Hola all! Some very exciting things have been happening recently, and I’ll post more updates soon but for now I wanted to share an extremely exciting project that I’ve been working on for a while, just in secret. I have a tutorial featured in my good friend Ann Martin’s new book called All Things Paper! Inspired by her awesome blog, she has compiled and edited a beautiful paper craft book with 20 amazing never before seen projects. Her book was released today, and you should be able to purchase it in local bookstores, or on Amazon.com. (In fact if you check out the Look Inside preview on Amazon you’ll see part of my tutorial…) For my project I used a material that I am very fond of, recycled phone books!
Some of you may remember my phone book centerpiece design from a while ago, well that project actually came out of this book project. I was playing around seeing what I could design, and that centerpiece was one of the things I made. For Ann’s book I decided to create some simple little letter holders, using phone books, ribbon, a bit of scrap cardboard and some glue. And I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out!
If you are interested in learning how I made them, you’ll have to purchase the book! But don’t just buy it for my project, there are 19 other amazing projects to peruse as well. I can’t wait to try a whole bunch of different projects in the book, but two particularly stood out. The first is this AMAZING tote bag made from grocery bag handles! It was designed and made by an awesome craft blogger and book writer Richela Fabian Morgan (her material of choice is duct tape, how awesome is that?!)
I am simply in awe. Recycled, eco-friendly AND stylish. It is the perfect project. Not to mention that it combines paper craft and sewing, so it is the perfect project to undertake with my business partner and best friend Elizabeth. Now my only problem is, my grocery store doesn’t use paper bags with handles… Which makes me very sad. I’ll have to look for some sort of ‘collect and swap’ website where people swap different recycled goods. Maybe I can find people who would be willing to save bag handles to mail to me? Who knows, the internet is a magical place. Now tell me, doesn’t this photo make the bag look like so much more than a bunch of recycled handles?! I think it is truly one of the most amazing recycling projects I’ve ever seen.
The other project I really want to try is this gorgeous Japanese mystery box. When you lift the lid from the left side, you reveal the large center space. But then when you lift the lid from the right side you get access to the two other small spaces on the ends. Its like that toy with the wooden blocks and the ribbon where the pieces flipped back and forth in odd directions. This project looks pretty complicated, but totally worth it in the end. The tutorial is by Cecelia Louie and includes very clear instructions and photographs, so I bet I can figure it out without too much trouble. (Well I bet I can understand what to do without too much trouble, actually doing it is another story…) This project (and a few others in the book) have also made me realize that maybe I need a bone folder tool. Does anyone use one? Is it worth the purchase?
So if any of these projects have made you in the least excited, run right out and purchase Ann’s book! Or head over to her website for a book giveaway and maybe you’ll win one for free.
Ciao, Allison
the 3 R's blog 
I got an email from Amazon saying that my book is on its way! This ‘paper’ lover cannot wait to receive it! Thanks for the featuring this delightful book. More comments to follow I am sure!! Karen
Hi Allison, I loved your project immediately when I first flipped through Ann’s book. I’m embarrassed to admit I bought that bone folder (my first) for Ann’s project because I’ve seen so many people use it when making handmade books. It was only $7 so it didn’t break the bank and I am pleasantly realizing I reach for it now without even thinking twice. It’s handy when I sharply crease a card (I used to use my fingernail) or as you see with the box, it helped smooth down the Japanese papers to the mill board and get rid of any bubbles. I would use things like those fake credit card enticement one gets in junk mail, but the bone folder is so much better – smooth and easy to handle. Plus my nails look better now… Cecelia
Excellent, thank you for the tips! I think I am definitely going to get a bone folder. At least it will be helpful when I try your project!
Allison
Thanks for your enthusiastic post, Allie! It was a lot of fun working with you on the book. I remember when I saw your project for the very first time… I was thrilled as I knew it was an idea everyone would love – super-stylish and useful too; can’t beat that!
Thanks Ann! The book looks fantastic, I can’t wait to start trying some projects. Sadly I still haven’t figured out where to get some paper bag handles so I can try that beautiful tote bag project! Hmm… Whole Foods might have bags with handles, usually I bring my own reusable bags when I grocery shop but maybe I’ll have to start shopping at Whole Foods and using their own paper bags. Hmm… 87 handles is a LOT of groceries!
Allison