Jan 21 2012
Quilled Valentine Pomander
Pomanders have been around for centuries. Once used as a way to mask unpleasant odors, modern pomanders are a fun way to add a little extra scent to the air. This fancy pomander is made from a plain paper mache heart ornament I found in my local craft store (on sale, of course).
Since the heart is hollow, the pomander is surprisingly easy to make:
- Replace the hanging thread with your choice of ribbon (this step is optional, but it’s easier if you do it first).
- Decoupage the outside of the heart with torn pieces of decorative paper (thinner papers work better than card stock weight papers).
- Poke holes into the back of the heart using a sturdy paper piercing tool or awl.
- Cut a door into the center of the front of the heart with a craft knife.
- Insert your scent of choice (potpourri, perfumed cotton balls, purchased scent beads – you could even use a torn up car deodorizer).
- Close the door and seal it up by covering it with additional decorative paper strips.
- Decorate the front of the pomander with your choice of trims and quilling design.
To decorate mine, I ruffled a small doily (sew a circular running stitch about a half inch from the doily’s center and pull the thread tight) and glued it to the center of the heart. I then glued on three rolled roses made from card stock, three sets of leaves made from strips of crimped quilling paper, and bits of red pearls left over from a Christmas project done long ago.
Inexpensive and oh, so pretty, these little pomanders would make lovely, and useful, Valentine’s Day gifts.
Even though it is scorching outside, I’m busy working on inventory for a big Christmas show I participate in each year. With this in mind, I decided to quill some metallic cross ornaments to add to my offerings. I remembered some metallic papers I purchased from Quilled Creations and thought they would be perfect (Metallics Sparkling Quilling Paper, Silver & Antique Gold).
The biggest thing I learned is that while the papers themselves are metallic and look great from the side, the edges are quite dull. As you can see, this cross quilled from Antique Gold look like is it made from a plain brown paper (Figure 1), but the sides of the cross are nice and glitzy (Figure 2).
To solve this problem, I used a gold metallic pen (I used one made by Krylon) and colored the edges (Figure 3). What an amazing difference! Now I have a stunning gold quilled cross ornament to sell at the show.
Here is a delightful card that uses an empty ribbon spool as the card base. A message strip is attached to the core, wound around the spool, and secured with a piece of ribbon tied into a bow. The lucky recipient then unties the bow to unroll the greetings. I guarantee that this card will be a keeper! Since I wanted larger flowers, I used strips of scrapbook paper cut to various widths and hand fringed them.
