Party decorations and lamps made out recycled paper

I love paper. I love paper notebooks and paper magazines and paper books (as opposed to iPads, e-zines and e-books). I love the feel of paper. Recycled paper? I’m in heaven.

Minati at her stand during
Livro Aberto’s event for children
at Parque dos Professores

Ok, I’m weird. But I’m not the only one. And in Maputo I’ve found a kindred spirit: meet lovely artist Minati Baro. She’s actually a metal lover at heart, but she also has a soft spot for paper crafts. Proof of that are her delicate papery creations.

Birds, flowers, lamps, piñatas, and birthday decorations - all can be created easily from a little bit of paper.

A tip? Old phone books are an excellent source of paper waiting to be turned into crafts.

Is it a lamp? Is it a vase? It’s recycled and versatile!
Plus the flowers never wilt :)

 
Quite unexpectedly, I also found out recycled paper lamps serve as excellent ice-breakers. After picking one of Minati’s paper lamp at the event, I went around Maputo to several other appointments carrying the lamp hanging from a string. It worked as a magnet. Every kid that walked by seemed compelled to poke at it. When I entered into a bakery, a group of old men who were chatting animatedly went mute. After a few minutes of staring and staring, one of them couldn’t contain his curiosity and pointing at it asked Fadi what it was. Even serious uniformed guards seemed baffled at this mulunga carrying around what looked like an upside-down balloon. Looking for a conversation starter?
 Get a recycled paper lamp!

A traditional origami crane made out a page of a Mozambican phone book (note the Mozambican symbol).

String several of them to make a mobile or perch atop the border of the lamp.

Put a vase and a candle inside the lamp and 

you get a soft, warm light. 

Party with a bang - Mexican-style piñata made out of papel-maché
and traditional cut-out decorations all made out of old phonebook pages.