Book Review – Paper Jewelry: 55 Projects for Reusing Paper by Barbara Baumann

It’s my personal opinion that the jewelry and accessories pieces found in one’s wardrobe is more important than the actual fabric selections. I believe this because even the most basic jewelry items can change an outfit from office to party approximate attire with little effort. This leaves me constantly adding to my jewelry collection to keep my look fresh and modern which can become quite pricey if  you keep up with seasonal trends. Thankfully I’m not a “trendy” girl and prefer more unique pieces that I can call my own and I’m not the only one with this distinctive aesthetic. Author Barbara Baumann’s new craft book titled “Paper Jewelry: 55 Projects for Reusing Paper” contains plenty of inexpensive DIY projects for creating jewelry using commonly discarded items that can easily be transformed into meaning conversation pieces.

Barbara Baumann, both a teacher of textile crafts and author, combined her love for patterns, structures, colors, and various materials to create an easy step-by-step DIY jewelry book for all us craft savvy women, and even those that aren’t. “Paper Jewelry: 55 Projects for Reusing Paper” provides its readers with exactly what the title says, numerous projects using recyclable paper products to create your own stunning handmade accessory pieces. Although most craft books calls for its creators to buy tons of expensive hand tools they’ll probably only once, the majority of Baumann’s projects use the same tools again and again with slight variations which saves the wallet.

Beautiful large and crisp photo images within the instructional manual allows for easy instruction following and as a person that sometimes requires reading glasses I found the large simple black font ever so pleasing. She’s included tons of jewelry projects such as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and even belt buckles, as well as unique paper projects to adorn the home such as paper booklets. The only complaint I found online about this book was that some felt the jewelry did appear to be “wearable” due to some of the suggested materials like a Starbucks wrappers or puzzle pieces. I totally disagree with those arguments and found that the best part of all Baumann’s pieces was that the designs were limited only by the imagination of the creator. If you don’t like Starbucks logos but your granddaughter is a sucker “Hello Kitty” one could easily gather “Hello Kitty” brand logo paper goods and complete the same projects to suite their own visual preferences. Above are just a few of real examples of paper jewelry items created by German designer Doris Häusler affordably sold on Etsy that are not only wearable but stunning, making for exceptional wardrobe statement pieces.

As a craft lover myself I hope to pass my passion on to my daughter Savannah and what better way to teach her a skill, spend stimulating mother/daughter time together, and promote environmental sustainability and recycling plus a bit of fashion than to create these pieces together once she’s older. And don’t think the projects are just for women and girls, men and boys can easily create the same accessories using materials like comic books, playing cards, and wall poster papers. Yes, if you’re a lover of all things interesting and individual then you should definitely add “Paper Jewelry: 55 Projects for Reusing Paper” to your home’s library for limitless fun and fashion! Barbara Baumann’s book can be purchased through Schiffer Publishing which has one of the largest varieties of crafting, woodworking, home & gardening oriented publications that also are exceptionally priced and of the same striking quality. To read more about this author and stay connected you can follow Schiffer Publishing through social media via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.