Did you know by blowing bubbles, by happily splattering paint, and by spraying colored tissue with water you can easily make exquisite, one-of-a-kind papers? Use them as stationary and gift-wrap, for greeting cards and envelopes, in collages and many other crafts. From inexpensive and readily available supplies, you'll see the most spectacular effects emerge--even if you think you have no artistic ability! Apply historic and modern techniques, including batik, block printing, spectacularly swirled marbling, and tie-dye. Make faux leather paper, laminate delicate papers to add sturdiness, and design with stencils and rubber stamps. For each technique, there's a project or more: a seaweed marbleized pillow box, so delicate and feathery; a spiral-bound album covered in paste paper; a sun cylinder lantern with handmade rice paper. The possibilities are truly endless!

Book Title: Hand Decorating Paper

Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company

Hardcover 112 pages, all in color

ISBN: 0-8069-2753-4

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Gloriously patterned paper plays an important part in so many crafts--wouldn't it be great if you could make your own? You can! The papers you will decorate are more rewarding and less expensive than any you will see in stores. With only simple tools and materials that are readily available you will create and combine some extraordinary treatments, from traditional to contemporary. Start with the easy ones, such as using tea or coffee to stain paper and give it an ancient patina.

Then tap into your artistry with some more advanced ones--including printing plants, feathers, fish, and other natural objects. Ideas throughout will inspire you to craft a travel journal, a place mat, and bookmarks.

Marbleizing, rubber stamping, and stenciling are just a few of the many exciting techniques for beautifully decorated paper that you will master to create an artistic, custom look. Then use your paper in fun ways, from embellishing a box to putting together the pages of a memory album.

Check the simple guidelines for choosing the right paper, paints, and inks to suit a treatment. When you decide on your effect, be sure to check the great project idea that follows it.

Batik isn't just for fabric. you will work with a liquid masking fluid instead of hot, melted wax. Paint, splatter, dab, or drop it onto the paper, let it dry, then wash the paper with color. The fluid resists the paint and, when removed, leaves the areas untouched. it is simple, yet the results are dramatic, especially on a folded gift card.

There's more than one way to color paper, and this one requires no paints or inks! The dye from layers of wet tissue paper provide the hues. Your finished paper will make interesting bases for stenciled, stamped or printed images.

Spray painting is a wonderful method for crafting your own gift wrap or enhancing a picture frame. Metallic sprays look dynamic on brown paper, while pastels lend a romantic feel to a white sheet.