Archiver’s has been advertising a card workshop making Itty Bitty Valentines that are 3-in x 3-in.  They looked so cute I decided to challenge myself to design three Itty Bitty Valentines of my own.  I only had two rules:  (1) my cards needed to be the same 3-in x 3-in size and (2) I couldn’t purchase any new supplies – I had to use what was already in my stash.  

Pretty in Pink

Who says a Valentine has to be red?  For this sweet card I layered three strips of pink card stock (alternating light and dark) on the bottom and rounded the corners with a decorative punch.  I added a quilled long-stem pink rose with moss green leaves.  For the sentiment, I stamped “My heart is yours” in black ink and added a little pink bow.  The rose is a rolled spiral made from a circle punched from card stock.  To finish the card I edged it with pink chalk.

A Berry Delightful Valentine

This card was inspired by the red and tan checked paper which has been in my stash bin for quite some time.  It is from a sack I saved from a purchase made in Savannah.  It reminded me of a country picnic which lead me to the “I love you BERRY much!” theme.  I used my computer to print the sentiment onto the tan cardstock, trimmed it to 2.75-in square and attached it to the front of my red card.  I cut a piece of the sack with pinking shears and glued it near the top-left of the card.  I punched two small holes and added little red heart brads (bought awhile ago with no particular project in mind, but they were cute and on sale – lol!).  Next, I glued on a red heart-shaped strawberry and white strawberry blossom.  I tied a little piece of jute cord around the top of the card to finish it off.

Hot Lips

This card is my favorite.  I had the thought of quilling a pair of lips and as I pondered how I would use that embellishment on a card, I remembered the famous Bogie & Bacall movie quote, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?”  A quick internet search turned up the entire quote and I knew that this would be the card I would give to my husband — Steve.

I used my computer to print the text and a Spellbinder’s die set to cut out the layers for both the front and inside of the card.  I glued two little flat pearls to the front and added the lips.  He’s going to love it.

There’s only one downside to taking on a challenge like this — what do I do with all of the ideas still floating around in my head that I didn’t create?

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The Paulding Fine Arts Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization created in 1982 to provide the citizens of Paulding County, Georgia with opportunities to experience the arts on all levels through observation, education and participation.  They have a wonderful new Fine Arts Gallery located in the historic downtown area of Dallas, Georgia.
 

Since there was a large turnout, I was not able to do a hands-on mini class, but instead gave an informational talk on the history of quilling, the basic tools needed to get started, and additional resources readily available.  I received a special request to demonstrate how to make simple coils with just my fingers, and followed it up with a demonstration of the needle and slotted quilling tools. 

I brought a variety of quilling samples to show the group and was so pleased at the interest shown in this art form.  We had a lively question and answer session at the end of the presentation.  I even had one art teacher indicate that she was interested in teaching quilling to her young students. 

I had a wonderful time, met some really talented fellow artists, and learned more about a great art association.  I would like to thank the Paulding Fine Arts Association for their warm hospitality and the opportunity to share the art that I love with their members.

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Since the heart is hollow, the pomander is surprisingly easy to make:

1. Replace the hanging thread with your choice of ribbon (this step is optional, but it’s easier if you do it first).
2. Decoupage the outside of the heart with torn pieces of decorative paper (thinner papers work better than card stock weight papers).
3. Poke holes into the back of the heart using a sturdy paper piercing tool or awl.
4. Cut a door into the center of the front of the heart with a craft knife.
5. Insert your scent of choice (potpourri, perfumed cotton balls, purchased scent beads – you could even use a torn up car deodorizer).
6. Close the door and seal it up by covering it with additional decorative paper strips.
7. 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.

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The Indie Artisans Jury Committee deemed my Quilled Floral Heart Wreath Pattern worthy of inclusion in their new The Color of Love collection celebrating Valentine’s Day. 

When you think of love do you see red?  Or perhaps soft lavender is more your style.  You’ll find these colors and more represented in the items featured in this collection.  Come shop The Color of Love to find the perfect gift for your special Valentine.

All artwork is handmade in the USA by the talented professional artists who make up Indie Artisans and is offered for sale online through their respective Etsy shops. 

The collections change frequently so visit Indie Artisans often to see what’s new!

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Michaels had their scrapbook paper on sale a few weeks ago and since I was already there, I just had to take a look.  I was happy to find a floral with a small pattern that I thought would work well with quilling.  My idea was to make a card using the paper and decorate it with a quilled version of the floral pattern. 

At least that was the plan, but after a few false starts I was beginning to wonder if this project would ever come together.  Then, I had one of those sleepless nights and tried again at 4:00am.  This time everything just came together. 

The flowers on the paper are simple 5-petal posies.  I wanted to maintain the look and feel of this style, but couldn’t resist jazzing the petals up a bit.  Instead of keeping the flower petals flat, I gave them dimension by rolling them as tight coils and then letting them uncoil just a little instead of all the way before gluing down the end and pinching them into teardrops.  This allowed me to take the end of my quilling tool and gently push out the center.  I then smeared glue on the back of the petals so that when dried, they would keep their new shape.  For even more dimension, I angled the petals a bit when gluing them together to form the completed flower.

Since the card would be handled, I glued two strips of quilling paper together for the vine so that it would be a little sturdier.

With the card done, I turned my attention to the gift card holder.  It is made using an empty toilet tissue roll!  I have no idea how I missed this recycling trend, but it was new to me.  I first saw it used in a project created by the very talented quiller, Sue Custer (Hi, Sue!).  She is on the Custom Quilling design team and used a toilet tissue roll to create a gift card pocket holder tag (you can see it here).  When I asked Sue about it, she directed me to an earlier project where she used the toilet rolls to make a cute mini album (you’ll find it here along with some directions). 

I had a hard time keeping the roll flat so I cut the tube and made mine into a fold-out card holder.  I decorated the tube inside and out with the same paper as the card then cut a strip the width of the holder and glued down just the ends to form a pocket for the gift card.  It is still curved, but I know that the gift card is secure and won’t fall out.

I closed the gift card holder by wrapping it with a piece of the same ribbon I used on the card and tied a matching bow.  The ribbon just slips off to open the card holder and both can be used again and again.  How’s that for recycling? 

To finish off the gift, I created a matching gift tag using a left over pricing tag as the base.  I covered one side with the floral paper and the other with the dotted paper.  I quilled one more flower using the cupped petals and added a quilled leaf.  I stamped a sweet sentiment on the dotted paper side and tied the tag onto the bow. 

Whew!  That was a long post, but I hope I have inspired you to make your own matching card and gift card holder set. 

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For those of you interested, the floral paper is called “Itsy Bitsy Ditsy” from Recollections (which I think is Michaels’ store brand) and the color is called Pistachio.  The pink polka dot paper is called “Pink with Rose Trim” and is also by Recollections.  It has a green and white stripe of roses down one side of the paper.  I was tickled to find that Quilled Creation’s moss green and pale pink papers were an almost identical color match.

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The only down side is that you are not there to watch over your items.  That is where creative packaging can be a big help.  Along with my “captured ornament” series, this year I am offering three different quilled ornaments for sale.  And while I know that paper ornaments are quite sturdy, I really didn’t want to put them out without some type of protection.  I would hope that adults would treat them with proper care, but the tables are low enough that little ones might be tempted to reach for them.

To solve this problem, I created a simple gift box for each ornament and then placed it inside a plastic sleeve (like those used for cards).  Packaged with the box open, potential buyers can see exactly what the ornament looks like.   

I make the gift boxes from heavy scrapbook paper or card stock.  I like using a nice printed paper for the top and a solid color for the bottom.  I purchase the paper during the year when I find it on sale, that way the boxes cost next to nothing.  My boxes are roughly 3-in x 3-in square, but you will want to make yours sized to fit your ornaments.  Just be sure to make the lid a little bit larger so it will fit over the bottom (trust me — I speak from frustrated experience).  I also make the lid height a little bit shorter than the bottom height so that the box is easier for the recipient to open.  There are several good scoring tools on the market (I use the Martha Stewart one, but Score-Pal is very popular, too) that make creating these boxes a snap.

For an added touch, I cut a piece of white quilt batting to fit inside the box.  I purchased an inexpensive roll of batting at my local JoAnn store (using a coupon, of course!).  I’ve probably made five dozen boxes and still have plenty of batting left for next year.  This gives the gift box the feel of an expensive jewelry gift box.  I did find, however, that my white snowflake did not show up well on the white batting, so I cut a piece of pale silver tissue to sit on top of the batting underneath the snowflake. 

Since my ornaments are for sale, I include my custom hang tag which contains basic quilling information.  This tucks away neatly underneath the batting.

Even if you don’t participate in craft shows, you might want to give this idea a try.  Think of how delighted your friends and family will be to receive your quilled ornaments inside their own little gift box.

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Unfortunately, having this idea and implementing it proved to be two very different things.  You see, I am not a talented stamper and I was having a hard time stamping just the letter part of these holiday stamps.  I tried adding ink to just the letters using a marking pen, but my hand would slip and I would invariably get ink on the picture portion of the stamp.  Next, I tried covering the picture parts with tape, but that didn’t work for me either.

Finally, I decided to cut out the part of the stamps I didn’t want printed.  It was a hard decision to make since there was a very good chance I could ruin the stamps, but I took my craft knife, held my breath, and carefully cut around the picture section of each stamp and peeled off the cut portions.  Since the stamps were mounted on wooden blocks, the spacing and alignment of the rest of the stamp sections was not disturbed.

I then inked them up (I like using StazOn solvent ink since it dries quickly and doesn’t smear) and stamped away.  As an added bonus, I was delighted to find that I hadn’t ruined my stamps at all.  The cut out portions fit right back into their original places so the stamps can still be used as they were originally intended.

I am sure that if you look around you’ll find many other stamps out there that would lend themselves to this creative “altered art” technique.

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My good friend Sharon has many of the paper crafting tools now available.  The other day I dropped by and she used a Tim Holz die to cut some rosette strips for me.  The die perforates the fold lines making it super easy to get perfect accordion folds.

I quilled a black cat, added green crystal eyes, and glued it to the center of my rosette.  I used it as the focal point of a Halloween card made from more decorative paper included in the Midnight Spell matstack I purchased last year.

These paper rosettes are a great way to add a touch of quilling to any paper project.

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If you haven’t visited the Papercraft Inspirations site, you are in for a real treat.  This is the online site for the printed magazine.  Besides all of the ideas provided by a team of extremely creative designers, you’ll find free templates, downloads, and papers you can print off to use with your own creations.

If you would like to make your own “Cute as a Button” card, you’ll find the free button card back graphic (designed by Jo Kill) in the free download section.

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Just like the snowflake, this quilled wreath is assembled inside a glass ornament, safely preserved for years to come.  The wreath’s shape fills the ornament nicely and the red gems added to the tops of the berries add a nice touch of holiday sparkle as they catch the light.  Since the glass ornament is clear, the wreath is designed to be two-sided so it can be enjoyed from all angles.

For those of you who would like to create your own, I have written a full color digital pattern complete with photos to guide you every step of the way.  You’ll find this pattern, along with the Quilled Captured Snowflake, in my new Quilling Pattern Store.

The holidays will be here before you know it.  It’s never too early to create one of these stunning ornaments for your family and treasured friends.

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