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
Nov
27
2010
The Thanksgiving leftovers may still be in the refrigerator, but I am going into crafting overdrive to finish up as many quilling pieces as I can. I have been lucky enough to have been accepted into two juried Christmas houses this year.
The Christmas House Arts & Crafts Show, hosted by the Mable House and the South Cobb Arts Alliance
Dates: December 3rd – 12th, 2010
Times: Mon-Sat 10am to 6pm; Sunday 2pm to 6pm
Place: Mable House Arts Center, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton, Georgia 30126
Phone: 770-819-3285
The Christmas House Arts & Crafts Show is right around the corner, so mark your calendars and come see some of the the finest art and fine craft in the area. My good friend, Sharon, will have her beautiful bead and wire flowers there, too. Here is a fun little “save the date” video the SCAA has provided. They were kind enough to feature one of my quilled Christmas egg ornaments.
The Gift Box, hosted by The Art Station – Big Shanty and the North Cobb Arts League
Dates: December 2nd – 17th, 2010
Times: Tuesdays – Fridays, 10am-5pm
Place: Art Station-Big Shanty, 2050 Kennesaw Due West Road, Kennesaw, GA 30152
Phone: 770-514-5930
For those of you who may have a difficult time stopping by during the day, there will be a Shop & Share Party on Tuesday, December 7th, from 6pm-8pm.
If you live anywhere in the area, I do hope you are able to come. Perhaps you’ll find that perfect gift you have been searching for.
Oct
04
2010
A very dear friend of mine, Sharon Foster (who, incidentally was my very first quilling student), has just opened a working studio in Hiram, Georgia, and has agreed to let me use the space to teach quilling classes. Since it is a private studio, there won’t be the annoying distractions that frequently accompany classes taught in a big box store, such as loudspeaker announcements or gawking onlookers. Instead, you’ll learn quilling in a fun, casual atmosphere.
Not only is the space great, but teaching out of the studio allows me the flexibility to offer classes that work with your busy schedule. I can even customize a class just for you. Need to plan a fun activity for girls night out? Are you in charge of your friend’s baby or bridal shower and want to Wow the guests with specialty favors? Let me know what type of class you’d like and I’ll do my best to make it happen.
Christmas Quilling Workshop
Since the holidays are right around the corner, the first class will be a Christmas Quilling Workshop. Projects include a Christmas card, tag, and gift card holder. Please note that these quilling patterns will be totally different from those offered through Marietta Community School, so even if you took a previous class, I invite you to come learn something new.
All skill levels are welcome; beginners can learn the basics of quilling, and more advanced quillers can improve their skills and enjoy new projects.
Here are the details:
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What: Christmas Quilling Workshop
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When: Saturday, November 6th, 1:00-4:00pm
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Where: Studio Foster, 3595 Hiram
Douglasville Highway Suite 225, Hiram GA 30141. Visit
http://www.studiofoster.net for directions and more information about the studio.
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Cost: $30 (includes all project materials and use of quilling tools)
I am limiting the class size to 6 so that everyone will get all the guidance they need to be successful in this class. Please
contact me to reserve your space, or to ask any questions you may have.
I look forward to meeting you and sharing an afternoon of fun as we quill together.
Other Classes at Studio Foster
Sharon is a multi-talented artist who creates beautiful
Ganutell, cold porcelain, and French beaded flowers. She also does stunning glass work and will be moving her kiln to the studio soon to make fused glass. She will be offering classes in several of these art forms, so please visit
www.studiofoster.net to learn more about these classes as they become available.
Aug
12
2010
I will once again be teaching quilling classes this fall through the Marietta Community School, the continuing education division of Marietta City Schools. The classes will be taught at Marietta High School, Marietta, GA.
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Quilling I — Beginner/Fall (Thursday, Sept 23, 6:00-8:30pm)
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Quilling I — Beginner/Halloween (Tuesday, Oct 5, 6:00-8:30pm)
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Quilling I — Beginner/Christmas (Tuesday, Oct 12, 6:00-8:30pm)
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Quilling II — Christmas Cards (Thursday, Nov 4, 6:00-8:30pm, Prerequisite: Any Quilling I Class)
In each Quilling I class I’ll talk briefly about the history of quilling and show samples of the various quilling papers, tools, and books available. Next, I’ll teach the students how to make the basic coils and scrolls used most in quilling as they complete a shape chart to take home for reference. We’ll make one project in class and the students will go home with a pack of multi-colored quilling paper, a slotted quilling tool, plenty of informational handouts, and enough materials to complete two more projects so they can keep quilling after the class. Check out the class projects for the Halloween and Christmas classes.
The Quilling II — Christmas Cards class is for students who already know the basic coils and scrolls, but want more practice. We’ll work on three quilled Christmas cards (original designs different than those provided in the Quilling I — Beginner/Christmas class).
You can check out the
MCS online course catalog for complete registration information. If you live in the area, I would like to personally invite you to join me for a wonderful evening of quilling.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need further information. You may leave a comment on this post, or send an
email to charlotte (at) theartofquilling (dot) com.
Jul
17
2010
I was down in the basement going through some old boxes looking for something totally unrelated to crafts when much to my surprise I discovered not one, but two boxes packed with quilling paper! The paper dates back to the 1980s and is still in perfect condition. In fact, there are some beautiful shades of greens, blues, pinks, and yellows, that are different from the current papers I have purchased.
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In addition to the papers, there were several commercial kits, my original masonite quilling board, and a Hazel Pearson Quill Quicky (which is like Quilled Creations’ curling coach only the quilling tool is built in) and Quill Designer (which is a design board with various size circles used to make uniform sized quills). I remember a few years ago seeing the Quill Quicky/Quill Designer on Ebay and watching the price of it go up…and up…and up. I think someone finally paid around $65 for it. I bought mine in the 1970s for $3.69. I was so tickled to find it since I thought it had gotten tossed a long time ago. I told my husband about the Ebay story and he asked me if I was going to sell it, but of course I told him no.
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I also found several original patterns I designed all those years ago — with the instructions typed on an actual typewriter no less. I had created strawberries, lemons, a sea shell, and a sea horse. Goodness, it brought back the memories. They still look pretty good, though, so you will probably see a few of them on the blog or in the newsletter in the near future, so keep an eye out for them.
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May
06
2010
NAQGCON 2010 was amazing! I would like to send a big “Thank You” to Kay Shockley and her Long Island Quillers (Anne Marie, Annette, Carole, Georgia, Helen, Janet, Joann, Kim, Odessa, Suzanne, Tina, and Yvonne) for all of their hard work. It took so much time, effort, and creativity to pull together an event like that and I want them to know how much it was appreciated.
It was so nice to be able to reconnect with some old friends and meet many new ones. To have so much quilling talent gathered into one room was so inspiring. We had classes, demonstrations, and make & takes, not to mention the wonderful quilling submitted for the competition and brought by others to share. It was truly quilling eye candy at its finest. I couldn’t help but visit the vendor booths and picked up some new papers, tools, and watercolor sparklers to color my designs. I learned so much and just can’t wait to share it with you.
My friend Joann quilling the stencil sailboat.
Speaking of sharing, the class I taught on the Stencil Sailboat ATC was well received and I was asked by Caroline Mach, Editor of the Quill America newsletter, to send the pattern and instructions for publication in the summer issue. And I thought, since I was going to be sharing it with my fellow NAQG members, why not share it with my own newsletter subscribers, too?
So, be on the lookout for next The Art of Quilling Newsletter to hit your e-mailbox next week. And if you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time. Just fill in the form in the upper right-hand corner of the blog.
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Apr
23
2010
The 2010 North American Quilling Guild convention is one week away. I was so honored to be asked to teach a class and have been busy pulling my project kits together. We will be quilling an
ATC (Artist Trading Card) using the stencil quilling technique where the quilling is glued underneath a cut out stencil instead of on top of a background. Check out this
previous post for more information on this technique.
While the convention is for guild members only, the public is invited to come and see all of the wonderful quilling on display.
Date: Saturday, May 1st
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Place: Holiday Inn Ronkonkoma on Long Island, New York (near McArthur Airport)
If you are anywhere in the area, do try and stop by. I guarantee you will be amazed and delighted.
Apr
08
2010
I have been sitting on this news for several months now, but the May issue of CardMaker Magazine finally arrived in my mailbox yesterday and my quilled Father’s Day card, Sail Away, is featured on page 18 in their Quill It Easy section. Needless to say I am thrilled to see my card in print, and yes, I do plan on purchasing an extra copy of the magazine so I can frame the article for my workroom. 
My card isn‘t the only one featuring quilling in this issue, however. Alli Bartkowski shares a lovely card perfect for that special sister, and Ann Martin has designed a handsome Father’s Day card that could be used for any occasion simply by changing the sentiment.
If you are not familiar with
CardMaker Magazine, I encourage you to seek it out at newsstands, or, better yet, order a subscription. I was talking to Ann Martin earlier today and she said that, “Tanya [the editor] is great about including quilling in every issue – as far as I can tell, it’s the only U.S.
papercraft magazine that features it regularly.” If you are eager to see this trend continue, I encourage you to write a
letter to the editor and let Tanya know how much you appreciate seeing quilling in the magazine, and support the magazine by ordering a subscription for yourself or your crafty mother, sister, friend, etc.
On a personal note …..
I would like to thank Alli Bartkowski for taking the time to talk to me at the 2009 NAQGCON held in Tampa last year. She encouraged me to submit a card design to CardMaker Magazine and for that I will always be grateful.
Ann keeps a close eye on the paper art community and her blog posts on
All Things Paper are a constant source of inspiration.
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Mar
26
2010
A wonderful reader of mine, Lisa Malachinski, wrote me about a project she has done where she embellishes spoons with quilling. Yes, you read that correctly, spoons! You know how much I love it when someone thinks “outside the box” with their quilling, and I just had to share her story and photos with you.
Lisa is a stay at home mother of 4, or 5 if you count her hubby (her words — but I do understand, LOL!), two boys, 15 and 11, and two girls, almost 14 and 4. She does a variety of crafts from crocheting, quilling, cardmaking, scrapbooking, to some sewing and different paper crafts.
She got hooked on quilling while watching the Carol Duvall Show and turned to books and the Internet for more information. On a favorite website she discovered Molly Smith who created classes for anyone who wanted to learn about quilling. After each project, the students would post their completed works.
During this creating and posting process she came up with the wonderful idea of adding quilling to her grandmother’s spoons. She chose to quill flowers that reminded her of her grandmother’s gardens and added little bugs for interest. She then made one for each of her sisters and mother who just loved them.
Lisa’s Aunt Marion was a wonderful lady who was full of life and loved the outdoors. She would sit and watch the hummingbirds outside her front window and show the little birds to her children and nieces. When her aunt passed away, Lisa asked her cousins for one of her spoons to embellish with quilling. As a loving tribute to her, Lisa quilled flowers and a hummingbird for the spoon. It is not surprising that she has been asked to make six more for her family and siblings.
I am so impressed with Lisa’s creativity. What a clever way to make such a personal and treasured family heirloom.
Quilling Tip: Lisa glues her quilling onto the spoon with E6000 adhesive.
Mar
22
2010
Great News…
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.
