In April I brandished a posy of pretty kirigami flowers from Threadbanger your way. All very lovely but there are those out there for whom pink and pretty just don't hit the spot. You want the dark side of craft and who am I to stand in your way? So for all you shadow-lurkers I have found some kirigami that might be more up your street.
The Anticraft are all about grabbing craft by the throat and shaking it until it's evil side falls out. Their Kikuka Kirigami Flower tutorial throws a mournful black and red shroud on your more cheerful papercraft.
You will learn the 'starburst' technique, and the ways of putting a bone folder and toothpicks to good use, giving it all a nice skeletal feel.
A simple little papercraft tutorial that'll leave you with some pleasingly spiky blooms.
Bored at work? Pile of paperclips lounging around on your desk looking disorderly? Access to the stationery cupboard? Then it's about time you got in there, procured yourself some Post-it notes and folded yourself a row of origami boxes to get your desk organised in stationery-stealing style.
Of course we're not encouraging you to steal stationery at work! But if you do happen to have a Post-it or seven lying about the place this little origami Post-it Box how to, from those good folks at Instructables, will start you on the slippery slope to boxing every single tiny thing you can find on your desk just to have an excuse to make one.
And if that isn't enough paperfolding fun for you then check out this self-folding paper on Craftzine. So very cool.
Please note: Crafty Crafty are not responsible for stationery theft incidents or you being fired because your desk is covered in tiny boxes and you haven't worked for a whole week.
Spring craft is blooming marvellous. To celebrate spring springing how about rustling up a bunch of Threadbanger's Kirigami Flowers.
Threadbanger's Meg takes us step by step through the process of making the paper posies. Meg's style of craft tutorial is a bit relentless (I found myself wanting to take a breath for her), so the video may have to be watched a couple of times (or you could be handy with the pause button) in order to get your flowers up to her speed.
The end result is rather lovely and there's also a bunch of tips on other craft alternatives to pollen-filled flowers.
Finish it all off with some good advice on fighting the horrors of hayfever and you're all set for a sniff-free Spring.
In the dark papery heart of every good book is a story waiting to get out and flaunt its fictional or non-fictional stuff. Part of the magic of walking into a book shop is the thought of all those stories lurking there between covers waiting to be found. Seeing into those worlds through the pages is something done in an awe-inspiring and unconventional way by artist Brian Dettmer.
Brian 'book autopsies' entitled 'Adaptations' are sculptures made from real books cut so their pages form 3D worlds inside the pages. Each book is carefully carved with the outer pages and spine intact and looks as if the story were coming alive from the inside out.
The work consists of single pieces and cleverly constructed collections resembling book-bodied beasts and leatherbound merry-go-rounds.
I'm not sure I'd want one of my beloved tomes taken apart with clever cutting but the effect is utterly mesmerising. Magic.
The first thing that springs to mind whenever I hear the term 'papercut' is the noise of drawing in air through your teeth and much wincing. Happily not all papercuts are the hurty kind and someone who is proving that in papery spadeloads is artist Peter Callesen.
Peter takes paper, glue and, I would imagine, a very sharp knife, and turns your everyday sheets of A4 paper into fabulous fragile works of art. The pieces have a fairytale quality like characters or scenes from stories emerging from the page. The artist says he uses the A4 sheets because they are so commonplace. Taking something we see every day and snipping and gluing a whole world out of it.
Dazzling, ephemeral and fiddly to make in the extreme. Probably best kept away from open flames too.
This clever Macbook shaped greetings card really is just seven shades of awesome. I was in love with it already when I saw it from the outside: the rounded edging and faux light-effect shading all worked perfectly to create that distinctive, Apple look - but it's only really once you've opened the card up that you appreciate its sheer genius:
The Mac-style keyboard, created through raised and tactile cut-off black squares spells out the text "you are the apple of my eye". Anyone with a Machead boyfriend looking for a marriage proposal in the next year should certainly consider delivering this missive. Too bad mine's a PC...
Image credit: Paper pudding
I'm currently scouring the shop shelves for a suitable set of Christmas cards and have so far come back empty-handed. Everything's dull, done-to-death or hugely overpriced, but I don't have time to start making my own now.
I'm sure I'm not alone in my plight: December is a busy time when making up a batch of 30 is impossible for me, particularly when I have friends living as far away as Africa and Canada on my Christmas card list. So I'm turning to the talented crafters for my cards this year, and top of the class is London designer Cassie English of the English Design Co.
Her panda bear card (pictured right) is just one of many lovely, bold designs that really stand out. You can find more like this at her Etsy Shop.
For more of our favourite handmade cards to buy, read on over the jump
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