25 Days of Paper 2015, Day 17

Here are some papery prompts for the year ahead from Rachel Hazell, a book artist from Edinburgh, Scotland. Tag @paperhazell on Instagram to share your creations. I can’t wait to meet Rachel in person one day! 

January

Paper wish list for 2016. Do you have any particular creative ambitions this year? Is there any project you’ve been meaning to start/finish?! Make a note of your dreams and hopes. Put it somewhere you can see it; on the fridge, or in the front of your diary.

February

Fold origami love hearts for your loves! Paper hearts are great for slipping inside envelopes for posting out to Valentine’s. Sign up to Rachel’s newsletter and receive instructions on how to make this one!

March

The PaperLove e-course unfolds on 14^th March with five weeks full of papery passion, including origami, bookart, calligraphy and mailart. Here are all the goodies in the PaperLove Kit.

Photo credit: Uli Schade

April

Spring bunting cheers any room! String together paper circles, stamps, sweetie wrappers, freehand triangles, simple rectangles, left over scraps of whatever paper you have to hand. Use a needle and thread or whiz on a sewing machine. Hang up for instant transformation. These cheeky little triangles adorned the Shetland Lighthouse Workshop last April.

May

Explore yourself with a mind map with a difference. Draw an outline of an island then fill it with words. These could be inspiring quotes, a description of your favourite place or simply the flow of feelings in your head. My map is wistful, thinking back to a time of freedom and flexibility, but also a reminder of what’s possible.

June

Send someone a postcard, even if you’re not on holiday! Find a rectangle you can put a stamp on and write a quick jaunty message. Of course you can send a card to yourself too. Here’s a fine selection of ships to choose from, at a specialist paper market in Paris.

July

A story can be as short as one sentence. Find a space where you can sit with book and pen for a few minutes. Write out what comes to mind. If you’d like the first line to start you off: “She slit open the envelope, unfolded the paper inside and began to read….”

August

With watercolour paper and plenty of water, paint a landscape. This could be as simple as a horizon line or a blue sky. I over-ruled my tendency for neat control by using a witches broom brush which splashes and scrapes ink around with unpredictable effects.

September

However old we are, I don’t think that back-to-school feeling ever goes away, does it?! Stock up on fresh art materials (or dig out what you have at the back of a cupboard) and get inky by writing loose lines of words or patterns and remember that this homework is for YOU.

October

Collage the season by assembling a collection of papers of the same tone. Use the colours around you. If you have autumn leaves, you could incorporate them as well. Rip, cut, lay out, shift about and glue down this moment. I picked out inky blues of autumn seas as a starting point before getting going with the scissors.

November

Writing Love Letters in Paris, binding them into a unique book made from hand-cut envelopes is a super-special experience. Only three paper lovers get to explore the best paper places with me on this exclusive workshop. Make your own envelopes and pen love letters on your favourite note paper.

December

Wrapping up parcels is up there with opening presents in my book. I love choosing washi tape, tags, string and, of course, the paper. Experiment this month with developing your own style. Decide on white and silver, red and green, brown paper and string, repurposed old holiday cards, glitter, ribbon rosettes etc. As much of my year is spent on the Isle of Iona, this parcel reflects the surrounding landscape. Give the paperiest of gifts with an e-voucher!

About our Sponsor: Rachel Hazell teaches bookart round the world, and online with the PaperLove e-course. 2016 workshops include Iona, Squam, Amsterdam (details tbc), Arvon, and Paris. Her motto is Read Make Love Books!