Jan 09 2012
Quilled All Occasion Card with Matching Gift Card Holder
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.
—-
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.
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.
Like most crafters these days, I am saving bottles, wrappers, and other packaging pieces for use in future craft projects. I was looking through my stash for Valentine’s Day inspiration and found a wonderful glass bottle that used to contain a marinade. I decided to dress it up and fill it with M&M’s (my husband’s favorite candy) for a great Valentine’s gift.
The word “love” was on one of the pages, so I copied the graphic into a photo editing software program, cropped the section I wanted, enlarged it a bit to fit a standard small white tag (3-1/4″ x 1-5/8″) and printed it out on white paper. I glued it to the tag, trimmed the edges and punched out the tag hole. The graphic already had a nice aged patina, so I just 
I experimented with puffy markers in an earlier post and thought that they might work well with spiders. Since Halloween is right around the corner (where did the year go?), I thought I would give it a try. I used a dark gray quilling paper for the spider hoping that the black marker would show up a bit more than straight black on black, but the contrast isn’t there. However, the texture the marker created is good. It doesn’t show up very well in the photo, but it does look cool in person. 
Additional Materials for 
Spread a very thin layer of glue as large as your quilllwork onto a flat surface like a plate or plastic lid. Using a pair of tweezers, pick up your quilling, touch the bottom edges of the paper to the glue, then place it on the desired backing. A thin glue (such as Elmer’s) works best for this technique. If you normally use a thick, tacky glue for quilling, you might try thinning it with a drop or two of water. You want the glue thin enough to spread thinly and evenly over your flat work surface. A foam brush helps to spread the glue. If the glue is too thick, the loose center of the coils will stick to the gluing surface, pulling them apart and ruining your piece. This method works especially well when tendrils and vines are part of the design. Once you have the glue on the back of your quillwork, you need to attach it exactly where you want it. If you try and slide your quilling into the correct placement, you will leave glue smudges. Any glue you see will turn shiny and even though it is clear, it will be noticeable.
You can also use a small paintbrush to paint the glue onto the back of your quilling. Use care in touching only the bottom edges of the paper with the glue to avoid unwanted globs or smudges. Again, a thinner glue is easier to spread with the paintbrush. Tweezers are useful to help hold the quilling and assist in placement when glued. 
I actually don’t use either of these methods. I spread glue on the back of my quilling using a toothpick. I pick up a little glue on the tip of the toothpick and roll the toothpick over the quills. Depending on the design, I apply glue to the tight rolls and centers of the quills to allow a little more “wiggle room” when placing the quilling on my background. If glue is not over the entire back, I can slide the quilling just a tad if needed without the glue showing. If I do end up with a bit of glue on the background, I slightly moisten a fresh toothpick (you don’t want it dripping) and gently wipe up the glue. 
