New Craft Magazines (for real and to me)

MollieMakes hit US markets in June, and yesterday was my first opportunity to read it. I was drawn by the vintage artwork on the cover and wasn't disappointed inside. There were neckties sewn into handbags, varnished paper bracelets and fabric tied up around jars (that's overly simplified for a decorative drinking glass!)  Hopefully the photos will explain things.  Another great magazine is Green Craft. I read the "Autumn" issue and found origami cupfolds out of newspaper to make for May Day and I'll post the instructions for the origami steps.  They'd used colored and white thread to create random designs in the newspaper and embellished with bows and decorative tags. Super cute!

  

Make Jewelry From Maps - Renee Vians has been writing online since 2008. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism and language arts certification from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Her articles have appeared on various websites.

Paper may not seem as though it's the best material from which to make jewelry; however, with the right treatment, paper can be used to make all manner of bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Fiber artists use a variety of methods to make jewelry with paper that include folding or weaving or layering. Most beginners learn to make jewelry with paper beads, a process that involves rolling strips of paper into coils. With a little practice, the paper beads are easy to make and they can even be made inexpensively from recycled paper, using the contents of your paper shredder. Using paper direct from the shredder is ideal due to the relative uniformity of the strips that most shredders produce. If you would like to learn the steps involved in making beads for paper jewelry, continue reading.

Make jewelry with paper, one bead at a time. Lay a strip of paper face down. Keep in mind you will roll the strip up into a coil so you want to have the correct side showing.Dab petroleum jelly on the center of a toothpick. Use an amount of petroleum jelly that is sufficient enough to ease removal of the paper bead, but not so much jelly that it gets all over your fingers as you roll.

Coat one side of a strip of paper with glue. Go over the strip evenly with a glue stick. Avoid gluing the paper to the flat working surface.Roll the paper around the toothpick. Hold one end of the strip against the toothpick with your fingertip and start rolling. Make sure the strip is tight and even as you roll. Add a touch of glue to secure the end. Remove the paper bead from the toothpick and allow it to dry.

These were similar to the examples I saw in the magazine & likely a similar technique.

For the paper cup:  Start with a square. Fold the paper in half upwards to make a triangle.

Fold the top corner down so that the edges meet, and unfold after making a line.

Fold the corner up so its tip meets the edge of the paper at the line you made. Next, fold the other tip up so it meets the corner you just created.
Fold the top flap down toward you. Fold the other flap down to the back side of the figure.