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My niece recently graduated from the University of Georgia.  She has always been so complimentary of my quilling that I wanted to make her a special card rather than purchase one off the shelf. 

The card turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought it would be.  It took three stops to find a paper that meshed with the idea I was playing with in my mind.  When I finally had the card layout set, I thought that quilling the graduation cap would be a snap.  Oh, my goodness … was I ever wrong.

This card may say, “Hats off to the graduate,” but to all the quillers who have already created a quilled a graduation cap, my hat’s off to you.  I had a devil of a time shaping the coils the way I wanted them.  And when I glued the bottom cap part onto the mortar board diamond, I decided that the mortar board was a bit too small.  I certainly did NOT want to create another cap, so I carefully added more “layers” to the top diamond shape to enlarge it. 

I could have created a paper tassel with fringed paper, but as you all know, I’m not a purist and like the look of mixing different materials together.  I had trouble finding a light blue tassel small enough in the stores, so I made my own using embroidery floss. 

The sentiment on the front of the card has rolled ends like a diploma.   I found a quote online that I thought was appropriate and used it for the inside of the card.

I hope she likes it.

Quilling Tip

Even if your quilling design isn’t quite right — keep working with it before you throw it away.  You can reshape or add to your coils until you have the look you want.

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In February I was contacted by a member of Friends of Smyrna Library who had seen my work at the Mable House Christmas House craft show sponsored by the South Cobb Arts Alliance.  She said that they would love to have me exhibit my work in the Smyrna library display cases on the second floor and would I be interested in being their guest artist for May-June, 2012.  Always eager to share quilling with others, I naturally said, “Yes.” 

The Smyrna library is in a neighboring city and I had never been there, so after agreeing to the display, I drove over to take a look at the space.  I was expecting a single museum-type display case like you normally find at the front entrance and was a bit intimidated by the actual number of shelves I was expected to fill.

Since it was for a library, I wanted to make the display as educational as possible.  I created informational signs describing quilling, a brief history of the art, the tools needed (and samples of the actual tools - I have extras of everything), various types and widths of quilling papers, and a shape chart.  I also displayed current quilling books, along with my purchased copy of the Florian Papp brochure and an early quilling book that show samples of vintage quilling.

 To promote the North American Quilling Guild, I included photos of the Guild’s 10^th Anniversary floral tribute from 2010, copies of the popular QuillAmerica newsletter, and left a supply of NAQG brochures on the podium for those interested in learning more.

The display will be up until June 30^th.  My hope is that everyone who sees it enjoys learning more about this wonderful art and that some may even be inspired to give quilling a try. 

If you live in the area, please stop by and let me know what you think.  The Smyrna library is located at 100 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, GA 30080.

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My youngest daughter’s friend is having a baby boy and the shower theme is outer space. When she saw the Valentine’s Day lollipop cover I made with the rocket ship, she asked me to make a shower card with a rocket on it for her to give to the mother-to-be.

Normally, the idea of a baby shower conjures up images of baby booties, rattles, and teddy bears in soft pastel shades. When I found this nice blue mid-century modern space looking paper, I thought it would be fun to go a bit cartoonish with the quilling.

The rocket pattern is adapted from a free clip art picture I found on the Internet. I pulled the blue-yellow-red color scheme of the rocket directly from the patterned paper and outlined each section with a double thickness of black paper strips to give it a comic book feel. I just love the addition of the yellow star buttons that I found in my stash. The end result reminds me of Marvin the Martian’s rocket from the old Buggs Bunny cartoons.

I tailored the card sentiment to the arrival of the new bundle of joy, but this card could very easily be adapted for a little boy’s birthday by changing the inside sentiment to read, “Counting Down the Days Until you Turn 5,” for example.

Quilling doesn’t have to be girly – sometimes it’s fun to let your imagination take flight.

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I am so pleased to share with you that another design of mine, “Happy Father’s Day”, has been published — this time in CardMaker Magazine‘s May 2012 issue.  (The first Father’s Day card was published in May 2010.)

For this card, the magazine editor actually contacted me (yes, that was a squeal of delight you heard coming from Georgia last November).  LOL!!!  Tanya had seen one of my Christmas cards where I replaced a letter with a quilled design posted on Pinterest and asked me if I had any interest in creating a card using that technique for an up coming issue of the magazine.  Oh, my goodness, of course I was interested.

After the design was set and the card submitted, came the hard part … the wait.  You never really know what changes they might make or how the card will fit into the magazine layout until you see the final magazine.

Well, the wait is over and the issue is published.  Their photography is always top-notch and I am so pleased with the final results. 

I know I’ve said it before, but you really do need to check out CardMaker Magazine.  They always have at least one quilling card in every issue.  And for those in need of inspiration for design layout, colors, and sentiments – look no further.  This magazine has it all.  I love this magazine and I think that you will, too.

Thanks for letting me share.

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Several months ago I was doing my usual look through Michael’s scrapbook paper isle to see what papers they had marked down to ridiculously low prices when I happened upon one sheet left of a St. Patrick’s Day paper called Lucky Day Shamrock Big Stripe by Deja Views®.  Regularly well over a dollar, it was now a mere $0.29.  Of course I snatched it up. 

What first caught my eye was the wonderful saying printed on the paper.  A fancy sentiment is often the costliest part of making a card and here was a great one for mere pennies.  It is hard to tell in the photo, but much of the sentiment is done in embossed metallic. 

The other great thing about this paper was that it combined many great prints onto one sheet (also with lots of added shiny metallic embossing).  It was like having the use of six printed papers for the price of one.  I had quite a bit of the printed paper left over after making this card and will be able to use it for other occasions.

In making the card, the first thing I did was to cut out the sentiment and line it with matching blue card stock trimmed slightly larger than the sentiment, edging the pieces with black ink.  Next, I cut a piece of matching green card stock 5-in x 6.5-in and affixed it to the front of my ivory card.  I then cut a piece of the scrapbook paper 4.75-in x 6.25”, wrapped a piece of blue ribbon diagonally around the front securing the ends to the back, and affixed it to the front of the card.  I attached the sentiment to the center front of the card using adhesive foam mounts so that the sentiment stood away from the back of the card.

Since the background paper was already pretty busy, I didn’t want to glue quilled shamrocks directly onto the card, but wanted them to stand out instead, like the sentiment.  So, I quilled two shamrocks and glued them onto the front of mini clothes pins!  I then clipped them onto the sentiment section of the card. 

The clothes pin shamrocks were the perfect finishing touch to this St. Patrick’s Day inspired card.  You can find several sizes of clothes pins in the unfinished wooden shapes isle of your local craft store. 

Card Tip

I purchase bulk packages of inexpensive cards in 5-in x 6.5-in and 4-in x 5.5-in sizes in both ivory and white.  They make a wonderful starting base for decorated cards and come complete with envelopes that are sized a bit larger than the cards.  This allows finished cards to easily fit, even when embellished with quilling. 

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My niece is getting married this June and I attended her bridal shower yesterday.  I wanted to create a special card for the occasion and using the colors from the invitation, I designed this one.

Deciding on the actual quilling is usually not a problem; however, it can take me quite awhile to come up with the actual card layout.  If you suffer from this design malady too, then a card sketch may be just what the doctor ordered.

For those unfamiliar with sketches, they are drawings of cards with the various paper pieces and embellishment placements already decided.  I belong to a Yahoo! Group called The Scrapbook Lounge.  The moderator (hi, Diana) is starting up a monthly sketch challenge and I decided to use it for the layout of the shower card.

With sketches there are no rules and you can certainly move pieces around to fit your mood or the supplies you have on hand.  I find them to be a wonderful design tool since the work is already done for you.  And since sketches are a simple black and white, it is much easier to imagine your own colors and papers in the layout, rather than seeing a finished card and then trying to imagine it made from completely different supplies.

You can find sketches quite easily.  A quick Google search will turn up quite a few.  You can also find them in the back of magazines such as Card Maker, and there are some excellent professionally done sketch books you can purchase.  

There are also quite a few blogs that sponsor sketch challenges (again, do a Google search).  Participating in sketch challenges is an excellent way to practice your card making skills and show others the beauty of quilling.

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Feeling sweet, sexy, or playfully punny?  Then one of these quilled Valentine’s Day cards is right for you.

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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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:

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 is an amazing group of Etsy artisans who have banded together to promote the best handmade has to offer through carefully selected collections of works based on various themes.  I am so honored (and quite frankly tickled pink) to have been invited to join this Etsy team and participate in their latest collection.

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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I’m not much of a winter person, so by January my thoughts are turning to spring.  When I happened upon some pretty floral scrapbook paper, I used it to create this decidedly feminine card and gift card holder perfect for any occasion.

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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