Around 105 A.D., Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese officer at a Han dynasty court, invented paper as we know it.
People have been folding it, cutting it, printing and stamping on it, and otherwise using it for decorative purposes ever since.
But papercrafting has never been more popular than it is in the 21st century. Scrapbooking alone is a $2.5 billion industry enjoyed by approximately 25 million people, according to the Craft & Hobby Association.
Throw in customized greeting cards, bags, tags, invitations, announcements, picture frames, journal covers and so much more, and papercrafting of all kinds is hot — with its own magazines, techniques, specialized products, gatherings and die-hard fans.
What's so appealing about papercrafting, said Stacy Croninger, editor of Paper Crafts magazine, is that anyone can do it. "You can do it very simply, or you can be the addict who wants to try every new toy on the market. Men are even doing it. True, the ratio is still about one man to every 100 — or maybe every 1,000 — women. But men are getting into it."
A year ago, Paper Crafts magazine, which is based in Bluffdale, was renamed and reformatted. "We used to be a general crafts magazine. But that's just too broad, so we decided to go to niche marketing," said Croninger. The focus of the magazine is anything to do with papercrafting, except scrapbooking. "There are so many other magazines that deal with scrapbooking, including our sister publication, Creating Keepsakes. So, we focus on everything else. Cards are the most popular, but we also do everything from bags and tags to home decor."
Croninger sees two major reasons for the popularity of papercrafting. First, and foremost, "it's a creative outlet." The only limit is your imagination, and it's fun to experiment with new ideas, new techniques, she said.
Secondly, "it's a great way to share a part of yourself with others. By giving a card that you've made, you include your time and your love with that card. "
Papercraft projects often take less time than scrapbook pages. "Many of our projects can be finished in a half hour to 45 minutes, while you can easily spend a couple of hours on a scrapbook page. So you get a quick bit of fulfillment."
But, it's not a mutually exclusive activity. "A lot of scrapbookers will create cards while they are doing scrapbook pages. They use the same materials and supplies, so that makes it easier," said Croninger.
Making your own cards and invitations and such can be cheaper than buying them — but not necessarily. "For die-hard papercrafters, it's the creative outlet that's more important."
Croninger herself has been a "craft junkie" ever since she was a little girl. "I've done every style of crafts imaginable." She got into scrapbooking six or seven years ago. "From there I got into stamping and then into cards. I love it. It can be quick and easy, or you can let your imagination run wild." There are no rules, really no way to do it wrong.
Plus, she said, every time you turn around, there's something new. Papercrafters love to find unusual sources of inspiration and try new techniques. Among the latest trends:
Using office supplies: Everything from paper clips and brads to file folders, memo pads, highlighters and more.
Fabric: Adhesive-backed fabric that you can print photos on or use in other ways is especially popular. So is applying your own adhesive to bits of fabric with interesting motifs and designs.
Mix-and-match alphabets: Using letters from different fonts — a "C" from one, and "O" from another, and so on. "This gives you an abstract, artsy look that is fun," said Croninger.
Using metal and hardware: "The hardware store is no longer off limits for women," she joked. Popular items include little hinges, washers, nails, outlet and switch plates, tags and other metal pieces that can be stamped on.
Embossing: Either dry embossing, using stencils and templates; or heat embossing, using powders to get different textures.
Heat embossing tends to be more popular with stampers, said Croninger, and dry embossing with non-stampers. Interestingly, papercrafters generally divide into those two groups, she said — those who don't stamp and those who do. "There are some who do both. But for most, it's one or the other." (Paper Crafts puts out a special Stamp It edition four times a year that especially appeals to stampers.)
In addition to papers, cardstock, paints, stamps and embellishments, there are increasing numbers of tools out there to make papercrafting easier: stencils, embossing systems, texture plates, border punches, decorative shape punches, paper edgers, paper cutters, die-cutters and eyelet hammers.
An interesting trend, said Croninger, is new tools that are silent. Some of the punches and hammers and cutters can be a bit noisy. "But a lot of papercrafters do their work late at night, after the kids are asleep, so the latest thing is tools that don't make noise — a silent twist-down punch, for example."
The important things are to experiment and to have fun, she said. "There are so many creative things out there. It's definitely an expanding market."
E-mail: carma@desnews.com