Let’s make paper dolls

 

Found on Pinterest

I recently discovered a wonderful magazine called

Paperdoll Review

It is a fairly small publication, I suppose, if you compare it to Better Homes & Gardens or Cooking Light, but I have found the articles to be very interesting and well researched. The best part about it? It is chock full of paper dolls and outfits! Pages and pages of costumes drawn by readers, reproductions of vintage paper dolls and sets drawn by paper doll artist celebrities fill the pages, in full color.

Pretty much right up my alley, so to speak. I thought it would be fun to check out some paper dolls and altered paper dolls and share some of the things I have been doing in that area.

Found on Pinterest

Summer is a great time to get out the old magazines, scissors, glue, colored pencils and maybe some empty cereal boxes or old file folders.

Let’s start with some basic shapes. There are many, many options ready for you to download on Pinterest. Here are a couple:

Kiwi Family Media

Once you have your basic doll shape, you need to trace and cut out this shape. I suggest you glue your cut out shape onto something sturdy, such as cereal box cardboard or file folder surfaces, and cut out. Check out my past blogs on how to make a stand for your paper doll.

(Paper doll bonanza, April 18, 2024)

ehow.com

If you haven’t yet, now is a good time to get your crayons, markers, etc and draw and color in your doll’s face and any permanent clothes.

Some ideas are a swimsuit or basic lingerie or underwear for your doll to be in.

Tushi, vintage Native American paper doll

Now you have a choice. You can make your paper doll a ‘stand alone’ doll, such as an ornament for a tree or wreath. These paper dolls are usually not played with but are for decoration. You can dress them however you wish, but typically there are not removable or extra clothes. Here are a couple of examples:

Lorena’s altered art; Pinterest

Pinterest

Here are a couple of examples of altered art type dolls that are mounted and framed that I have made:

Jointed paper dolls are perfect for these type of dolls also. You can find parts and pieces on Etsy and Pinterest in a variety of styles:

Antique scrap reproduction

TheEnchantedGallery.com

You put them together with brass or eyelets, and can then move their parts around for different poses.

Here are some altered art jointed paper dolls I made with playing cards and junk mail:

Let your imagination run wild! There is no right or wrong with these types of altered art paper dolls.

However,

if you want a playable doll with a wardrobe of clothes, go back to your basic doll shape. 

Another option I have used is to find a photo in a magazine of a complete person. Draw in anything missing (a hand, part of a leg, etc.) then cut out. Glue this onto your cereal cardboard to make it sturdy, and you have a basic doll shape to work with!

Next comes the fun part, at least for me -

making paper doll clothes!

Found on Pinterest, no credit

Place a light piece of copy paper or tracing paper on top of your doll. Carefully trace around the outside shape.

I recently purchased a light box tablet that I LOVE. It is perfect for tracing like this. Here is a photo of a light box. There are a few different sizes and features available to you.

Walmart

Once you have a few good outlines for clothes, such as a skirt, pair of pants, top or dress, trace this shape onto sturdy cardboard or cardstock. Cut out. You now have a template that you can adapt, add or delete to for endless variations of clothes. You have premeasured, so you don’t need to measure each clothing item every time you draw one.

Don’t forget to draw on tabs!

A corset or swimsuit shape that you can add sleeves to or a different neckline.

Below is a pattern for a felt doll, but it is easily adapted for paper.  Remember to draw in some sort of stand, and tabs to keep the clothes on.

These dolls used the same pattern for legs, etc but changed up the outfits somewhat-

I think these are done by Lisa Vollrath

These next 2 dress patters do not need tabs, as long as they are one piece and the neckline is open enough to fit over the head of your doll. Many antique dress-up dolls were made this way.

Sorry, credit is in Russian! Found on Pinterest.

2 antique advertisements with ‘free’ paper dolls

The above advertising paper dolls are also fun because the main dolls have a front and back. This was a common practice with paper dolls of that era. These are from the 1920’s.

Artist unknown

I have taken a paperdoll outline shape and decorated it with Zentangle-style doodles. These could be colored, cut out and played with, or I might copy and resize them to fit a greeting card (another passion of mine).

I have also done a few using colored pens-

Another fun thing is to take your black/white line drawing, and insert it into a digital program that ‘colorizes’. Here are a couple of my ‘playin’ with my apps’ paper doll clothes-

If you didn’t notice, this one needs tabs!

Another way to create paper doll clothes is to make your pattern (basic shape that fits your doll, as explained above) and then get out those magazines and catalogs that are collecting dust under the coffee table.

There are wonderful designs and colors just waiting to be turned into something beautiful. Here are some samples I made for a nature themed paper doll-

These were all cut from old Bird and Butterfly magazines

Here is one more idea for you. Do you have any old sewing patterns stuck in a box somewhere? Have you seen them at garage sales? Use the models on the front for a paper doll! Carefully cut around the image, then attach to cereal box type cardboard. Cut out. Remember the doll stand. Is the skirt too ‘frou frou’? Just trim it down, no problem.

Laura Beth Love, Pinterest

Now, are you having way too much fun yet? Did you get carried away and have a stack of paper doll clothes now? Make a few greeting cards! These will be one-of-a-kind cards for special occasions and celebrations.

I was able to purchase a lot of paper dolls on e-bay. Included in the batch were several outfits with no dolls.

So, I made greeting cards!

I hope I have given you ideas to try this really fun papercraft. It is also a wonderful project to do with children of all ages, boys and girls. Playing with something you have created yourself is so satisfying. I’m not even mentioning all the fine motor skills and brain stimulation that these will enhance. 

Handkerchief dresses, artist unknown; Pinterest

Giving a handmade card is extra special to the recipient. Send a little joy to someone, no special occasion needed!

Now go get those scissors and some glue…

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Random websites I checked out to write this blog, in no particular order:

Pinterest

PaperdollReview.com

WikiHow.com

RSMadness.com

inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com

It’s a Book Party!

 Welcome!

Have you ever thought about starting a book club? A gathering of soon-to-be friends discussing a book all have read?

Fall is a perfect time to start!

The kids are back in school; weather is getting a little cooler, and outside activities are starting to dwindle.

To get started, choose a book. It can be something from the New York Times top 10 list, it can be a classic, or it can be genre motivated.

Your local librarian is a great resource.

Once you have a book chosen, and where you want to meet (again, many libraries have meeting rooms free with a reservation) it’s time to send out invitations. Putting up notices at your library or local bookstore can work, if you don’t mind unknown people coming. Be safe. Be careful. But this is also how friendships can develop.

Let’s make some creative invitations!

The idea of using a library card for an invite is so clever! Here is just one example I found of many on Pinterest.

Etsy

This next one you can order from the company.

Canva Templates

There are many different styles of pre-printed invites, or ones you can order from stationery companies.

Paperless Post

You’ve got your flyers or invitations prepared, what’s next? You might want to put a small notice in your local city newspaper. Of course there is also all the social media sites.

If you know who is coming it can take you less than 1 hour to make a batch of bookmarks, and personalize them. There are so many bookmark ideas out there I need another blog to cover them! But here are some ideas:

(Seen above) Magazine name bookmarks: card stock or old Manila folders, book pages and magazine letters cut out. Add string for a tassel.

Don’t know who is coming? Have the base bookmark pre-made. Then cut out an assortment of largish letters from magazines, and have sorted by letter. Provide glue sticks or double stick tape. The attendees can then make their own bookmarks quickly and easily.

Playing card bookmarks: punch a hole at the top. Finish with a grommet if desired. Add tassel (you can make these out of embroidery floss if you want).

Book spine bookmarks: from old beat up hardback books, cut off the spines. You can Mod Podge them if the inside is a bit musty. Punch hole, use a grommet if desired, add ribbon tassel.

Dictionary page Bookmarks: cut old dictionary pages into bookmark shape. Back with cardstock or old Manila folders. Braid a few strands of embroidery floss for the tassel. Write with permanent black ink names of attendees. 
(I haven’t given credit to anyone as these ideas are all over Pinterest.)

Again, don’t know who is coming? Recruit a friend with nice handwriting. She can add the name as people come in.

Found on Etsy
Want to do a little decorating to make the first meeting a bit special? The following ideas are quick, easy, and won’t be messy to put up or take down.

Banners and Garlands

Book pages lend themselves to pennant style banners so easily. The one above has cut out letters on the pages. The one below is cut from a children’s book with illustrations randomly scattered throughout.

Pinwheel Garland

Remember the paper fans we used to fold in school to cool us off? That’s what these are, x2. Glue the edges together to make a circle ‘fan’ with a thin ribbon sandwiched in between.

Circle Garland
A circle paper punch (here they used a scallop circle one), book pages and string are all you need for this garland. You can glue the circles onto the string, or you can even sew them together.

Hearts Garland

This one is more time consuming, but certainly looks great. Cut strips of book pages as follows: for each heart you will need 1”x9”, 1”x7”, 1”x5” and 1”x3”. Look at the photo and fold the smallest strip in half, and bend the top. Add the next largest, then the next largest, etc. Staple the ends together to form the heart. My directions don’t have the strip in the center to use for the hanging ribbon. I just tied ribbon around each heart at an angle.  Make your strips longer for bigger hearts.

Tabletop Decor

These are just fun little extras to make that first meeting special. You can set these on a coffee table, entry table or kitchen/dining room table. The idea is quick, easy, and thematic.

The Antiqued Journey 

Simply take a handful of hardback

books and tie ribbon or lace around them. Tuck in a sprig of baby’s breath or small silk flowers. Charming!

Even better, if your book’s author has written more than one book, use her other books for this display.

Kelli Kania (Gamache)

Here is a similar idea, with a teacup setting placed on top of the stack of books. I like it that the tied books are only two, then stacked on top of each other at an angle. You can use a fresh flower in the teacup, silk florals or even something like Jordan almonds.

I love this next idea, even though it is more time consuming and you really have to have a large table to show it off. But how cool is this?

Book Page Table runner

No credit, as there were many variations on Pinterest.

Have a stack of book pages. The runners I have seen have all used the same size pages. Start laying them out with edges slightly overlapping. Refer to photo. Stand back and look at what you’ve done. Like it? Then start gluing. Just a few dabs will do. I don’t like glue sticks as I think they come apart too readily, but some folks do like them. I use a DAB of Aleene’s Tacky Glue in the gold bottle, or Art Institute Glitter Adhesive Glue. Continue laying pages down and gluing until the length you want is reached. 

Book Page Doilies

This idea is similar to the table runner, only you lay the pages to form a circle, like a doily. These can be as big or small as you want. This is great for little side tables in a home, or used as doilies for food platters.

Paper Punched table runner

Brit Morin
Love the table runner idea, but not the boho look? Lay out your pages with a slight overlap at the center. Using a border punch to punch a decorative border on both sides. You can run a thin line of glue to attach them at the center, or strips of double sided tape.

This works best for a shorter table runner.

Lively, posted on Pinterest

Love this one made with vintage children’s book pages.

Every gathering needs a little food, don’t you think? It can be simple or fancy, whatever you feel like. Just remember the first meeting may set a precedent for future meetings so simple might be best for the initial get together.

I love these ‘green eggs with ham’!

If you have any glucose-free or specialty diet foods, these scrabble letter signs are so clever.

Cupcakes are super easy, and easy to dress up too. Here you just punch out shapes, sandwich a toothpick between 2 shapes and glue together.

Short on time? These book page toothpicks look just as charming in store-bought cupcakes. Have a recognizable theme? Use punches that compliment it. For instance a Harry Potter theme could have owl-shaped punched toppers, or Little Women could have hat shaped pokes. Yes, they do make punches in those shapes! Or use plastic swords (used for cocktails) for an Aladdin theme!

Book Page Cones are quick and easy for popcorn, circus peanuts, candied pecans, etc. These have been made with pages from a children’s book, as the book read is a children’s book.

Next is a book cake used for a baby shower. Replace the crib with a book shelf, a mini book or something themed from the book club choice and you have a super cake idea!

Your Book Party/Book Club should be fun and interesting and stimulating. I am giving suggestions to ‘dress up’ the event, but the bottom line is people gathering together for an intelligent discussion about a mutually read book.

Don’t want to have a focus on food, but would like to send everyone home with a little ‘bookish’ reminder of the evening?

Next I have a few ideas to share with you that I have found just for that!

The little Smartie bag toppers are a bit juvenile, but are sure to bring a smile to all attendees! And so will these -

Bag toppers are so easy to print yourself, or stamp or even hand write; then staple to a Baggie of goodies.

Book Bub 

Lifesaver mini bags with quotes

This next idea I would tweak just a little.

Purchase little bags that fit one Lifesaver mint (I have bought the bags at both Amazon and at Michael’s stores). Use book pages for a bag topper, only make them large enough for a quote. (See photo). The only thing I would change are the quotes. With a lifesaver I want quotes that have to do with treasure, islands, boats, water, etc. and reading! I like Dave Barry’s quote-

“Reading is a vacation for the mind “

I also like-

“There is more treasure in books than all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island”.

Lastly I found these cute mini ‘book’ chocolates. Wrap individual chocolates with book pages. Just a strip around is enough. Print out covers of a variety of books. Glue on top.

Since you have already scanned book covers, why not make a few cupcake toppers? These are done with Little Golden Book covers.

To make your Book Club time interesting, here are some good start-up questions to ask:

Here is a fun way to break the ice:

Are you thinking about going to a Book Club yet? It’s a great way to get to know your neighbors, or people at church, too.

Still not sure? Check this chart out!

I hope this blog has made you think about starting or joining a book club.

Do drop me a note and let me know what book y’all are reading!

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Note: you may wonder why I do not give credit below each photo I use. It is 1 of 2 reasons.

1. The idea is on Pinterest in so many similar ways it is impossible to tell who had the original idea.

2. There are no credits or anything attached to the photo.

As always, if you see a photo and you know whose it is, please let me know so I can give credit where it is due.

😊

Some websites I checked out for this blog, in no particular order:

mealplanningmommies.com

Plumdeluxe.com

Catchmyparty.com

Pinterest

Teaandinksociety.com

Houseofmahalo.com

DiynCrafts.com

Inspiringsavings.com

Etsy

Acultivatednest.com

Thetablereadmagazine.co.uk