scratch-resistant surface, preventing damage to tables or other working surfaces.

    Ruled metals with straight edges are also basic paper craft tools. They have two important uses. First, they giveaccurate and precise measurements, usually in centimeters and inches. And second, the edges are used to mark and cut straight lines.

    A bone folder or stylus helps you make deep creases in paper and stops unwanted residue. The last thing you want is residue - it can spoil all your hard work.

    A selection of pencils will help you mark out cutting guidelines, and plan the shape of your design.

    You won't get very far with paper crafting if you don't have any glue! Glue sticks, double-sided tapes or any other adhesives will do the job. If you want to get really fancy, try a glue gun.

    So far I have mentioned the paper crafters essentials. Once you are bitten by the creative bug you may want to take things to the next level with effects such as embossing and stamping.

    Crafters use black ink pads to add an attractive embossed finish to their project.

    Rubber stamps are yet another tool in the crafter's armoury. They can give your project that extra fizz and style. If you invest in some rubber stamps, you will also require some special stamp cleaning liquid to prevent them from drying out. And, to complete the kit, get a stamp cleaning pad to clean the detailed areas of a stamp after use.

    I almost forgot to mention the different choices of paper - not good in an introduction to paper craft! There are many sorts of paper available in craft stores. The staff in a craft store will be happy to advise you in choosing a good paper.

    Quality archival paper is a good one to start with. It is special acid-free paper, so the color doesn't fade away quickly like it does with non-archival paper. If you want to save money, try crafting with recycled materials - old cards, music sheets, calendars, paper napkins, wrapping paper etc. This is a nice, inexpensive way for beginners to practice their techniques and designs.

    Their are many methods used in paper crafting. This is partly why it is such an interesting and rewarding hobby. Here are a few of the basic ones:

    • Direct-to-paper (or DTP) is a gentle stroke technique where dye or ink is applied directly to paper from the pad.
    • Dry embossing is used to embellish small areas of paper such as envelopes, for example. When dry embossing, crafters use special light boxes, or tape their template to a window. This backlighting makes it easier to get the result you want.
    • Heat embossing is the quickest way to embellish a paper project. It is a raised paper effect, created with embossing stamps, ink and embossing powder.
    • Paper piercing (also known as parchment piercing) is when the crafter creates a beautiful lace-like quality on their material. A special perforating tool is available for this.

    If you don't have the time to learn paper craft by hand , but still feel that creative urge, then an electronic cutting machine, like the Cricut ones, may be the answer. These machines make it very easy and fast to produce stunning paper craft. You simply make up the design, and the Cricut machine does all the cutting for you. If you like the idea then check out the rest of my website for lots more information about buying and using a Cricut cutting machine.

    Here are my favorite crafting resources to get you started:

    • Craft Supplies - Craft Supply - Craft Stores - BJ's Craft Supplies ... Your source for craft supplies. Offering a wide variety of general craft supplies for your project. We carry a large assortment of beads of all kinds and ...
    • Scrapbooking Stores Top 50 | Worldwide Scrapbooking stores top 50 list. Participating scrapbooking stores are ranked by popularity.
    • Pazzles The Creative Cutter Inspiration comes with all you need to start ... At Pazzles we have designed our website to make your online experience easy and fun. ...
    • Provo Craft Cricut Machine · Cricut Expression · Cricut Create · Cricut Cartridges · Storaage & Tools · Accessories · Cricut® · Cricut Expression™ · Cricut Create ...

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