Jan
23
2011
I love shopping the clearance section of craft stores. You never know what goodies you might find. This was the case with a pack of unfinished wooden hearts. I had no particular project in mind, but purchased them anyway — they were on sale! As with all of my treasures, they went into my inspiration bin.
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I starting going through my bin and rediscovered the wooden hearts. The ideas started bouncing around in my head. I could paint the heart red … decoupage a sentiment across it … add a quilled lace border …
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The result is this handsome Valentine’s Day card perfect for the man in your life. The tailored color blocked squares of red and black contrast nicely with the lacy quilled border around the heart making this card flirty and fun.
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I enjoy mixing various elements together with my quilling and this heart’s 1/8-inch depth makes it a great companion element for the standard 1/8-inch width quilling paper. The next time unfinished wooden items go on sale, I’m going to take a closer look at the other shapes available.
Jan
19
2011
I am so excited to share the news! As promised in my last post, the first pattern I’ve completed for 2011 is for the Quilled Captured Snowflake — a beautiful paper snowflake captured for all time inside a glass ornament — just like a ship in a bottle.
When I created my Captured Snowflake ornament I knew it was special, but the response I have received has been truly amazing! It seemed like everyone who saw this snowflake ornament either bought one or asked me how to make it.
I was going to keep the secret all to myself, but you know me … I just love to share. So, I sat down and created this pattern so that you, too, can quill your own Captured Snowflake ornament and WOW your family and friends.
This downloadable PDF ePattern contains complete easy-to-follow instructions, lots of step-by-step full color photos, a sprinkle of hints and tips to keep you on track, and all pattern templates to ensure your success.
The pattern is available for purchase in the Quilling Pattern Store section of the blog. Enjoy!
Jan
03
2011
Wrapping Up 2010
The Mable House Christmas Show was a big success! We had record attendance and record sales. It warms my heart to know that in these tough economic times, our visitors chose to purchase beautiful handmade gifts from so many talented local artisans.
I want to thank all of you for a wonderful 2010. Your kind words of encouragement in the comments you leave keep me motivated. I enjoy “meeting” each of you through emails and love to hear how your own quilling projects are progressing. I’ve been truly blessed by the many new friends I’ve made through this blog.
Looking Forward to 2011
More Quilling Patterns. As I mentioned, the Christmas show was great and my captured snowflake was a hit. I couldn’t keep it in stock. I have been asked to make a pattern for this ornament revealing all of my construction secrets and it will be the first of many to be released in 2011.
New Quilling Project Kits. My good friend Sharon of
Studio Foster (a working art studio located in Hiram, GA) has a
Pazzles cutting machine that can create amazing paper shapes like gift card holders, bag toppers, fancy boxes, etc., that are perfect backdrops for quilled embellishments.
New Quilling Classes. As we continue to grow at
Studio Foster, I look forward to creating new and exciting projects for our local
quillers. I am also excited about exploring the fusion of quilling with other types of paper art techniques and mediums.
New Year Inspiration
I ran across these words from advice columnist, Ann Landers. I have no idea when they were written, but they still ring true today.
“Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger. Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you’. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.”
Ann Landers
I wish you all the best in 2011!
Charlotte
