22 Nov How To Create a Paper Sloyd Portfolio

As we are going through our Paper Sloyd Series, one of the things we are enjoying the most is the creation of little, miniature things. This project is giving us some perspective as to how sizes have changed over the past 100 years. So far we’ve created an envelope that would not fit one of today’s cards, a picture frame that required a miniature picture, a scissors case that only fit a pair of toddler-sized scissors, as well as a tray, a basket, and a pencil box, all of which do not fit the appropriate items of todays world. Our next project is a paper sloyd portfolio, which is somewhat tiny in relation to the paper sizes of today. It is, however, an absolutely lovely piece. As we decorated it, I imagined a young lady tucking a school assignment inside and handing it to her teacher with pride.

Materials Needed:

As usual, the materials that we will be using for this project are simple, and probably found around the house.

• A cutting mat
• An Exacto knife
• A ruler
• A pencil
• A piece of cardstock or Bristol board that is at least 9″ x 12″
• A piece of yard, cording, or ribbon
• (Optional) A decorative piece of scrapbook paper (12″ x 12″), some glue and a pair of scissors

The Video: How to Create a Paper Sloyd Portfolio

This video was created with the intent that you will sit down and work along with us. We don’t edit out pieces or speed up segments. A student should be able to sit down with the materials needed and work through the project with us in the time that it takes to make the video. If you are a homeschool mom and need a break to work with your other children – or maybe you’d like to sit down, uninterrupted, with a cup of coffee – this is perfect for you!

We found this model to be fairly simple. There was not too much measuring and cutting, and we got it done (even with our extras) in less than 20 minutes.

The Final Product

Oh my goodness! I love this little portfolio! It’s so simple, yet so cute and functional! I definitively recommend adding our optional step of decorating the outside with scrapbook paper. It adds so much to the final product!

This model would probably fit into the category of cardboard sloyd, rather than paper sloyd. Cardboard sloyd is a progression from paper sloyd. If you’d like to learn more about the differences between the two, I encourage you to read a couple of my recent blog posts on the subject:

• What is Sloyd? And Why is it a Valuable Tool in Home Education?
• Learning Cardboard Sloyd in a Charlotte Mason Education

I hope you are enjoying this paper sloyd series. If you are just beginning, I have put together a compilation of all of the first year of models at: A Practical Guide to Your First Year of Paper Sloyd. You can also follow along with us on our YouTube channel, Happy Handicrafts. I look forward to seeing you there!