Paper and cardboard

Crafting with paper and cardboard

Despite the digital age in which we live, paper and cardboard are still very much a part of any craft project. They are relatively cheap hobby materials that are very easy to use in countless ways. You can cut, glue, fold, punch, draw on, paint and stamp paper and cardboard, as well as much more. Paper crafts, a collective term for a variety of craft techniques using paper or cardboard as the main material, are becoming increasingly popular. Older art forms, such as decoupage, quilling (or paper filigree) and origami, the art of folding, are being completely rediscovered. You no longer have to buy flowers in a shop. Instead, you can fold the most beautiful bouquets yourself out of paper. Even gift wrapping has been elevated to an art form these days by using different types of paper, wrapping techniques and decorations.

Keep personal memories in a photo album or scrapbook

Scrapbooking, making a book of memorabilia, is a centuries-old tradition that originated in America. Scraps were printed pieces of paper that were often decorated before being stuck into the scrapbook. In the past, people mainly kept newspaper cuttings, letters, dried flowers and locks of hair in a scrapbook. Nowadays, it is all about pictures. But it also includes entrance tickets, concert tickets and labels arranged as creatively as possible. What makes scrapbooking so much fun is that you can use a wide range of craft techniques to decorate your scrapbook in the most beautiful way possible. As long as it fits between two pages, anything is possible. Use coloured paper, with or without a design, stickers, embellishments and washi tape. Add colour to your pages by using coloured pencils, markers or even paint, make photos or paper look older by distressing them, stamp beautiful illustrations or use a fineliner to doodle on them. In a few years’ time, when the selfies on your smartphone are long forgotten, you’ll still love leafing through your personal scrapbooks. 

Keep your life in order with a planner or bullet journal

Our lives are increasingly filled with all kinds of appointments and activities. In addition to our work, our family and social life require more and more organisation. Meetings with colleagues, school, football practice, a birthday party, the shopping list and fitting in a play-date in between. Fortunately, there are a number of handy planners to help you keep an overview and see what you have planned for the day at a glance. Choose from daily, weekly or monthly planners to write down all of your appointments, lists and things to do.

With a bullet journal, you have a planner at hand that you can also use for other purposes, such as a diary or to express your ideas and creativity. Instead of lines, bullet journals have a pattern of dots that gives you more freedom to determine your own layout and planner design. Use coloured markers and washi tape to make it your very own personal journal.