Here's another Jen Stark sculpture. She created this from a pad of 11x14 construction paper. It looks like she just carved right into it, and exposed all the rainbow sheets of color underneath. Fantastic idea! I find her so inspiring.

I love surfing around the Internet looking for interesting paper artists. This is Jen Stark's work. She calls it "Assorted Explosion" and she created it with an 8x8" stack of construction paper.

I went to a stamp show yesterday and got a whole stack of stamp catalogs with colored photos in them. I know it won't look as cool as this one to try and make a sculpture from one of the catalogs. But I should experiment with it. I was going to use them for origami boxes, but I could sacrifice one to trying a sculpture. This is so cool!

This one is sweet. A bit more lavender in color than the one I posted a few days ago, and a bit smoother in texture. I think I like the rim on the other bowl better, because it has more jigs and jags in it. But this one pleases me a lot.

$10 plus shipping. Paypal is OK. Hope one of you wants to take it home!

Here's a bigger version of the dark purple bowl. Instead of shredding angel wings, I used them whole in this one.

This should satisfy the magpies among you! $20 plus shipping. Paypal is fine.

Here's another bowl I made recently. I had a whole bunch of purple construction paper, thanks to some kid friends of mine who saved it for me. It allowed me to get a darker purple than normal, and I added some angel wings to give me a feathery texture to the rim. I also used some sparkle mod podge to make it gleam a little. Shiny purple ... the color most in demand!

$10 plus shipping ... Paypal accepted. Let me know if you're interested; I expect this one will go quickly.

Here's a bowl I had on display in an art gallery recently. It's small, only about 3" high and 5" across, I think. It's made with muted colors and came out greyish, but I like the yellow speckles in it. And I used some sparkle mod podge to finish it off, and it gleams a little.

$10 plus shipping. Paypal is great. Let me know if you're interested!

I recently got a commission to make pink and purple cards for a friend. She wanted 20 cards, so I made 10 of each. The two odd purple colored ones (2nd one from the left) are made with some yellow flowers in with the purple, so from a distance they came out looking less purple. But up close, they are clearly purple.

She liked the cards, and used some of them in a Valentine card swap with other artists. I'm glad she enjoyed them! They are fun to make.

Can I make some for you? Leave me a comment and let's work something out.

Here's a little action shot from my papermaking class last weekend. That's me in the black shirt, pointing out something important to one of the class members, though I can't recall what it was now!

I like the gallery where I taught. It's an art gallery by week, and on Sunday it's a classroom. It's inspiring to work around all that beautiful art!

This ad ran two weeks before my papermaking class. It showed some of the greeting cards I've made on commercial (100% post consumer content) cardstock, with handmade paper designs on the front. It was about 1/3 page in size, so I was extremely surprised and delighted that the newspaper devoted so much room to advertise my class.

I taught a class in papermaking last week. This was the ad that ran in the local paper the week before the class. I like the way it turned out! And the ad sold the class, for sure ... we had a full house, and a waiting list. So I'll be teaching again in March for the overflow.

I like this bowl. It was in the Salem Open Studios show, but it didn't sell. It's yellow inside, and purple outside. I just received a solicitation for a show in May; the gallery is seeking submissions of spring-themed art. The colors are reminiscent of spring to me, and there is a leaf in the bottom ... I'm going to submit this bowl and see what happens.

I got a wonderful demo on making paper beads this past December. I have no pictures to share, but here's the basic technique. It's really easy; you should try it with pages from magazines and mail order catalogs! You can string them together to make jewelry, or look back into history for another idea. In Victorian times, women in England gathered in dining rooms to make beads by rolling scraps of wallpaper on knitting needles. They would then string the beads on long pieces of yarn to create curtains that separated rooms. 

What you'll need:

• scraps of wallpaper, magazine pictures, used wrapping paper, colored paper, etc.
• pencil, ruler, and scissors
• paste
• drinking straws
• thread or yarn

Before you begin, gather all of your supplies together and put them on your work surface. Read all of the directions from start to finish. Now you are ready to begin.

1. With your scissors, cut long triangles from your paper scraps that are about 1/2-inch wide and 2 1/2-inches long. Make a template to trace, if you wish.
2. Cover one side of a triangle with paste. Put the paste on the inside of the paper so that the colorful pattern will be on the outside of your bead.
3. Place the triangle's glued short side on a drinking straw.
4. Wrap the paper completely around itself on the straw.
5. Cut away the straw at both ends of the rolled paper.
6. To make beads with different shapes, vary the size and shape of the paper triangles that you cut.
7. Let your beads dry, and then string them together on your thread or yarn. Knot the ends of the thread together.

Adapted from Papercrafts Around the World, by Phyllis and Noel Fiarotta
(Sterlilng Publishing Co., Inc., New York)

I search around the Internet periodically, looking for recycled paper art that pleases me. I found this wonderful weaving by Polly Harrison. This is what she had to say about it:

MY RECYCLED MAIL:

When I conducted artist-in-residence programs in schools, a favorite material that we recycled was "Junk Mail"... We used it in weavings, collage and with hand-made books.

When I looked at all the mail I receive from Moon Calendars and personal correspondence, the stamps and envelopes were so appealing, I just couldn't toss them. Eventually, I had boxes of stamped envelopes that I tried to find a use for.

The Plaiting Prison Art technique that I used for the edges of the film panels came to mind and I began cutting and working with the envelopes to make a panel so the stamps would make a design. I had planned to use the panel as a floorcloth, but it seemed to migrate up to hang on the wall.

As an annual project, I save my mail for a piece that I call "My Mail"... The piece is as large as the amount of mail I receive and I write my memories of the year on the back.

She also had some other fabulous baskets made with discarded 35mm film. I imagine if you hold the baskets to the light, you might be able to figure out what was in the photos! They are really beautiful.

I love the idea she has for saving her mail and writing her memories of the year on the back. I wonder if she keeps the annual artwork, or if she sells it or gives it away. I have no more room for art in my house unless I start exploiting slanted walls! If I started making an annual artwork this large, I'd have to give them away or sell them. I wonder if such a personal piece would be appreciated by more than just the artist.

Four more cards for sale. Then that's it for a while! The one in the top left has no title. The one on the top right says "Hearty Greetings." The one on the bottom left says "Many Happy Returns." And the one on the bottom right says "Good Luck."

 They are all made with postally used vintage postcards on the front, which are about 100 years old. They show signs of wear and tear, but they are in generally very good condition. The colors are rich and saturated. I love these cards, and almost don't want to sell them. But I need to move things out and make some room in my papermaking studio.

$2 each, mix and match with any of the cards in the previous few posts. Send a check or pay via Paypal. The cards are on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and look very elegant. You won't be disappointed!

Four cards that say "Best Wishes" on them They are all made with postally used vintage postcards on the front, which are about 100 years old. They show signs of wear and tear, but they are in generally very good condition. The colors are rich and saturated. I love these cards, and almost don't want to sell them. But I need to move things out and make some room in my papermaking studio.

$2 each, mix and match with any of the cards in the previous few posts. Send a check or pay via Paypal. The cards are on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and look very elegant. You won't be disappointed!

Five more birthday cards for sale. Each one says "Birthday Greetings" on it. They are all made with postally used vintage postcards on the front, which are about 100 years old. They show signs of wear and tear, but they are in generally very good condition. The colors are rich and saturated. I love these cards, and almost don't want to sell them. But I need to move things out and make some room in my papermaking studio.

$2 each, mix and match with any of the cards in the previous few posts. Send a check or pay via Paypal. The cards are on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and look very elegant. You won't be disappointed!

Here are a few birthday cards that I made from vintage postcards. These are some of my very favorite images in this category! I don't think the photos do them justice; the colors are actually very rich.

Cards are $2 each; mix and match. Paypal or a check.

Most of the cards say "Birthday Greetings" on the front. One says "Best Birthday Wishes." I guess they just didn't say "Happy Birthday" back then, any more than we say "Merry Birthday" now.

All cards are made on 100% post-consumer recycled cardstock and include envelopes. The images are vintage postcards, approximately 100 years old. Nearly all of them were postally used, so they show signs of age (little dirt marks or scuffed edges). Reduce, reuse, recycle; I'd rather recycle the cards into greeting cards than throw them out.

Here are a few more Valentine cards. They are so hard to find; I wish I had more to offer.

Cards are $2 each; mix and match. Paypal or a check.

Five valentine cards. These are hard to read in the photo! The top left says "My Heart's Dearest With Fondest Love" on it. Middle top says "My heart I am sending by special route It will reach you Valentine Day no doubt" on it. Top right says "A Greeting from thy Valentine" on it.

Bottom left says "To my pet." Bottom right says "True Love."

All cards are made on 100% post-consumer recycled cardstock and include envelopes. The images are vintage postcards, approximately 100 years old. Nearly all of them were postally used, so they show signs of age (little dirt marks or scuffed edges). Reduce, reuse, recycle; I'd rather recycle the cards into greeting cards than throw them out.

I have a lot of new cards for sale. Valentines, birthday, and general greetings. These are some of my very favorite images in these categories! I don't think the photos do them justice; the colors are actually very rich.

Cards are $2 each; mix and match. Paypal or a check.

Five valentine cards. The one in the top left says "To the Queen of my Heart" on it, plus it has a line of vintage writing on it ("to my cousin I send a valentine I hope it finds you well and happy"). Top right says "To my Valentine." Bottom left says "Yours Forever." Middle bottom says "A message to my love." Bottom right says "To my sweetheart."

All cards are made on 100% post-consumer recycled cardstock and include envelopes. The images are vintage postcards, approximately 100 years old. Nearly all of them were postally used, so they show signs of age (little dirt marks or scuffed edges). Reduce, reuse, recycle; I'd rather recycle the cards into greeting cards than throw them out.

I found this company years ago, and I've been very pleased with their stuff.

Draggin Ink tracing templates

I've tried several of their envelope templates with handmade paper with good success.

I think my favorite is the bubble mailer. Use a nice thick piece of handmade paper, and some stronger glue. A glue stick isn't sturdy enough (in my experience) to keep the flap sealed shut on the curved surface. Try a wet scrapbook glue, or one of the sticky tape guns. But if you've got a nice piece of paper, this will be strong and elegant-looking.

The tracing templates are also a lot of fun with gift wrap, maps, a pretty mail order catalog ... basically anything that is on the thick side. You don't want to put something in one of these boxes and then have it tear through the glue strip because it's too heavy for the paper!

This is the other bowl that sold during the show. I liked this bowl; it came out well. This one sold almost immediately, to another artist who had art in the show. I'm always glad to get a chance to talk to the people who take my art home; in this case, I did get to meet him and talk with him a little, since he was also at the opening reception.

I made another yellow bowl the same time I made this one, but it didn't come out nearly as nicely. It had a surface crack in the base of the bowl. I didn't even bring it to the show, because I didn't want to show it off. It's still languishing at home, awaiting someone to love it.

I went to Feed Your Head Books last night, to pick up the remainder of my art after the Recycle show closed on Sunday. To my great delight, another of my bowls had sold since the last time I was there!

This is the one that sold. I also had two of my origami boxes sell, an octagon and a triangle. So that was good! I am hopeful that I'll be able to bring more stuff there in the future for her to show. My art tends to be cheap ($5 for an origami box, $10 or $20 for a bowl) so it's more likely to sell in a bookstore than a $650 painting would.

Hurray! Less than one week until my papermaking class this coming weekend. There were some great photos in the paper this week, advertising my class. There's only one spot left in the class, then we'll have to start another section. That's good news for me!

A friend wanted to barter away an origami wallet made of stiffened fabric. I can't resist something like that! So we chatted, and arranged a trade for five of my handmade Yule cards. These are the cards I traded with her.



Five antique postcards (about 100 years old) mounted on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, with envelopes. Each card has non-Christmas holiday greetings. The postcards show signs of edgewear. One has a visible postmark on the front. One even has some ancient handwriting on the front. To me, those things add to the charm of the greeting card.

Individual cards follow.


Greetings Kind and True












A Joyful Yuletide












Merry Yule Tide











Yule / Best Wishes for a Merry Time











Yule-tide Joys

The origami wallet she gave me is perfect for business cards. There are two partitions, so I put my papermaking business cards in one, and the cards I hand out to antique dealers in the other partition. I love it! Thanks for trading!

The last three titles recommended by the Amazon reviewer.

7. Papermaking for Basketry and Other Crafts by Lynn Stearns

Reviewer said: "Basket makers who work with paper forms share how-to. Excellent visual and informational references."









8. Paper: An Inspirational Portfolio (Artisans) by Gabrielle Falkiner

Reviewer said: "an inspirational portfolio of internationnal artists that feeds the soul through the eyes"








9. Papermaking by Dard Hunter

Reviewer said: "Dard Hunter, long deceased, still speaks to us, teaches us the history of this wondrous medium. Inform your present by knowing the past and add this to your storehouse of papermaking knowledge."

Well, these gave me a nice shopping list! Hope I can find some of them at bargain prices.

Here are the next three titles on the list of recommended papermaking books.


4. The Papermaker's Companion: The Ultimate Guide for Making and Using Handmade Paper by Helen Hiebert

The reviewer said about this book: "Excellent in every way, thorough and comprehensive."

5. Plant Fibers for Papermaking by Lilian A. Bell

The reviewer said about this book: "If you desire to truly make paper from scratch, this is invaluable. If you want to understand the effects of inclusions & what else you might use with purchased/prepared pulp, this is invaluable"

6. Teaching Hand Papermaking: A Classroom Guide by Gloria Zmolek Smith

The reviewer said about this book: "A wonderful, thorough, inspiring book that teaches as it teaches how to teach"

I hadn't heard about that last book at all, and now I lust it! I'm always happy to soak up some new tips for teaching. The plant fiber book is far too expensive for me (over $200), but I have to admit it's not a great interest of mine either. I like the idea of making paper from plant fiber, but I don't like the part where you have to boil the plant material in lye to kill off the green stuff and just get the fiber left behind. That's not too earth friendly! I don't like the idea of using energy to boil the plant material, and lye is so dangerous and caustic. I'd rather just use junk mail.

It's embarrassing to admit, but I haven't been keeping up with papermaking books. I find that the books are very expensive (at least, for my budget) and I tend to shop more at overstock or out of print booksellers where I can buy books at less than the publisher's price. As a result, I tend to get older books.

But this holiday season, I got a gift certificate to a bookstore, so I thought I'd do a little browsing and see if I could find some good recommendations. One woman compiled a list of nine books that she recommended, and she put the list on Amazon. Here's the first few titles on her list, and her comments about them.

1. Papermaking by Jules Heller

She said: "Must have been cutting edge  still compelling, superlative.  A source seeder. Wish  I had found it when I began. Far reaching. A must read and see."


2. The Art of Papermaking by Bernard Toale

She said: "Excellent, information packed, a good reference as well as how-to book, belongs in every collection, lots of images of artists' work. I return to the casting section."

3. The Art and Craft of Papermaking: Step by Step Instructions for Creating Distinctive Handmade Paper by Sophie Dawson

She said: "Packed with inspiration, how-tos, details, instructions & great images. A must for every papermaking and papier mache library - pulp painting, pulp spraying, sculptural techniques with paper. Wow!"

These are inexpensive books if they are bought used (less than $5 each) ... I'm making a list, and I'll search eBay and half.com for used copies. That second one intrigues me ... I'd like to learn more about casting.

I've got six groups for sale, so bear with me. Here's the next group of five Yule cards for sale. They are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and the image is a genuine vintage postcard about 100 years old. They are blank inside, and have matching envelopes.



The next five scans are the five cards up close, plus a transcription of the front of the card, since the scans are not very clear.









Yuletide Greetings
(The basket is filled with holly and mistletoe.)









Ring out ye Merry Bells and bear, a Yuletide Greeting through the Year.
(I love the images in this ... ivy, bells, a horseshoe ... this is definitely to be sent by someone who has lots of good wishes for the recipient!)











Yule-tide Joys / Blessings bright as dew from heaven / Fall upon your way / Life's best gifts to you be given / This glad Christmas Day
(All right, so Christmas snuck in there ... but Yule is front and center!)










Peace and Goodwill / "Peace and goodwill" in your heart to-day / "Peace and goodwill" in your home alway, / And the morning song of the New Year still / Tender and glad, be "Peace and Goodwill" - H. M. Burnside








Peace on earth Good will to men
(That's mistletoe and holly on the card, so the message is that kisses bring peace and good will!)

All the cards are sharply and well printed; it's the photo that's fuzzy, not the cards! The postcards were all recycled, so they show some wear and tear on the edges or some light soiling from their first trip through the mailing system. Still, I think you would be well pleased with them.

Five cards, $5 plus $2 to ship. Paypal preferred. I'll mail them to you right away!

At Salem Open Studios a few weeks ago, I used the pages of several mail order catalogs to make origami boxes. The pages need to be cut into squares in order to make the boxes, but they were heavyweight and colorful and make nice sturdy boxes. One of them, a triangle box, sold that day.

I made some more to package holiday gifts, and these three to bring back to the bookstore today to help replenish their stock.



Are there any origami gurus in the Boston area? I've tried several times to make hexagonal boxes, but I can't get them assembled. It's so frustrating! I'd love to sit with someone who knows what they are doing and figure out what I'm doing wrong.

The octagonal boxes are rewarding. They aren't terribly tidy inside, but they don't look much better in the book. At least the outsides look good, even if they could use a dab of glue to tighten that top star. I think I'm going to use paper clips or binder clips to help hold the pieces together while I assemble them in the future.



The little box was frustrating. The directions on one of the folds was weird, so I took a guess on what they meant and probably guessed wrong. The inner lozenges are supposed to lie flat, but they don't. Still, I like the way it turned out; the 3-D effect on top is cute.

Triangle boxes are the best. They are easy to put together, and I love the way they look.

Almost old news at this point, but the show is still running for one more weekend. At the beginning of December, I did some papermaking and displayed some art at Salem Open Studios, and this is the postcard that was distributed to publicize the event.



The back of the card lists the artists, and has the address for the show. There were some terrific art pieces in this show, so if you are in the neighborhood in the next few days, I urge you to drop by and take a look.








There were some terrific collages in the show, which makes me ponder exploring collage work myself. I'm growing more intrigued by handmade books and altered books. I found an inexpensive used book on creating altered books recently, and it's also inspiring me to explore along these lines. I have an empty Mount Holyoke scrapbook and a lot of ephemera and photographs I could copy to use in an altered book. I think it would be a lot of fun to try.

How the days do rush by! I had two more sets of Thanksgiving/harvest cards to display, and never got around to it before Thanksgiving sped by me. If anyone is interested in harvest cards, just let me know and I show you the pictures.

Otherwise, onto the Yule cards. Here's a group of five Yule cards for sale. They are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and the image is a genuine vintage postcard about 100 years old. They are blank inside, and have matching envelopes.



The following scans are the five cards up close, plus a transcription of the front of the card, since the scans are not very clear.









Yule-Tide Greeting












A Joyful Yuletide.












No text. (This is the one card that is not 100 years old; my guess is that it is less than 30 years old.)











With the Season's Compliments












Peace and Love / 'Neath thy soft touch of Peace and Love / Oh come glad Day our hearts to move / To truer Friendship-wide Good-will / For those who climb with us life's hill. - H. M. Burnside

All the cards are sharply and well printed; it's the photo that's fuzzy, not the cards! The postcards were all recycled, so they show some wear and tear on the edges or some light soiling from their first trip through the mailing system. Still, I think you would be well pleased with them.

Five cards, $5 plus $2 to ship. Paypal preferred. I'll mail them to you right away!

I posted the first five of a set of Thanksgiving/harvest cards that I made last time. Here is the next set. (I made four sets in all, so there are more to come.) I think this set may be my favorite, and you'll see why if you click the cut.



The following photos are scans of the individual cards and a transcription of the greeting if you can't quite figure it out from the picture.







I usually try to stay away from turkey cards, because they are so common. I like the Thanksgiving postcards that have a vegetarian harvest rather than a carnivorous one. But this card snuck in anyway because I liked the words: "Peace and Prosperity / Thanksgiving Greetings / Once again we are thankful for the privilege of this season's fullness. Therefore, let us all join in this festival and be glad, and happy and grateful for the blessings we have, and for the comforts of life which surround us on every side."


It says "Thanksgiving" in the smoke. Isn't this cool? Black cat, cauldron, mysterious smoke signals ... this card has it all!








"For summer's bloom and autumn's blight, For bending wheat and blasted corn, For health and sickness, Lord of light, And Lord of darkness, hear our praise. - J. G. Holland. / Best wishes for a Bright Thanksgiving"

Now is that not the neatest card? Praising the Lord of darkness! I just love it!!




What's not to love in this card. Check this out: "I salute thee, Miss Onion, the gallant radish said / Let us have one more round ere our spirits are dead / Ere our charms shall the Thanksgiving table enhance / O grant me, fair onion, this last Harvest dance."

A courtship song from a radish to an onion ... now when is the last time you've seen one of these??




"Joyful Thanksgiving / Now brightly shines he harvest moon / On the land of love and peace and plenty / May you enjoy good days and blessings / Not just a few, but heaps - yes many!"

None of these cards is blurry in real life! I'm just blowing up the card images in the photograph, and the photo isn't very clear. They are actually all printed well, but they do show signs of wear, like the black cat card having chips taken out in the cauldron's finish. They are genuine vintage cards, not color copies.

I really like these for greetings in the fall, especially if you have something you "harvest-y" to convey to someone. Tell them what makes you thankful, and tell them what you have accomplished this season. These are on 100% recycled card stock, and they are blank inside, with envelopes.

Five cards, five bucks, plus $2 for shipping. Paypal gets them in the mail to you tomorrow!

If you've ever browsed my Mount Holyoke website, you already know that I am enchanted by vintage postcards. I really love holiday postcards, and I've collected a small stack of damaged and discount cards from postcard dealers. My special interests are Easter cards that have a spring theme to them, Thanksgiving cards that have a harvest theme to them, and Yule cards (cards that say "Yule" rather than Christmas in the greeting). I have to dig a little to find them, but it's worth the pursuit to me.

Last night I made some Thanksgiving and some Yule cards. Anyone interested in some of them? Here's one set of Thanksgiving cards.



The photos following are scans of the individual cards and a transcription of the greeting if you can't quite figure it out from this picture.








"May you be thankful for many blessings on this happy holiday"








Thanksgiving greetings










"Just sending friendly wishes to you and yours for a very happy Thanksgiving"











"Thanksgiving / Now let the good old Crop adorn The Hills our Fathers trod; Still let us, for His golden Corn, Send up our Thanks to God."

(Of course, the postcard artist probably thought of Jehovah when writing that verse, but I think of the Lord of the Harvest.)








Thanksgiving greetings

None of these cards is blurry in real life! I'm just blowing up the card images in the photograph, and the photo isn't very clear. They are actually all printed well, but they do show signs of wear, like the Corn God card having a corner missing, and the first card being a little soiled. They are genuine vintage cards, not color copies.

I really like these for greetings in the fall, especially if you have something you "harvest-y" to convey to someone. Tell them what makes you thankful, and tell them what you have accomplished this season. These are on 100% recycled card stock, and they are blank inside, with envelopes.

Five cards, five bucks, plus $2 for shipping. Paypal gets them in the mail to you tomorrow!

I make a modest income from my paper crafts. Not enough to keep me and my kitty fed, but enough to have a little extra spending money from time to time. I do trade my paper bowls every once in a while with other artists, rather than selling them. But never have I tried to leverage a paper bowl into something really grand, like this guy did. He started with a paper clip, and after fourteen trades, he had a house!

Here's the story, which hit the news this past summer. 

It took almost a year and 14 trades, but Kyle MacDonald, a 26-year-old Montreal man, has been offered a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Sask., for a paid role in a movie.

MacDonald began his quest last summer when he decided he wanted to live in a house. He didn't have a job, so instead of posting a resumé, he looked at a red paper-clip on his desk and decided to trade it on an internet website.

He got a response almost immediately — from a pair of young women in Vancouver who offered to trade him a pen that looks like a fish.

MacDonald then bartered the fish pen for a handmade doorknob from a potter in Seattle.

In Massachusetts, MacDonald traded the doorknob for a camp stove. He traded the stove to a U.S. marine sergeant in California for a 100-watt generator.

In Queens, N.Y., he exchanged the generator for the "instant party kit" — an empty keg and an illuminated Budweiser beer sign.

MacDonald then traded the keg and sign for a Bombardier snowmobile, courtesy of a Montreal radio host.

He bartered all the way up to an afternoon with rock star Alice Cooper, a KISS snow globe and finally a paid role in a Corbin Bernsen movie called Donna on Demand. 

"Now, I'm sure the first question on your mind is, "Why would Corbin Bernsen trade a role in a film for a snow globe? A KISS snow globe," MacDonald said on his website "one red paper-clip."

"Well, Corbin happens to be arguably one of the biggest snow globe collectors on the planet."

The town of Kipling, Sask., located about two hours east of Regina with a population of 1,100, has offered MacDonald a farmhouse in exchange for the role in the movie.

MacDonald and his girlfriend flew to the town. The mayor showed them the house, gave them the keys to the house and the town, and they all had fun. The town then held a competition for the movie role.

MacDonald said: "There's people all over the world that are saying that they have paper-clips clipped to the top of their computer, or on their desk or on their shirt, and it proves that anything is possible and I think to a certain degree it's true."

MacDonald, who has attracted international media in his quest, said the journey has turned out to be more exciting than the goal.

"This is not the end. This may be the end of this segment of the story, but this story will go on. "

One of these days I'm going to visit this house! It's really not that far away from me, and it's truly paper art.


This small, oddball home has been a local attraction since 1929. It's perched in a neighborhood on the rocky coast of Cape Ann, northeast of Boston. Similar to its Texas cousin, the Beer Can House, the Paper House is a novel wallcovering and furnishing effort on an otherwise normal domicile. You might wonder what happens to a "paper" house in a rainstorm -- well, the place has a regular tar and shingle roof.

Elis F. Stenman, with the assistance of his family, began the construction of the Paper House in 1922. For the next twenty years, the Stenmans layered and and pasted and rolled approximately 100,000 newspapers to use in the creation of their two-room dream home. What started as an experiment in novel construction materials yielded paper tables, chairs, lamps, and bookshelves.


There is a writing desk made from accounts of Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, and a radio cabinet plastered with news from Herbert Hoover's presidential campaign. A real piano is covered with paper rolls.

The grandfather clock includes mastheads (or "flags") from the capital city newspapers of all (then) 48 states.

The threat of fire to so flammable a structure doesn't seem to keep the Paper House owners (who live next door in a regular house) awake at night.

The walls are made of 215 layers of newspaper. Most of the exterior layer type is completely readable, and Paper House visitors can spend hours perusing classic headlines and snippets of articles.

I've got six groups for sale, so bear with me. I know the papermaking posts aren't everyone's favorite. Here's the next group of five Yule cards for sale. They are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and the image is a genuine vintage postcard about 100 years old. They are blank inside, and have matching envelopes.



Next you'll see the five cards up close, plus a transcription of the front of the card, since the scans are not very clear.









Yuletide Greetings
(The basket is filled with holly and mistletoe.)










Ring out ye Merry Bells and bear, a Yuletide Greeting through the Year.
(I love the images in this ... ivy, bells, a horseshoe ... this is definitely to be sent by someone who has lots of good wishes for the recipient!)











Yule-tide Joys / Blessings bright as dew from heaven / Fall upon your way / Life's best gifts to you be given / This glad Christmas Day
(All right, so Christmas snuck in there ... but Yule is front and center!)










Peace and Goodwill / "Peace and goodwill" in your heart to-day / "Peace and goodwill" in your home alway, / And the morning song of the New Year still / Tender and glad, be "Peace and Goodwill" - H. M. Burnside








Peace on earth Good will to men
(That's mistletoe and holly on the card, so the message is that kisses bring peace and good will!)

All the cards are sharply and well printed; it's the photo that's fuzzy, not the cards! The postcards were all recycled, so they show some wear and tear on the edges or some light soiling from their first trip through the mailing system. Still, I think you would be well pleased with them.

Five cards, $5 plus $2 to ship. Paypal preferred. I'll mail them to you right away!

How the days do rush by! I had two more sets of Thanksgiving/harvest cards to display, and never got around to it before Thanksgiving sped by me. If anyone is interested in harvest cards, just let me know and I show you the pictures.

Otherwise, onto the Yule cards. Here's a group of five Yule cards for sale. They are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper cardstock, and the image is a genuine vintage postcard about 100 years old. They are blank inside, and have matching envelopes.


Next you'll see the five cards up close, plus a transcription of the front of the card, since the scans are not very clear.










Yule-Tide Greeting












A Joyful Yuletide.












No text. (This is the one card that is not 100 years old; my guess is that it is less than 30 years old.)











With the Season's Compliments












Peace and Love / 'Neath thy soft touch of Peace and Love / Oh come glad Day our hearts to move / To truer Friendship-wide Good-will / For those who climb with us life's hill. - H. M. Burnside

All the cards are sharply and well printed; it's the photo that's fuzzy, not the cards! The postcards were all recycled, so they show some wear and tear on the edges or some light soiling from their first trip through the mailing system. Still, I think you would be well pleased with them.

Five cards, $5 plus $2 to ship. Paypal preferred. I'll mail them to you right away!

These are photos from an exhibit I attended in 2005 called "Trashformations." The exhibit was amazing! It turned out that only S and I attended, but that was OK with me, since I always delight in his company, and I could wander around the exhibit for as long as I wanted.

There were so many things that I wanted to share; I'll have to do it over several posts. Here are four items that delighted me.

This one was my absolute favorite; I spent many minutes studying this one. A paper dress! Oh, to a paper fetishist, does it get any better than that? I want a paper dress! Must find a paper dressmaker. Or figure out how to make one on my own. I want those little string enclosures that are used on manila envelopes to close the dress, though - wouldn't that be awesome??


Jennifer Mecca, "Half of What You Read," 2004
Newspaper, nylon screening, string, 60"x36"










This one was the first item I saw in the exhibit; I'm sure it wouldn't be as comfortable as my paper dress (and they definitely weren't my size), but still, it was so perfectly executed that it fascinated me.


Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch, "Trashy Lingerie 1, 2 & 3," 2004
Coke cans, gutter guard, rivets, washers, aluminum rods, dryer vents, washing machine hose clamps, ribbon
Bra: 10"x12"x11"; Panties: 8"x8.5"x7.5"; Garter: 11.5"x10.5"x9.5"




One of these was in the exhibit, and more were for sale in the gift shop. I have no idea how they were made, but they were perfectly seductive. They still had the hole in the center uncovered, so you couldn't store anything small or liquid in one. Not that you'd probably want to do that, because peering at the label was half the fun. The one I admired was a Frank Sinatra album.

Jeff Davis, "Vinylux stepped record bowl," 2003
Vinyl LP record, 4"x12" diameter

This one looked sturdy enough to be used, but since it was a museum, sitting on the exhibit was prohibited.


Susan Koos Hayden, "Wrench Bench," 2004
Recycled metal, 34.5"x42"x16"

I just loved the tea bag dress that I showed in the previous post. I just had to show you a few more artworks of hers.

She calls this one "The Breakup." It's small pieces of photographs, stitched together with painstaking care. It floats on the wall. It's gorgeous.












These are bowls made from sewn maps! Oh, I would love to learn how to make these. She also had bowls made out of other kinds of paper, like magazine pages, photos, and waxed paper.









And this dress is made out of magazine pages and waxed paper! I do wonder what it would be like to wear something like this. Would it be comfortable? Would it be durable? Would it be destroyed in the rain?

Last January I went to the Fuller Museum to see Donna Rhae Marder's art. It was magnificent! She had had a few pieces in the Trashformations exhibit I attended the year before, including a teapot made of tea bags and a wall hanging made with a deck of cards, thread, and space. This time around, her show was all stuff that could hang on a wall.


She showed tiny wearable baby dresses made of tea bags and photographs! Wearable dresses for an adult made from magazine photos and waxed paper! Quilts made with photographs and coffee filters and eggshells! A rug made from paper and cardboard matches from matchbooks! Each display was more captivating than the next.

I was deeply disappointed to find that the museum didn't have a book of her work for sale in the gift shop, nor did they have any informational handout about her. I hope I find another show of her work someday!

Do you know of other paper artists? Please let me know! I'd love to find other people recycling paper into art.

I moved my studio from one basement to another. This is what my new studio space looks like.

It's actually pretty nice. Not as roomy as my old setup, but I like working here. Getting to the water is a little annoying, because the table is long and there isn't a lot of space between the end of the table and the sink. And due to the electrical outlet location, it's really the best place to have the paper shredder located.

What I really need to do is use up a lot of the supplies under the table so that the shredder can be moved under the table. But right now, all those tuff totes are stuffed with paper, rubber stamps, ribbon, papermaking kits, postcards, greeting cards, etc etc etc. I'm such a pack rat when it comes to having supplies on hand! I like to be prepared for all emergencies.

Other than angel wings, what else can you add to your paper to give it some interesting details? If you're willing to buy stuff, Arnold Grummer has some interesting materials.














These are two examples. The stuff in the tubes are metallic flakes, kind of like metallic glitter. Silver, gold, and copper. They also make colored metallics, like emerald green, bright red, bright blue, and multi colors. I admit, I do use these once in a while. But I didn't buy them wholesale. I watch eBay for people who bought them and thought they'd do papermaking, but didn't like it (imagine!) and just want to dump the stuff for practically free. Sometimes the tubes are partially used. That's how I like to buy them - then I know they are recycled!

The stuff in the plastic bags are a different kind of flake - irridescent, but  not metallic. I think they're some kind of plastic. I don't like these nearly as much, because they can tend to peel off the surface of the paper if you don't seal it with mod podge. But if you're making a bowl, you'll be sealing it, so they'll stay in place. But they might leave little bumps in the surface, so if you're trying to make a very smooth bowl, don't use these.

There are plenty of things you can use that are truly recycled, like lint from your dryer! Don't add too much, but when you have bright lint from washing those purple towels or those red flannel sheets, it's fun to see what you can do with it.

I've also enjoyed cutting up woven ribbons into threads and using the threads in my bowls. If you've got some ribbons from a birthday gift, see what you can do to reuse them!