Feb
10
2013
One of the great things about the internet is that one link leads to another. I was clicking around a few weeks ago looking for Valentine inspiration and found a wonderful blog called iheartnaptime.net which features a free download of a patchwork heart made from triangles designed by Kiki Comin, the creator and editor of Kiki and Company.
I was ready to try something different and when I saw the heart I thought it would be fun to make my own — only I used triangles that I created using the husking technique. My version seemed to create itself and turned out decidedly old fashioned.
While looking around for a cute saying to go with the Valentine I came across this one: ”You stole a piece of my heart.” If I had not already glued the heart together, I would have left a triangle piece out and used this saying.
Tags: cardmaking, husking, quilling, Valentine's Day
Jan
13
2013
Looking for quilling inspiration? Why not upcycle old gift enclosure cards into new cards for friends and family?
Last fall I spent a lovely day with my friend stopping at yard sales and thrift stores. At one very unique shop in downtown Villa Rica, GA, I spied a shoebox of old, unused gift enclosure cards. I picked out several for only a dime a piece. What a deal!
I love making quilling cards, but don’t make enough of the same ones to justify spending a lot of money on specialty stamps and supplies. When I saw these wonderful little gift cards, I had the idea of using the colorful fronts as the sentiment part of a card.
The enclosure card was the inspiration for the colors and the actual quilling design which is a repeat of the whimsical leaf and berry doodle.
I love how this card turned out! Not only did I save an old card from the trash, but I have a new quilling card ready for the next special occasion.
Tags: budget quilling, cardmaking, quilling, recycled upcycled quilling, thriftstore quilling
Jan
05
2013
I love quilled jewelry. It is very popular right now, and rightly so – the look is just lovely. I wanted to try my hand at making some, but was hesitant due to the fragile nature of paper.
I am notoriously hard on my jewelry and all the spray sealer in the world (which makes paper water resistant, not waterproof) can’t keep a toddler from grabbing hold of the quilling and crushing it.
To solve this problem, I am experimenting with embedding paper quilling inside resin. This preserves the delicate look of the quilling, but makes it pretty much indestructible. I am very excited about the many commercial jewelry bezels available and look forward to making my own.
I would like to wish all of my quilling friends a very happy, healthy, and creative new year!
Tags: quilling, quilling jewelry
Nov
30
2012
It is so important to keep your hands clean while quilling. The little bits and pieces of dried glue from your finger tips can make a beautiful piece of quill art look dirty and messy. You will want to wash and dry your hands constantly as you quill.
I have discovered a wonderful hand lotion that’s perfect for restoring the moisture lost to all that hand washing. It’s called Springtime Citrus Lotion from ORNAVE made by Etsy shop owner, Emily James (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ornavegreen). Unlike heavily perfumed lotions, this one has a delightfully light scent. While at her shop, be sure to check out her other organic bath and body aromatherapy products that are all natural and vegan.
Tags: Quilling Tips
Nov
21
2012
I was looking around the craft store yesterday and came across some small chalkboard ornaments in the unfinished wood section (Craftwood brand made by Darice).
At 2-in x 3-in, these little chalkboards are the perfect size for a gift tag ornament and come complete with a hang cord attached. They are so inexpensive that you could make one for the teacher, room mother, and even the principal, without breaking the bank.
The chalkboard is recessed exactly 1/8-in so the quilling embellishments fit right in. I added an apple and pencil to mine, but there are many cute school embellishments you could add like a school bus, school bell, or old fashioned school house.
I was afraid that actual chalk would wipe off, so I used a white paint pen (Painters paint marker by Elmers) to paint on the numbers and letters.
The back of the chalkboard is nice and smooth making it easy to write the “to” and “from” information — and don’t forget to add the date.
Wouldn’t this be a great craft project to make with the kids?
Tags: budget quilling, Christmas Quilling, quilled ornament, quilled tag, Quilling with Kids
Sep
09
2012
A dear friend of mine, Sharon, recently had a birthday and I wanted to craft her a quilling card to celebrate the occasion.
I have a very hard time using border punches and when I saw this lovely strip on the program of a wedding I attended recently, I couldn’t toss it out. I carefully removed it from the program and saved it to recycle into a future quilling project.
While creating this card, I tried various ribbons, but just wasn’t happy with the look — then I remembered the punched paper strip. I think it adds a wonderful lacey accent. It doesn’t show in the photo, but I edged the white scalloped circle with silver metallic ink. The pearl flower center and blue gems add a touch of bling to an otherwise simple card — perfect for my special crafting friend.
Crafting Tip
Take a creative look at cards, programs, and packaging before you toss them out. You may be throwing away free crafting materials that can add color, texture, and interest to your quilling projects.
Tags: cardmaking, quilling, Quilling Tips, recycled upcycled quilling
Aug
04
2012
As I had hoped, my recent quilling display at the Smyrna Public Library generated an interest in quilling and I was asked to teach a class at the Wolfe Adult Recreation Center.
The ladies were delightful and did a great job. In fact, they enjoyed it so much that I have been invited back to teach a Christmas quilling class this fall!
If you are in the north Atlanta area and would like me to teach a class to your special group, please send me an email or leave a comment on this post. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jun
09
2012
My husband’s former sales assistant is getting married in a private ceremony this week and we will be attending their reception on Saturday. I created this card to celebrate the happy occasion.
The graphic, created by Angela Poole, Creative Editor of Papercraft Inspirations, can be found in the “Free Downloads” section of the magazine’s website.
Making quilled flowers that tiny was a bit of a challenge. The petals are solid ring coils made by wrapping 1-inch pieces of 1/16” paper around a toothpick. I then added a tiny rhinestone to the center of each flower to add a bit of sparkle.
Tags: cardmaking, wedding quilling
May
13
2012
My niece recently graduated from the University of Georgia. She has always been so complimentary of my quilling that I wanted to make her a special card rather than purchase one off the shelf.
The card turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought it would be. It took three stops to find a paper that meshed with the idea I was playing with in my mind. When I finally had the card layout set, I thought that quilling the graduation cap would be a snap. Oh, my goodness … was I ever wrong.
This card may say, “Hats off to the graduate,” but to all the quillers who have already created a quilled a graduation cap, my hat’s off to you. I had a devil of a time shaping the coils the way I wanted them. And when I glued the bottom cap part onto the mortar board diamond, I decided that the mortar board was a bit too small. I certainly did NOT want to create another cap, so I carefully added more “layers” to the top diamond shape to enlarge it.
I could have created a paper tassel with fringed paper, but as you all know, I’m not a purist and like the look of mixing different materials together. I had trouble finding a light blue tassel small enough in the stores, so I made my own using embroidery floss.
The sentiment on the front of the card has rolled ends like a diploma. I found a quote online that I thought was appropriate and used it for the inside of the card.
I hope she likes it.
Quilling Tip
Even if your quilling design isn’t quite right — keep working with it before you throw it away. You can reshape or add to your coils until you have the look you want.
Tags: cardmaking, quilling, Quilling Tips
May
06
2012
In February I was contacted by a member of Friends of Smyrna Library who had seen my work at the Mable House Christmas House craft show sponsored by the South Cobb Arts Alliance. She said that they would love to have me exhibit my work in the Smyrna library display cases on the second floor and would I be interested in being their guest artist for May-June, 2012. Always eager to share quilling with others, I naturally said, “Yes.”
The Smyrna library is in a neighboring city and I had never been there, so after agreeing to the display, I drove over to take a look at the space. I was expecting a single museum-type display case like you normally find at the front entrance and was a bit intimidated by the actual number of shelves I was expected to fill.
Since it was for a library, I wanted to make the display as educational as possible. I created informational signs describing quilling, a brief history of the art, the tools needed (and samples of the actual tools - I have extras of everything), various types and widths of quilling papers, and a shape chart. I also displayed current quilling books, along with my purchased copy of the Florian Papp brochure and an early quilling book that show samples of vintage quilling.
To promote the North American Quilling Guild, I included photos of the Guild’s 10th Anniversary floral tribute from 2010, copies of the popular QuillAmerica newsletter, and left a supply of NAQG brochures on the podium for those interested in learning more.
The display will be up until June 30th. My hope is that everyone who sees it enjoys learning more about this wonderful art and that some may even be inspired to give quilling a try.
If you live in the area, please stop by and let me know what you think. The Smyrna library is located at 100 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, GA 30080.
Tags: quilling
