Guest Author - Sarah Roop

“Paper Sculpt Sensation” is a book by Marion Elliot which highlights some of the many 3D paper techniques there are which are easy for anyone to complete. She takes you through making paper frames to party favors, with the paper cupcake boxes featured on the cover showing some promise of things to come.

The paper garlands featured in the book are cute, and could easily be customized for any occasion, but they are time consuming with her having you cut all the pieces by hand, then gluing several pieces of paper together to make one garland ornament. Then there is the beading and hanging. These garlands do show great promise, and are something to keep in mind for a special occasion, but you will need a good amount of time to produce these in any mass amount needed to make a larger garland.

The “Glamorous Gift Bag” is very cute with its purse-like shape, and is a wonderful idea for a keepsake type of gift bag, with various patterns and textures of paper and stitching to accent the look of a purse. Keep in mind though, that this project will not hold much weight. It is adorable and good for small, light gifts however.

The “Capital Idea” letters are a wonderful idea and can easily be customized for any occasion or décor. You can use them for accents in just about any area and they can be made in any size. They are easy and quick to make, with decorative accents and painted textures. There are also some brightly colored lower case letters which are great for a kid’s party or room.

There is a very cute paper frame which could be a very nice take home gift for a child’s party. I can see making the little frames, inserting your child’s picture, and giving them out to relatives and friends attending the party.

On the downside, there are other projects which do not appeal to me at all, such as the “Funky Paper Jewelry”, “Bunny Cupcakes”, and the “Flirty Fairy”. They have the unfortunate feel of something the kids would bring home from elementary school art class.

There are several favor/gift boxes in various colors and shapes, as well as some examples of keepsake boxes, crowns, frames, and even paper flowers. Most projects in this book are very basic examples of what can be done with 3D paper art, but have an unfinished look to them.

I bought this book online, and one of the downsides to buying online is that you do not have the chance to thoroughly look at what you are getting for the money. If I had a chance to peruse the book before I bought it, the purchase would not have been made.