The Michaels Book of Paper Crafts [Hardcover]

Lark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

The ultimate papercrafters' book is here! This treasure trove filled with ideas, inspirations, and 120 projects is the natural follow up to the super success of Michaels Book of Arts & Crafts (300,000 copies sold to date!).

Scrapbookers, book crafters, card makers, decoupage, and paper Mache enthusiasts-they number in the millions and their industry generates billions of dollars each year. Now there's a Michaels crafts book just for them, representing the most popular, fastest-growing crafts in North America.

An incredible variety of ideas is showcased in this one jam-packed colorful volume; every single item is inviting, each technique intriguing, and all the newest tools and papers are presented so that anyone at any level can create professional effects right at home. Most of the projects in the 10 chapters are both exquisite and functional, and range from home decorating accessories (lampshades, photo frames, placemats) to keepsake items (journals, books, cards, scrapbooks), and from great gifts to holiday ornaments.

Magnificent full-color project and how-to-photographs bring the techniques to life and make them easy to follow. Here's an irresistible invitation to explore collage, paper clay, paper weaving and surface design. Stamped and embossed cards look like the expensive ones found in stores, paper clay dragonflies sparkle and shimmer; an elegant wedding announcement features fine embroidery and a tiny silver heart. These pages provide nothing less than endless inspiration.

A Main Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Paper, probably the most inexpensive craft material, gets a thorough workout in this compendium that takes the craft hungry through the basics of nine different paper-based crafts--from decoupage to scrapbooking to quilling, with a good deal in between. A general introduction spotlights some basic techniques used in the book, including setting eyelets, sticker making, and cutting (don't use scissors for straight lines, please!), and each of the nine craft chapters is headed by more specifics. Crafters can pick from six or seven projects in each chapter or jump to the end of each section for a gallery of additional ideas. Though instructions are not routinely illustrated with sequenced photos, they are easy to follow, and the photos themselves are clear and plentiful. Finished projects, which range from decorative frames and journals to gift boxes and jewelry, are always pictured, though, and enough visual information is provided to make plain what's involved in their construction. Once it's discovered, this won't sit on the craft shelf for long. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books; 1ST edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579906389
• ISBN-13: 978-1579906382
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of interesting ideas for decorating with paper, February 4, 2006

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Michaels Book of Paper Crafts (Hardcover)

The 'Michaels' in the title of this craft book refers to the Michaels craft store chain. If you're interested in an overview of just about everything decorative that can be done with paper, including paper clay, decoupage, paper maché, punching, embossing, cutting, piercing, quilling, rolling, and weaving then this will be a useful book.

For those of us who have already concentrated on particular paper techniques such as quilling or scrap-booking, then there are other craft books that focus on our specialty.

There are some really crazy projects in this book, which makes it fun to read. There are collaged and curled lamp shades, paper clay dragonflies, or how about a decoupaged holiday curio cabinet? The photographs, lists of materials, and directions are fairly easy to follow, but the individual projects would have been simplified if the book contained more patterns.

I did pick up a couple of unusual quilling techniques using crimped paper, and I was also able to make the woven heart envelopes (I used them as card decorations) described in this book. The woven heart envelope project was one of the few that included templates in four different sizes.

Another omission in this book was a list of sources where you could pick up the materials for a particular project. Maybe everything I need is available in a Michaels craft store but there aren't any in my area, and it appears as though they no longer sell their supplies on the internet.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Paper Crafts Book, December 22, 2005

By 

Pawn 2 Queen (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Michaels Book of Paper Crafts (Hardcover)

I disagree with the reviewer who described the projects as mainly suitable for children. This is a well written, well designed book which can serve as an able introduction to various paper crafts. Yes, some of the material is available on the web, but you would need to test the instructions you found. My experience has been that Lark Books are good and that is true of this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Checked out of the Library and decide I want this book, October 23, 2006

By 

K. Torrisi "Little Willie" (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Michaels Book of Paper Crafts (Hardcover)

Loved this book when I began flipping thru it. I always check books out of the Library to see if it would be worth me getting. This one is if you love paper.