theartofquilling.com

 

I finally took the plunge and have opened a store at ArtFire.com!  Now you can purchase my finished quill art online.

 

I invite you to visit my store, The Art of Quilling, and browse around.  You’ll find buying is easy and safe through PayPal.

 

The inventory will grow and change over time, so check back often for that perfect gift or home decor accent.

 

It has been a very cold, wet winter, which is unusual for Georgia.  We have had more snow than I can remember in years and I am so looking forward to spring.  I was surfing the web looking for a poem or saying to go with this post that waxed poetically about trees beginning to bud as the earth starts its cycle of rebirth, or something to that effect, when I ran across this delightful quote and had to chuckle.  I think Mr. Borland has summed up the month of March quite well.

 

 

In honor of spring, I thought I would show you an egg ornament that I made.  It is a paper maché egg embellished with a quilled peach blossom.  This egg is the size of a hen’s egg, but you could use one larger if you like and adjust your quilling accordingly.  I used the narrow, 1/16″ wide quilling paper since I find it does better for me when I am gluing it to a curved surface. 

 

To get the egg ready for the quilling, I applied a coat of gesso to seal the paper maché.  Once the egg was dry, I sketched an oval on the egg and painted the inside white and the rest of the egg a soft peachy-pink.  I applied a coat of satin varnish and let it dry.  For the final touch, I outlined the oval with a gold metallic permanent marker.  Since I wanted to hang my egg on a display stand, I glued on a bell cap with a built in ring, however, this egg would look just as cute displayed in a basket.

 

For this sample, I quilled a peach blossom on a tree branch with other buds and leaves — at least I call it a peach blossom since I live in the peach state, but it could just as easily be an apple or cherry blossom.  I have also embellished these painted eggs with violets, iris, daffodils, and even a cute bunny that I sold before getting a photo (hate it when that happens).  I did give the quilling a thin coat of the varnish for protection.

 

Eggs make a wonderful spring canvas for quilling, and since the area is small, the quilling goes fairly quickly.  You’ll have a masterpiece to show others in no time.

 

Tip:  If you are interested in the bell caps, I found them online at www.CostumeJewelrySupplies.com under the “findings” section.  They have a really nice selection of jewelry findings at very reasonable prices.  NOTE:  I have no connection with this company and derive no benefit from this recommendation, except for that little thrill you get when you tell a friend about something cool.  :-) 

While looking around the web for St. Patrick’s Day craft inspiration I ran across Pumpkin Petunia’s free lucky penny template.  Jo-Ann, a very crafty mom, created the template for her kids to use as a classroom handout for St. Patrick’s Day.   Of course, after seeing the template, I knew that it was the perfect background for a little bit of quilling, so I added the quilled shamrocks.  This time I made them with 4″ teardrop coils (using 1/8″ wide paper) that I paired into hearts, just like the ones used for the Upcycled Valentine’s Day Quilling project.  When you glue three hearts together, you have a shamrock.  I added a small flat-back gold crystal for a little extra bling.

 

I must have had the lucky penny handouts still on my mind when I went to bed because I woke up thinking how fun it might be if the children could pretend that they were the king or queen of the leprechauns handing out the pennies.  That, of course, meant that they would need a crown — a crown decorated with quilled shamrocks and precious jewels!  The one I made, using 3/8″ wide quilling paper with a gold edge,  is for your inspiration only.  A child would do a much more creative version.   Throw in some crayons, markers, and glitter and this crown would truly be fit for royalty.

 

 

Quilling Tip:  I found references on the web to a National Lucky Penny Day celebrated on May 23rd in Canada and Great Britain.  My international readers might like to make a batch of lucky penny cards to give to friends and family at that time.  The crown (minus the shamrocks) would be a fun children’s project for anytime of the year.