The Scrap Letter
Paper collage from found paper, and how to make it
A short letter every Saturday: the newest collage, how it came together and one thing to try with your own scraps.
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Latest posts
A blue map collage, from scraps to glued page
How an old blue map, a few tickets and one red stamp became this week’s collage.
Cutting curves from an old map
How I hold the paper, turn it into the scissors and keep a curve smooth without a pencil line.
What is in my shoebox of ephemera
Old stamps, tickets and maps, and why I keep the dull ones as well as the pretty ones.
Choosing a glue for thin paper
Glue sticks, paste and tape, and which one wrinkles old paper the least.
Sorting a crate at the flea market
What I look for in a box of old postcards and book covers, and what I leave behind.
Three papers I print for backgrounds
Terracotta, blue and cream sheets I print at home, and how I use each one.
A collage with only two colours
What happens when I use only blue and rust, and how I keep it from looking flat.
The view from my balcony at dusk
A short post about the hill town I look at while I work, and the colours I took from it.
Scissors or a blade?
The small scissors I use for curves, the blade I use for straight edges, and when I switch.
How I keep my scraps sorted by colour
One box, six envelopes and a rule for what goes in the bin.
Thursday 5 November
A blue map collage, from scraps to glued page
Hi, it’s Noor. This week: a blue map collage, from scraps to glued page. How an old blue map, a few tickets and one red stamp became this week’s collage.
Also new: cutting curves from an old map, and what is in my shoebox of ephemera.
In the shop: Terracotta and Blue Paper Pack. Twenty sheets of textured paper in rust, terracotta and blue, as printable files for A4 or Letter.
See you next week, Noor
About
About me
I make my collages on a small balcony table in a hill town, from paper I find in flea market boxes: old maps, stamps, tickets and book covers. I cut with small scissors and glue with a stick. I started with one shoebox of tickets and a pair of kitchen scissors, and I have kept every scrap since.
I write a letter every week with the newest collage and how it came together. What I sell is the part you can use: printable paper packs, collage prompt cards, a guide to glue and tools, a pack of postcard scraps, a set of prints, a bundle of the basics and two video courses, one for your first collage and one for building in layers. I do not take commissions. I show you how to make your own.
Downloads and a course
Shop
Terracotta and Blue Paper Pack
Twenty sheets of textured paper in rust, terracotta and blue, as printable files for A4 or Letter.
$8
Old Maps and Tickets Paper Pack
Twenty-four scans of old maps, tickets and stamps with their edges cleaned, ready to print and cut.
$8
Collage Prompt Cards
Thirty-six printable cards, each with a shape, a colour and a word to start a collage from.
$7
Glue and Tools Guide
A short guide to glue sticks, paste, scissors and blades, with a photo of each and what it is best for.
$6