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Category: Creative

5 Ways You Can Spread Kindness Using Paper

This month marks Mental Health Awareness Week and Mental Health Awareness Month, set up by the Mental Health Foundation to raise awareness and drive conversations relating to mental health. This year, the theme is ‘Anxiety’ and you are encouraged to be kind to yourself and each other, especially during a time when the world and...Read More

Artist Interview With Mel Cowley

It is approaching wedding and party season. Instead of paying above and beyond for flowers that will last up to a month, why not consider paper flowers that will last a lifetime? Mel Cowley aka, The Little Paper Flower Shop, has created a beautiful array of paper flower bouquets for any occasion. She creates paper...Read More

Paper Party – Easter Edition

Are you planning a get-together this Easter? Why not have it on theme, from printable decorations to party games, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Printable Egg Hunt An Easter egg hunt is a great activity for all ages and can include chocolate and/or paper Easter eggs. If you choose to print them, you...Read More

5 Creative Ways To Use Paper This Valentine’s Day

How do you usually celebrate Valentine’s Day? Whether it is a movie night, a party with friends or a romantic evening spent with your significant other, we have 5 paper-based crafts that you can use to impress this Valentine’s Day. Make Your Own Valentine’s Day Card February 14th is always a special day where you...Read More

6 Surprising Benefits Of Jigsaw Puzzles

Puzzles aren’t just a hobby or a good way to pass time and relax, they also have many health benefits. Here are 6 surprising advantages of jigsaws and instructions for how to make your own puzzle! 1. Mental Stimulation Putting the pieces of a puzzle together is a complete brain exercise that uses both sides...Read More

Paper Traditions From Around The World

How Paper Plays A Role In Different Traditions From Around The World Writing on it, folding it, floating it or burning it... paper is central to some of the world’s oldest traditions that continue to be practiced today. Here, we explore 12 of the most fascinating traditions from around the globe, each of which has...Read More

Don’t Throw Away Your Old Christmas Wrapping Paper!

Christmas is a time full of excess, including excess waste – typically an increase of about 30% compared with the rest of the year.[1] Even though many of us will be spending a little more carefully this year, there are things we can do to also reduce waste – and have fun in the process....Read More

8 Clever Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas

How To Create Maximum Effect With Minimum Environmental Impact Nothing heightens the sense of anticipation on Christmas morning more than beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. But, as we all become more conscious of our environmental responsibilities, you might be wondering if that means you need to compromise on your wrapping paper and start wrapping...Read More

Giving the Gift of Paper

Unless you’re someone who likes to hold onto their used wrapping paper for the next year, you probably haven’t thought too much about the unnecessary waste created during the festive period. An extra 30% of waste is produced and discarded at Christmas time in the UK when compared with the rest of the year. This…

9 Last Minute Christmas Gifts Made From Paper

We’ve all been there. Christmas is suddenly right around the corner; you’re feeling like summer only ended three weeks ago and now you’re stuck for inspiration, time and/or pennies when it comes to what to get for your friends and family. We all know at least one person in our circle who is seemingly just...Read More

Sustainable Christmas Presents

What should you get your environmentally conscious family member this Christmas? We round up some of our favourite eco-friendly presents. How to Save Our Planet by Mark Maslin Described as a ‘handbook of how we together can save our precious planet’, the latest book by Two Sides Seminar speaker Mark Maslin has gained praise from everyone...Read More

Gift Wrapping – The Highstreet Initiative

Did you know, not all wrapping paper we buy from the shops can be recycled? FatFace, along with some other big highstreet names, have come up with an initiative that will save you time, effort, and money this Christmas. Picture the scene. You’ve walked into your local highstreet retailer and picked up that perfect gift...Read More

Make Your Own Paper Christmas Decorations

Decorating the house for Christmas is always lots of fun, but it can be extra special when you have made the decorations yourself. Making decorations from paper, especially if you use old wrapping paper saved from the year before, is environmentally friendly, too. Here are 10 DIY Christmas decorations that kids of all ages will...Read More

10 Simple Steps To Make Your Own Paper

If you’re looking for a sustainable and fun craft idea suitable for adults and children alike, making your own paper could be just the thing. The very first paper was made by a Chinese court official during the Eastern Han period (25-220 AD) [1]. It’s thought that he made his paper by mixing mulberry bark,...Read More

4 Paper Crafts For A Spooktacular Halloween

“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble” [1] As the nights draw in and the days grow colder, our attention once again turns to witches, ghouls and things that go bump in the night. Halloween is a time when shadows play tricks and imaginations run wild… and what better way to put...Read More

6 Paper Crafts Designed To Boost Your Mental Health

Do you look after your mental health? Making time to look after yourself, both mentally and physically, is more important than ever at the moment. Having lived through a pandemic and the aftermath of several lockdowns, it is important that there are coping mechanisms or outlets available for when things get a bit tricky or...Read More

How A Car Was Made Entirely From Paper

When London-based Scottish paper artist Kyla McCallum was commissioned by automotive manufacturer Lexus to create a model car made of paper, she turned to Antalis for advice on suitable materials. The scaled car, complete with a paper city through which it cruises, features in a promotional video created by Lexus in tribute to Takumi craftsmanship....Read More

What Is A Diorama And How To Make A Shoebox Scene

A diorama is a crafted 3D scene, typically made to a life-size scale (as seen in museums and tourist hotspots) or as a miniature model. The miniature model versions are often built by hobbyists with aligning interests in cars, planes, ships, military events and history, model figures and games. Although model dioramas often depict real-world...Read More

Papier Mâché: A Fun And Inexpensive Craft For All The Family

If you’re looking for ideas to keep children occupied during the long summer holidays, look no further than papier mâché. It’s a fun craft in its own right, but it can also be used to create any number of objects that will provide hours of entertainment until back-to-school time and beyond. A Brief History Of...Read More

The Art of Quilling – Q&A With Sena Runa

“Paper has many variations such as different colours, types, thickness, and weight.” Have you heard of quilling? This paper-based craft consists of carefully rolled and shaped strips of paper that are constructed on a flat surface and glued in place to resemble patterns or objects. The art of quilling has been around for hundreds of...Read More

Paper Furniture: The New, Environmentally-Friendly, Design Trend

Over the last couple of years, while we’ve all been spending more time at home, many of us have taken the opportunity to give our living spaces a makeover in an effort to make them more comfortable as well as more practical for homeworking. But what about the furniture we buy – and throw out?...Read More

Mario Kart Cardboard Hovercraft

Are you a fan of the Nintendo franchise? If so, you’re probably a fan of the video game series Mario Kart. Like with everything though, there are regular fans and super fans. YouTuber DanCreator has proven his superfan status with his latest creations; the Mario Kart Hovercraft and arcade cabinet. Many people have tried to...Read More

5 Artists Who Fold Paper For A Living

Have you ever tried your hand at Origami? The ancient Japanese art of paper folding has become an ever-increasing popular activity for people of all ages. Translated, the word ‘Origami’, means ‘to fold paper’ in Japanese. Its complexity ranges anywhere from a simple paper plane to complex 3D structures such as creatures and flowers. These...Read More

The Return Of The Handwritten Letter

When was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten letter? It seems that in our tech-dominated world that many people are wanting to change how we communicate and are going about it in a more traditional way. Thus, the handwritten letter is making a comeback. Over the last year, Hobbycraft has seen a...Read More

Interview With Paper Artist, Emma Taylor

"Creating detailed work using paper really appealed to me" Paper artist Emma Taylor creates highly intricate sculptures out of paper using second-hand books. Find out where she gets her ideas from and what makes paper such a great medium to work with. How Did You Start Working With Books And Paper? I was doing a...Read More

6 Creative Ideas On How To Use Paper For Bonfire Night

The evenings are getting darker, the leaves are falling from the trees and we are getting close to the best day of the year (Christmas). That means bonfire night is soon upon us! To get everyone even more excited for bonfire night, we came up with 6 paper related bonfire night ideas that are a...Read More

10 Ways To Use Paper Around The House To Put The Horror In Halloween

Halloween is a fun-filled night of the year with spooky costumes, scary stories, and lots of candy. Getting into the Halloween spirit doesn’t mean you need to buy overpriced costumes and Halloween decorations. You can easily horrify your home to be a Spooktacular place on Halloween night. This list will give you ideas on how...Read More

5 Ways To Repurpose Your Used Paper Cups

How often do you find yourself grabbing a quick coffee to go for your morning commute, or even whilst out shopping as a treat? After you have consumed your beverage though, what do you do with the cup? In the UK we use 7 million disposable coffee cups every day and less than 1% of...Read More

Create Your Own Comic Book

Comic books are accessible for everyone of all backgrounds and your comic book can be whatever you make of it. Comic books tell a variety of stories in multiple genres, from the daily life of a lasagna loving cat to superheroes battling villains to save the world, from space pirates exploring the cosmos for intergalactic...Read More

Paper Packaging Goes Travelling ‘Dan Dan Style’

Paper packaging is typically used for protecting goods whilst in transit or storage and for holding various objects and materials. Polar architect Yusuke Murakami has been exploring the unlimited potentials that paper and cardboard have to offer. Picture the scene; you’re walking through a forest and come across a clearing in the trees. Something catches...Read More

Waste-Not-Want-Not! Here are 6 Artists That Use Recycled Materials in Their Work

What do you do when you’ve finished with your newspapers, paper-based packaging, or shopping bags? Apart from recycling them, have you ever wondered what potential an old newspaper or a shopping bag could have? Given the current climate crisis we are facing, it is more important than ever that we all do our bit for...Read More

5 Ways To Keep Kids Occupied During The Summer Holidays With A Few Sheets Of Paper

After 18 months of juggling home working and looking after children, punctuated only by relatively short periods of school attendance, the prospect of keeping the kids occupied for another few weeks is likely to be daunting for even the most resourceful of parents and carers. Back in 2019, a survey by The Reading Agency revealed...Read More

Summer School Comic Book Initiative Launched To Help Children Catch Up

The National Literacy Trust and sustainable paper brand REY® have announced the delivery of 10,000 free literacy resource packs to Year 6 and Year 7 students across the UK. This forms part of the National Literacy Trust’s summer offer to support pupils as they transition from primary to secondary school. The REY activity packs are…

‘Mount Recyclemore’ – G7 Leaders Made Of Electronic Waste

A new sculpture to highlight the issue of electronic waste has been built in Cornwall in preparation for the G7 Summit, which will see 7 world leaders discuss big issues such as Covid recovery, climate change and trade. Sculptor Joe Rush, commissioned by the online tech retailer musicMagpie, created an impactful sculpture with hope of...Read More

A Paper Powering Business: Papershades

Paper is quickly becoming a sustainable alternative in our homes. From paper flowers and cardboard plant pots, we are slowly changing for a more renewable, long lasting and eye-catching material source as part of our home décor. We recently spoke with Rosalind of Papershades, a fast-growing paper lamp shade business owner, who showed us just...Read More

Children’s Book Week Spring 2021

The 102nd annual Children’s Book Week takes place for two weeks of 2021. The first week takes place in Spring between May 3rd - 9th and the second in November, 8th - 14th. This year’s theme is Reading is a Superpower! Originating from the belief that children’s books and literacy are life changing, the Children’s...Read More

The Art of Decoupage

Decoupage is a popular craft which uses paper to uniquely decorate a variety of different furnishings. The hobby is becoming trendy with those who want to add a personal touch to their home or want to easily make beautiful handmade gifts. With over five thousand followers on Instagram, using the handle @romantic_art_decoupage_by_olja, Olja showcases and...Read More

Make Your Own Valentine’s Day Card This Year

February 14th is always a special day where you can show someone just how much you love and feel for them. Having had a few uncertain years, this year will certainly feel a lot different this year as we celebrate Valentine’s Day slowly emerging into a post-pandemic world. However you plan to celebrate this year,...Read More

The World of Paper Flower Bouquets

The beautiful appeal of paper flower bouquets has become an increasingly popular choice in recent years. For weddings in particular, the idea of turning to paper on the big day creates a unique alternative to traditional flowers, which holds more colour variety and lasts a lot longer. We spoke with Rebecca of Paper Bouquets to...Read More

Cool Down with Paper

The summer of 2020 has seen some record-breaking heat. Early August saw the UKs hottest day of the year, reaching highs of 36C (96.8F) and becoming the hottest temperature for 17 years. With this summer becoming exceptionally hot and humid, it is very important to stay cool in the sun. A study on the risks...Read More

Becoming a Writer: An Authors Insight

With approximately 2.2 million books being published worldwide each year, the importance of paper is not only appreciated by authors, but fundamental to their craft. In an interview with Bethany Arrowsmith-Cooper, author of the poetry collection The Soul Garden, we delve into the topics of writing, hear an author’s insight of the publishing process, discuss…

The National Literacy Trust share reading tips for children

The National Literacy Trust have created some summer reading tips for families. They teamed up with Puffin to ask children about their reading during lock-down. Here are their 5 top tips to keep your children reading… Make time for reading Children said that time away from school and social activities during lockdown has given them…

5 Reasons To Put Pen To Paper – The Written Letter Revival

From increasing wellbeing to decreasing stress, a written letter is one of the best ways to stay in contact with family and friends. Discover the benefits of putting pen to paper If there was a new activity that’s relaxing, proven to increase wellbeing, and brings guaranteed joy to people close to you, it’s likely hundreds...Read More

The Benefits of Expressive Writing

For everyone writing is a part of day to day life. Whether it’s putting your thoughts down in a diary, sending a letter to a friend or simply jotting down a shopping list, writing is a purposeful way of staying organised, mentally stimulated and connected to both yourself and those around you. However, expressive and…

7 pen and paper games for children and families

We’ve created 7 pen and paper games for children and families to enjoy. It could not be simpler to enjoy some time as a family or give the children an activity to enjoy away from any screens or digital devices – giving them some much needed rest-bite. Pen and paper games for children and families…

“Love Paper Creations” to provide children with lock-down entertainment

We have launched “Love Paper Creations“, a new suite of home-printable resources to help entertain and engage households around Britain and beyond. Parents across the UK have taken on the new role of teacher in recent weeks. But the Easter holidays have begun meaning parents are looking for new ways to occupy and entertain their…

The Art of Paper Crafting

Interview with Rosie Thorns – Conducted by Lucy Appleyard. @Rosiethorns88 Paper crafting is the fast-growing art form that uses paper and card to create beautifully detailed 2-D and 3-D artwork. Rosie Thorns is a keen enthusiast of the craft, with an Instagram account @rosiethorns88 boasting over 16 thousand followers, all of whom share her love…

Paper Origami: It’s history & evolution

Love Paper gives you the facts about paper sustainability, and is here to inspire you to bring paper into your everyday lives. Paper origami demonstrates that you can create beautiful & exquisite creations from this extremely versatile product. Origami is the ancient and beautiful art of paper folding, creating varied designs such as animals and…

Letters to Santa

December is now upon us and for many, that means it is time to start preparing for the Christmas festivities. This often entails a great deal of planning, shopping, cooking and usually a lot of stress to boot. But whilst we adults are busy with the organisation; the younger members of the family may be preoccupied with something a little more magical…

Switch off and use pen and paper to create your best ideas

A global study into creativity has found that paper is the best and most popular way for creatives to record their ideas.

Bullet Journaling – A New Age of To-Do Lists

With over four million #bulletjournal posts on Instagram, bullet journaling, or bujo as it is nicknamed, is becoming an increasingly popular way to structure your day to day life.