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Rating: 
Summary: Lots of unqiue & inspirational projects
Review: I own tons of paper books and this now one of my very favorites. It has many unique and inspirational projects including several styles of invitations, books, baskets, furniture and decorative accents. The instructions are easy-to-follow and step-by-step and including photographic illustrations to guide you.My favorite project is the Chinese slippers made of cardboard. They can be worn once or twice or just used as decoration. I also liked the Egyptian style lampshade made of papyrus and the beautiful wall tiles that can be easily removed and replaced to suit your mood. If you love paper and don't quite know what to do with it, this makes a great gift for a friend or yourself.
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Summary: Crafting With Handmade Paper
Review: Published 2000, by Rockport Publishers, 33 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA,
www.rockpub.com I am a confirmed paper lover, and enjoy finding unique ideas for things to make using that medium. Some of the papers used in this book are not inexpensive, but usually can be substituted for with something already on hand. Less expensive options called for include cardboard, can labels, brown paper sacks, manila folders and magazines. The first project I made from the book took ten minutes, from the gathering of supplies (all five of them) to completion of the project - a simple stitched journal for sketches, photos, writings, etc. My eight year-old watched me make it, then made her own taking just a little more time than I did. There are instructions for 15 projects. Most of the techniques taught prompted ideas for additional projects. For instance, the Tibetan Prayer Book, a very simple, beautiful little stacked and tied booklet for prayers, could be used as a memory booklet, a collection of quotes, poems or pressed flowers, a miniature diary of special events, or for tiny sketches, etc. Learn to make cardboard flip flops - good for a couple of wearings and then display, lamp shades, window and wall hangings, party place settings, lanterns, a table, journals, invitations and envelopes (templates included), a small purse, a frame, and bowls and baskets. There are basic paper making instructions in the back of the book, and instructions for making an unbelievably simple deckle and mold required for paper making. All supplies needed are found at Wal-mart type stores if you don't have them on hand. The book contains photos of projects being done step-by-step as well as simple step-by-step instructions, and contains a list of supply resources in the back. Kids, also, can accomplish projects with a little help from parents or teachers which makes the book even more valuable to this homeschool mom.
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Summary: beautiful projects, book has some problems
Review: The projects are beautiful. The type is incredibly small and hard to read on the instructions, however. For someone over 45 years old, this can be a major frustration. I had to bend over the pages and peer closely just to make out the directions. Also, the measurements are converted incorrectly. The book was evidently published in England first, then the US. For the US edition, measurements are given in inches, followed by cm in parentheses. I was not far into my first project (Tibetan Prayer Book) before I realized that something was wrong. For example, 8 centimeters is not 2 3/4 inches -- it's 3 1/8. Two and three-quarters makes a page the width of a bookmark. Other measurements are similarly converted wrong. The instructions are not always entirely clear. Trying to figure out how to fit a prayer on such a long, narrow sheet as 3 1/4 by 8 1/2 inches, I found myself wishing for an illustration to see an attractively completed model page, but the prayer book is only shown closed, and open with blank pages. Perhaps the same strange coyness that makes the author use the euphemism "affirmation" instead of the word "prayer" (except in the name of the project) is responsible for this absence. Weird.
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