What are the three most common forms of paper crafting?
Are you new to the world of paper crafting, maybe you have a friend who gifted you a beautifully hand crafted card or album, and you want to return the gesture, or maybe you are interested in trying it out because you love the textures, colors, and dimension of paper crafts. Starting a new hobby or craft can be overwhelming, and paper crafting is like most hobbies there are so many layers to it, the creativity is endless.
Welcome to our get to know paper crafting basics series. Andrea will provide some basic paper crafting knowledge at least once a month to help give you some insight to the WONDERFUL world of paper crafting and all the glorious ways it can be manipulated and transformed into pieces of art.
This post -will touch on the three most commonly forms of paper crafting and some questions that might help you decide where to start. FYI, paper crafting techniques can be applied to a variety of projects such as card making, scrapbooking, mini albums, junk journals, art journaling and more. There is a short list of questions at the end that might help you narrow down what type of paper craft project you want to experience first.
Let's dive into it.
Three of the most commonly types of paper crafting are:
- Scrapbooking - typically involves photos and is a way to keepsake photographs and celebrate memories
- Card making - art of making greeting cards
- Art journaling - is primarily focused on mixing different mediums such as paints, pastes, and more to achieve rich textures and dimension
Photo above: Greeting card
Photo above: scrapbook layout without the photos
Some might disagree with Andrea's assessment of the three most common projects listed above, but they have been listed based on her experience and knowledge. Take note there are also niches to some of the paper crafting areas mentioned above and some are more trendy at the moment than others. For example one popular trend is combining scrapbooking with journaling and/or planners. Other trending paper focused projects are junk journals (which also has some niche categories), home decor, gift packaging, and more.
Andrea researched the difference between junk and art journaling and was hard pressed to find one true definition for each, in her opinion they are relative. Some junk journaling artists use only "junk" (using items to repurpose them) and some are using brand new products designed and labeled as junk journal products. The labels tend to be based on each individuals aesthetic, which is what makes paper crafting so much fun. Take for instance the "grunge" or steampunk look, they can be made to look used, worn, and vintage, and some people create the look with new products and some create the look with actual vintage products. It is fascinating.
Photo above: home decor with space for a photo. What would you consider this: scrapbooking, memory keeping, home decor?
What do you like? Have you seen some projects that intrigue you?
To help you get started, ask yourself:
1. Do you want to preserve photos? Scrapbooking, mini albums, and/or folios might be your answer.
2. Follow up to question 1, do you want the photos to be organized in bit sized pieces and in chronicle order? Memory journaling might be your answer
3. Do you want your photographs to be organized by occasion (a trip, school, etc.)? Mini albums or folios might be for you.
Not into pictures, ask yourself these questions.
1. Do you want to give your creations away? If yes, card making might be ideal, along with home decor and gift packaging.
2. Do you want to make a project in a short amount of time (1 to 2 hours)? Card making might be the one. Cards can easily be created from start to finish in under 30 minutes, especially with a kit.
3. Do you want to display your projects? Canvas (home decor) or art journaling might be a good place to explore.
4. Do you want to explore textures, paints, and other mediums? Art journaling could be the perfect fit.
5. Do you want to repurpose and memory keep? Junk journaling and home decor might be a great place to start
These questions are a great place to start. Ideally, you can start in one and dabble in another or three, the good thing, many tools can be used for all the projects mentioned.
We also want to share that there are some tools that are specific to each of the forms, but overall to get started you will need at least:
- Scissors
- Paper Trimmer
- Ruler
- Adhesive
Download available: Check out our extensive basic tool list here. Come back in mid-March for our post where we will discuss some basic and commonly used tools and some pro-tips.
Let us know where you think you want to start. Junk or art journaling, card making, folios... Looking forward to reading your comments.
Crafts on the Move's focus is card making, art journaling, and mini albums, although we do dabble in scrapbook layouts, junk journals, and a few other paper projects. Please note this blog post is written from personal use, experience, and knowledge of paper crafting.